A few days have passed and we have achieved quite a lot, and if feels great! Firstly, after the initial engine service we found a water leak from around the impeller housing, a bit disastrous really. A marine repair center on the island quoted €70 for coming out, disassemble and repair without parts! Another friend had the same leak fixed for a whole €20, quite a huge difference in price. Kevin went onto trusty YouTube for an idea of how to check and replace the water seal, which he felt happy to have a go at. Next problem was sourcing the rubber seal. Another Google search found the manufacturers recommended part for the Yanmar engine and luckily the chandler had one in stock....we were ready for the task. He managed to disassemble the part, and replace an obviously damaged seal. To his amazement when starting the engine once again.....We have no leak, what a star he is and all for the cost of the rubber seal €10, bargain. The toilet developed a leak which was initially cured with a new joker valve or non return valve. However, another leak sprang from the manual flushing handle! Fortunately our good friends on their beautiful Westerly yacht happened to have a spare couple of seals for this repair, thankfully Lorraine and Paul have no use for these extra bits. So, other than us buying a few drinks it cost us nothing brilliant! I do a pretty good impersonation of a seal, which at the moment I seem to be repeating frequently 😂😂 Additionally my nursing skills have been put to good use this past few days, Kevin loves injuring himself, this week it is fingers. Normally being a carpenter, it is head injuries, he doesn't seem to have any awareness of where his is! With all of these tasks that have been completed, you would assume that his injuries are from chisels, screwdrivers or perhaps a hammer. His current vicious tool happens to be our new bread knife, fabulous piece of equipment, except when it slices sleekly through Kevin's fingers. Talk about a bloodbath! He has since damaged this same injury on a further three three occasions. In one of his regular shower visits without due consideration to said wound, he managed to create what looked like a complete scene from a horror film. Just as well the lovely cleaning lady was not around, she would have keeled over (she is always wherever you are, mopping behind your every step and I thought I had an issue with OCD) As mentioned, our friends Lorraine and Paul are moored in Lakki, only a 15 minute walk from the marina. They are also carrying out their preseason checks, repairs and servicing, which is very handy for us as it can be a little daunting carrying out new tasks alone. The fact that Paul happens to be amazing with electrics, came in extremely useful when Kevin unboxed his new toy, a digital ammeter and voltage meter. The instructions are beautifully printed on a lovely crisp white sheet of A4 paper, however, just a glimpse at his face when Kevin studied the font, told us that Paul was our emergency response unit. Together they deciphered the foreign language (English for Paul!) A quick trip to the chandlery man (our best buddy since we arrived here) and the electrical parts were splayed over the whole boat. A lesson in connections, voltage and currents was well underway whilst Lorraine and I kept at a safe unfriable distance, lazing in the cockpit. During this electrical challenge we realised that Monday was a bank holiday, beginning of Lent or translated...Clean Monday. This could pose a slight issue as our plan, should the weather dictate, is to sail on Tuesday. Shopping will be required and as the weekend looms meaning limited shop opening. We soon leap from our semi recumbent position to briskly head into town. Lorraine took me to the most fantastic fruit and veg store I have ever seen in Greece, packed full of every possible item, we were soon laden if not a little overflowing! Our stagger back to Kejstral with heavy rucksacks weighing us down, took rather longer than our walk earlier. Lunch of various local savoury pastries and baklava soon refueled us all ready for a chilled afternoon/ evening.
