Progress

Chris has now returned to the UK after sterling work on the main engine and our pet Chinese Bear, the Panda generator. It looks as though both are now up and running again. See pictures for main engine bearing bolt fabrication.

As usual filling the gas bottles proved exciting. Can’t fill US bottles here in the yard. Try these places in Preveza. Can’t find them. Return to yard for better instructions. Ah yes, we didn’t tell you – you are just looking for an alleyway (<2’ wide it turns out) across the way from Elvis’ on the sea front. Back we go – this involves two crossings of the dreaded ‘immersed tunnel’ at 3 euros a go. Ask in the café next door. Can’t do I don’t think. Finally say they will send to Iounana many kilometres away and see if they can fill them there. Come back on Tuesday. Of course by Tuesday the car has been returned so Chris and I go in by bus (which was extremely late arriving – had we missed it?). the woman comes struggling out with two very full bottles. Yipee. 45 euros but that should last us till Turkey so time for a celebratory beer before convincing the taxi driver it was safe to drive us back through the tunnel with two unexploded bombs in the boot!

Next up, the anchor windlass. It worked great last season but seized up as we put Petronella to bed in October. I thought I had sorted it but obviously not. After two days of dismantling and cleaning we realised that the main spindle needed to come out. But it is stuck. We get Steve from Hayling Island to drive us out to some car garage which has a hydraulic press. Only it doesn’t but his mate does. He’ll take me there in a few minutes. Off we go past the Preveza Town football stadium and stop outside an ordinary house. But this is no ordinary house. If you go down the side there is an old shed with an even older lathe and an even older Greek chap working in there. Next door is a greenhouse with half a dozen marine engines in various states of disrepair and even further out the back is his diesel engine garden consisting of dozens of dead motors with grass growing through them. This guy speaks no English and my limited Greek certainly won’t stretch to please mend my windlass. My new friend interprets though and the old guy says come back tomorrow and it will either be done or the casting will be smashed! Fair enough, nothing I can do if he can’t press it out anyhow – I’ll just have to spend 800 euros on a new winch, 800 euros on new chain to fit…….. Next day though, it’s another success. Back we go under the immersed tunnel to Preveza and lo and behold there it is all in nice little pieces as we had asked. Eventually our old friend arrives and says that will be 30 euros. 30 euros – we nearly bit his hand off! Chris and I then went for some soda waters (well that’s what we told Gill). More hard sweat and it is now back on the boat working a treat.