Posts Tagged ‘porto seguro’
Maintenance
Tuesday, April 26th, 2011
Monday, 4 April 2011
The boom is back in one piece and, thanks to the carbon fibre bandage, should stay that way for a while.
Yesterday I started on the sail. I had thought of looking for a better sewing machine but as there was a problem getting to the shops in Porto Seguro I thought I might as well have a try with my small Elna Lotus, designed more for fine stitchery than sail making. I had burnt out the motor some time ago while repairing the spray dodger but had managed to jury rig a handle so that it can be operated manually. It was looking a bit rusty so I spent some time cleaning it up and gave it a good spray with WD40.
I carefully measured the leading-edge of the sail and realised that it was about 20cm longer than it ought to be and was probably the reason for the saggy appearance of the sail. Here was my opportunity to improve things. Starting on the bottom panel I ripped the seams apart for about a meter back from the leading edge and by increasing the overlap between the seams of the panels, arrived at the correct measurement. Started stitching with trepidation, not sure how the little machine was going to cope. It managed superbly although the going was slow, having to hand crank with one hand and feed the heavy sail through with the other. All done in Speedwell’s cramped interior, working on my tiny table. I wasn’t rash enough to restitch the full width of the seams – only about a meter from the luff. Reattaching the reinforcing patches and loops for the battens was the really difficult bit as it meant stitching through multiple layers of the acrylic cloth. The worst bits had to be done by hand using a ‘Speedy Stitcher’ awl. I miraculously only punctured a finger once.
Sunday, 10 April 2011
It took three days to laboriously replace and reposition all the attachment points on the luff. Work time only interrupted by an occasional cooling plunge into the river. The little sewing machine performed valiantly, far exceeding my expectations. I’ll take more care of it from now on.
A cold front arrived on Thursday bringing a good rain shower with it so the water tanks are full again and I’ve done the washing. Life goes on. A quick shopping trip to Cabrália yesterday to get fresh stuff at the market. I’ve been here long enough now for people to recognise me. Coming back fully-laden on the bus, the conductor rang the bell for my stop before I had managed to get up with my pack. Being in a small place has it’s advantages.
Thursday, 14 April 2011
The sail is back on deck with battens, boom and yard attached. I ran out of grommets for the emergency reefing points which I was belatedly hammering in, so decided to make another attempt at a shopping trip to Porto Seguro.
An early start meant a cool shady walk to the ferry and soon enough I was on the bus to Porto Seguro. The road runs very close to the shore with lovely protected beaches all the way. We passed through Coroa Vermelho close to where I had first anchored in the bay. It’s a busy little tourist place which I hadn’t even been aware of while waiting for the weather to clear.
There was an almost unbroken line of big hotel compounds with manicured lawns, neat trees and car parks providing suitably civilised surroundings for visitors. Outside the controlled areas the jungly scrub ran riot with more modest local houses scattered here and there.
I hopped off the bus at the start of the town keen to walk along the waterfront and have a look at the entrance to the harbour. The reef runs all the way along and there was a green marker at the opening. A few schooners were anchored close in but no visiting yachts. No obvious place to safely leave a dinghy. Santo André seems like a much better place to be.
The waterfront was lined with the usual souvenir and craft shops. Obviously a popular holiday destination. I had to make a few inquiries before I stumbled upon the real shops and could start looking for paint and grommets. The backstreets had some really good small businesses and I found the paint without too much trouble. The grommets were more of a challenge but finally I was directed to ‘Real Plasticos’, a great place for upholstery fabric and odds and ends. They also had some really good nylon mesh which I can use to remake my mosquito nets which are threatening to disintegrate.
Sunday, 17 April 2011
Getting the sail rigged again has taken a while as the weather has been squally for a few days. I’ve had to work in snatches in between windy rain showers. When I took the sail down I had carefully labelled each piece of rope and drawn a matching numbered diagram so that it would be easy to put it all together again. Sadly the diagram had mysteriously disappeared although the numbered labels were still frustratingly firmly attached to the ropes. But at last things got sorted out and it’s good to have a respectable looking sail again. The weather is looking good for a getaway on Tuesday – heading for Ilhéus about 100 nm up the coast.
There was a very high tide today and with a strong onshore wind the anchorage became a bit rolly as the reef was submerged and the swell was making it’s way in.