Overland to Buenos Aires
16/12/10 22:01
Spent the day de-rigging the boat preparing her for a short layup. The senior marinero indicated that they might want to move Kiriwina at some point. This is not ideal as I know of at least one boat that has been damaged in the process.
I said I preferred that the boat be moved while I was there but nothing happened.
There seems to be a problem with my Sterling digital battery charger. When connected to shore power it emits a continuous clicking but does not charge.
Kiriwina on her mooring at Rio Grande YC.
I left the club at 18:00 and stopped en route to book a ticket from Montevideo to Buenos Aires. In the end I chose BuqueBus. If only because they were the quickest option with a direct high speed ferry to Buenos Aires. Cost Arg$407 (£66).
My Embaixador regional coach left Rio Grande at 20:00. It is a stopping service and the trip up to Pelotas took a bit over and hour.
This left we with a couple of hours in Pelotas coach station before catching a TTl coach to Montevideo. It was a rainy night with very few people waiting.
Unusual spiral walkway at Pelotas coach station.
I said I preferred that the boat be moved while I was there but nothing happened.
There seems to be a problem with my Sterling digital battery charger. When connected to shore power it emits a continuous clicking but does not charge.
Kiriwina on her mooring at Rio Grande YC.
I left the club at 18:00 and stopped en route to book a ticket from Montevideo to Buenos Aires. In the end I chose BuqueBus. If only because they were the quickest option with a direct high speed ferry to Buenos Aires. Cost Arg$407 (£66).
My Embaixador regional coach left Rio Grande at 20:00. It is a stopping service and the trip up to Pelotas took a bit over and hour.
This left we with a couple of hours in Pelotas coach station before catching a TTl coach to Montevideo. It was a rainy night with very few people waiting.
Unusual spiral walkway at Pelotas coach station.
Rio Grande
15/12/10 23:00
First job today was to complete clearance formalities. Policia Federal (Immigration) are located centrally, quite close to the club. I spent about 30 minutes there including waiting time. Then I walked down to the Receita Federal in the harbour area about 40 minutes away. At 11:50 I was just a tad too late to get in before the lunch break.
A convenient city bus leaves just outside and I returned to the centre where the bus stops are spread around a central park.
Plaza Tamandare, Rio Grande.
Mural de Agueda just nearby.
I had lunch at Planetarios, a pay by kilo restaurant which offers free wifi. Then I took a bus back to the Receita. Depending on the bus company fares in the central area are between R$2-3.
At the Receita I was seen straight away and then given a lift up to the Capitania by a friendly port agent.
Immaculate office of the Capitaina dos Portos, Rio Grande.
At the Capitania they were very quick and we ended up discussing the merits of sailing up Lagoa dos Patos Porto Alegre.
Afterwards I walked back to the bus station to book a ticket up to Pelotas R$8.70 (£3.30) and from there on to Montevideo R$164 (£62.50).
A convenient city bus leaves just outside and I returned to the centre where the bus stops are spread around a central park.
Plaza Tamandare, Rio Grande.
Mural de Agueda just nearby.
I had lunch at Planetarios, a pay by kilo restaurant which offers free wifi. Then I took a bus back to the Receita. Depending on the bus company fares in the central area are between R$2-3.
At the Receita I was seen straight away and then given a lift up to the Capitania by a friendly port agent.
Immaculate office of the Capitaina dos Portos, Rio Grande.
At the Capitania they were very quick and we ended up discussing the merits of sailing up Lagoa dos Patos Porto Alegre.
Afterwards I walked back to the bus station to book a ticket up to Pelotas R$8.70 (£3.30) and from there on to Montevideo R$164 (£62.50).
Rio Grande
15/12/10 00:59
After a very relaxing sleep I got up early to tidy the boat and have a closer look at the failed shaft coupling.
It was possible to slide the shaft back and forth with the coupling having no grip at all. This was not supposed to happen. After the last failure I had the Yanmar dealer in Galmpton repair the coupling.
The standard unit is secured with four allen bolts and a "key" which is supposed to locate in a recess on the shaft. None of these appear to have worked and I was unable to tighten the allen bolts. In Galmpton the engineer added a grub screw as added security. This appeared to be functional.
After tightening the grub screw as much as I dared I tested the engine and the coupling held. After weighing anchor at 09:40 we slowly got under way.
Rio Grande shipyard.
After a few minutes I increased the revs a bit and the coupling failed again. The process was repeated with another failure after 5 minutes. After tightening the grub screw a third time I resolved to proceed at minimum revs. The coupling held.
Conditions were more or less perfect with a gentle breeze giving an extra half a knot with the yankee deployed.
At 11:10, approaching inner harbour buoy #01 with 4 miles to go the coupling was holding.
Lots of floating weed patches.
Turkish bulker "Duden" gutted by fire lying at her berth in Rio Grande. Her cargo of urea caught fire off the Brazilian coast and she was towed in by the Brazilian navy. She is currently under arrest and abandoned by her owners.
The old port.
Maritime museum.
Refurbished Hungarian Ganz crane.
More of the old port.
One mile to go and the coupling is still holding. Speed under power around 1 knot.
Maritime museum dock with Rio Grande Yacht Club beyond.
Entry buoys to Rio Grand Yacht Club.
Arrival at Rio Grand Yacht Club. It is quite shallow at the entrance. I had 1.3-1.5 metres.
Conditions remained benign and I ghosted into a visitor berth at 13:40. Phew!
This is a very attractive club. Some of the wooden docks are a bit tired but the facilities in general are very good. The cost is R$1(£0.40) per foot per day which for Kiriwina is R$28 (£10.70) per day. The Real has appreciated some 30% since I first arrived almost three years ago. Brazil certainly seems more expensive now.
