Leaking Bolt
10/02/10 23:56 Filed in: Uruguay | Maintenance
A new water leak. This was a very slow one marked by rusting around a bolt (foremost on the forward starboard exterior handrail.
e
After cleaning up.
Refitting the bolt with lots of sealant solved the problem.
eAfter cleaning up.
Refitting the bolt with lots of sealant solved the problem.
Puerto Sauce
04/02/10 23:36 Filed in: Uruguay
Puerto Sauce is not a huge place. A very secure harbour offers around 6 visitor buoys and 10 "stern to" serviced berths on the quay (currently being expanded to 140 berths). Our daily cost on a buoy is Urg$69 (about £2). Showers are available at an adjacent yacht club and cost Urg$29.
Serviced berths and adjacent park.
Last night I recorded 1.6m at low water. When I questioned Hidrografia staff this morning they advised that in rare extreme conditions depths can fall as low as 0.4m. There is exposure to winds W through NW.
The harbour also houses a deep water berth for tankers and freighters serving the large Fanapel paper mill next door. There is some noise from machinery and shift hooters but it is not overbearing. In more easterly winds a smell not dissimilar to a wet dog emanates from the mill.
Nancy needed to return to BsAS so we caught the bus into Colonia. A local bus took us to the main Montevideo road Ruta 1.
Local bus.
There we connected with an intercity coach. I was surprised that these intercity coaches are fitted with onboard internet (Movistar). I was able to use my Touch to check mail and read the news at no charge.
Intercity coach.
Serviced berths and adjacent park.
Last night I recorded 1.6m at low water. When I questioned Hidrografia staff this morning they advised that in rare extreme conditions depths can fall as low as 0.4m. There is exposure to winds W through NW.
The harbour also houses a deep water berth for tankers and freighters serving the large Fanapel paper mill next door. There is some noise from machinery and shift hooters but it is not overbearing. In more easterly winds a smell not dissimilar to a wet dog emanates from the mill.
Nancy needed to return to BsAS so we caught the bus into Colonia. A local bus took us to the main Montevideo road Ruta 1.
Local bus.
There we connected with an intercity coach. I was surprised that these intercity coaches are fitted with onboard internet (Movistar). I was able to use my Touch to check mail and read the news at no charge.
Intercity coach.
Pampero
03/02/10 23:35 Filed in: Uruguay
Up early this morning at just after 07:00. The Uruguayan tanker Ancap Noveno has just berthed on the commercial quay and the yachts are lying to a light NE breeze.
Around 08:50 the barometer had fallen to 995 and we noticed three long tubular clouds approaching from the west. These heralded the imminent arrival of a Pampero.
The yachts are lying to a light NNE breeze.
Cold dry air from the Argentine Pampas approaching from the south west meets warm moist air from the north resulting in these spectacular cloud formations and very strong winds.
As the first cloud approaches the wind begins to increase and back to the west.
This Pampero had three tubular clouds. As the first approached windspeed increased reaching 30kn as the cloud passed overhead. This was not great as Pamperos go. Winds of 50-60kn are not uncommon.
Puerto Sauce is a very secure little port, much better than Colonia, but some of these boats moored stern to the quay, were struggling in strong winds.
The second cloud approaching. The yachts are lying WNW in 25-30 knots of wind.
A sunny gap between the first and second clouds.
The second cloud overhead.
The yachts are now lying SW to a 30 knot wind.
These motor yachts need their engines to stay off the quay.
Once the third cloud passed overhead the air was noticeably colder and the wind had dropped away to below 20 knots.
Around 08:50 the barometer had fallen to 995 and we noticed three long tubular clouds approaching from the west. These heralded the imminent arrival of a Pampero.
The yachts are lying to a light NNE breeze.
Cold dry air from the Argentine Pampas approaching from the south west meets warm moist air from the north resulting in these spectacular cloud formations and very strong winds.
As the first cloud approaches the wind begins to increase and back to the west.
This Pampero had three tubular clouds. As the first approached windspeed increased reaching 30kn as the cloud passed overhead. This was not great as Pamperos go. Winds of 50-60kn are not uncommon.
Puerto Sauce is a very secure little port, much better than Colonia, but some of these boats moored stern to the quay, were struggling in strong winds.
The second cloud approaching. The yachts are lying WNW in 25-30 knots of wind.
A sunny gap between the first and second clouds.
The second cloud overhead.
The yachts are now lying SW to a 30 knot wind.
These motor yachts need their engines to stay off the quay.
Once the third cloud passed overhead the air was noticeably colder and the wind had dropped away to below 20 knots.
Colonia to Puerto Sauce
02/02/10 14:38 Filed in: Uruguay
Conditions were relatively benign this morning with a forecast of N-NW 4-6 gusting 7 in rain squalls.
By the time we dropped our mooring at 13:30, bound for Puerto Sauce about 20 miles to the east, a force 6 northerly was kicking up a nasty chop in Colonia harbour.
Passing the commercial harbour at around 14:00 it began to rain heavily with N winds gusting to 34 knots. We continued at around 4.5 knots under 1/3 yankee. Visibility deteriorated and the shore was no longer visible.
At this point our Raymarine C70 Display System (installed September 2006) failed. This device displays information from all the navigation aids on board including, position, wind, depth, speed, radar and digital charts. It became unresponsive to all controls and went into an infinite loop whereby it cycled continuously between startup screen and off. Turning the power on and off made no difference. Fortunately our 12 year old Autohelm repeaters continued to display our position, speed, wind and depth. Navigation switched to plotting GPS positions on the chart and visual bearings.
The weather eased as rainstorms passed and the wind settled at around 20-25 knots. We could see the shore again and the rest of the trip was plain sailing under full yankee. It became a bit bumpy as the wind veered to NNE-NE.
We were able to sail right into the harbour at Puerto Sauce only starting the engine a few minutes before picking up a mooring at 18:30.
Later, while having a fiddle with the C70, I triggered a factory reset which wiped out all data. 600 plus waypoints, and all routes and tracks recorded since installation. Fortunately most were backed up. The upside was that the unit now seemed to be functioning normally.
News from Buenos Aires that my new passport is ready. That was quick.
By the time we dropped our mooring at 13:30, bound for Puerto Sauce about 20 miles to the east, a force 6 northerly was kicking up a nasty chop in Colonia harbour.
Passing the commercial harbour at around 14:00 it began to rain heavily with N winds gusting to 34 knots. We continued at around 4.5 knots under 1/3 yankee. Visibility deteriorated and the shore was no longer visible.
At this point our Raymarine C70 Display System (installed September 2006) failed. This device displays information from all the navigation aids on board including, position, wind, depth, speed, radar and digital charts. It became unresponsive to all controls and went into an infinite loop whereby it cycled continuously between startup screen and off. Turning the power on and off made no difference. Fortunately our 12 year old Autohelm repeaters continued to display our position, speed, wind and depth. Navigation switched to plotting GPS positions on the chart and visual bearings.
The weather eased as rainstorms passed and the wind settled at around 20-25 knots. We could see the shore again and the rest of the trip was plain sailing under full yankee. It became a bit bumpy as the wind veered to NNE-NE.
We were able to sail right into the harbour at Puerto Sauce only starting the engine a few minutes before picking up a mooring at 18:30.
Later, while having a fiddle with the C70, I triggered a factory reset which wiped out all data. 600 plus waypoints, and all routes and tracks recorded since installation. Fortunately most were backed up. The upside was that the unit now seemed to be functioning normally.
News from Buenos Aires that my new passport is ready. That was quick.
