Storm Bound

The strong gales blowing into the English Channel have kept us in Guernsey. That has been a bonus as we have been able to spend more time with family. But in the short lulls between squalls and rain showers we have wondered if we are being too cautious and should have set off by now. Fortunately the excellent local weather forecasts broadcast on Marine VHF by Jersey Coastguard include actual wind reports from the area. Hearing about 50 knot winds at Cap de la Hague, which we would pass close to on the way north, persuaded us that we have made the right decision to stay in the shelter of Victoria Marina in St Peter Port.

Servicing one of the genoa winches

We have taken the opportunity to spend two days servicing all of the winches. The photos are of one of the large genoa winches in pieces. Each of those took an hour and a half to strip apart, degrease with paraffin and reassemble with new grease and oil. With so many small parts, including small springs that can ping off, we were very pleased when all seven winches were serviced and back together without the loss of any components. Our cockpit tent, once again, came into its own in providing a sheltered work area.

The offending shaft seal

We finished off the routine winter service of the engine by changing the impeller in the seawater pump. Whilst doing that we discovered a slight leak from the pump's drive shaft area. The pump housing has spaces in it so that water can escape if the seals go. When this has happened in the past I was advised that it was not economic to change the seals, "just change the whole pump". It was certainly an easy solution but left a large hole in the wallet. Two days before New Year, however, was not a good time to order in a complete new pump. I was also concerned that any mistakes or damage from stripping the pump down could cause us to miss a weather window.

Geoff Tucker, the local Beta Engines agent, came to our rescue and, whilst his wife did a quick bit of shopping, he spent 45 minutes striping down the pump and replacing the leaky seal. He even showed me every step and talked through the considerations so that we would be able to do it ourselves during our travels. Great service on a Saturday morning and a far better (and more economic) solution than changing the whole pump - the Finance Director is very pleased!

Turk's Head knot

Much more interesting than leaky pumps was the results of Nicky's decorative ropework on the steering wheel. We had to cut off the old, rather tatty, Turk's Head which marked the wheel's centre point when we re-sewed the leather cover earlier in the month. Nicky's new Turk's Head knot is much smarter and completes the refurbishment work on the wheel.

There is still lots to do but the list of jobs finally seems to actually be getting shorter. Just as well with just three months to go before we set off!

Fortunately being storm bound is not all maintenance work though; the lunches can be very good!