Phoned
Mark at Lancing to discuss a new shaft. He breaks the news that the reading on
the guage could be misleading if the flexible drive has been distorted. He
devastatingly recommends replacing the shaft and all associated fittings
without the flexible drive and then checking engine alignment. He also informs
me that if I need a new shaft, he will require all measurements to accuracy of
1000.
Oh
my god, this is all getting too much for this novice engineer. Simon comes to
the rescue by stopping me from replacing the shaft saying that with the boat
having been out of the water for 6 months, engine alignment is not reliable and
should be done 10 days after refloating. He will find an engineering company
who can check the shaft on a lathe to confirm pas bien droite l`arbre(bent
shaft). I am so grateful but also aware that days are slipping by and Mark had
told me that a new shaft would take a fortnight.
The
good news was that the weather is just fantastic and we are settling into life
in the yard. Old friends have also been arriving to ready their boats and acquaintances
are renewed. The atmosphere in the yard reminds us of GCC so we are very happy
with our lot. The showers are nice and hot and the loos spotless so all is well
in Migennes. I make a start on rubbing down the hull and Clo has made great
progress on re-organising the cabins and cleaning the upper helm. Saturday
night ends with us still working on Doucette until 9pm. A couple of swift beers to ease my worsening
sciatica, a Rick Stein pork chops recipe for dinner and a few glasses of
merlot. Lovely.
Topped
off the day with news that Bournemouth have been promoted. Nice one Matty!
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