AT LAST!!!

MAR 17 2010
Sorry about the long gap in the blog department but we have had a busy couple of weeks. No matter how much time you seem to have, at the and it all goes so very fast. Lots of little events:

We had 4 days stuck on the mooring and only just made it back in for the great event – Vivien and Steve’s wedding. The wind and waves were too much to contemplate going to town in the dinghy, and we were cosy and warm with Henry. The only thing we ran out of was bread, so I made the first loaf of the trip, and very nice it was too. Problem with homemade bread is that it does not last very long , about 20 minutes I think. The wedding was great, and worth the kamikaze dive into the pontoon to get ashore. Guinness had to miss out as he had to stay with his new family and keep the parrot in check, but I am sure he was there in spirit. We were able meet Vivien’s relatives who came to Mull en masse and a great time was had by all.

A short story. ‘Hey, Dave, do you think this water tastes funny?’ ‘My tea is a bit off , must be the peaty Scottish water’. Later, ‘Hey, Dave, this water is a bit on the brown side and the shampoo goes funny’. ‘Can’t think why, must be the Scottish water’. Later still. Panic from outside, ‘Jen!!!!!’ ‘What Dave?’ ‘Disaster!!!!! There is diesel in the water!!’ Quick trip outside and all is revealed – oily brown streaks going down the side from where the water hose is overflowing from filling the water tanks. Then a loud and bottomless groan from my beloved. ‘Jen I must have put the diesel in the water tank instead of the diesel tank last week.’ This explains a lot. The previous week we had realised that the forward diesel tank must have been approaching empty, which it was, so switched to the aft tank and came in to re-fuel. However, instead of guzzling up over 150 litres, it wouldn’t take more than 90, big puzzle. Also the measuring device showed that the tank was empty. Now this should at least have been showing 90 litres. Instead, diagnosis was that the device was wrong and the seats would have to be pulled apart to find the problem. Thankfully night time and fatigue knocked this on the head and the problem put in the will do later basket. So off to the mooring we went for our 4 day rough and tumble in the gale – and rough and tumble it was too. So now all was revealed, instead of putting the diesel in the red hole, it had gone into the blue one beside it – an accident waiting to happen. So the brown and disgusting water was not peaty Scottish water at all. A lift off of the inspection hatch on the water tank showed us a beautiful vision of red diesel floating on the water. So we embarked on a day of sucking out the diesel first and taking it up to the waste diesel tanks for recycling until we got to the interface with the water and then it was having to take these jerry cans further away to get rid of it. Then it was getting rid of the water left, all in all 225 litres of water/fuel (45 gallons). Then it was trying to clean the tank through the 2 small hatches, followed by cleaning up the mess in the boat and putting everything back. A full day’s work. And there was still the other tank to do the next day! But at last we have clean water, and the shampoo works again. Heaven knows how much diesel we managed to drink, and then there was the biocide and water repellent that gets put in before the fuel. Tried to do dilutions and such, and figure out how much diesel would actually have mixed into the water anyway, and gave up. We are now totally focussed when putting in water or fuel I can tell you! Dave is just happy it wasn’t the other way round, it might have hurt his lovely new engine. I think he is also dismal about wasting 90 litres of fuel – he had ideas of straining, cleaning all sorts of things to try and re-use it, but I can tell you diesel gets everywhere and this was not an option.

Another story. We decided to dry the sails that were being stowed on the deck so they could be brought down below. So pretty sail, as she is called, the lovey pink and purple, was hoisted up while we were on the pontoon. It soon became the talk of the town as I found out when I went to collect the bread and the papers. The chaps wondered how Dave let me get away with such girlie colours and the girls thought it was wonderful. I will try to add a picture when I find out how.

Then word gradually got round that we were about to leave at the end of the week. No matter how much you are looking forward to the adventure, you still get a sadness at leaving good friends. I think folk had got used to us being here and thought we were going to hang around for ever, so it still seemed to come as a surprise that we were actually going to do it. All we had to do was get Dave’s last bridge congress out of the way and then we would be off – all the way to Oban!

However.... We had decided that we would have do something about the kedge anchor on the back. The one that was there was far too diddy, and we would need to be able to use a sensible sized one off the back at times, going where we are planning. So it was look at the available ones we had and think which would do. Not as easy as it seems, as there is virtually no room left on the back with all the aerials and Harriet, and we have to be able to drop it and get it in again, also not so easy when it is 22 Kgs and has a length of chain that weighs more than the anchor. And to make life that much more of a challenge, the stern of the boat slopes outwards at sea level, so anything has to be thrown clear of that. So Dave and our local metal worker crafted a device to act as an anchor launcher to bolt onto the back end of the boat next to Harriet, and it was this device that we were still waiting for. At the eleventh hour literally, 5 pm on the day before our departure, it arrived in pieces for us to assemble and attach later – flat pack anchor here we come! A mighty creation it is too, and all I can add is it is quite unique and is certainly of industrial standards!

SO.......................

The day arrived. 4;30 am and we were awake and crawling around in the dark getting ready to set off. Yes, despite all predictions to the contrary, we have left Tobermory. Tears in eyes, we finally hoisted sail at 6:30am and sailed out of Tobermory Harbour. This was unusual too,, as recent experience had us motoring out, but at last we were able to sail off on our way to Oban, the first stop, as the tides were being very difficult to say the least, requiring daft o’clock in the morning starts. Bit of shopping and a tearful good bye to our friend Neil, who happened to be over in Oban for the day, and we were set for the next 4:30 am start for Islay. An excellent day’s sail, the best we have had for a long time, and we managed to tie up to a buoy at Port Ellen about 3:30 in the afternoon. I can tell you we had an early night!

Next day was another early and off we set for Ireland, cracking along with a really brisk breeze and we made it nicely to Bangor marina late afternoon. And we have now been here for 4 days as the wind is not only blowing a gale, but blowing a gale from the direction we want to go to. But we have not been idle, Harriet has had a lot o attention, charts sorted and some packed up to send back to worthy souls in Tobermory, radios sorted a bit more – I am delighted to say i can now get the weather faxes over the HF radio at last and produce usable printouts. And we have done the washing, explored the town, found the best lunch place and Dave says to tell everyone he is talking paddy at last.