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Our new dingy arrived into Leros at around the same time as we did, how convenient. The lovely marinero delivered it directly to Kejstral, which was perfect as the box is rather big and heavy, and I broke one nail already this morning. The new inflatable has its own pump, repair kit and oars, not to mention a few metal connections that we have no idea what to do with! Our brand new Excel 2.6 Ventura looks brilliant, our previous zodiac tender had experienced quite a rough 10 years with various captains and charter customers prior to our ownership. She had more patches than original material, on each repair our zodiac failed just a little bit more. So today we have inflated our big, yet lightweight dingy then gently slipped her into the big wet sea for her christening. She floats, which is pretty handy, all we need now is to attach the outboard engine, our year old Tohatsu 3.5 (bought to replace our stolen Yamaha engine) fires up almost immediately, just a little coaxing was required after her four month hibernation. We took a spin across to Lakki town which was great, no leaks or issues at all fortunately, it was only a 5 minute journey there and back! An engine service is next on our list, Kevin happens to be a mechanic, therefore we carry out our own fiddly oily jobs rather than paying out for help. Firstly the filters, an oil and a diesel filter were bought locally, €34 for the two, the impeller we had a new unopened packet on board which saved a few pennies. Replacement oil, 3 litres cost €24. The alternator and impeller belts again we have new ones already, (always handy to have spares of course) The belts are in fact in very good condition and have been checked for damage, wear and adequate tension. The oil when new should look the colour of golden syrup, ours resembled treacle, pretty normal following a year of use. In order to empty the oil a hand pump can be used, but boy is it hard to suck treacle through a straw! Now we have a clean filter and lovely golden oil oozing through our yanmar engine. Next step is the fuel filter, when new the filter is bright orange, once used it gradually changes to a black, muddy appearance. The impeller is a more fiddly task, the plate must be removed, the circular wheel like rubber is then removed before replacing a new, undamaged fitting. Ours looked fairly intact until closer inspection which highlighted wear and tear on the rubber teeth, clearly important to check them thoroughly. This was completed swiftly with what seemed like no major issues, therefore we started the engine. Very quickly we realised that no water came from the cooling system out of the boat. What a nightmare, the most likely cause is the impeller which if damaged will not drag water through the system. In this case that was unlikely unless the new impeller was faulty. Kevin replaced the original impeller, assuming that was the issue, still no water! Gradually we realised that there must be an air leak, therefore no suction to pull water through. The culprit turned out to be our salt water strainer, yet another part of the engine cooling system. Earlier this week Kevin had replaced the hose from the water strainer to the impeller housing, the filter had been damaged on an initial inspection when we purchased Kejstral. This damage has been exacerbated over the last few years each time the hose was reattached as the connecting port had to be heated, enabling the tubing fitment, unfortunately this has completely collapsed the diameter of the connector. This means a new filter, more money! When Kevin checked online the appropriate size was around £97, not what we want but essential for the engine to start. The local chandlery within the marina charged a whole €75 for the filter and some new hose adding in some connectors preventing a repeat issue. In the meantime our clock barometer and temperature gauge which are all brass required a good old scrub, using auto sol cream, they now sparkle beautifully thanks to a bit of elbow grease. May need a snooze now! Finally our toilet, well as explained previously the valve needs replacing, we have a constant back flow, additionally there is a suspicious drip from the outlet hose......The job was relatively simple despite a thick layer of crystallisation inside the hose, caused by salt water, urine and possibly lime scale this of course required yet another batch of elbow grease. Eventually each of our tasks had been ticked off and a walk around to Lakki to stock up on rubber gloves was in order (you never know when you might need them next!) all followed by a beer will definitely complete our day. Follow our boat on NOFOREIGNLAND: https://www.noforeignland.com/home/map/boat/5655608640405504/ Having been back on-board for a couple of days, we have put together a plan of jobs. Firstly we must enjoy this beautiful weather and warm ourselves in the glorious sunshine, each morning we have walked into town if only for a loaf of crusty fresh bread. Comfy shoes slipped into for the stoney paths and walkways and a warm jumper for the moment that cool breeze catches when rounding the bay from the marina. Today at least we have a list, I love lists, how can people cope without that crumpled piece of paper in hand which defines our needs and wants. On this list is a mouse, hmm not the furry squeaky brand but the wireless computer requiring variety. .... we left mine at home! More importantly our list contains the part numbers for the replacement oil and fuel filters essential for an engine service. 