Radar and Autopilot Fixed

Yesterday Carlos sent me a message informing me that the problem with the autopilot was that water had invaded the control unit at the binnacle.  He attached to the message three photographs of the board showing the salt water damage.

This morning two men showed up at the boat as promised and they brought with them the autopilot black box and controller.  We connected it up and it came up fine.  It was getting heading data from the flux gate compass, knew the angle of the rudder, and moved the rudder when we took it of standby, put it on auto, and told it to alter course 10 degrees.  It was a static test and stand-alone because the autopilot was not connected to the rest of the system via Seatalk, but it left me confident that the autopilot had been repaired OK.

The younger man went up and started working at the radome while the other one worked at the C120 display and they ran some tests.  At the end they declared that the radome would have to be removed and taken to their shop (which I expected) and so would the C120 (which I had not expected).  While they worked to get the radome down I dismounted the C120.  Before they left they asked that I visit their premises at 5 PM.

I was there at 5 PM and ushered into their workshop where I was delighted to see the C120 displaying the sweeps of the radar unit.  My understanding (through the language barrier) is that water had somehow crept up the cable and gotten into the radome and taken out the interface of the transmit and receive wires.  I asked him if a board had been swapped out and he told me that only a chip had been replaced, if I understood correctly.  It doesn't surprise me that water managed to creep up the radar cable given the heavy rolling of the boat, strong winds, and heavy spray and rain flying all over the place during the passage from La Paz.

Carlos the manager was busy in the office and they asked me to wait 30 minutes until 6 PM to see him.  I expected it to be a session of receiving the account and making my payment.  Carlos speaks reasonable English and I hoped to learn more about the damage.  However at 6 PM Carlos was still busy and I was told to go back to the boat and they would visit the boat tomorrow, presumably to reinstall the radome.

All going well I hope to have the autopilot and radar unit off the disabled list tomorrow and back to full sea duties.

I logged in this evening for the first time today to find a message from Pato giving his quotation for the new headsail.  I accepted his quote and will work with him regarding the transfer of funds.  I won't publish the price until I've cleared it with him.

Yesterday John, skipper of the French boat, was interviewed by 2 radio stations and one TV station regarding his treatment regarding his visit to the Malvinas.  The few locals that I know are all embarrassed by the whole incident.

I saw Carlos the marina manager today and he told me that they cannot accommodate Pachuca over the winter.  I then visited Club Argentino today for their answer and was asked to return manana.  If I cannot get accommodation for Pachuca at the Club Argentino for the entire winter I'll settle for the two months that they offered to cover Brenda's visit. 

Today we lost all electricity on the jetty.  I visited Martha and asked her if she remembered that last week I reported that most of the electricity on the jetty was out of action but that we were connected to the outlets at the end that were still working.  She remembered.  Nothing had been done and now I was reporting that all of the electricity was down.  She suggested that I plug into another post, which is what I had done last week.  I told her "Martha, ALL of the electricity is down.  The French don't have power, Alfredo doesn't have power, I don't have power."  She got onto the phone right away.  Forgive my grumpiness, but I'm annoyed that my warning was ignored and only when there was a crisis a week later was action taken.

Another Good Day

I started the day by dropping by the club office and asking Martha about moving the boat into the inner marina for the winter.  She told me that she didn't like my chances.  The slips are all privately owned and Carlos will have to make inquiries on which if any slips are available.  I mentioned the issue of the draft of the boat and this too will have to be discussed with Carlos.  She threw it back at me to see Carlos and when I find him I'll have to drag him into the office so that Martha can act as translator.

I set  myself up the in the restaurant for some email work and soon Pato of North Sails and his family arrived and he sat at my table and explained the problems with the headsail that he picked up for repair a few days ago.  The back half of the sail has a webbing of Spectra or some other strong material sandwiched between two thin layers of Dacron.  The fabric has deteriorated in that part of the sail and there are limitations on what he will be able to do.  He confirmed that I will need a new sail, although the one he is repairing will presumably act as a backup.

