Things that plug up marine toilets...marine flora in abundance makes it's way into pipes and settles in a clump in front of critical valves. One takes it all apart, uses a long thin bent wire, fishes out the little plants fron narrow hoses, blows a little air with a dinghy pump through the water hose, listens to the bubbles emerging into the ocean deep under the hull, pours a little bleach into the open hose, re-assembles the whole thing, and hopes for the best.
I left Montague for Wallace Island, enjoying perfect sunshine for a change, and docked a couple of hours later at Conover Cove.
Now for the head test. Ah, what wonderful gushing sound! Water was certainly travelling through the hose - judging by the profuse leak near the hose connection. The infallible mirror-test (in a tight space one uses a mirror like a dentist) showed, that the pump casing had cracked in the effort of removing the hose. Nothing much to do until I could buy a new pump back on land a week hence.However, not a problem. Conover Cove is 'civilized' and has the tidiest and cleanest biffies at the and of the dock.
Pretty quiet in the Cove, not too many boats.
So far only one 'almost grounding'. The owner was absent.
Another boater and I combined efforts, he lent an anchor to pull the sail boat of the rocks. After securing the boat, I went in search for the owner and his two little kids, I found him reading peacefully, sitting on a comfortable bench, with a great view of his boat. He had not noticed a thing - must be an absorbing book!
He grabbed book, kids and backpack and paddled back to his vessel to fix the situation. In the meanwhile, the young boys stayed ashore in mute shocked silence whilst their daddy was struggling with anchors, chains, shore lines etc. Daddy did not want outside assistance, and after almost loosing his whole anchor chain into the drink, he finally managed to get his boat safely re-anchored.
Boys joined daddy aboard.
No comments:
Post a Comment