Our arrival in Dunmore was late enough and by the time we had tied up it was almost 21.00. So with little energy for preparing a meal we ventured a short distance to feast on the gastronomic delicacies of the local Spar (sandwiches and crisps!) followed by a pint in the local tavern. Mark who did not avail of his ration of rum returned to the boat with cream crackers and tomato soup for his own private feast. This proved to be the low point of our stay in beautiful Dunmore...next morning our mood was lifted when we phoned to Harbour Master to register our arrival and seek assistance in securing the services of a competent diesel engineer...he was cheerful and pleasant beyond expectation (it was 9.00 on a Sunday morning!) and advised us that David the Harbour Operative would be with us at 10.00 and that Eddie the engineer would be with us by 11.00.
We were surrounded by a group who had cruised in company from Wales for the weekend The four yachts ahead of us had partied hard late into the night singing their only (and incomplete) version of 'when I'm 54' many times. One of their number did apologise for the noise in the morning but explained it was a birthday party. When we enquired if the birthday boy was 54 he answered, "No...57?"
The other welsh sailors berthed inside us were a more serious bunch entirely. They had devised a plan for how they might slip away allowing us to tie up on the pontoon without the need to start our somewhat under the weather engine....this worked perfectly and no sooner had they gone when David arrived in his high viz jacket. Mark accompanied him to the office where he registered and was issued with a key fob for the shower block......can you imagine....free access to the TurboJet90 24 hours a day....no wonder we were in high spirits.
Eddie then arrived and proved to be entertaining and highly competent...a fantastic mix of attributes...and we explained we had experienced falling revs the previous day and speculated it was fuel filter issues. This was rapidly confirmed when Eddie removed the primary filter and it was "boggin". But worse was to come...we had a diesel algae growing in our tank...the dread of any yachtsman. We were treated to a lesson in filter replacement, a lecture on seed breed and generation of Eddies clan, a whistlestop tour of the ailments afflicting our generation, a career resume and the occasional hearty joke thrown in. Eddie departed with a poor quality ziplock bag filled with waste fuel and old filters (Tesco are the benchmark ziplocks aparently!) as our engine purred reassuringly in the background..we were repaired...well for now at any rate!
Neil headed off to find the recommended beach for a swim and his usual display of athleticism, tricks and foolishness designed to draw cheers and applause from impressed onlookers but resulting, more often, in yawns and tedium. Still it keeps him out of trouble and had the added benefit of allowing him to explore the town and its facilities. Within the hour he'd phoned the boat with news of a variety of establishments that would provide us wit the sustenance we required. Mark and the Skipper headed off to meet him and soon we were dining of the most delicious (and reasonably priced) fish and chips for miles. This was followed by the required 'Sunday seaside poke' and a stroll back to the boat. On the way we were disappointed to discover that Mr Fanny and his special guest Dusty Flaps had played the local hotel the previous evening but consoled ourselves in the knowledge that we would have been too tired to rise to the occasion! Next time perhaps!
On returning to the boat we were joined by David who proved welcome and entertaining company. He regaled us with tales of the rescues he'd been involves in as engineer of the lifeboat, his time as a herring fisherman, his career prospects, but most importantly with advice on a number of weather apps. that local fishermen use and are confident in...this would be a help when we reach the atlantic swells on the west coast!
Another day over and we were ready for our bunks once more. Our trip tomorrow would be a long one and we would have an early start. We had no one berthed outside which would help...but it made for a fitful sleep as we sat bolt upright at every little sound anticipating the need to repel and late arrivals who attempted to tie up along side us. This proved to be a useless exercise, not only because there were no attempts to tie up, but because Neil had been looking out of the port rather than starboard porthole through the night....nuff said!
,
We were surrounded by a group who had cruised in company from Wales for the weekend The four yachts ahead of us had partied hard late into the night singing their only (and incomplete) version of 'when I'm 54' many times. One of their number did apologise for the noise in the morning but explained it was a birthday party. When we enquired if the birthday boy was 54 he answered, "No...57?"
The other welsh sailors berthed inside us were a more serious bunch entirely. They had devised a plan for how they might slip away allowing us to tie up on the pontoon without the need to start our somewhat under the weather engine....this worked perfectly and no sooner had they gone when David arrived in his high viz jacket. Mark accompanied him to the office where he registered and was issued with a key fob for the shower block......can you imagine....free access to the TurboJet90 24 hours a day....no wonder we were in high spirits.
Eddie then arrived and proved to be entertaining and highly competent...a fantastic mix of attributes...and we explained we had experienced falling revs the previous day and speculated it was fuel filter issues. This was rapidly confirmed when Eddie removed the primary filter and it was "boggin". But worse was to come...we had a diesel algae growing in our tank...the dread of any yachtsman. We were treated to a lesson in filter replacement, a lecture on seed breed and generation of Eddies clan, a whistlestop tour of the ailments afflicting our generation, a career resume and the occasional hearty joke thrown in. Eddie departed with a poor quality ziplock bag filled with waste fuel and old filters (Tesco are the benchmark ziplocks aparently!) as our engine purred reassuringly in the background..we were repaired...well for now at any rate!
Neil headed off to find the recommended beach for a swim and his usual display of athleticism, tricks and foolishness designed to draw cheers and applause from impressed onlookers but resulting, more often, in yawns and tedium. Still it keeps him out of trouble and had the added benefit of allowing him to explore the town and its facilities. Within the hour he'd phoned the boat with news of a variety of establishments that would provide us wit the sustenance we required. Mark and the Skipper headed off to meet him and soon we were dining of the most delicious (and reasonably priced) fish and chips for miles. This was followed by the required 'Sunday seaside poke' and a stroll back to the boat. On the way we were disappointed to discover that Mr Fanny and his special guest Dusty Flaps had played the local hotel the previous evening but consoled ourselves in the knowledge that we would have been too tired to rise to the occasion! Next time perhaps!
On returning to the boat we were joined by David who proved welcome and entertaining company. He regaled us with tales of the rescues he'd been involves in as engineer of the lifeboat, his time as a herring fisherman, his career prospects, but most importantly with advice on a number of weather apps. that local fishermen use and are confident in...this would be a help when we reach the atlantic swells on the west coast!
Another day over and we were ready for our bunks once more. Our trip tomorrow would be a long one and we would have an early start. We had no one berthed outside which would help...but it made for a fitful sleep as we sat bolt upright at every little sound anticipating the need to repel and late arrivals who attempted to tie up along side us. This proved to be a useless exercise, not only because there were no attempts to tie up, but because Neil had been looking out of the port rather than starboard porthole through the night....nuff said!
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