He knew from my blog that I was considering Hood in BA for the new sail and surprised me by telling me that he could produce a better sail than Hood was likely to quote.  I was surprised because I had been under the impression that he dealt with only small sails.   He would be happy to go head to head with Hood on price if they met his specifications, which he would supply to me.  The other issue was time: Hood might deliver in 2 weeks, he would need 6.  I told Pato that the way things were working out time would not be an issue.

I like Pato, we have a good rapport, I have confidence in him, so after our discussion I asked him to produce a quotation for a strong cruising sail.  He knows that I want the best and am willing to pay the price as long as I get my money's worth.

We then discussed other things.  Yes, he can repair my spray dodger, Yes, he can produce a new sail cover with lazy jacks, and Yes he will  check out my mainsail.  This will happen after the headsail work is completed.  (I'd better explain my change of heart on lazy jacks.  I was determined to avoid them in the future until I encountered an unexpected problem.  When I drop the mainsail it drags across the spray dodger causing chafing to both the sail and the dodger.  So after the drop I must quickly bind up the aft part of the sail to the boom.  No matter how much effort I put into this, it is not foolproof and many times I found that part of the sail had dropped off the boom and there had been more destructive chafing.  I could see that this was one war I could not win.)

I then asked him if he knew of any riggers in MdP and as luck would have it a man from Harken is visiting tomorrow, and they will pay a visit to my boat early in the morning.  The rigging would be genuine Harken out of Buenos Aires if I understood correctly.  The trick is getting good measurements and we'll discuss the possibility of  dropping one of each stay and supporting the mast with ropes. 

Because of Martha's pessimistic outlook I walked over to Club Argentino and asked about a slip for the winter.  Yes, a slip would be no problem.  No, by draft would not be a problem.  However, a stay beyond 2 months would present difficulties.  I explained why I would be wintering the boat in Argentina (i.e. the repairs and waiting for summer) and I'd rather be in the more sheltered inner harbor.  They understood this and asked me to come back after they finished their lunch.  I returned to the boat and spent some time getting good "I" and "J" measurements of the foretriangle for Pato (I=1490 cm, J=474 cm) then had a quick lunch. I then returned to Club Argentino and was given an estimated monthly price (which is lower than Club Nautico's) and was told that the proposed long stay would have to be approved by the club's administrators.  I am to return tomorrow for their answer.

I then proceeded into town to have some photocopying done then followed John's directions to find "Tallero Naval", the stainless steel fabrication company. The object was to have fabricated a sturdy stainless steel deck fitting for the inner forestay, to replace the Micky Mouse U-bolts that kept sheering off.  I made two passes looking for the office then someone stepped out and directed me to the "office" in the bowels of the workshop.  I like metal workshops and the men who work in them.  The sound, smells, look and feel of the premises transcends cultural or language differences.  The men I dealt with were the same solid, no pretenses, no bullshit men of tools that you'll find in Australia, the US, Mexico, and probably everywhere else. 

I told the first man "Lo siento, hablo poco Espanol."  He got a worried look on his face so I said "Pero hablo suficiente Espanol".  What won the day was the excellent set of plans that I produced.  Once again the course in mechanical drawing that Arnold had been forced to take in high school (in that school at that time we were told what courses to take, with no negotiation) had paid big dividends.   I presented a sketch of the boat's foretriangle with everything labeled in Spanish, focused on the problem area with another sketch, again labeled in Spanish, then produced the mechanical drawings.  With those drawings I was talking his language and we had no problem whatsoever.

The fitting will be of 10mm (3/8") thick stainless steel plate above the deck and 6mm thick s/s below deck.  The vertical section above deck will have two 15 mm holes, one to take the forestay, and the other to take the strop of the sail.  The footprint of the fitting will be 150mm x 60mm (6" x 2.4")  The vertical plate to take the headstay and sail will be 35mm high and 80mm long.

