Setback

23 February 2017

The 7th voyage in Cape Verde ended with a setback. Our new engine, an ‘indestructible’ John Deere, unexpectedly stopped. 
We decided to change course to Mindelo, where we could safely enter the harbour under sail and anchor. Luckily it happened at the end of the trip so it did not have too much effect on the voyage. 
In Mindelo two engineers got to work immediately to find the cause. It appeared to be a cracked after-cooler. How this could have happened is something to that must be examined. The engine is new, has few engine hours and is still under guarantee of the supplier. A cooler should normally work for thousands of hours. The consequences were severe and could not be resolved there and then. But today two engineers and spares are being flown in and if repairs go according to plan, we will have resolved the problem well before the start of the next voyage.