San Fernando
Mobile Phone
11/04/09 18:51
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Not wanting to be without a phone I got up early and cycled into San Isidro. My old Sony Ericcson which had suffered from an intermittent blank screen now seemed to work properly.
I was on the Personal network and wanted to get a replacement SIM. Their office being closed for Semana Santa I bought a Movistar SIM for A$10 and topped it up with A$20. SIM cards are very cheap here but calls gobble credit at a rate which I find hard to reconcile with published tariffs.
Back to the boat where I spent a lazy afternoon on the aft deck reading Dreaming of Jupiter by Ted Simon. He rode a Triumph motorcycle around the world 1974 and, aged 70, decided to do it again in 2001.
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Not wanting to be without a phone I got up early and cycled into San Isidro. My old Sony Ericcson which had suffered from an intermittent blank screen now seemed to work properly.
I was on the Personal network and wanted to get a replacement SIM. Their office being closed for Semana Santa I bought a Movistar SIM for A$10 and topped it up with A$20. SIM cards are very cheap here but calls gobble credit at a rate which I find hard to reconcile with published tariffs.
Back to the boat where I spent a lazy afternoon on the aft deck reading Dreaming of Jupiter by Ted Simon. He rode a Triumph motorcycle around the world 1974 and, aged 70, decided to do it again in 2001.
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St Isidro - Old Port
10/04/09 18:36
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This morning I decided to give my newly repaired dinghy a run in the Rio Lujan. The outboard started at once and ran well. Later the old problem of refusing to restart when hot re-appeared.
Anyway, I motored down to the old port at San Isidro where Menkar is moored. The port used to be the main import terminal for Uruguyan sand but silted up and is now occupied by a selection of Club Nauticos.
Shallow parts around the old terminal with derelict crumbling quays are used for free mooring by a small community of mainly aging boats. Several berths are obstructed by sunken yachts.
On the way back I managed to drop my mobile phone into the Rio Lujan. Quite how I am not sure but it has gone.
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This morning I decided to give my newly repaired dinghy a run in the Rio Lujan. The outboard started at once and ran well. Later the old problem of refusing to restart when hot re-appeared.
Anyway, I motored down to the old port at San Isidro where Menkar is moored. The port used to be the main import terminal for Uruguyan sand but silted up and is now occupied by a selection of Club Nauticos.
Shallow parts around the old terminal with derelict crumbling quays are used for free mooring by a small community of mainly aging boats. Several berths are obstructed by sunken yachts.
On the way back I managed to drop my mobile phone into the Rio Lujan. Quite how I am not sure but it has gone.
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Dinghy Repaired
07/04/09 19:36
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Back to Astilleros Sandokan in San Fernando where my dinghy repairs were almost complete.
Maria had waited on the seat strops because replacement necessitated a change of colour from the original and she wanted my approval.
New seat strops.
This done the new strops were quickly fitted and with the dinghy now in better than new condition Maria took me and the dinghy back to CNV with instructions not to use the dinghy for at least 24 hours.
In addition to new seat strops the rubbing strake was re-glued in places and a reinforcing strip of PVC added to the underwater hull at the stern.
An excellent job. Thanks Maria.
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Back to Astilleros Sandokan in San Fernando where my dinghy repairs were almost complete.
Maria had waited on the seat strops because replacement necessitated a change of colour from the original and she wanted my approval.
New seat strops.
This done the new strops were quickly fitted and with the dinghy now in better than new condition Maria took me and the dinghy back to CNV with instructions not to use the dinghy for at least 24 hours.
In addition to new seat strops the rubbing strake was re-glued in places and a reinforcing strip of PVC added to the underwater hull at the stern.
An excellent job. Thanks Maria.
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Dinghy in for Repairs
04/04/09 21:26
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As arranged Maria and her husband from Astilleros Sandokan arrived at CNV bang on 10:00 to collect my dinghy. I sat in the back of their pickup on the way back to the workshop.
Once there the dinghy was inflated and work started straight away.
Maria using a hot air gun (paint stripper type) to remove a damaged seat strop.
Badly worn seat strop.
Astilleros Sandokan repair old dinghies and build new ones. They even make their own pumps with which to inflate their dinghies.
I left them to it and they promised to have the work finished next tuesday.
next
As arranged Maria and her husband from Astilleros Sandokan arrived at CNV bang on 10:00 to collect my dinghy. I sat in the back of their pickup on the way back to the workshop.
Once there the dinghy was inflated and work started straight away.
Maria using a hot air gun (paint stripper type) to remove a damaged seat strop.
Badly worn seat strop.
Astilleros Sandokan repair old dinghies and build new ones. They even make their own pumps with which to inflate their dinghies.
I left them to it and they promised to have the work finished next tuesday.
next
Cooling Manifold Failure
02/04/09 21:35
For almost a year I have been getting increasing amounts of water in the engine bilge when under power.
Today I confirmed that the suspected part, a cooling water/exhaust outlet pipe, had indeed failed.
This is a two part pipe. exhaust gases exit via the inner pipe while cooling water enters via the outer pipe. I had two problems.
The outer pipe had cracked at the weld allowing cooling water to run down the engine into the bilge.
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The inner pipe was "pepper potted" to such an extent that water leaked into it and potentially back into the engine. Not good!
Exhaust manifold showing heavy corrosion from leaking cooling water.
I took the piece down to the local Yanmar importer Regnicoli. They had none in stock and the part would have to be imported from Yanmar in the USA. For this little piece of pipe the price was an eye watering A$1700 (£320).
Talk about captive customers. Yanmar are not known for cheap spare part prices but this seemed ridiculous and I decided to explore alternatives.
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