Albufeira to Portimao Log
For a split second I thought I could hear something different with our port hand propeller as we left the marina. Whilst I stored the fenders and ropes I convinced myself that it was just my imagination.
Down below it was a different story because I could 'feel' the port side sole vibrating more than normal... something was definitely wrong so I mentioned it to Bruce. Bruce came below, stood on the galley floor and agreed.
We replayed the last 24 hours in our minds to see if we could recall inadvertently driving over or hitting something but nothing came to mind. We lifted the engine sole to see if there was anything untoward but all appeared normal. Given that we weren't in any danger we concluded that it could be a damaged propeller, bent shaft or worn cutlass bearing... all expensive to fix. :-(.
Out of interest we decided to compare both engines to see if we could maintain the same speed with each. The test proved that the port side was definitely producing less power. Slightly concerned that at our current speed we could be doing damage we throttled back for the remainder of the journey which certainly helped reduce the vibration. Yet another job for our ever increasing winter jobs list!
With a very warm welcome received at the marina office we checked into our pre-booked winter berth in the protected South basin.
We had barely tied up to the pontoon when we heard the arrival of a sports boat approaching... with a wave and cheery smile and us in disbelief it was Phil, Bruce's Uncle with a couple of his mates who happened to be passing the marina having spent the day creating waves out in the bay. His timing couldn't have been better allowing us all to stop for a beer or two and catch up on the news!
Total distance this season: 1315.25 miles
Down below it was a different story because I could 'feel' the port side sole vibrating more than normal... something was definitely wrong so I mentioned it to Bruce. Bruce came below, stood on the galley floor and agreed.
We replayed the last 24 hours in our minds to see if we could recall inadvertently driving over or hitting something but nothing came to mind. We lifted the engine sole to see if there was anything untoward but all appeared normal. Given that we weren't in any danger we concluded that it could be a damaged propeller, bent shaft or worn cutlass bearing... all expensive to fix. :-(.
Out of interest we decided to compare both engines to see if we could maintain the same speed with each. The test proved that the port side was definitely producing less power. Slightly concerned that at our current speed we could be doing damage we throttled back for the remainder of the journey which certainly helped reduce the vibration. Yet another job for our ever increasing winter jobs list!
With a very warm welcome received at the marina office we checked into our pre-booked winter berth in the protected South basin.
We had barely tied up to the pontoon when we heard the arrival of a sports boat approaching... with a wave and cheery smile and us in disbelief it was Phil, Bruce's Uncle with a couple of his mates who happened to be passing the marina having spent the day creating waves out in the bay. His timing couldn't have been better allowing us all to stop for a beer or two and catch up on the news!
Total distance this season: 1315.25 miles
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