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32o 40.2’ North 61o 03.2’ West
And so we bid a fond farewell to Bermuda……..we are on our way to Porto Delgarda on the Island of San Miguel in the Azores 1936 nautical miles (nm) away.
Brian (yes, he of the blog) and I (Mark) spent a fairly relaxing week getting our mizzen sail repaired and sorting a few bits out on the boat but, fortunately, still managed to find time to squeeze in an occasional beer and socalise with some of the other yachties passing through.
Thankfully, then, we find ourselves ‘in company’ with two other yachts also heading to the Azores -- one a British catamaran, ‘Bodine’ on her way back to Lancashire and a Danish yacht ‘Livet’ heading back to Copenhagen. It’s good to know that there is someone out there if and when we could have a problem.
Mike managed to make it back, despite the attentions of Bermuda Customs, after a ‘productive’ week back in Connecticut and, having been deserted by Antenna Man, we have a new crew member, Jim from London, who has prepared for this trip by spending 5 days in New York City visiting every licensed establishment south of 83rd street (which may explain his rather strange look in the photo).
The weather forecast is better than would have dared to wish for with an area of high pressure to the south of us and low pressure systems, hopefully, tracking eastwards to the north of us. So our first day out has found us with a 25kt wind behind us, small waves and glorious sunshine. With the log showing us cracking on at over 8 knots all is well - Oh if only this weather would last………….
The sun set for our first night back at sea, a warm breeze, moonlight, high spirits and we are feeling confident, perhaps over confident as we also had drip, drip, drip. At around 1.30am the bilge was filling up and the drip had become a stream. We had sprung a leak but where? With torch in hand, floor boards up, cupboards emptied, we tracked it down to a corroded cockpit drain pipe at the rear of the engine room beneath the gear box – impossible to get at. We spoke to the ever helpful Bermuda Radio on the HF radio giving them our position should our attempted repairs go wrong and a full emergency situation develop.
To isolate the pipe all we had to do was close the sea-cock, a valve that closes the opening through the hull. Of the 17 sea-cocks on board the one we needed was the one concealed beneath the hot water cylinder. 45 minutes of spanner action and hammer tapping later we got it shut – with every hammer tap the corroded pipe broke a little bit more and the flood increased. It was all very nerve racking but all is well, no leaks and we have a second drain, so we shall continue.
However: “I do solemnly swear that I will check EVERY sea cock for smooth and correct operation once a month”
* The British term, “licensed establishment”, would be thought of as a bar in American English.
(B here – I would like it to be known that there is no way that Mark could have effected the repair of the leak problem if he hadn’t had me there pointing the torch! Seriously though, the boy done good and the rest of us are very grateful for the fact that we have a Captain who knows his boat backwards, forwards and any other ‘wards that you might like to mention).
FOR PHOTOS PLEASE CLICK ON http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/Yacht.Jem/AtlanticCrossing
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