It was possible to slide the shaft back and forth with the coupling having no grip at all. This was not supposed to happen. After the last failure I had the Yanmar dealer in Galmpton repair the coupling.
The standard unit is secured with four allen bolts and a "key" which is supposed to locate in a recess on the shaft. None of these appear to have worked and I was unable to tighten the allen bolts. In Galmpton the engineer added a grub screw as added security. This appeared to be functional.
After tightening the grub screw as much as I dared I tested the engine and the coupling held. After weighing anchor at 09:40 we slowly got under way.
Rio Grande shipyard.
After a few minutes I increased the revs a bit and the coupling failed again. The process was repeated with another failure after 5 minutes. After tightening the grub screw a third time I resolved to proceed at minimum revs. The coupling held.
Conditions were more or less perfect with a gentle breeze giving an extra half a knot with the yankee deployed.
At 11:10, approaching inner harbour buoy #01 with 4 miles to go the coupling was holding.
Lots of floating weed patches.
Turkish bulker "Duden" gutted by fire lying at her berth in Rio Grande. Her cargo of urea caught fire off the Brazilian coast and she was towed in by the Brazilian navy. She is currently under arrest and abandoned by her owners.
The old port.
Maritime museum.
Refurbished Hungarian Ganz crane.
More of the old port.
One mile to go and the coupling is still holding. Speed under power around 1 knot.
Maritime museum dock with Rio Grande Yacht Club beyond.
Entry buoys to Rio Grand Yacht Club.
Arrival at Rio Grand Yacht Club. It is quite shallow at the entrance. I had 1.3-1.5 metres.
Conditions remained benign and I ghosted into a visitor berth at 13:40. Phew!
This is a very attractive club. Some of the wooden docks are a bit tired but the facilities in general are very good. The cost is R$1(£0.40) per foot per day which for Kiriwina is R$28 (£10.70) per day. The Real has appreciated some 30% since I first arrived almost three years ago. Brazil certainly seems more expensive now.
Passage to Rio Grande
13/12/10 23:58
At midnight the seas were still rough and the wind was steady at SSE F7. Kiriwina was romping along with about half the staysail deployed.
At 04:00 conditions had improved somewhat. Till now we had been keeping at least 25 miles off the coast. We altered to a northerly course directly for Rio Grande. Now deploying 3/4 of the staysail.
Conditions continued to ease. At 08:00 it was fine and sunny with the wind S-SW F5. The staysail was taken in and 3/4 yankee deployed.
At 12:00 we were having a lovely sail. Moderate seas, long swell. Wind S-SW F5. Full Yankee.
By 16:00 I began to wonder if we would loose the wind. After easing to F2 for a while it settled back to F4 Rio Grande was visible on the horizon and we were running under full main and yankee.
At 18:00 we were just over 4 miles of the harbour entrance with a falling wind and slight sea and swell. Our approach lay to the south and west of the main ship channel and we diverted into the fairway at the harbour entrance.
Number 6 fairway buoy at Rio Grande in very favourable conditions.
Big ship exiting the harbour.
Overview: Rio Grande harbour entrance.
West breakwater.
East breakwater.
At the entrance there was a strong flood tide. Just inside Kiriwina's shaft coupling began to fail.
Starboard buoy with strong tidal tail inside the breakwaters.
However, there is ample space outside the ship channel on either side for small craft to anchor. Fortunately I was able to nurse the coupling until we reached a safe anchorage well inside the outer harbour. At 20:15 the coupling failed completely and we anchored of a shipyard clear of the chip channel in 4.3 metres.
I attempted to call harbour control and Rio grande pilots on channel 16 but got no reply.
Outer harbour container berths.
Sunset over the shipyard.
Rio Grande outer harbour looking seaward.
We seemed safe enough so I decided to stay put for the night and see what tomorrow brings.
Trip log 215 miles. Passage time 2 days and 2 hours. No bad considering that we lay ahull for around 7 hours.
At 04:00 conditions had improved somewhat. Till now we had been keeping at least 25 miles off the coast. We altered to a northerly course directly for Rio Grande. Now deploying 3/4 of the staysail.
Conditions continued to ease. At 08:00 it was fine and sunny with the wind S-SW F5. The staysail was taken in and 3/4 yankee deployed.
At 12:00 we were having a lovely sail. Moderate seas, long swell. Wind S-SW F5. Full Yankee.
By 16:00 I began to wonder if we would loose the wind. After easing to F2 for a while it settled back to F4 Rio Grande was visible on the horizon and we were running under full main and yankee.
At 18:00 we were just over 4 miles of the harbour entrance with a falling wind and slight sea and swell. Our approach lay to the south and west of the main ship channel and we diverted into the fairway at the harbour entrance.
Number 6 fairway buoy at Rio Grande in very favourable conditions.
Big ship exiting the harbour.
Overview: Rio Grande harbour entrance.
West breakwater.
East breakwater.
At the entrance there was a strong flood tide. Just inside Kiriwina's shaft coupling began to fail.
Starboard buoy with strong tidal tail inside the breakwaters.
However, there is ample space outside the ship channel on either side for small craft to anchor. Fortunately I was able to nurse the coupling until we reached a safe anchorage well inside the outer harbour. At 20:15 the coupling failed completely and we anchored of a shipyard clear of the chip channel in 4.3 metres.
I attempted to call harbour control and Rio grande pilots on channel 16 but got no reply.
Outer harbour container berths.
Sunset over the shipyard.
Rio Grande outer harbour looking seaward.
We seemed safe enough so I decided to stay put for the night and see what tomorrow brings.
Trip log 215 miles. Passage time 2 days and 2 hours. No bad considering that we lay ahull for around 7 hours.