Work work work

Dark Tarn is usually ready for sea, there are always small jobs that need doing however and a particular problem has been our Dorade ventilators. One in particular has been weeping a rusty streak for a while. It is a fairly major struggle to get at these things ( possibly the cause of the problem ) as it requires dropping the headlining ( ceiling ) and removing insulation etc. We started the job and gave ourselves two weeks to do it. The sequence of events goes something like this:

Take everything apart

Remove any rust or corrosion

Grind back to bare metal

Prime and fill with epoxy filler

Prime again ( at least two coats of metallic primer )

Topcoat ( again at least two possibly three coats of polyurethane)

Dry assemble ( this enables us to figure out the sequence, not always easy )

Assemble with Sikaflex silicone sealer ( the really messy bit )

In the above photo we have de rusted and filled with epoxy, ideally I would have liked to have cut out the corroded section and welded in another but my welding set is in Preston and to be honest we hope this repair will last a good few years. The Dorade section is the thing in front of the orange bucket , the actual ventilator ( mushroom type ) is the thing lying to the right.

The mess was quite incredible, this is  a quick look in the cabin while we had the headlinings down.

All this for the sake of a rusted section less than two inches in extent. However we are very aware that you mustn't spoil the ship for a haporth of tar......

The finished article soon to be hidden under the Dorade cowl. These jobs are very time consuming but luckily we have an abundance of time just now even with it being still dark at 8.30 am and dark by 6pm.

While we are waiting for filler or paint to dry we still have lots of time to explore or just to look around. We had a frustrating few days of almost constant rain, we we're suffering from being st the bottom edge of Beitains firsts named storm ( winds expected over 60 mph ) Angus. The reward for being cooped below however was a superb rainbow over the Ria.

The weather improved and we could get back to work, .late one afternoon we went for a walk along the coast and watched the sun setting in the west over Islas Cies.

The sky later turned flame red and orange heralding a distinct improvement in the weather.

I had been debating whether to fly back with my mountain bike, there were so many great trails locally, however I decided that it made more sense to by a cheap bike from Vigo as bikes corrode quite readily in a salty atmosphere. So it was a trip on the ferry again this time I was delighted to find our local pod of dolphins playing just outside the harbour.

they are a common sight and we often spot them both from the coast and ferry, it quite a treat to see them play outside your front door. Dark Tarn is moored in the marina visible in the video. 

There were even bigger animals waiting in Vigo!

We also had a rare night out having a meal in El Bribon and trying a new bar that had just opened.

The strangely named " cat of the sea", however we were delighted to discover it sold Newcastle brown ale. And even had pint glasses. Could well become a regular haunt.......

The good weather continued. As I was now the proud possessor of a bike I felt duty bound to go out riding, Lynne wasn't keen on cycling after trying it in France so she elects to walk

I cycled along the coast trail to Limens and met up with Lynne on the way back, at the small beach at Medea. It was a lovely 18°c, not bad for December.

The recent winds were still generating a considerable swell and the waves were getting quite impressive for our sheltered Ria.

Around this time temperatures were around freezing point in the U.K.