Wednesday 30 May 2012

Onward through Spain.

After much unhappiness - and scratched up hands (Naomi's..) Sophie (the ships cat) is feeling pretty chipper.    Last evening while motor/sailing to Mallorca,  Sophie discovered all the moths that decided to get a lift, on the deck - all of a sudden the elderly cat became a kitten again and began jumping, running and chasing moths....in the dark...while we were moving....and she refused to come inside.  Sophie although cute,  is not too athletic nor agile.   She went from a cat in distress to a kitten in a matter of days...what sailing in the Med can accomplish!   oh, and no she did not fall in the water - yet.

Naomi, my niece,  left us yesterday in Ibiza and flew to Rome,  to spend a few days with her Dad and brother.   Our last day together we spend on the beach and wearing pirate costumes, on the boat.

More about her trip later,  when she sends us her blog.

Currently we are anchored in a small cala,  on the southwest of Mallorca.   There is a sandy beach at the end of the cove and we are surrounded by rock and million euro homes - quite a nice stop after our overnight journey.

More later,  but here are some pics to view.
Mag and Sophie
Sunrise over Ibiza and Naomi

Naomi 

Formentara beach

The chef

Pirate Branko doing Sudoko

Anchored in Mallorca

San Jose, and Branko with his peppers

Fishing pier in Marrzone

Saturday 26 May 2012

We Cleared the Mainland

We just dropped anchor off Formentera in Ensenada del Cabrito.  We had a pleasant passage from Torreviejas and even got to do some sailing for several hours.  Time for gourmet pancakes for breakfast (thanks to Naomi), then a nap, then a swim, then a dinghy ride, then ........

Branko

Wednesday 23 May 2012

Blunders and Other Events

After leaving Almerimar, we planned to visit Cartagena for a couple of days because we heard the city was beautiful and the marina wasn't expensive.  Unfortunately, we have had to use the engine the whole way, and I am beginning to understand why people call this the "Motorterranean".  Either there is too much wind or not enough.

Our first stop was to anchor off San Jose once we rounded Cabo de Gata.  This is a small town tucked among some large rocks that comprise the headland where one turns the corner to head north along the east coast of Spain.  Capes such as this one are often a challenge due to the fluky winds and currents in such places.  It wasn't too bad for us as we powered into a stiff breeze.

The next day there was little wind, so we had to motor again.  We stopped in Aguilas and anchored in the harbor.  It looked like a nice town from the boat.  The anchorage was fine but would be open to the southwest.

When starting the engine, I had noticed that the starter was acting up.  I would press the button to start, and I would hear a click and nothing else would happen.  After a couple of tries, the starter would engage and the engine would start.  I am not much of a mechanic, although I am trying to rectify that shortcoming, so when something starts to misbehave my anxiety level starts to rise.

We weighed anchor and left for Cartagena with, again, no wind to sail.  The trip along the coast takes you past a town called Manzarron, which is snugly situated on the west side of a headland which separates it from Cartagena on the other side.  The headland consists of spectacular sheer rock walls several hundred feet tall.  A few miles past Manzarron, we encountered some headwind and waves and I increased the throttle to counter them...and nothing happened.

Not being a mechanic (I sense a theme developing here), I was uncomfortable rounding that particular lee shore with a misbehaving engine in deteriorating conditions.  We turned around and headed for the fisherman's wharf in Manzarron to check out the problem.  We at last got to sail.....for about two miles.

Once on the wharf, I found the port captain and obtained his permission to remain there to check my engine.  He was delightful, and the Spanish that I have been learning came in very handy.  I suspected that the problem might have to do with the fuel filters since I have never changed them in 1000 hours of engine operation.  I have redundant 30 micron Racor 500FG filters as primaries and a 2 micron 500FG secondary.  They have plastic bowls that allow you to see the fuel and any contamination, like water or dirt, that the filters are extracting.  The fuel has always looked clean, so I never changed the filters, but I do carry spares.  The engine revved up to the maximum 4000 rpms. in neutral after the change, so things looked good for the 15 mile trip to Cartagena the next day.

