Hi everyone,
At noon today we were at 24 12N 020 44W steering 200M, sailing under 2 reefs and 2 furls at 5.5 knots. The wind was 20G24 from the NE - on our port quarter. Our noon to noon run over the ground was 125nm.
We are now heading for Mindelo in the Cape Verdes. We have a leaking thru-hull which we need to replace. The water ingress is slow, But continuing across the Atlantic in a leaky boat doesn't appeal. The thru-hull was installed only two years ago which is disappointing. It seems that the sealant is breaking down.
We've not had much luck with leaks this year. From St Pierre to Flores we found a leak which eventually proved to be from a bow cleat bolt. We cut away a large part of the forepeak headlining to reveal that source. Some of the water from it made its way along stringers into the head compartment and the bilge there. We finally fixed that leak in the eastern Canaries.
After fixing the deck leak we intermittently found a little water in the head bilge. Eventually we traced it to the thru-hull fitting, but only days before our Schengen time expired. We couldn't find a shipwright to assist us in time. With hindsight we should have applied for an extension on our visas!
So now we're in contact with fellow cruisers in Mindelo. One of them is hauled-out for repairs. Other cruisers with mechanical skill may be able to assist with our work. And no doubt there are local shipwrights.
Meanwhile we're having a great sail. Less than 500 nm to Mindelo. ETA Thursday.
Trust all's well where you are!
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