One of the saddest bits of news from home was that our beloved German Shepherd, Freddie, who was adopted and loved by Alan when we sold our home to him, had passed on to the big kennel in the sky. As most blog readers will remember, we named our Autopilot Fred after him, as it sings and moans just like he did! After a few mid Atlantic scares, we finally seem to have sorted out the autohelm problem by giving it a hydrolic fluid transfusion. We have been using Freddie whenever we have sailed or motorsailed just to make sure he is up to speed. So Far so Good. We have just done a 25 nm leg from Paraty up to Ubitubinha on the Island, and Fred was once again, well behaved! Since the pre St Helena failure however, we have been very aware of how utterly dependant one becomes on the autopilot, when sailing short handed.
We made up our minds to make sure we had a back up in the event that Fred retired hurt again. Ideally, we would like to use the wind vane /trim tab option, as it is not power dependant. However, as we have elected to have davits over the transome, for lifting the dinghy out of the water each night, the wind vane system would have to be offset to one side, and be reliant on a transverse lever. It can work, but introduces yet more points of friction in a system which requires absolutely minimal friction to work well. So we also asked other cruisers about their systems, and their current demands.Two names which came up were APT, used by Niekie on "La Rose", and Alpha, used by Bob & Robyn on "Misty Dawn". Interestingly, La Rose also have a B & G Network hydrolic pilot, but they prefer to use the belt driven APT when conditions allow (95%), because it uses 1 amp vs the 4 to 5 of the B & G. The Alpha is also pretty basic, but apparantly bullet proof, and uses very little current. Both can be found and read about on the internet. With the APT being about $1500 compared to the Alpha +/-$3000 , both of these options were outside our cruising budget , for a second ,back up system. We decided to look out for a second hand option as we move up the coast. We did'nt have to look far! Jeremy and Yvonne had just fitted a very expensive Aquavane system to "Jervon", and had changed the gearing on their hydrolic steering, which made their Autohelm 3000 obsolete. A deal was done , and "Sheer Tenacity" now boasts a Fredlet as her back up system! An added bonus is that it only seems to draw 1 -1.5amps! We need to check this out in more challenging sea states.
One of the least appealing jobs of the skipper, is to sort out a blocked and jammed heads system! This was my lot yesterday on fathers day! I started at the Jabsco pump end, and ended by virtually dismantling all the bathroom/heads cupboards in order to remove all the pipes, anti syphon loops, diverter valves etc. That was the easy bit!! Chipping out all the calcium /uric acid build up that sets like concrete, beating the hoses, overboard, with a stainless steel pipe until you crack it up, and the clearing it all out of the pipes and fittings, can only be described as a Really Shitty Job!! From now on, its a bottle of vinegar into the system every week to stop the build up. ( Its creates a very graphic picture of what a chelesterol build up would look like in ones arteries! Enough to make one go on a fat & cholestrol free diet for life!)
On a happier not, I got an email from my man Hector in Frade, whose assistance I had requested, in chasing up the shop to whom I had returned the Merc 3.3 for fixing. "OK Rod. The owner he said to me the out board motor on tuesday it will be in your hands." Much better to get a Marina Manager to bomb on the shop owner in his own language , on your behalf! Well done Hector ! You really are a star! We plan to go back to Angra on Wednesday, pick up the outboard, do a provision shop, and then head round to ICAR and Itanhanga, and Frade. I would like to introduce Jeremy & Yvonne to ICAR, and Jeremy is keen to meet Hector! A very good man to know!!
Thursday, June 25, 2009
Friday, June 19, 2009
Paraty revisited- rowing , chilling ,shopping for cheap whiskey!
Motored down to Ilha da Cotia on Sunday and arrived in time to see the weekend visitors hauling up and leaving us to enjoy the peace and quiet. Spent a day waiting for the showers to pass, and another quiet day before motoring round to Paraty. First mission was to visit Sea Lion at Imperial Marina, to drop off a tillerpilot that Chris Hull had agreed to take back to RSA for me. Imperial is a top end Marina, where security and services looked top notch!. Sea Lion was having the cockpit hatch and surround revarnished by someone dressed like a surgeon! Seemed to be doing a good job, at I'm sure,what was a GREAT price!!