3 litres of the appropriate 40/15 oil is required and a new impeller, the two belts which are checked during the service are in fact in good shape. Our life ring buoy light has become waterlogged and consequently damaged. This is the light used should Kevin ditch me into the sea when I irritate him, then he might have a moment of guilt /panic and decides to throw me the life ring. ( The light will glow in darkness in order to locate my bobbing self) Therefore a replacement is additionally neatly documented. The walk into town is 10 perhaps 15 minutes, depending on how many times I decide to photograph another pretty Greek fishing boat, they are rather beautifully painted! We pass quite a few migrants along the coastal path which can seem a little intimidating, however they all seem polite and smile and cause very little problem to the locals from what we have witnessed so far. They are also mostly young males! There is a chandlery within the marina, but their prices are higher than the shop in town, which of course is why we use the town also it will leave us a spare few euro in extra for those yummy gyros wraps😊 To our disappointment the chandler's do not stock our filters therefore the marina prices will have to be paid. The bakery does of course have perfectly baked, just lightly crispy rolls for a sandwich to feed the ever hungry Kevin. We manage to stock up on the usual eggs, milk and bacon (bacon can be difficult to get in our home in Turkey, not to mention the extortionate cost) and cleaning items for a good spring boat clean once the messy jobs are complete. The mouse, well we find one, now blogging can begin. We also picked up a joker valve for our toilet, there is absolutely nothing remotely funny when it comes to a toilet onboard! This valve must be replaced as we have a degree of acid reflux, well that is the closest comparison I can make (ever the nurse!) On our return trip to Kejstral we call into the garage and find the oil we needed, so, we now are virtually ready for that engine service. Perhaps after our siesta....... https://www.noforeignland.com/home/map/boat/5655608640405504/?sid=5666313846390784&tc=1553189623687 https://www.noforeignland.com/home/map/boat/5655608640405504/ We are back, really does not feel like 4 months since we left a sad, broken Kejstral in the hands of the Greek Marina staff. Leros looks beautiful lush green foliage and grass, pretty yellow flowers and a stunning blue sky, well that is today! Yesterday was somewhat different, black clouds shrouding the hillsides while deep navy blue seas clatter against the rocky shores. The rain held off, expecting downpours all day, we were very grateful for the minimal showers that actually appeared. Our journey from Turkey saw us splashing through deep puddles and dark ominous skies hovering heavily above us as our dear friends Helen and Andrew drove us towards Bodrum. The ferry left on time and took just less than an hour to motor relatively smoothly through a swelling sea towards the Greek island of Kos. From here we dragged our mountain of cases and bags around the harbour towards the adjoining ferry into Leros Island. This journey saw the swell increase and the skies lighten with gradually increasing blue patches. Such a good feeling to touch down in Leros knowing that Kejstral is just ten minutes away in the marina by taxi. Tired, hungry and thirsty, our first stop has to be for lunch, we did have breakfast really early! Gyros and Mythos, what a perfect combination. A generous helping of pork, tzatziki sauce, salad and chips perfectly wrapped in a toasted pitta, washed down by a traditional Greek beer, just what we needed. On arrival at Leros marina we head straight for the office, with a little nervousness thrown into the excitement, we collect our keys from the lovely welcoming staff. Kejstral has been through a tough few months, from a bent propeller shaft early into the sailing season, to a rope fouling the propeller on entering the marina at the end of the season. This managed to damage the gear box, break the cutlass bearing and basically cause €4000 worth of damage! Unfortunately we had to abandon Kejstral in Leros within a few days of the damage and leave the repairs in the (hopefully) capable hands of the marina staff, hence our trepidation at seeing her once again. The winter in Greece has been pretty bad, endless rain and high winds, in fact in some places, freezing cold and snow had been reported. Luckily Leros suffered minimally, as did Kejstral. To our amazement she looked absolutely fine, dusty and wet from the most recent downpour but great otherwise. The repairs have been completed and with the help of our insurance to cover the cost, we were not out of pocket at all thank goodness (it was not our error which led to the damage) Opening that hatch for the first time, we expect a damp musty aroma, but nothing! Everything is as clean as we left it, (I am a bit of an OCD sufferer..... apparently) Not a sign of the engine dissection or the mechanics greasy fingerprints. Even the cushions have been placed precisely where they should be after the workmen had finished, shocking but in a good way! The gas is on, the kettle is boiling furiously as we start to unpack the staggering mountain of baggage we travelled with. It is mid March, over here you never quite know what the weather will surprise you with, therefore jumpers and warm clothing are essential. Warm bedding, waterproofs and sturdy shoes, a fan heater all for the worst days, shorts sun hats and suncream for the others! Today we are in shorts until the sun begins to settle and the heat of the day subsides, 25 degrees today but this evening will be pretty cold. Having unpacked and stowed as much as we have the energy for, we head off into town. Lakki is the main port and town which is a half mile walk away from the marina, it has plenty of facilities for the sailing community. A well stocked, reasonably priced supermarket, a stuffed full of shiny chrome, ropes and other boaty bits chandlery, as well as a lovely bakery and plenty of snack bars and restaurants. Our first sleep tonight back on Kejstral, feels fabulous but I have no doubt there will be issues to address, problems to overcome and a few stressful moments before we actually set sail in a week or so! Day 2 in the marina & we start with a good old English breakfast, minus the mushrooms, baked beans & tomatoes! The wind has now dropped off to almost nothing so we figure it would be a great time to unfurl the main & check it out. It will also give it chance to dry out in case any damp that has found it's way in there! The sheets and furling lines are all in a good state too. She unfurls beautifully & there are no signs of damp, chafing or damage, so after spraying the out-haul rollers with a lubricating spray we gently re-furl her by hand. Next it's on to unpacking our brand new tender, a excel Ventura 2.6m with inflatable floor. We figure this will suit us for a while as it's a lot lighter than the old Zodiac, so much easier to haul on & off the deck. Our old dingy took a battering throughout the last 10 years of its life, so much so that we had patches covering patches by the end.
