Getting ready to depart Gibraltar

After nearly 2 months in Gibraltar we are finally getting ready to depart. At long last our steering systems are repaired/replaced and all seems to be working. For those interested in the saga we needed to replace the damaged parts of the Hydrovane (wind steering) and repair/replace the hydraulic ram for the auto pilot. Hydrovane provided an excellent service and the Hydrovane repair was completed in a timely manner with a new shaft and rudder being installed. The autopilot proved more challenging.

The first challenge was that no part of the hydraulic system had any markings, serial numbers or other way of identifying the manufacturer or type of system. The practical guys from All Motor Boats and Yacht Services (Steve & Jordan) found a workshop in Spain that managed to repair and refurbish our hydraulic ram. However, when we fitted it and tested the system it became apparent that the steering motor had also suffered significant stress in the Orca attack and would not longer work. After many calls, Jordan could find no-one in Spain able to refurbish or replace the motor and the decision was taken to install a complete new hydraulic steering system.

After discussions with Pantaenius, our very helpful insurance company, a plan of action was agreed and I ordered a new system from the UK. In order to expedite the situation I ended up flying back to the UK 2 weeks ago to collect the new system and take it back. This saved at least a week in terms of logistics and around £150 by not paying any shipping or importation fees in Gibraltar. It also meant that I could spend 36 hours preparing our house in Woking for new tenants, painting, gardening and other minor maintenance jobs. For those of you wondering how flying back could be cheaper, we decided it was a good use of some of my historic air miles, so I had to suffer a business class flight for £1.

Installing a new system is never as straightforward as you think it should be, and this was no exception. We ended up having to remake a fixing bracket and fit it further back to accommodate the different ram operation. The motor is a little larger and this system also includes an oil tank. Once installed we could not get the thing to work, try and try as we did. I even bled the system, but other than a few tiny movements we were flummoxed. After a chat with the manufacturer, the helpful suggestion was made to power the new hydraulic ram but bypass the Raymarine steering controls (i.e. directly link it to Valent’s 12v battery bank). And the system worked perfectly. This meant our problem was one of voltage and commands from the control unit and not the new hydraulic system. After much thinking the issue was annoyingly simple – I just need to change the input setting in the onboard Raymarine computer to the new type 3 hydraulic drive. Once that was done, hey presto the autopilot and new hydraulic ram worked exactly as expected.

During this time some other maintenance jobs have been successfully completed. There was time to send the Watt&Sea controller for the Hydrogenerator (a towed system that produces electricity whilst we are sailing) back to the manufacturers for repair and a software update. Hopefully this will now work correctly and stop trying to charge the batteries once they are full. I managed to get a few bits and bobs sent out from the UK/collected on my return trip and now we have a 20A fuse from the generator, a new turbo heat shield on the engine, new radiator cap and jubilee clip for the air filter. At the other end of the spectrum we have a lovely new shower curtain and snazzy lights in the cockpit.

When we arrived in Gibraltar we intended to spend a few days. I certainly did not expect to be here for the start of the new football season. Unfortunately, we no longer have time to explore the Med as we need to be in the Canary Islands by mid October, and there is no point in rushing towards somewhere, only to have to turn round, rush back and then find yourself trapped by an Autumn Westerly. I will get the girls to write an updated tourist guide to Gibraltar – suffice to say it feels like we have been here long enough to qualify for residency!