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Servicing the Winch

19/5/2014

 
Yes it is very tempting to dip into double entendre's on this post, but I will refrain. If you see a double entendre, feel free to whip it out!

I spent the day servicing the anchor winch, pulled the cover off the electric motor and cleaned the brushes and the commuter, both in need of a fine sandpapering. I also went for a "short walk" from the Batavia Marina, where we are moored - across to the Geraldton Fisherman's Co-op Boat Store to get some oil and  other bits and pieces. It took me about an hour to walk there! But success, as I got the SAE 90 oil I needed for the anchor winch and a fish landing net (always the optimist!) and some in date flares (hope DoT people aren't reading this). 

I forgot to mention that Nic had gone to the hospital while I was doing this, to check if she had broken her ribs while we were at Rotto. She fell heavily while trying to get into the dinghy from swimming the other day, based on a technique I recommended. IE just slip up over the side "it is easy", she slipped up, then got up on all fours and then fell back on her ribs. We will find out in a few days if she has actually broken them - not much you can do in terms of healing except the right dose of sympathy from the boyfriend, (she still hasn't told me who he is), but it is important NOT to go diving - there in lies the serious side.

That aside - I got the bits I needed to finish servicing the winch, taxied back to the marina with a taxi driver who had been in Gero for 10 days. He has to live 2 years in regional WA to get a permanent residents visa. Immigrated from India and qualified in Commerce and Accountancy. Interesting.

I changed the oil, cleverly decanting the old treacle like substance from the winch into a handy 1litre container I had bought from bunnings for just this unforeseen purpose. I then decanted the brown treacly like substance into a 1litre milk container with a cap so I could dispose of it in an environmentally friendly manner. While this was happening, I started testing the newly serviced anchor winch. To my joy it worked beautifully up and down and back up again a few times with out a hiccup. Then I turned to see my 1litre Milk/Oil container tipped and treacling gluggy oil in a slow ooze down the deck. I said to myself "damn" and walked slowly back to the cockpit and asked Nic if she could find me some paper towel, because there had been a bit of an accident…. (well something like that).

Onwards and upwards - we are setting the alarm for 0200hrs to go over and fuel up at the Fisherman's Wharf and then make our way back to the Easter Group of the Abrolhos (apologies for earlier spelling misteaks) again to arrive lunchtimeish. I have promised Nic fish for dinner tomorrow night so the pressure is on! 



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