He asked if I wanted a quotation or just to do it.  "Hacer" (Do it.) was my reply.  Once again I put my trust in the contractor.  I figure that if I ask for a quote somebody has to put in time making the estimates, which are likely to be high just to make sure that they don't under quote.  Besides, I smelled metalworkers in that shop, not sharks.

Electronic Repairs, City Tour, and Visitor

Sick Autopilot Black Box

Allegedly Vito Dumas's Boat

Beautiful little Boat, Doubts about its name

This morning Jorge arrived to take me to the radar repair facility.  I had the autopilot computer already in my backpack. 

We hopped on his Honda 125 motorcycle and found our way to Electronica Naval S.A. at 452 Acha Street.  It was the most professional looking operation that I had yet seen in Argentina: large and modern premises in a new building.  From the counter I could see through a door to a well equipped electronics repair shop.

We met Carlos Saumell, a vice president of the company, according to his card.  His first question was the brand of radar, and he was OK with Raymarine.  He asked me how long I would be at MdP and I told him as long as it takes, throwing out the suggestion of 2 or 3 weeks.  He told me that they were busy at the moment with the fishing fleet but would hope to fix the unit within a week.  That was fine by me.  They will be sending a man to the boat this week to remove the radar from the mast and take it to their shop.

We were then supposed to go somewhere else to see about the autopilot but I decided to try my luck and asked  if he could also repair my autopilot.  I got the same question regarding the brand and once again he was OK with Raymarine.  I put the autopilot black box on the  counter and he said that the problem could also be with the controller or the linear drive.  I told him that I was sure that it was the black box because I had heard a clicking sound coming from it before I shut it down and also the Seatalk network had started to work again when I took the unit off the network.  Besides, the control unit and linear drive were nearly new.  "That's what they all say" he replied.  But I told him that the components were only 3 years old while the computer on the counter was very old.  In any event he needed the controller in order to diagnose the black box.  He said that if I could get the controller to him quickly they would look at the radar and autopilot problems at the same time.     A couple of hours later I delivered the control unit and a spare Seatalk cable.  Carlos was out but the girl put the items on his desk. 

On the way back to the motorcycle Jorge asked if there was anything else on my mind.  I asked him if he knew a rigger who could oversee the re-rigging of my boat with the stainless steel stays sourced out of Buenos Aires.  He had a friend named Norman with a boat at Club Nautico who could point me in the right direction.

Then Jorge took me on a little tour of the town.  The first place he took me to was the market which turned out to be as good a fresh food (and many other things) market as I've seen anywhere.  So just like that my market problem was solved, and I had been passing within a block of it every time I walked the main drag of 12 de Octubre (That's when Columbus discovered America.) without knowing that it was there.

Jorge had already told me that Mar de Plata is after all an industrial fishing town and I should not venture into the streets alone at night.  Here at the market he pointed to one street not to walk in even during the day because there was a chance that a boy would snatch a bag and run.  This was very important information that could save me a lot of grief in the future.

We then drove to the part of the city that I had not seen before.  The naval base is adjacent to the small boat harbor.  I'm no naval expert but I saw what appeared to be 4 small destroyers.  We took a short walk and had a look at one of their better beaches.  Jorge told me about his 8 years living in Boston.  He is a psychologist specializing inter cultural issues and his wife is a physicist.  They were both at Boston College.  His wife was doing research on polymers for Exxon.  Then we drove along the ocean front road to the high bluffs where the hotels and condominiums are.  The area had that “tourist” feel about it and as proof I saw my first McDonald's complete with McCafe.  Jorge said that during the summer there are lots of foreign tourists around but once winter approaches they disappear.  I pointed out that there seemed to be uniformed gun-totting Prefectura everywhere and he said Yes, and that was good because it protects the tourists.  It was then that I realized that the Prefectura fulfills the function of a civil police force.  (Come to think of it, I've seen one directing traffic.)

