Palma is hot and busy. The shopkeepers and bar owners who were so friendly and attentive over the winter are losing their cool. It has been over 30 degrees now for the past few months and the Mallorcans are calling it the hottest summer for over ten years. My taxi driver taking me to the airport fans herself and points to the temperature gauge on her dashboard which reads 39 degrees. I remind her that in February I woke up to find snow on my decks and she laughs and tells me that it was also the hardest winter in 50 years.
Given the outside temperature it has not been the ideal day to be inside the anchor locker sitting on a heap of galvanised steel chain with a wrench in one hand and mould grips in the other, wrestling with a corroded stop cock while perspiration runs into my eyes. But this particular job has been on the list for some time and I can’t procrastinate any longer. In the anchor locker is a fresh water supply so that we can wash down the chain and windlass after retrieving the anchor. However, the anchor locker is a wet and steamy place where sea water splashes around and it’s no place for lumps of steel that aren’t either galvanised or stainless. The tap that controls the flow of water is in fact a ball valve which is reasonably fail-proof compared to a conventional tap that might leak and drain the contents of the tanks. However these ball valves come in all sorts of different shapes, sizes and materials, and the handle on this valve was made of mild steel and has corroded in the rain forest conditions of Juno’s anchor locker. Because it drains, it is also the locker where we store spare fuel for the rib and the petrol fumes add to the inhumane working environment but I press on and re-site the gleaming new stainless stop cock to make it easier to access. As usual, the task is more complex than I anticipate but after two hours the job is done and I test the valve by opening the handle and let the cool fresh water wash over me, emerging from the anchor locker satisfied and refreshed after my impromptu shower.Wednesday 5 September 2012
Palma at 39 degrees
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment