In mid-July i have helped a buddy who is a steel cruising boat's owner to bring her from Camaret, famous in France for the town's preacher, specially his bollocks song, to Corunna, known in part for his lighthouse called "Hercule tower" considered as the oldest lighthouse still working in the world.
Camaret's preacher (Camaret)
Artist, Pascal has a project: display several art ways abroad by using as a trade area his own boat which is called "Edgar Allan Poe" ; so let's go for a Gordon Pym's trip, without its problems of course !
Hercule's tower (Corunna)
This is the most peaceful sailing trip I have ever made ! relatively stable anticyclonic conditions, with the wind coming from north-east 10 and 15 knots roughly, with a good visibility (clear sky all the day, and full of stars during the night. some cargos watched further with the cargo rail but not forced to gybe, tack, or move the ass ... No trawlers encountered. the sea was a bit messy, Bay of Biscay of course, but otherwise nothing for three days. If I was a little jaded, I would say we almost got be bored ! And in addition we have seen dolphins every days, even flying fishes ! Pascal had everything well prepared and anticipated, so I just had to put my ass on the deck till the departure.
the crew against sea's fury...
The boat is surprising for a steeling hull : 8,5 tons, and an ability to move fast enough even in light winds. For 8/10 knots of wind the boat reached 3 knots around, for 15 knots of wind he ran about 6/6,5 knots downwind. It's a Trielen plan, keelboat. close-hauled (Yes, nevertheless we had to change tack one time to avoid Sein island , we could not go through the Raz de Sein because of opposing currents at that time) she offers good sensations at the helm for a steeling boat.
Poe 's deck
It was really nice to be able to sail in these conditions this time, especially after a first unsuccessful attempt, a check-i ticket for a Murphy laws package : departure from southward of brittany which is not always necessarily the easiest way to cross the Gulf, an incomplete sails set and not always in a good shape (no genoa, Solent with only one seam line, even on reinforcements), no autopilot forcing us to steer a lot, and wind against us. Result : come back to Royan after we had lost our solent sail torn up by a whisper 20 knots of wind over its entire width. stay close hauled with the storm sail would have been a gift, a luck to cross the bay in at least 6 days (to 2, without pilot), obviously it wasn't the funniest and safiest way to continue. Arriving at Royan, a little engine check allowed us to valid our choice to come back because of a snapping cooling hose, spreading cooling water in the bottom. hoses fixed were in copper, rigid, and thus when engin was switched on and vibrated, step by step it damaged copper hoses making little holes on foldings, where copper was weaker, so leakage. well, DIY time and here comes the bullshit : to get rid of our expendable hose, it was inevitable to disassemble a part of the engine, the oil cooler which is made of aluminum (thus exposed to deformations) and which is a part of the lubrication system ... So oil change time before dismantling this thing. Once the hose changed and the oil and water added up , bim! : this time it was oil that refused to stay in the engine.
Sunset
By removing the aluminum part, we have noticed a seal made only with paste in a corner : a slight deformation of the piece brought the previous owner to hack this seal. so same thing : oil change, dismantling, this time sealing paste, reassembly, Add oil and water. And ... the same breakdown again, an oil geyser ! Finally, results, All copper hoses have been changed by Pascal in flexible stuff, and the aluminum part was changed and since the engine is running as a clock. in fact, a navigation is not like an another one fortunately !