10 minutes from the grip of embarassment

tome

tome

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Bowling along towards Portsmouth from the East yesterday into a head-wind gusting 35 knots. As we approach the harbour, we started the engine. No cooling water! Good job we always check, engine off. Checked inlet strainer, all ok. Check impellor, totally knackered.

In the bouncy 10 minutes it takes me to replace it, I bless the fact that we have a speedseal cover. Last time it went was in Lyme Bay (also in a lumpy sea) and it took me over an hour to fit the replacement. After that I fitted the speedseal. If I hadn't, I'd have had to put out an advisory to QHM and no doubt suffer the ignominity of the bloody harbour weekend volunteers taking me in tow.

I check the impellor once a season, and suspect that it weakened after we clogged the intake a couple of weeks ago.

So why do these things always wait until it's good and lumpy before they rear their ugly heads?
 
could be a bit of air in the water inlet due to the weather - just enough to allow the weakened impellor to run dry for a few seconds causing it to fail ......
or else you got good cause to become paranoic - are you superstitous
 
Tome,

Count yourself among a blessed few.... sadly I suspect that half the people out there wouldn't have even know what an impellor is, let alone have a spare and know how to change it.....

10 mins is pretty impressive in a running sea though...... respect! (at least thats what my son says /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif)
 
It was the thought of them bloody volunteers that fired my adrenalin. Only 1 screw needed 'shiftin'. Those speedseals are a good investment, certainly worth their 30 quid.
 
I had the same thing upon arrival in Cherbourg last week. Thankfully I was inside the harbour when I switched the engine on. I sailed into the inner harbour and dropped the hook. Only 20 minutes to replace the impellor but would have taken a lot longer in a lumpy sea. Am now thinking the speadseal might be a good investment.
 
[ QUOTE ]
So why do these things always wait until it's good and lumpy before they rear their ugly heads?

[/ QUOTE ]

I think you will find that it's called Sod's Law of the Sea
 
About the gusting head-wind you mention - was the 35 knots True or Apparent?

We had the same stuff a few miles west of you - just off Calshot to be precise. It was certainly 'interesting' as the tide was going in the opposite direction to the wind at the time.
 
Don´t you just love it...

Don´t you just love it when something goes wrong and instead of an embarrassing failure you fix it ? Makes you feel good.

Instead of a shameful tow and an embarrased casualty you become a self reliant skipper.

My congratulations to you.

(How many lifeboat call-outs are there to those who cannot do what you can ?)
 
Re: Don´t you just love it...

I also fitted a Speedseal in my previous boat - found you could change the impellor in under a minute - never did find the bits from the old impellor though!!! Well recommended.
 
Re: Don´t you just love it...

Yes, it's always a good feeling to fix a problem. I think anyone who can't do basic stuff like this shouldn't be out really. There were at least 2 of us on board who could have replaced it, and we could easily sail the entrance so never any emergency or flap. Only reason it took 10 mins was cos it was so bouncy.

I try to service as much of my on board equipment as possible so that I'm in constant 'training' for this sort of thing. It's going to happen sooner or later to everyone, as Cornishman says it Sods Law of the Sea that it goes when conditions are challenging.

So thanks for the kind comments, but to turn it on it's head I think we should chastise those for whom a routine failure becomes an emergency rather than heap too much praise on basic seamanship. This should be expected/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
<I check the impellor once a season>
--------------------------------------------

One has to presume the above quoted statement means you remove the impellor for inspection, otherwise you wouldn't be able to examine all of it. Is it possible that the weapons you use to extract the impellor could damage it? Any impellor extracted from my water pump is consigned to the "emergency spares" box after an inspection and a new one is installed, this being an annual procedure. I have never had an impellor failure in use since instigating this procedure and believe it to be the best option. An impellor failure could easily result in a serious incident, even if it only takes 10 minutes to replace.
 
The impellor comes off without damage, but should have clarified that I replace it once per season regardless and so this constitutes my 'inspection'. I have 2 new replacements plus a couple of good old ones. Sorry for any confusion, entirely my fault.
 
[ QUOTE ]
It was the thought of them bloody volunteers that fired my adrenalin.

[/ QUOTE ]

Done something to upset you have we? I'll give you wave if your around on Sunday morning /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif I promise to smile politely and call you "sir"
 
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