So, while Roy took a walk to the closest chandlery after breakfast, Elaine brought some order back to Paw Paw once again and, fortunately, Roy returned with most of what we needed. Getting items repaired is one thing, but getting the parts we need has remained a challenge throughout Europe, something we definitely weren’t expecting in this part of the world, never mind the astronomical expense associated with what we have been able to procure.
Roy’s first task was to replace the motor on the last, of what we hope, will be problematic heads (aka toilets), given that this was the second new motor fitted in less than two months.
Before tackling the more difficult task of the day, which required a team effort to replace the port engine blower, positioned in the most awkward spot, we decided a coffee break was necessary, enjoyed at the very popular Sailor’s Bar, where we came to understand the reason for its popularity; good coffee and free wifi!
Back onboard and after a few attempts, we eventually got the port engine blower installed, but guess what! Yep, it didn’t work - initially! Thankfully, all it needed was a new fuse. After that palaver, though, Roy definitely qualifies as a contortionist, but regardless, we were delighted to have a working engine blower, although both new parts came at an exorbitant price; €377, of which €277 was for the new motor for the head, normally costing around £100! Daylight robbery to say the least!
After tidying up again and a wee rest, we walked to the closest grocery store to get a few provisions, mostly fresh produce. Given the intense heat, we were both too tired to be bothered with anything else for the day other than to sanitise and stow our purchases.
However, besides being up to our eyeballs in yacht activities and preparations, we’ve unsuccessfully ignored what’s happening in the Middle East. It’s tough not be extremely concerned as the situation continues to escalate.
Today Roy was up early to enjoy his morning walk, but to coincide that with stopping at the Repsol service station to enquire about getting our propane bottle filled, the new one we had to buy in Concepción de La Linea after discovering we couldn’t get our regular bottles filled anywhere in the Mediterranean. It was, however, very annoying to learn that, although we were told we would be able to get the new Spanish bottle filled anywhere in Spain at any Repsol establishment, this information turned out to be nonsense and, in fact, it cannot be filled and we now have no choice but to purchase yet another new bottle. Such a scam and something we would have appreciated being highlighted to us by the ARC rally as a major issue; every cruising yacht needs propane. Talk about ripping off a captive audience that involves the majority of yachts arriving in the Canary Islands, all needing to top up on propane before undertaking the Atlantic Ocean crossing. Anyway, it is what it is, and we have no choice.
Regardless, after a cooked breakfast, this time complements of Elaine, Roy set about completing the engine blower task of replacing the fibreglass surround; another time-consuming task that first required the surround to be positioned, allowed to dry, then sealed. While he waited for the surround to dry, he replaced all the fuel filters on both engines, in preparation for running the fuel-polishing systems after we filled both tanks the other day.
Elaine, on the other hand, enjoyed a chat to her sister in Ireland, before we enjoyed a coffee at the Sailor‘s Bar, then removed the helmstation weatherguard and dropped it off at the sailmaker for repairs, a repair needed after one of the zips was torn with the strong winds we encountered as we approached the northern end of Isla de Lanzarote during our passage from Gibraltar.
Roy also took another walk to a different grocery store, which turned out to be only marginally better than the grocery store we found yesterday. Guess we’ll just keep trying various ones until we find one that has what we need.
This afternoon the engine blower surround was ready to be sealed, but ended up another frustrating job just trying to get the needed tools to work properly. Our final task of the day required us to walk another country mile to purchase another propane tank, only to discover, when we got back to Paw Paw, that a new regulator was required too - Oh, we just love the lack of standardisation! Needless to say, this was not only time-consuming and just a tad frustrating, but costly too. Had we known about this situation ahead of time, we wouldn’t have bought a bottle on mainland Spain; we could have waited, but decided to be proactive. The troubling aspect, though, with having to purchase all these different propane bottles during our circumnavigation is that they all have had to be disposed off along the way, since they can’t be filled and reused, impacting, not only our pockets, but the environment. We hate to think about just how many empty propane bottles are at the bottom of the world’s oceans or sitting in landfills.
The highlight of our day, however, was receiving photographs of the grandsons and enjoying a nice long chat to Keenan.