It is also an easy and deeper than usual (3m) fuel and water dock, with diesel a bit cheaper than Pirata's Mall Angra. (+/- R10.20 per lt) After that we rowed into the schooner dock, about 3/4 mile from our anchorage, to explore and do some shopping. Our lunch of Aipim Frita ( deep fried manioc ) and beer, was threatened by a familiar looking black cloud ! Last time we were at the same beach pub we got caught in a thunderstorm and drenched on the way back to the boat. This time we rushed back, knowing we had to row. We stopped long enough to buy a bottle of Scotch and a fish for supper, and rushed to the Schooner Jetty. By the time we got there the wind was pomping, and the 3/4 mile row into the teeth of the wind represented a major challenge.. especially as Mary and I had both neglected to utilise the Ela and Ele, before we left the beach! After rowing fit to bust for 20min, and getting about half way back, we were spotted by a Brazilian Boat taxi good Samaritan. He roared up in his long boat, indicated that I should pass him the bow line, and hit the gas ! Mary nearly went arse over tranny, ( cross between transome and fanny!), and tinker broke the world water speed record yacht tenders, as she was up on the plane in a nano second, and we were delivered to Vermelho veliero in style! A cheery wave and our hero was gone, with no suggestion of payment required! Yet another example of Brazilian kindness!
The next day we had thought about heading back to Siteo Forte on the Island , but felt it wiser to allow Mary and Yvonne, who had both been bitten by something crawly and toxic, an extra day in the vacinity of a hospital. They are both taking Antihistamine tablets, and Mary antibiotics as well, as the bite sit looks quite infected with pink lines right up to her armpit. As I write, she is clearly on the mend, but itching fit to scream!
It is also an easy and deeper than usual (3m) fuel and water dock, with diesel a bit cheaper than Pirata's Mall Angra. (+/- R10.20 per lt) After that we rowed into the schooner dock, about 3/4 mile from our anchorage, to explore and do some shopping. Our lunch of Aipim Frita ( deep fried manioc ) and beer, was threatened by a familiar looking black cloud ! Last time we were at the same beach pub we got caught in a thunderstorm and drenched on the way back to the boat. This time we rushed back, knowing we had to row. We stopped long enough to buy a bottle of Scotch and a fish for supper, and rushed to the Schooner Jetty. By the time we got there the wind was pomping, and the 3/4 mile row into the teeth of the wind represented a major challenge.. especially as Mary and I had both neglected to utilise the Ela and Ele, before we left the beach! After rowing fit to bust for 20min, and getting about half way back, we were spotted by a Brazilian Boat taxi good Samaritan. He roared up in his long boat, indicated that I should pass him the bow line, and hit the gas ! Mary nearly went arse over tranny, ( cross between transome and fanny!), and tinker broke the world water speed record yacht tenders, as she was up on the plane in a nano second, and we were delivered to Vermelho veliero in style! A cheery wave and our hero was gone, with no suggestion of payment required! Yet another example of Brazilian kindness!
The next day we had thought about heading back to Siteo Forte on the Island , but felt it wiser to allow Mary and Yvonne, who had both been bitten by something crawly and toxic, an extra day in the vacinity of a hospital. They are both taking Antihistamine tablets, and Mary antibiotics as well, as the bite sit looks quite infected with pink lines right up to her armpit. As I write, she is clearly on the mend, but itching fit to scream!
Instead, we took another walk around town , had a crab cake, and stuffed manioc and shrimp roll for lunch, and searched out some cheaper local whiskey options. Results for those interested:
Taylors R$ 36 / ltr R144/ltr verdict : quite acceptable
Old Eight R$ 28/ltr R112/ltr equally acceptable, better value
Drury;s R$ 22/ltr R88/ltr manageable, esp if 2nd dop after one of above!
