Rudder failure in Grenada - and a bit more sightseeing

We have a lifting rudder and keel, and although we were were aware of a leak in our rudder hydraulics we thought we would be able to make the 100 Nm journey to Trinidad to lift Nautilus and carry out repairs - the replacement part has already been sent to Trinidad.  But this was not to be - the rudder no longer holds its position so sailing is really not an option, especially in an area where conditions are known to be challenging and there were two pirate attacks at the end of last year.

We were advised by the Ovni Agent, North Sea Maritime in the UK that it was possible to tie the rudder down - so that is what we did.

Using the mini Scuba tank to tie the rudder in position.

We then headed rather cautiously to Clarkes Court Boatyard, which fortunately for us is at the end of the bay we were anchored in.  All went well, and the rudder performed as normal.

The boatyard has the largest travel hoist in the Caribbean, however it was not needed for us, so instead they used a rather sophisticated tractor and trailer.

Clarkes Court is the bay with the Rum distillery, and the boatyard is very near the discharge from the factory - the water is revolting.  These poor divers literally work by feel to ensure the boats are properly located on the trailer - certainly not a job I'd be happy to do!

On our way out - and you can see a slight sheen on the water below our rudder where we are unfortunately adding to the pollution of the water here.

The underside of the boat - rudder still tied down, but the keel is fully retracted.

Once she was fully pressure washed, Nautilus was parked in the yard, and we started to investigate what had gone wrong with the hydraulics.

There are covering plates in the rudder over the hydraulic ram - this is what it looked like just over a year ago when we last lifted in Almerimar, Spain.

And this is what it looks like now!

The first problem was actually very simple - you can see drips coming out of the connection, which had simply worked itself loose over time - clearly something we need to check more frequently, and it can be done underwater with Scuba equipment.

The second problem was not one we had anticipated - barnacles had cut into the cables.  They were not leaking as yet, but needed to be replaced.  No problem, there was a company locally who came and carried out the work of replacing the cables and re crimping new stainless steel fittings.  

The Barnacles - as the rudder moves, they occasionally scrape the cable.  Obviously another thing we need to look out for!

We took the opportunity while in the boatyard to have the old anti foul paint removed so that we could not only re apply, but also check the condition of the primer as well.

Exposing the grey primer - it was pretty good, but we had a couple of coats applied while we could.

First coat of black Antifoul - the sign of an experienced painter must be someone who can apply black paint under a boat wearing a white t-shirt!

Two further coats of blue Antifoul, so we can keep track of how it wears off, and we're ready for a relaunch - or so we thought.

We had been in the yard for a week, and were due to be relaunched that afternoon when we noticed the rudder was no longer holding in place and the new cables seemed to be leaking.

We now understand much more about hydraulic cables and how they should be fitted - unfortunately the fitter did not appear to share this knowledge!  New parts are apparently being FedEx'd from the USA, and should be with us in a few days ...  

Our waiting in the yard has been put to good use, we had to remove all the sails for the lift so we have checked them out for wear.

The mainsail bag - this normally lives on the boom, so having to remove it gave the opportunity to carry out some overdue sewing repairs.

Our time has not been totally occupied with boat things - 

This is The Fisherman's Birthday - an annual celebration, involving such things as climbing a greasy pole for bottles of Rum which was very entertaining to watch.  

Traditional sailing fishing boats.

And of course some incredibly loud music, if fact it almost seemed like a competition as to whose system could generate the most noise.

They get accustomed to loud music from a young age here.  There was also a display of many of the local fish, and lots of street food to try.

We have also been on a few walks.

This rather fancy bridge was constructed when there was a plan to develop Hog Island into an exclusive holiday resort - the bridge was built, it could support cars but there is no road and the plans were abandoned.  It does make it easy to walk round the island, so has some use! 

It really is the archetypical Caribbean scene

The view from Hog Island over a pile of Conch shells towards Calivigny  Island.  Calivigny is an exclusive resort - it boasts 25 bedrooms, you can spend Christmas here for a mere €45,000 PER NIGHT, but you have to stay for a minimum of 7 nights.  To book the whole resort would set you back $165,000 per night.

When we get back in the water we are going to anchor off the beach - it must be nice over there.

The other side of Hog Island - a sheltered anchorage that we have previously visited by kayak.

Our walk back to the boat yard took us past one of the many Chinese Developments we have come across in the Caribbean.

There was a large area of ripped up woodland, and several of these signs - presumably drinking at work is perfectly acceptable!

So - now we wait - and hope that we can get the hydraulics sorted by someone who actually knows what they are doing.