The fishing fleet of Manzarron started to arrive at 4:30 and the half dozen boats unloaded the day's catch to sell at the auction house, or lonja, adjacent to the wharf.  It was fascinating to watch the work and the different species of fish and seafood that was caught.  Maggie and Naomi had a good look around and were enthralled.

At sunrise the next day, we cast off from the wharf in calm conditions and headed for Cartagena.  This time when I tested the throttle to see if we could achieve maximum rpms, nothing happened.  Not being a mechanic, I was puzzled, but we carried on in the calm around the headland and onto Cartagena, where we secured a berth in the Yacht Port Cartagena marina.  I contacted the mechanic and he was onboard to check into my engine problems - the starter and lack of power - within a few hours.

The mechanic, Tomas, spoke no english, but I was just able to explain the problems.  He suspected that the fuel pump might need to be rebuilt or that the fuel injectors would need to be serviced and would confirm it the next day during the sea trial in the harbour.  The next morning when he and his partner, Juan Carlos, appeared promptly at 9 a.m., he informed me that, after he had slept on it, he did not think the problem had anything to do with the fuel system since there were too few hours on the engine, the filters had been changed, and the fuel was clean.  We went out for a turn around the harbor, and he was convinced that it wasn't the fuel system.  He now suspected that it was either something fouling the propeller or something to do with the transmission.  I broke out into a could sweat when he started to ask if the transmission was still under warranty.  I could see the sailing season slipping by as we waited for a new transmission and spent thousands of dollars in the process.  I wanted to get a second opinion from Pathfinder Marine, who originally sold me the engine, before anything else was done, and I needed to dive under the boat to check the propeller.

The next day, I dove under the boat and found the propeller just as I had seen it a month before when we hauled the boat out in Almerimar to grease it and give the bottom a scrape.  It is a feathering propeller that allows one to adjust the pitch of the blades separately in forward or reverse.  When I saw that there was no rope or plastic wrapped around the blades or shaft, I was dejected because that left only the transmission as the source of the problem.

In the meantime, Pathfinder came back and informed me that the problem was likely with the propeller, as did Tomas when he arrived.  He had slept on it and felt pretty sure that it wasn't the transmission.  It turns out that it was the propeller.  Last year while motoring down the ICW running at our cruising rpms. of 2300 and making 5.5 knots, everybody would be passing us all the time.  So I figured that I would adjust the pitch on the prop the next time we hauled out so that we would make 6.5 knots at 2300 rpms.  After I did that in the Bahamas, I never checked the top end to see if we could reach it and never had the occasion to because we usually only motor when there is no wind and therefore no reason to push the engine.  I had misunderstood some information in our engine manual: our normal cruising rpm range is 2400 to 3200.  This part of the story had a happy ending when I put my scuba gear on and adjusted the pitch back, so now it works properly again.  Yay!  The mechanics also got our starter fixed with same-day service.  Yay, again!

After a full week in Cartagena while my blunder got sorted out, we were ready to leave with a forecast that would let us do some sailing.  The next morning we left under power to go around the cape.  At one point we shut off the engine and sailed for about a mile when the wind died, and I went down below to start the engine, but the starter didn't work!  Or I should say, I could hear the starter whirring, but it had not engaged the flywheel of the engine and, therefore, not started it.  I tried it again, and this time it got the motor started.  And I wasn't going to turn it off again until we reached port - somewhere.

We decided to go to Torreviejas, which is 42 nm. up the coast from Cartagena.  It's a very nice resort town crammed with  European tourists.  The mechanic here, Oscar Sikkens, is going to get us a new starter, hopefully tomorrow, and we will be on our way again.  We spent the layover day today on the beach.  The girls insisted on checking out all the topless sunbathers, so I went along with it.

