The weather here in Aguadulce (Almeria, Spain) has been… well… crappy. Crappy weather keeps you pinned down and spending a small fortune for dockage in a safe harbor. Crappy weather does not allow for walks on beaches or strolls along the promenade searching for pictures, tapas or beer. Crappy weather doesn’t let you get work done on your boat. No, crappy weather doesn’t even allow for a search for boat parts and supplies because the stores closed due to…crappy weather. In summary, crappy weather here means 40+ kt winds, buckets of horizontal rain and really (really) cold temps. To make it just a little more uncomfortable, our hot water heater stopped heating and the marina facilities are a half mile away through the cold torrential downpours. I have resorted to using the solar shower bag by filling it with 2 gallons of water heated in a kettle and sitting on a small step of the shower stall. Obviously I hate crappy weather. Oh how I dream of the tropics. On the upside, we have electricity from the dock and Dois fixed our little heater that blasts day and night keeping the icicles on the outside of the boat. It is far from cozy, but we layer up, I sleep in my boots and we share the cat. Ask anyone here in the Med if these constant storms, big and small are normal and they will tell you “no”… look at you like you are from Mars and respond that it is certainly a result of global warming. A normal feature of Atlantic weather is ridges of high pressure that act to keep Atlantic lows (AKA Beasts and crappy weather) in their own playground. But normal is broken and the lows have been massive swirling beasts pulverizing the moderating highs; allowing those gigantic spinning bullies to have their way in our playground. I’ve heard the States are experiencing broken weather cycles as well. We are a mere overnight sail from Gibraltar, gateway to the Atlantic. At the first inkling that the crappy weather is less crappy and turning in our direction, perhaps Monday, December 19th, we’ll run for the gate. Then, if this unusual weather pattern (also known as crappy weather) avails us another good weather window, we will jump off for the first leg (700+ miles) into the Atlantic and the Canary Islands. We have ticked off several big jobs on our Atlantic cruising journey. Some that were on the list and a couple that were not. At a marine discount outlet in Palma we purchased 100 feet of slightly used anchor chain, a pre-owned Plastico 4 man life raft, 2 winch handles and an offshore jacket because my old one melted (just in time for crappy weather). While waiting out more crappy weather (are you sensing a theme?) Dois got the exhaust riser welded up. Actually, you did this. No more keeping the boat hatches open in crappy weather because we worried about exhaust fumes. We humbly thank you again. Note: We used an super industrial version of Gorilla Tape on the leaking riser water inlet. It helped. The welder complained that the hardest part of the job was removing the glue residue from the pipe. Back in Egypt I had broken a molar and we had to go to a dentist on the down-low. We couldn’t get legal status without throwing another $1500 into the snake pit, so I had the minimalist of fixes done to move on. The tooth began to plague me in Portocolom, Italy, and again I had a temporary fix because we were trying to duck out before the next storm arrived (and because I’m the biggest baby). But all evil things come to end and here in Aguadulce I found the time, courage and an oral surgeon to remove two molars that were miserable. Yeah. This may be TMI and I fully hate sharing this very personal stuff, but the truth is your generosity is getting us through this rough time in our journey and I want you to know how much it means to us. We reached our goal of $4000! Mad thanks to you all! In the course of our journey towards the Atlantic, we have managed to either break, mangle or find more issues (ie: see Update below) on board Ashika. So... we are far from done, but we are so much further on than when we started. Please help us meet our FIX SHIKA goal of $4000 to cross the Atlantic.
Dollars
Update: We have been experiencing a vibration in Ashika and Dois and I have been going back and forth as to what it could be. I have nagged him that it must be a motor mount, but since Dois installed new ones back in the Marshall Islands and he has recently checked them, he has been adamant that it must be something else. Today, Dois found the strut that the aft/port engine-mount was installed on… in three pieces. He was a legend though (after telling me it was not the engine-mount) and propped up the transmission so he could fully remove the strut and took it to the welder in the yard. It’s Saturday, people, and he was tenacious enough to search and find the welder working. Dois asked for a rush job, we'll see… will we make our weather window? ....to be continued. ✌
1 Comment
Carol Peckham
12/23/2022 09:51:44 am
Hey youse! What’s happening? Did you make a run for it?? Good luck and lots of love from me and Steve!
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