Shipshape and awaiting inspection
A year afloat: to the Caribbean and back
Sam and Alex Fortescue
Sun 20 Feb 2011 21:01
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17:00.18N
61:45.66W Summer Song coasted into Nelson's Dockyard just
after sunset yesterday. We swerved round a reef, slid past an old coastal
battery trained on Guadeloupe to the south, and dropped the hook in 8m of
turquoise water. It was a near ideal sailing day. The sun shone almost without
pause and the seas had died away to a gentle swell. A slightly timid 10 knots of
wind filled the sails so, for the first time in months, we could shake out all
the reefs and hang out a slightly crinkled looking full set of
canvas.
Indeed, to begin with, as we left Deshaies at the
top left-hand orner of Guadeloupe, we thought we would have to motor the 42
miles to Antigua. This plan was quickly dashed, though, when the engine alarm
sounded shrilly after about an hour. Never having heard it before, we cast
around below for some time looking for the culprit. As soon as we noticed the
temperature warning light on the dashboard, we switched the engine off and I
went aloft to remove the temporary lower shroud that was stopping us from
raising the mainsail. It proved fortuitous, as there was a glorious sail to be
had.
This morning was one for greasemonkeys. While Alex
tidied furiously in anticpation of Springmead's arrival tomorrow, I donned mucky
garb and started grappling with the engine. In a little over an hour I replaced
three filters, two of which were largely clogged with black gunk from our diesel
tank. Long-term followers of our exploits may remember a nerve-racking night
entry into Gijon, Spain, with an engine crippled by the same black goo. I also
changed the little rubber impeller which pumps cooling water round the donk.
This was near ruined after many hours service and is, we hope, the cause of the
engine overheating yesterday.
Summer Song is a hive of activity (except as I
write this), as we prepare for Mission Control's arrival. It has been a great
spur to do small jobs that have been wanting for many weeks and even months. By
tomorrow, she would pass muster as a ship of the line under Nelson
himself.
Guadeloupe's most active volcano, la
Soufriere
 Overnight at the Anse de la Barque,
Guadeloupe
 Moored up in the marine park
 Fish around Summer Song in the Jacques Cousteau
marine park
 Montserrat under a cloud
 Closing Antigua at sunset
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