Our trip to Ibizi has taken on mythical properties as it has almost become a quest - thanks to my incompetence, contrary winds, and random mechanical events.

Branko


Sunday 13 May 2012

We Put the Water Back Into H2OBO


Yesterday we have traveled 42 miles, the first trip in 8 months.  We are
anchored off the resort town of San Jose and are making our way to
Cartagena and along the coast to Ibiza - and on to Croatia through the
Balearic Islands, Sardinia and Sicily.  It feels good.

We are joined by Naomi, Maggie's niece who will be with us for 3
weeks.  Here she is and she didn't feel seasick.  We can't say the
same for Sophie, who is still not talking to us.

Decimos a nuestros buenos amigos nuevos en Almerimar - muchisimas
gracias por de todo y nos vemos de nuevo pronto.

Branko y Maggie

Sunday 6 May 2012

Life Is A Trip


Hello, I'm Kathy, the waterhobos' friend from Toronto. I recently returned from an excellent 25-day trip to Spain where I was reunited with my buenos amigos. When I arrived I was surprised to find out we wouldn't be sailing, as the boat had been docked at the marina for several months, and she was in need of a little maintenance. This turned out to be a good thing, because there was way too much to see and do on land.

Our time together began in Barcelona in mid-March. We had two days to explore this fascinating, historical city, with its incredible architecture, and all the narrow winding roads that beckoned us to come see what beautiful sights lay ahead. Not being a seasoned traveller, I had let the stories about pickpockets worry me, and was ready for the onslaught of thieves trying to take my valuables--but it was off-season for tourists, the streets were safe and peaceful, and the local people were nothing but friendly and kind.

We had a great first day on foot, as Branko blogged about, and our second day was a blast on rented bicycles. If only the streets of Toronto were as bike-friendly as these. The young guy who rented us the bikes told us his dream is to buy a boat and sail to Canada, with his girlfriend and child. I hope he sees it through!  A highlight of Barcelona is the Familia Sagrada, a stunning Gothic-style cathedral which was started in the late 1800s and is not scheduled for completion till 2026. A must-see for anyone visiting Barcelona.

Anyone who's reading this knows how much fun Maggie and Branko are. So even a day-long road trip down to the boat crammed into the back of a compact car was good fun. We saw many little white towns, as well as several caves, which captivated Branko's imagination. Maggie had our imaginations going too, with visions of Roman armies marching so many miles through many valleys and mountains, undeterred by the wild terrain. The landscape was very interesting, with terraced orchards tapering the mountains everywhere...very resourceful. We visited a couple of these peaceful, pretty towns, and always there were friendly locals and amazing scenery. Everywhere we went in the south of Spain, we would get free tapas with our beer. With two rounds of beer, and by sharing our tapas, we had many samplings of Spanish food at its best.

After a couple of days back at the boat, Branko's friend, Guy, joined us for four days, taking a break between business obligations in Germany. Guy is hilarious, and he greatly contributed to the fun-factor. The four of us did a road trip one sunny Sunday up in the mountains, which was fun but harrowing, with winding roads along steep cliffs (which Terri wrote about in her blog last October). We spent some time exploring the enchanting town of Ohanes, which lucky for us was quiet and un-touristy, with everything being closed down on Sundays.

