Ria de Arousa - Caraminal
23 September 2009
A couple of quiet but enjoyable days here. Yesterday, I tended to the engine for a few hours in the morning after which we took to shore to get some fresh provisions. A beer at a local bar just when people started to show up in the streets again after their siesta and then dinner on board.
Today, the maintenance job was with the wind vane (mechanical self steering equipment. An extremely imortant equipment on board especially since we do not have an electronic auto pilot. The pipes that should keep the vane gear firmly attached to the aft deck, has recently become less than firm and thus needed some reinforcements. The loads are impressive on these parts due to the impact of the waves and the movement of the boat through the seas. This kept me busy for most of the day in the cockpit with the tools spread all over it. It was a dead calm day with a little more than 30 degrees C, so I can't deny that I was a fair bit hot.
After cleaning up the mess, and myself, we rowed ashore again for a beer at a bar with Wifi. There hasn't been possible here to get internet access from the boat, so it was good to catch up on e-mails and some news. Dinner on board as usual.