Today Putu arrived back from Perth and I started to prepare
Sirocco for our next passage to Coral Bay. I put the tender back on the davits
and then investigated the leaking raw water pump on the port engine.
The bilge pump on the port engine has been coming on
regularly since leaving Hillary’s and I wasn’t exactly sure if the bilge pump
was faulty, but I knew the raw water pump was leaking.
I only had this raw water pump rebuilt about four months
ago, and it’s such a difficult job removing and re-installing this pump I have
been ignoring it hoping it will magically come good but knowing its critical to
get it fixed while we are still close to civilization.
This pump lasted thirteen years before needing new bearings
and seals, so I am not happy it only lasted four months. I hope the pump is
okay and it was just a crappy repair job as they are worth about one thousand
dollars to replace.
The raw water pump was constantly dripping even while at
rest and the bilge pump was emptying the bilge as the water level rose high
enough. As expected, it was a prick of a job to remove the raw water pump. You
have to dangle upside down and work with the tips of your fingers while the
edge of the engine bay is digging into your ribs. You always end up with skun
knuckles and bruised ribs working on the raw water pumps.
Putu had been invited to a lady’s day on the catamaran near
us (Kinetic Energy) for a chick flick.
Finally, I got the pump out, and then I had to sponge out
all the water and clean up all the mess in the bilge. I had called around and
found an engineering place willing to do the job and around 11:30 we took a
taxi to the engineering business and dropped off the pump, then went to the
supermarket to stock up and then took another taxi back to Sirocco.
I spent the rest of the day cleaning out the port engine compartment
and then around four o’clock I got the call that the pump was ready, so once
again I took a taxi to pick it up and return me back to Sirocco. All the taxi fares
cost more than the pump repair.
Next was the shit job to re-install the pump. Finally, just
before dusk it was ready to test. Thankfully it was working okay and not
leaking, then I spent the next hour cleaning up and putting everything back as
it was.
I just hope this pump lasts until we get to Darwin, or even
better I hope it last for the next ten years or longer.
Just after I finished installing the raw water pump, our
friend Ted dropped in for a beer and to give me some information he has on the
Kimberly. It was a lovely diversion after a day of pain.
After five windless days in Carnarvon, the low we have been
waiting for to pass finally arrived. It blew all day and there is now red dust
over everything, but the flies are still here in the millions.
The plan is to get back out of the Fascine at high tide
tomorrow and if conditions permit, head off for an overnight passage to Coral
Bay.
Track Sirocco’s
progress
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