Thought we would keep a catalogue of our technical hitches as we go. It appears that these will be endemic with our travels. All seasoned cruisers are subject to them apparently! We feel we have already had a disproportionate share so far but then when you speak to some folk who have similar tales to tell we haven’t!
Scotland to Ireland – no problems at all (apart from rotten weather)
Ireland to Lorient — no bow thruster – needed new switch and mother board (1 week)
Lorient to Gijon — no radar – looked at in La Coruna and discussed in Cascais commissioned Bluewater in Portimao to do job
(6 weeks – huge bill)
Alvor to Portimao — No anchor motor- burnt out and needed replacing (4 weeks – Bluewater)
Portimao ……. water pump began leaking John fixed it and new motor on order from UK
Portimao to Porto Santo – batteries were not taking charge from engine (engineer looked and didn’t come back !!!!)
generator overheating so couldn’t charge batteries as alternative source – John fixed
My faith has been restored in tradesmen. The engineer did come back at 8.30 this morning. Apparently he got stuck in a tunnel (there are all over Madiera) yesterday afternoon for hours. Anyway he checked the alternator and batteries and cannot find anything wrong. He also did not charge us as he had inconvenienced us yesterday. Now ain’t that something.
However as we plan to move on due to bad weather the blooming generator if overheating again. Humbug!
Reflections from St Lucia as we conitue to deal with boat maintenance December 2009
ANODES: Lanzarote - after a swim under the boat we discovered our anode had fallen of AGAIN!!! There followed an absolute fiasco trying to source one that fitted the prop. None to be had in Lanzarote surely we’d get one in Tenerife? Santa Cruz – yeah.
By this time we were in La Gomera but John had done the island hop to get back to Santa Cruz by fast cat. Diver organised only to discover it ws wrong size on internal diameter. (bad words – lots of them). ANode continued to be hung over the prop in marinas all the way to Puerto Rico. Eventually after a bus trip to Las Palmas and Rolnautica we sourced them. Bought several and Robert brought one out as well. A guy in the marina at Puerto Rico went down and fitted it. Glad to report that this one has survived the Atlantic crossing. Will need to get it checked though as it will probably be fairly well eaten given we have been berthed beside steel hulls and some rather undesirable waters.
Autohelm/ compass – incompatability. Turns out when Bluewater did the repair on the antena they also wrongly programmed the hartplotter and auto helm. A few times the autohelm went wonky and changed course dramatically for no apparent reason. Turns out that it was getting two signals and thus getting itself very confused. Anyway Raymarine guys sorted it out for us but unfirtunatelky we didn’t get a chance to calibrate the compasses with the autohelm before we headed out to start the race. This meant it had to be done midst departure for the start of the race (ah the joys) so we crossed the Atlantic working to a 20 – 25 degree difference. The autohelm was great though and once the adjustment was allowed for it never wavered.
Generator: after all the intermittent issues with it we were apprehensive for the trip. It was great up until the last 3 days. We had to use it much more than we had anticipated. It was running for over 6 hours each day as the house batteries had been compromised. The charge would only last several hours and then the generator would have to go on again to give them a boost. However the last 3 days of the trip it gave up the ghost and the engine began overheating and cutting the generator out. John changed the impellor, checked the water intake/outake, topped up oil etc. Still it wouldn’t run for more than 5/10 minutes before cutting out. Now we have had a look under the boat and it appears that the goose barnacles that were so prolific on the hull have also been growing up the outtake filter. John took a screwdriver up the pipe but it has a grid over it and it is difficult to do when you only have snorkel air time. Hopefully we will get a diver to go down and give it a good clean out. If that fails then we will have to get an expert in as repair will be beyond our ability.
Batteries: m turns out that despite all the checks done on the batteries one of them has probably not been right since it was installed. The cells in one were completly dry and it was reading below 6 output. SO we have bought a new one which had to be sourced in Martinique – a two day trip to get it. Fortunately it does fit in the gap but the connections are flat and we have posts on the others. Will now need to buy different connectors – ah the joys!!!
However hopefully once they get fully recharged we should have a good set which once the genrator is fixed will take the charge and allow us to stay out on anchorages for a few days at a time.
WATER MAKER: this has now been successful. Talk about cutting it fine. The guy from Katadyn came the day before we left to check that the installation was right. Apart from one pipe not connected correctly it was o.k. Subsequent correction has meant tht it was used in the 3rd week of the crossing. It does need the engine to be running as it is quite gutsy on power when it is making the water but worked well. John has done the pickling process and it will hopefully be most valuable when we move around the islands. Water sourced in marinas seems to be okay but sometimnes the smell of perm solution from the pipes makes you cautious about using it for human cunsumption.
ELECTRIC FAN: yippee its fitted at last. We purchased one in Las Palmas and hadn’t time to fix it to a connection. This has now been done and what a difference it makes to the cabin. Decided we need to purchase another one for the guest bunk a.s.ap.
DINGHY: dodgy valve – have the new connections but can’t get the old one out. Need to buy tool to do it.
WATER PUMP: The new water pump has leaked, Can’t believe it. It spewed water after it was installed in Las Palmas and we took it bck to the store. They in turn took it to the workshop and did something to it. Reinstalled it and all seemed fine. Discovered on arrival in St Lucia that it had been leaking again. Not a lot but it shouldn’t be leaking at all, (More bad words were said!!) John has decide it is the overflow expansion valve andnot the water pump (thank goodness)
TOILET: squeaks loudly and sings every time it is pumped out. Valves been tightenes as it has leaked a few times. Everything crossed it continues to hold out.
NB on the plus side we have now seen four Island Packets and so assume we will be able to get parts more easily given she is an Amwrican boat.
13th Feb - wow wow wow. Having found ourselves in the newly extended Port Louis marina we find ourselves opposite Island Waterworld chandlers. First time I have been happy to be this close to a chandlers!! They actually had a toilet pump which is the right model for our loo. We bought it and now feel quite relieved to know that we have a replacement when the old one dies. It is squeaking soooo badly that when you get up to the loo during the night you feel certain the whole marina is being wakened up.