Also discovered that it is possible to get a Brazilian sim card which one can use for RSA sms calls, and on which one can receive incoming calls, and make internet connections. The "Tim" operator card costs R$15, and is a pay as you go. Internatinal SMS cost R3.20, and local ones 80c.
We are now optimistic that with a little self medication of the above prescriptions, Mary will be well enough to cruise on tomorrow!
Cheers from Paraty
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Of old friends,reality checks, special Ilha Grande anchorages, and prawn pig-outs!
Sitting here at Ilha do Cedro, waiting for the rain to clear, I thought it about time to write another blog , which hopefully i can send from Parati. We're both well again, apart from Mom having suffered a repeat bite/sting on her ankle, which has swelled up like a tennis ball, and has driven her nuts! I will try to cover quite a long period, so I will try to cover it all in the blog!
After the tedium of checking in again at Angra, and doing a MultiEconomia shop for provisions, we headed back to Frade to hand over Receita's letter of "Liberation of boat" to Hector, ( Marina Manager) entitling him to give us our boat back ! I had also fitted the new Mastervolt 100amp Battery charger, which we brought back from RSA, but it refused to work off the genset, indicating that the Hz cycles were too high (77hz). We needed to check it out on shore power, and were relieved to see it performing fantastically. Hector called in some local genset experts to see what could be done to correct the cycle problem. Basically, the output voltage and cycles are controlled by the rpm, and when the revs were dropped to the range where the cycle was acceptable, the voltage dropped below the low limitrange, and when the revs were increased to get the voltage above 220v, then the cycles went to 77hz! They tried increasing capacitor sizes, and spent about 7 hours over two days trying to fix it, without success. In the process, they had to replace the impellor, but when we they eventually decided that the problem lay with the rewiring of the rotor ,which was done in Cape Town, I called Enough! They refused any offer of payment, even for the call out, or impeller replacement, saying they had been unable to fix the problem! Would that happen in Cape Town??? Later in the day I opened an Email from Chris Sutton, who had answered my queries on the subject, and he had suggested "load" as a factor.
So next day I started the genset, and applied loads sequentially--- calorifier, freezer, and eventually, when I included the old battery charger, via the plug circuit , in addition to the new charger, we met with success, and the charger started pumping in between 60 and 90 amps! Thanks Chris!!
We headed back to Itanhanga, where we met up with Yvonne & Jeremy from "Jervon", and caught up with each others news. One of the things we chatted about was the sad story about Nic Robinson and Wendy Meyer, from "Sea Jade", with whom we had shared Christmas on St Helena at Annes Place. They were the couple whom I had referred to as Adrenalin Junkies in a blog from the Island. It seems that Wendy was bi polar, and that much of their frenetic lifestyle was an attempt to overcome her depression. Sadly it was in vain, and she OD'd in early Jan while Nic was out kyacking. He took her in to the hospital, where she died. Nic stayed on at the Island until autopsy etc was done , and set sail back to Walvis , single handed, in early April, where according to press reports, he apparantly fell from the mast while effecting halyard repairs, and was lost. Sea Jade was found driftting 300 miles south of St Helena. It was all the more poignant give our own worries about "Jervon"s apparant failure to arrive in St Helena. In fact, Jeremy & Yvonne had checked in with customs and Immigration, and spent two very happy weeks on St Helena, and had many meals at Annes, as well as filling in the Visitors book not far from "Sheer Tenacity"'s entry. Sea Jade was still at the Island at the time, and they had heard about Wendy's demise while there! It just goes to show that government bureacracies cannot always be relied upon, how mortal we are, and how the sea can never be taken lightly!
From Itanhanga we went back to Angra , where we both stocked up on essentials, and dropped off the Merc 3.3 with the shop from whom I had bought it,( as I had finally run out of patience), before working our way down towards Parati. The shopping is very easy and civilised there, as one can trolley directly from the supermarket to the boat. We spent a night anchored behind Gipoia, before motorsailing down to Ilha do Cedro for a few days. The trip down was glorious, and we enjoyed a great lunch on the beach at "Nelson:s bar. As the weather looked set to change, we moved around to the more protected anchorage, which we called "Sand Dollar " bay in our movie, and found a number of local fisherman anchored. It was the start of the Prawn catching season, and so we each bought a kilo of prawns for 12 Reais, and pigged out!