Following this we start Kejstral's Yanmar power house only to find the impeller hose leaking That's a job for tomorrow when we service the engine. https://www.noforeignland.com/home/map/boat/5655608640405504/?sid=5666313846390784&tc=1553189623687 https://www.noforeignland.com/home/map/boat/5655608640405504/ After what seems to have taken forever, but actually has only been 6 weeks Kejstral is fixed and back in the water! The gearbox has been overhauled, a new cutlass bearing fitted and propeller shaft re-aligned.
We can now look forward to getting back to Leros and enjoying our 4th year of sailing this beautiful boat. The Atlantic crossing didn't quite go as planned as you may have read in the earlier blogs, but there is always another opportunity popping up onto the horizon. On this occasion some friends have asked for our assistance in delivering their Bavaria 40 to Bulgaria, leaving from the Southern port of Kas in Turkey. We of course, a little jaded by our previous experience, were somewhat sceptical about joining another Captain and his vessel, however, as we have known this lovely couple for a few years, we could not say no and this is what life is for. New plans, challenges and adventures must be embraced where possible. Since returning to Turkey in January where our home and trusty Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 36i reside, we have been pretty busy. Firstly by our house break in which occurred during our visit to the UK at the end of 2017. Our lovely home was broken into and our car had been stolen, car theft is completely unheard of in these parts, therefore, it is also a tricky predicament to resolve. As the Jandarma and Police are completely unused to this occurrence, they had little experience in handling the paperwork. To add to the dilemma....The car had since been recovered! It had been spotted driving around our local area with a very dim man at the wheel (who turned out to be the equally dim thief, who additionally filled it with fuel for us!) Basically out car was recovered by the town Police, taken to the pound for safe keeping and awaiting our arrival. Unfortunately, the Jandarma were in charge of our case and as we have discovered, these two law enforcement groups fail to communicate. Our dilemma arose when one party signed a beautifully written letter to the other party, yet the town Court house had to negotiate the release of our poor car, but only after four visits to the Jandarma office, which is situated 40 minutes drive away from both the Police station and the Courts. Yes I did say 'drive', all very well when you have a car! Thankfully our great Turkish friend allowed us to borrow his car and we had lots assistance from our dear friends Yolande and Nigel and Erin Our home also required some work due to the damage caused during the break in, not to mention the replacement of stolen items. That cost us dearly in emotional upset, as you can imagine some items are completely irreplaceable. Within a few weeks we had our little car parked neatly in front of the newly painted gate and lovely repaired home. (the little sod drove through the gate, yes through, not around!) Moving on ....... Our yacht Kejstral sits sedately in the quiet little marina in Port Iasos near Gulluk. She has been awaiting her turn for our attention and her seasonal preparations. We finally drove down to the tiny, very Turkish village of Kiyikislacik which sits on the west coast just above the Bodrum Peninsula. The setting is fabulous, chirping birds greet us as we wind our way around the rough roads, tractors trundle past overloaded with mounds of green vegitation. Goats loiter by the grass verges gnawing at just about anything they can find while a solitary donkey calls out a presumably Turkish greeting. Cows turn to watch our car climb the hillsides as sheep slowly wander across our path oblivious to our presence. The landscape is a lush dark green mass of trees, foliage and undergrowth, fields are being tended everywhere we leisurely pass, this is Turkey at its most beautiful. Vibrant red, lilac and yellow flowers adorn the roadsides and flood the open land with spring colour, the smell of farmyards can be a little pungent however! The sun has joined us for our drive, warming our chilly bodies, February here can be very wet and cold, thunderstorms are frequent and the rain at times can be torrential, but not today thankfully. The marina is extremely well sheltered and small, the staff can not do enough to assist despite the quiet winter period. By April things will have changed dramatically, this glorious green landscape will lose colour before dehydration begins and dusty brown land obliterates this sumptuous scenery. This little sedate unassuming port becomes a hub of activity with holiday guests, boat owners and vehicles, despite its remote location. Kejstral looks pretty good on our arrival, she is missing the Genoa, solar panels, bimeny and spray hood as these were removed before the winter weather could damage them. Ropes are soft and pliable from the heavy rain as opposed to the solid rigid ones that languish in hot salty air during the sailing season. Dusty rusty patches encircle each stanchion and chrome fixture, we did lightly oil our chrome fixture prior to leaving last year and they have weathered very well. Our first task.......Put the kettle on, well we aren't going sailing