Salvador, but only just
23 October 2011
Strangely, the last six hours were some of the best sailing of the whole trip. Before that, I had been motoring for twelve hours through a very lumpy but windless sea. The tank was getting low and soon I was sucking up the filth from the bottom of the tank. The first clue was when the engine revs started to drop. I looked at the filters - filthy black. So from now on I had no engine. But a nice breeze was brought on by gathering black clouds and a force 4 sprang up from the SE, but I could just lay the course to a bouy which marked the end of a sandbank and which I had to round. The wind shifted as the raiin squalls came through, but it was a fast, cracking sail in flat water in the fading light. The Salvador skyline took me by surprise - it was like Manhattan. I now had to devise a way of getting into this harbour without any engine to help. I decided I could sail, slowly, under yankee as far as the breakwater and if I could get round the corner I could anchor there/./ The engine/ /would run but only at tickover due to lack of fuel. So I sailed in stately fashion, in the dark, till the breakwater was abeam, furled the jib, and shoved the engine into gear. She lasted just far enough to get me to an anchorage. It was midnight. I now had to get to the final destination, Pier Salvador marina five miles further on. The next morning I decided to change the filters and get the engine going again. I had never done that on this boat, and it was a risk. But thanks to the Racor filter I had fitted before I left, it was the easiest thing. These filters are so easy - spin the top off, remove the old filter, drop a new one in and on your way - no bleeding. Every boat should have them. Pier Salvador marina needs high water to approach, and a little careful navigation to get over the sand bar, but nothing a UK east coaster isn't used to. I was welcomed with fresh orange juice by Sandoval, the owner. It's a great place, and Salvador will help you with anything you want from gas to beer to bread. It was a great welcome after a good trip. We are now 4799 miles from Falmouth by log, and 3130 of those were singlehanded. I'm back to the UK in a few days time and the voyage continues after Christmas. That's when you'll next hear from me, although I will post a list of the heroes and zeroes of the equipment onboard if I get a chance. Thanks for reading so far.