BLUEMOMENT

Tied up in Dunstaffnage after a rather shameful day....

Spent a lovely night in Oronsay at anchor, fishing with the kids and producing alarmingly nice food for the family. Left at 07:30 this morning to try and get ahead of the west highland fleet aiming for maybe crinan at a push. All going well motoring into 17knots headwind and just contemplating a cooked breakfast when the engine revs ominously started to drop. We'd had similar taking the boat home from the peaks race but been given clean bills of health by 2 engineers since then. We decided to abandon our run through Luing and sail to Oban instead. With the 3 kids on board we played it very conservative with the sails, 3 reefs in the main and plenty rolls on the genoa as we crawled up the sound against the tide, unfortunately resulting in the fleet catching and passing us, adding some spice to the worries over the engine. Shortly after their finish line the wind died and we decided to try the engine again. 20 minutes of low revs wasn't careful enough and again it expired. No wind, tide against us, still to make it past lady rock we decided to avoid any shout on 16 since Clyde coastguard were co-ordinating a search for a missing diver. A very kind contessa 32 Circe saw our waves and offered a tow while I tried to resuscitate the damn engine. No joy. Lady rock might have been a touch too much, so another boat Tir Nan Og from our class took over. Finally just before the marina the works boat came round to provide tow number 3 of the day. Finally we got berthed and a rather splendid engineer hoped on board to check us out. Eventually our woes were tracked down to some perished rubber from the diesel filler cap having blocked the fuel shut-off switch, which took dismantling the calorifier shelf to access and check.

So, our record if not calling the coastguard remains intact, but we chocked up three tows in a day to keep it that way.....

Many many thanks to those that assisted, and damn this gin tastes good...

Its good to know that there are kindly folk out there who will gladly help in situations like this.
Many thanks for letting us know another ailment with the potential to cause embarrassment.

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When our engine exhaust elbow exploded in Norway we managed to sail back most of the way to a safe haven, but about 1km from the pontoon I was forced to stand looking helpless with a coil of rope in my hand. A kind couple from the Lofotens with a big MoBo came to our aid. (Photo below). We had alternatives - anchoring if we drifted into less than 20m, or even putting fenders out as we came alongside the rocks! I certainly don't regard being given a tow by a fellow boater as in any way shameful.



I do understand your desire to avoid the involvement of the rescue services though. I was once towed into Portpatrick (not in Fairwinds) by the lifeboat because of engine failure - I didn't put out a Pan-Pan, merely contacted the CG to ask if there was anyone around who could give us a tow. I did find this a little bit humiliating, and I vowed then that it would not happen again if I could help it.

Of course there are occasions where it IS an emergency - nil wind, tide carrying the vessel onto rocks and water too deep to anchor - but these are exceptions rather than the rule. Being able to differentiate between a problem and an emergency is all part of good seamanship.

I was rescued just outside my home port about 18 months ago. I had done an oil & filter change & pottered out of the harbour & had just opened the throttle when the oil pressure warning came on. I stopped the engine & looked below to see loads of oil in the bilges!

In a strong current & too deep to anchor, I simply drifted while & tried to find out what had happened. A Moody called Detente asked if we had a problem & when I told them, he offered me a gallon of oil. I put it in & started up again only to realise that the oil was spurting out of the side of the engine behind the filter somewhere. So stopped engine once more.

Detente kindly offerred me a tow back into harbour so we set up an alongside tow & he expertly put me back on my mooring. The best I could get him to accept was a tenner for the oil. He said it was good practice as he hadn't done an alongside tow before & it had been a bit of entertainment for the family!

It turned out that I had left the old filter seal in place when installing the new one. It worked great for a basic running test, but as soon as I opened the throttle the extra oil pressure popped the new seal out of alignment.

Anyhow, I now carry a spare can of oil of my own aboard & will remember to make sure the old seal comes out next time! And I carry an obligation to pass on the favour to other boat people if the occasion should arise.

I don't think there is any shame in needing or accepting help unless we are grossly negligent in our behaviour. My problem was, as usual, my own fault, but it's an easy mistake to make when fitting a new filter entirely by feel at arm's length.

Yes, it can be very embarrassing indeed.

We were drifting along trying to save some fuel, when the skipper of a passing boat, a delightful but somewhat elderly gentleman, insisted that we lashed the boats together whence he motored us into Scalasaig. It was very decent of him to do that, although he did start pestering us for drinks later on in the bar.

Very interesting photo of the gentlemans motor-sailer - it seems to have lots of windows (maybe 2-1/2) in the room of the noxious gasses.
Do you think he is still around to discuss, or will he be long gone by now?

2 windows.....It is a minimum required standard if Parahandy is aboard.

Well, a few days later and Ogun is now safely back on her berth in Craobh. If ever there was a day to restore confidence then Saturday was it - averaged 5.4 knots all the way home, the engine started first time on leaving Dunstaffnage and approaching Craobh, and inbetween was a lovely sail sitting between 7 and 8 knots most of the way apart from the hour-long wind hole through Luing. Sunshine, gentle seas, fast sailing, happy days.

Slightly marred by a breakdown in the car on the way home, but thankfully the kids were amazingly chilled about the 3 hour delay so we arrived back slightly less frazzled than we might otherwise have been.

On reflection, both Mrs McP and I felt we handled the gremlins on the cruise OK - sailed when we could, only called for assistance when we needed it and didn't trouble the sad search efforts on 16 with a comparatively minor issue of engine failure. Dunstaffnage were excellent too, Jim was a delight to have on board, making sure the parts of the job in tracking down the source of our woes that we were able to do were left to us, so that the bill for his time was as low as possible.

We're planning to go out and motor round Shuna on reasonably high revs next weekend just to convince ourselves all is really OK with the engine before we venture further afield again. So if you hear a call sometime Saturday afternoon looking for assistance, you know things didn't work out so well after all.

And thanks for the reassuring words here, think I was suffering a bit from disenchantment when I posted originally...