The Pump

15 May 2009

Well, if truth be told we're all feeling a bit exhausted onboard P.V. Eddy had promised so much, and got us all in a spin. As is often the case with all things male related however, we were all left thinking "is this it?" at one point. He seemed to be blowing all hot and then all cold. Men! Luckily he did give us one last whirlwind before we parted ways though, and we topped 4knots! Apparently there's another chap by the name of Lee Bow out here, who could help us on our way, so we might give him a go next time.

On another note, we've been plagued with constantly flooding hatches since our first few days at sea. We just can't seem to avoid it, and our daily routine involves bilge pumping it out. It seems to be really bad on starboard side, which means that we've also got really sore right butt cheeks from leaning more to that side! Random! It was slight panic on board yesterday therefore when our 2nd (and last) bilge pump broke. The idea of sponging out litres of water everyday just didn't appeal. So with Fiona as supervisor (while still on the oars) Elin set to as an eager apprentice to fix the "whale gusher bilge pump"!! It was all action on deck, with tools and spares flying everywhere! We were very much much relieved to find that it was actually just a piece of paper blocking the suction (just like that dam sock that always manages to get stuck in the hoover pipe!). With the euphoria of having a working pump again, jelly babies were consumed to celebrate. Jo Jackson then went mad on pumping action, until every hatch was bone dry! Lashings of precious vaseline was then applied to every seal in the hope that we can enjoy a dry spell on board now!

Today also marks another change in rowing partners. Our change over every 5 days actually really helps us realise how quickly the days go by, despite the fact that most shifts go painfully slow. So its back to Welsh and French intermediate lessons for Sarah & Elin, while Fiona & Jo can now enjoy some silence!