Our friend from TO, Elsie, joined us for a week after visiting her dad in France. There was much beach-hopping and sight-seeing. Leaving Branko at the boat for two days for some peace and quiet, the three of us girls did a road trip to Granada, where we were invited to stay with Maggie's cousin, Bob. Bob is a really cool, laid-back guy, who's had a very interesting life as a war correspondent, author, professor of journalism in Hong Kong, and a musician. I'm sure he wondered what he'd gotten himself into, stuck with three giddy girls under his roof. His house was beautiful, with an interesting history of its own, and was filled with his cool collections from his travels, as well as his own artwork. When you sat on his third-floor terrace, you could look up at the Alhambra, Granada's famous fort that dates back to the 12th century. Elsie and I took a tour of the fort--1.5 million square feet of impressive grandness. One of our favorite areas was King George V's court, which was designed with acoustics in mind. One lady stood in the middle of the court and sang a beautiful rendition of God Bless America. The sound was pure magic, and everyone was riveted. Elsie, ever the ham, wanted to perform her signature Copa Cabana, but chickened out, despite my offer of $50. Granada is an old beauty, with lots of character and culture. We saw an impressive flamenco show, and Bob told us Granada is known for its many art and music festivals. There are lots of shops to browse in and many interesting items to buy from the Spanish and Moroccan artisans. A handy phrase is sola vera--just looking. As with Barcelona, I loved Granada and would go back in a heartbeat. Elsie's week flew by, but not before she was hailed as the Queen of Mexican Train Dominoes.

One of many highlights was a hike into the mountains with M&B's friends, Conchi and Lidia. We were a group of about twenty (with another group opting to run it!) When we got to the starting point, at the base of a pretty steep looking mountain--2,200' high--I looked up with knocking knees. I asked if we were climbing to the top, and Branko said he didn't think so. Good thing I believed him, because if I'd known we were going to the top, I might have chickened out and sat in the parking lot for three hours, missing out on a spectacular experience. I knew there were a couple of doctors on the hike, so I figured if I needed help, it would be nearby. At one resting point, I took a video of the view-- gorgeous steep mountains and deep valleys--and in the background you just hear a bunch of people saying "wow".

Afterwards there was a picnic, Spanish style, with a huge pot of paella and all the fixings, including the best tomatoes ever. Near the end of the afternoon, the grown-ups got in on the skipping action, even the men. The little girls were so cute, politely waiting their turn while all of these crazy adults hogged the skipping rope. Little Lourdes was the champion of the rope, with count of 75 skips! It was a perfect day, and like Branko said, it was an experience you would never have as a regular tourist. Conchi and Lidia and all their friends were great, and communicating with our language barrier was challenging but so much fun.

Almerimar is a nice marina town, with everything you need for a relaxing lifestyle. M&B have made lots of friends there, both local and seafaring. There's quiz night with the British folks on Wednesdays at a local pub; there was a music night at another bar, with a band of amateur musicians, including M&B's friend, Chileng, on guitar. People would randomly be offered the mike to sing, so it was kind of like karaoke, but with live music.

Maggie, Elsie and I partied hearty one night at a local nightclub, which started innocently enough. We strolled by this empty club around 10 pm, and stopped in for a drink because of the music. It turned out the DJ was just setting up and we'd have to wait till midnight till it started getting busy. We chuckled at this and said, yeah sorry, but we'll be in bed by then. But then we stayed for another drink, and so on...

Sometimes the best experiences pop up unexpectedly.

Another one was at an old folks' recreation centre, where they have a dance every Saturday evening, between six and nine pm. It sounds kind of funny...brightly lit room, chairs all around the walls, no drinking, kind of like high school, but, um, older. And it was so much fun! Couples showing off their well-practiced moves, cute old grandmas swaying to the music, and plenty of Spanish-style line-dancing. Maggie had all the moves that night, and when she group-danced with the little old grandmas, they just seemed to get younger and livelier. We were disappointed when it ended a half-hour early (at 8:30!) and we learned that while we, the 'younger folks', were heading back to the boat for a game of dominoes, several of these 'old folks' were beating a path to the next town for another dance. It was another example of something I got to experience outside the realm of a typical vacation.

Well, I wrote this with the intention of keeping it short, and believe it or not, this is my short version! Thank you for reading! Thanks to Spain! Thanks to my friends! See you next summer in Croatia, which I'm told is a beautiful country with a beautiful coastline. Perfect for sailing.

Kathy Kuchma