G
Guest
Guest
Up nice and early and all packed for the 300 miles to Plymouth. Wife's decided that we are looking after grandchild. 2pm. Ring son. "Er well we had thought of going to the boat today" Son " Whats stopping you" "Er. "Do we give Jack the front door key then" Jacks 4. Wife glares at me. "Oh I'd forgot he's with you. I'll come and pick him up." Miss a turning on the new Mway round Manchester. Reach Plymouth completly neckard 6 hours latter. Wife's trolly jumps over a bump on the half mile long pontoon so the steak and lamb chops jump straight out and into the sea. However the sausages are floating cos there in one of those sealed trays. Wife runs off with the boat hook, to rescue them. I'm dog tired but try to look usefull!! Finaly crash out on settee in boat. Head's looking in the direction of fresh water gauge. Empty!! Stager to filler cap. Must take cap off myself, to make sure the water go'se in the right one. Thats it. The RED one. Five minuites latter wife shouts to me. "Is it you thats opened the diesel cap". I look blank, in total dis-belief. I've only done it about 500 times before. How can I mix it up!! Go to the pub. WE'll think about this one tomorrow!! See the friendly mechanic cos two heads are better than one. Besides, the doubts are setting in. Luck. Theres a nice drain plug in the bottom corner of the tank, and out gushes about 3 gallon of water before the nice red stuff comes through.
"There you are says mechanic, problem solved." I'm not too sure cos with the tank being about 4FT long there can still be alot of water in there!! Deside to go out for a litle trip across the Sound and see what happen's. Check the filters three or four times,full of water each time. Back to base and I've got a plan hatching in my head. Back to Mechanic and his chandler shop. Tells him of plan." It will never work".
So anyway I gets two 3/8 BSP taps some pipe fittings, Jubilee clips and flexible pipe,
Drain plug is at the back of tank so fitting the taps and pipe give me a water trap. Thats the plan anyway.
Get the boat to plane with nose in the air then add some trim to make it lean the right way and sure enough the trap fills with water. Wonderfull!!. Only trouble is that its filling so fast, there must still be gallons of water in there. Plan B. Boat back on plane on nice smouth bit of sea, open both taps for about 5 minuites watching clear water gush out. Then back to plan A the water trap, empty filters about ten more times. Next time I look my home made water trap is full of nice red diesel. So Sunday we risk it out to sea For Falmouth 40 miles away, anchor in Loe to check the filters. Hey prestow, full of lovely diesel. Off to Falmouth. " whats that funny hissing sound" says wife. "It's the wind" says I. " Whats that funny smell" " It will be the sheep and cows burning" Says I Shortly after I notice that where as we were cruising along happily at 23 knots we are now doing about 18 ?? Must be the water?? Get spanner and open engine cover. Met by a huge spray of black oily mess spraying all over self, carpet and settee. Shutt down port engine with the blown turbo. (I did the other one last year) Trim the boat with one corner of the bow stuck down cos it go'se round in circles if I dont. and carry on to Falmouth exept at 9 knots instead of 23. Friendly coast gards gets the marina tug to shunt me into a bearth cos I dont fancy shunting up and down a strange marina looking for a parking spot with a turning circle to starboard of about 500 yards!! Next day the tug turns us and points us in the general direction of Plymouth. Sure enough half way across Falmouth estuary there's a yacht parked up with all his sails flapping. Of course as usual he desides to set off when I'm about to pass his bows about 20 yards away and he wants right of way!!
AHA!! But Im unable to manuever so he gets a load of blasts from my horn to tell him so!! Quick tack shaking fist etc. ect. They dont like the boot on the other foot !! 6 hours back to Plymouth. Measure carpet for new one, remove cushion covers for cleaning order new turbo cancel new fishfinder and set off for the 5 hour trip back to this computer.
Happy Easter !!
"There you are says mechanic, problem solved." I'm not too sure cos with the tank being about 4FT long there can still be alot of water in there!! Deside to go out for a litle trip across the Sound and see what happen's. Check the filters three or four times,full of water each time. Back to base and I've got a plan hatching in my head. Back to Mechanic and his chandler shop. Tells him of plan." It will never work".
So anyway I gets two 3/8 BSP taps some pipe fittings, Jubilee clips and flexible pipe,
Drain plug is at the back of tank so fitting the taps and pipe give me a water trap. Thats the plan anyway.
Get the boat to plane with nose in the air then add some trim to make it lean the right way and sure enough the trap fills with water. Wonderfull!!. Only trouble is that its filling so fast, there must still be gallons of water in there. Plan B. Boat back on plane on nice smouth bit of sea, open both taps for about 5 minuites watching clear water gush out. Then back to plan A the water trap, empty filters about ten more times. Next time I look my home made water trap is full of nice red diesel. So Sunday we risk it out to sea For Falmouth 40 miles away, anchor in Loe to check the filters. Hey prestow, full of lovely diesel. Off to Falmouth. " whats that funny hissing sound" says wife. "It's the wind" says I. " Whats that funny smell" " It will be the sheep and cows burning" Says I Shortly after I notice that where as we were cruising along happily at 23 knots we are now doing about 18 ?? Must be the water?? Get spanner and open engine cover. Met by a huge spray of black oily mess spraying all over self, carpet and settee. Shutt down port engine with the blown turbo. (I did the other one last year) Trim the boat with one corner of the bow stuck down cos it go'se round in circles if I dont. and carry on to Falmouth exept at 9 knots instead of 23. Friendly coast gards gets the marina tug to shunt me into a bearth cos I dont fancy shunting up and down a strange marina looking for a parking spot with a turning circle to starboard of about 500 yards!! Next day the tug turns us and points us in the general direction of Plymouth. Sure enough half way across Falmouth estuary there's a yacht parked up with all his sails flapping. Of course as usual he desides to set off when I'm about to pass his bows about 20 yards away and he wants right of way!!
AHA!! But Im unable to manuever so he gets a load of blasts from my horn to tell him so!! Quick tack shaking fist etc. ect. They dont like the boot on the other foot !! 6 hours back to Plymouth. Measure carpet for new one, remove cushion covers for cleaning order new turbo cancel new fishfinder and set off for the 5 hour trip back to this computer.
Happy Easter !!
