Sorry for not updating this blog the last couple of weeks. As you could have guessed we were on vacation, cruising Iris along the rocky Costa Brava coast. We had the great company of Mahsa and Chema who were also on board 3 years ago. We would have liked to be able to pass some more time at anchor in some beautiful cala, but August is a terrible month to find even a tiny mooring in the overcrowded calas of the Costa Brava. Nevertheless we had a great time sailing and good fun in the marinas we visited.
On the way back I was a bit worried about a leaking stuffing box. Iris is equiped with one off these 'dripless' rubber stuffing boxes and as it's name suggested it had never leaked before. Back on my shipyard I had the rubber seal replaced with a new one and my mechanic from Nautica Emilio told me that these things use to burn about every 4 years and should be replaced regularly. Mine was at least 10 years old! Also after any haulout, when the boat's back in the water, it's important to vent the seal squeezing it until it fills with water. Using it dry would burn the seal. I didn't know that and apparently many sailors don't.