too soon, there are too many outstanding jobs to be done! Gas on, tea bags dunked and we are back, back to the lifestyle which has captured our enthusiasm and longing to travel. Tasks, well there are plenty to keep us occupied until the weather is settled enough for our first sail. The bimeny was unfolded, dusted off having been scrubbed at the end of last season, putting it back on is always a challenge but we had no issues. Our three solar panels came next, these we though, might be safer tucked away over the windy wet winter. They are fitted on top of our bimeny and require very little maintenance, the cables were left insitu and the system hooked together perfectly for us (just a few hammering and drilling moments required) Next the spray hood, this had to be taken to the repair shop for new perspex panels, ours had detached at the seams and whilst travelling, staring out of very yellow tinged plastic panels is really not helpful. Over the following few weeks each task was gradually addressed, the biggest challenge was replacing our rear engine mountings. These had never been perfect since our boat purchase, the rubber which protects the engine from movement and vibration had diminished with wear and tear. There had also been a small salt water leak from the water intake filter, causing terrible rust to the mount. In addition on starting the engine, there was a vibration which we knew was caused by the damaged mount. These pieces of kit, when purchased for a car, can cost £30 per mount, however, on a boat........£200 per mount!! We also had to source them from a reputable company, with reasonable delivery prices, not as easy as it should be. Lehur Marine, a fabulous chandler's in Izmir gave us the best price, therefore we had a few days in this huge city exploring, oh yes, and ordering our parts. When Kevin came to remove our damaged mounts he just couldn't manage with the tools we had (which were new and plentiful since our lovely thief helped himself to our original batch) in addition the rust damage made it impossible to undo and grip the nuts. Our only option was to call for assistance, not what Kevin is used to, normally we try and tackle every job and usually do very well. On this occasion we had a Volvo mechanic and his buddy come to battle with our issue, 5 hours and lots of sweat, fibre glass itching and frustration later, the task was complete. Just need to start the engine to check for stability and alignment. Only problem there was we had drained every bit of fuel in order to clean out our diesel tank from the bacterial growth last year.....Oops. This means the mechanic cannot check his work and we may need to adjust the height of the engine mountings ourselves. By early April, we had gas, water and fuel, a balanced engine that worked perfectly and that Kevin had serviced. Last job was to put back up our Genoa sail, again this had been removed, cleaned and stored for winter. The job isn't a difficult one, it just relies on an hour of calm weather to contain this massive 32 square meters of canvas. Typically, just as we hoist it, the wind appears from absolutely nowhere, then miraculously disappears as we complete the job. Kejstral is nearly ready, we removed the mattress foam from our forward cabin as it wasn't quite thick enough for comfort and had developed its own penicillin range from moisture! This turned out to be a fairly cheap job by going to a local upholstery guy who didn't normally provide foam for boats. (We cut and shaped it ourselves) Our tender Zoe, was deflated and rolled in a tarpaulin for protection, stored on board yet......Still needed repair despite putting it away clean and intact. The glue patches had come adrift where previous repairs had been carried out, therefore out came the rubber repair kit to tidy her up, she should last another year, we hope! A few days later we have arranged to take Kejstral out for an overnight stay. The plan is only to test the engine and other systems for issues, whilst ensuring the solar is efficient. Our overnight stay turned into a four nights away with some lovely friends, Helen and Andrew and their yacht Kouros. Our first night was perfectly successful, we extended our trip as we wanted to sail with these friends before our trip up to Bulgaria, and time was running short. Our only issue with Kejstral throughout our trip was overheating of the engine, this could have been caused by either the impeller failing to draw water through the cooling system, or the debris gathered on our hull over winter, could easily have gathered on the propeller and intake ports. Fortunately we have the ability to look under water at our hull with a camera which found barnacles adhered to everything, in fact our propeller is almost double it's normal size! I guess we have found our problem. As long as we motor slowly and keep the revs down the engine will cope until the debris can be removed. Our plan is to take Kejstral out of the water on June the first for anti fouling and a thorough check. Until then we will not be sailing too much as our journey to Bulgaria on 'Indian Summer' takes place in only a few days, on our return mid May, we can address the issue. Bulgaria here we come 21st April 2018 |
Sailing Kejstral AdventuresRetired and following our dream of sailing around the world Archives
April 2019
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