We got back to Club Nautico and headed to Norman's boat.  Norman wasn't there but I knew that I had met him when Alfredo took me to see the galvanized rigging of a nearby boat.  He's the man who told me about the Aussie who came in with a broken mast and left Brazil with a wife and baby.  I pass near Norman's boat Mr. y Oso several times a day so I'll keep an eye out for him.  If my electronics and headsail are repaired and the boat can be re-rigged here in MdP then I won't see a need for moving on to BA.  (Raul says that I can get the spray dodger repaired here too.)

On the way to Norman's boat Jorge pointed out a pretty little double ender that I had been admiring since my arrival and told me that the legendary Argentinian Vito Dumas had sailed it around the world.  It looked like the planking had been sheathed in Dynel. 

We parted near the foot bridge and thanked Jorge once again for all of the help that he's given to me (in the less than one week that I've known him) then headed back to Pachuca.  Soon John visited and asked me if I could use a 15 liter water container, which I accepted.  He threw away some 1 liter containers mentioning that they had contained water from the Galapagos and he confirmed that they had visited the Galapagos.  I told him that I had looked into visiting but found the expenses much too high.  He told me that as luck would have it, they were able to enter a boat race to the Galapagos that happens only once every 3 years.  As participants in the race the entire crew got a permit to the Galapagos for an entire month.  The Argentinians may have given him the shaft but he sure lucked out in Ecuador.

After a quick lunch and a lie-down I removed the autopilot controller from the binnacle with little trouble then delivered it to the electronics firm.  I then headed for the market but it had closed, so I picked up some groceries at the little store in the main drag. 

Back at the Club Nautico the place very quiet.  From now on until summer, I suppose, the place will be totally shut down every Monday.    The foot bridge didn't swing for pedestrians until 10 AM so I had to walk around the boat harbor to get to the toilets which of course hadn't been cleaned.

Jorge made a very good suggestion to me.  He said that winter is approaching and in a few weeks the weather will start getting rougher.  This jetty is somewhat exposed to the SW winds and swells, there is a long walk to the club house which will not be pleasant during cold and blustery days, and there is always the problem of the footbridge, which is closed to pedestrians during the night.  Alfredo and the Frenchmen are leaving this week and that will leave me the only person living in his boat on  his jetty.  Further out along the jetty are two boats that are never visited, and on the other side is one boat that is visited about once a week.  He suggested that I see either Club Nautico or Club Argentino about moving the boat into the inner harbor, which would give the boat more protection and put me much closer to the club facilities.  Ordinarily I would stay put because once I'm established in a place I am reluctant to move, but the clincher is the visit from Brenda.

Brenda has booked a flight to Argentina and will arrive in Buenos Aires on 10  April for a visit until 30 May.  Until now I have expected to have the boat in a modern marina in BA when she arrived, but if I am going to spend the winter here there is a big problem with access to the boat from this jetty, which requires a long step up to the bow roller then a swing of each leg over the pulpit while clinging to the headsail.  This is difficult enough for me now, and will get more difficult (and dangerous!) in blustery weather with the boat jumping around.  For any ordinary person it's asking a bit much.  I'll see what the clubs can offer.

Post Script:  Just before posting this blog entry (which I had pre written on the boat) I sent an email to Carlos regarding the electronics work.  After uploading the photos and publishing the blog, which took about 10 minutes, I checked my email and Carlos had responded.  Someone will be at my boat on Wednesday morning.  That whiff of professionalism and efficiency has been very refreshing.

More from Dead Calm

I also took this video during the 2 day spell of dead calm on the way to Mar Del Plata.  It was too large for uploading to the blog so I gave myself a quick course on using the PMB software to edit videos and managed to split the video into two.

Videos of Dead Calm

I took these videos during a 2 day spell of dead calm on the way to Mar Del Plata.

Offer to French Boat

I spoke with John an hour ago regarding the resolution that he expected on Friday of his appeal to the Prefectura regarding the fine for visiting the Malvinas. 