We intend waiting for the weather to clear, and will probably head down to Parati Sunday /Monday. Till Then!
After the tedium of checking in again at Angra, and doing a MultiEconomia shop for provisions, we headed back to Frade to hand over Receita's letter of "Liberation of boat" to Hector, ( Marina Manager) entitling him to give us our boat back ! I had also fitted the new Mastervolt 100amp Battery charger, which we brought back from RSA, but it refused to work off the genset, indicating that the Hz cycles were too high (77hz). We needed to check it out on shore power, and were relieved to see it performing fantastically. Hector called in some local genset experts to see what could be done to correct the cycle problem. Basically, the output voltage and cycles are controlled by the rpm, and when the revs were dropped to the range where the cycle was acceptable, the voltage dropped below the low limitrange, and when the revs were increased to get the voltage above 220v, then the cycles went to 77hz! They tried increasing capacitor sizes, and spent about 7 hours over two days trying to fix it, without success. In the process, they had to replace the impellor, but when we they eventually decided that the problem lay with the rewiring of the rotor ,which was done in Cape Town, I called Enough! They refused any offer of payment, even for the call out, or impeller replacement, saying they had been unable to fix the problem! Would that happen in Cape Town??? Later in the day I opened an Email from Chris Sutton, who had answered my queries on the subject, and he had suggested "load" as a factor.
So next day I started the genset, and applied loads sequentially--- calorifier, freezer, and eventually, when I included the old battery charger, via the plug circuit , in addition to the new charger, we met with success, and the charger started pumping in between 60 and 90 amps! Thanks Chris!!
We headed back to Itanhanga, where we met up with Yvonne & Jeremy from "Jervon", and caught up with each others news. One of the things we chatted about was the sad story about Nic Robinson and Wendy Meyer, from "Sea Jade", with whom we had shared Christmas on St Helena at Annes Place. They were the couple whom I had referred to as Adrenalin Junkies in a blog from the Island. It seems that Wendy was bi polar, and that much of their frenetic lifestyle was an attempt to overcome her depression. Sadly it was in vain, and she OD'd in early Jan while Nic was out kyacking. He took her in to the hospital, where she died. Nic stayed on at the Island until autopsy etc was done , and set sail back to Walvis , single handed, in early April, where according to press reports, he apparantly fell from the mast while effecting halyard repairs, and was lost. Sea Jade was found driftting 300 miles south of St Helena. It was all the more poignant give our own worries about "Jervon"s apparant failure to arrive in St Helena. In fact, Jeremy & Yvonne had checked in with customs and Immigration, and spent two very happy weeks on St Helena, and had many meals at Annes, as well as filling in the Visitors book not far from "Sheer Tenacity"'s entry. Sea Jade was still at the Island at the time, and they had heard about Wendy's demise while there! It just goes to show that government bureacracies cannot always be relied upon, how mortal we are, and how the sea can never be taken lightly!
From Itanhanga we went back to Angra , where we both stocked up on essentials, and dropped off the Merc 3.3 with the shop from whom I had bought it,( as I had finally run out of patience), before working our way down towards Parati. The shopping is very easy and civilised there, as one can trolley directly from the supermarket to the boat. We spent a night anchored behind Gipoia, before motorsailing down to Ilha do Cedro for a few days. The trip down was glorious, and we enjoyed a great lunch on the beach at "Nelson:s bar. As the weather looked set to change, we moved around to the more protected anchorage, which we called "Sand Dollar " bay in our movie, and found a number of local fisherman anchored. It was the start of the Prawn catching season, and so we each bought a kilo of prawns for 12 Reais, and pigged out!
We intend waiting for the weather to clear, and will probably head down to Parati Sunday /Monday. Till Then!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)