The Prefectura has specified the following procedure to be followed before a reduction of the fine can be considered:

1.  The boat must be inspected.  For this to be done it must be taken out of the water and kept on a hard stand for up to 60 days.  Putting aside the question of why the boat must be inspected at all, John asked why the boat can't be inspected where she lies in her slip. That got him nowhere.

2. An investigation must be made of the meteorological conditions at the time to confirm that indeed there was an adverse wind that forced the boat to head for the Malvinas.  John replied that a few minutes on the internet should provide the answers.  That too got him nowhere.  A formal investigation must be made.

3. John will pay for the costs of the investigations.

Given the anticipated costs of the haulout, the cost of hard standing the boat for up to 60 days, finding alternate accommodation,  having to pay for the investigations, and no guarantee of any reduction of the fine, John decided pay the fine and expects to sail out on Tuesday for Uruguay.

It was already planned that Uruguay would be the end of their adventure.  They will sell the boat.  I asked John if he was returning to France but no, his mother is Brazilian, he is a Brazilian citizen, and that is where he will go.

It's a shame that their adventure ended on such a sour note.  John will write an account of this experience to one of the boating magazines.  I told him about my blog. 

In the meantime a member of the Prefectura stands guard over the boat 24 hours a day.

... Which reminds me ... I haven't read George Orwell for a while ....

Fish Shop and Pato Has Sail

In the early afternoon I went for a walk to find the fish shops.  I followed Alfredo's instructions and was soon in a small commercial precinct with small tourist shops, a few boat ticketing booths, and three pescaderias, fish shops.   The large one was closed but the one I visited seemed to have everything that I could possibly want, from teeny weeny fish that wouldn't qualify for a sardine can to parts of things that I would not want to meet in a dark alley. 

The Mar De Plata Fishing Fleet

I selected fillets that turned out to be "Salmon Rodaya" at 38 pesos (about $8) a kilo.  I then saw a nice fillet of pink salmon ("Filet Salmon Rosaro") at 98 pesos (about $21) a kilo.  The .43 kg (about 1 lb) piece cost about $9.  That might seem like a high price for these parts but it is definitely top quality salmon.

So my refrigerator is now well stocked with fresh fish, chicken, vegetables and fruit and so I expect to do more of my own cooking because I'm finding the food here too oily.  Today I had broiled fish fillets with a large serving of a spinach-like vegetable.  The fish and vegetable were tasty but they had been laced with so much oil that I walked around feeling bloated and sluggish for the rest of the afternoon.

On the way back I ran into Jorge (George) by the footbridge and he introduced me to his friend Raul.  Raul has a "Victory 34" which he says is well known in Australia and New Zealand.  I invited them on board to look at the boat and soon we were discussing the repair issues.  I showed them the radar problem and Raul reckons that there is a glitch with either the motor that drives the scanner or with the track it turns on.  In any event, he is confident that the local man will solve the problem.  Jorge said that on Monday after seeing the radar man we will go to another place nearby regarding the autopilot, which I will take with me.

Raul says that the stainless steel rigging is no problem.  He reckons that if I can supply the measurements the rigging can be delivered in 2 days.  I replied that I wasn't prepared to climb the mast and take my own measurements, nor was I prepared to fit the new wires over the crosstrees and sew on new end covers.  The job is too important (and dangerous) for an amateur.  Both he and Jorge say that there is a local man who can do the measuring, ordering, and fitting.

While we were talking Pato Salas showed up in an inflatable as promised, with two children on board.  I handed over the sail and told him to do whatever was required to make the sail as strong as possible.  I told him that the cost wasn't important but the result was.  Yes, I know that I'm not supposed to talk like that but you've got to trust your contractor, and I wanted to let him know that he didn't need to feel like he had to cut corners to keep the cost down.  When I get the sail back I'll discuss with him the prospects of the it getting me back to Australia, and if there is any doubt I'll have another one made, probably by Hood Sails in BA.