A stuck impeller and 'washing machine' like swell | Ep. 43

With a tidal sand bar crossing approach to Ayamonte in Rgdolls future, we worked until early afternoon, then set off on the afternoon tide to cross inbound the Rio Guadiana sand bar for Ayamonte. Leaving the Faro Entrance was sporty as heck! Fortunately there wasn't much swell, but the incoming mid tide was fierce enough to drop Ragdolls forward speed down to about 1kt? she should have been doing 7.5kts at those RPMs! Sometimes you just need to take the hit at one end so that the other end is good. Once out of the tidal bash, the Log Impeller needed clearing. A little bit of plant material had jammed it - Chris gives a demo of this often feared operation, showing that with the right technique, it can be done underway. On the way we had a great sail, enjoying the good conditions for making progress. As we approached the Guadiana entrance, the conditions were freshening and the entrance channel was a bit lumpy? never fun watching the depth gauge going down while bouncing around! Nonetheless we got through the shallow part without fuss, and once behind the training wall we enjoyed the moment - the Rio Guadiana on the border between Portugal and Spain is a classic cruisers right of passage, representing the completion of the transit of Portugal, and the beginning of either winter storage, or onwards through Spain. Generations of cruisers have wintered in the sheltered Rio Guadiana, which is navigable upstream for many many miles. With the marina on the Portugal side non responsive, we raised the Spanish courtesy flag and headed into Ayamonte on the Spanish side. Here we figured out that the warnings in the guides were on point! A river runs through the marina. Couple that with an opposing 15kts of wind, and the very tight quarters of our assigned marina berth, we really struggled to put Ragdoll where she needed to be. It took 4 attempts and a lot of throttle to overcome the conditions and put ourselves alongside. With a bit of patience and letting our model of the conditions develop with successive attempts, the final manoeuvre went well, and we were alongside in Ayamonte! The weather while in Ayamonte was not amazing - Scottish rain without the freezing would be the best way to describe it. The doggies enjoyed going walks along the shore of the river. Nonetheless, we are enjoying being back in Spain! Enjoy our content? Don't be a stranger! Subscribe, hit that like button & don't forget to hit that bell while you're at it - you'll get notified of new uploads. We are super grateful to each and every one of you & love to hear from you! Who are we? We are a family of three with three dogs - Chris, Daria & Jasper. We have two Golden Retrievers and a Bernese Mountain Dog - Hachi, Luna and Meems who sail with us. Sailing with dogs has its challenges, but we would not have it any other way. We have been sailing the coasts of Scotland for the last few years, enjoying each and every Scottish island, nook and cranny. In spring of 2023 we have moved aboard Ragdoll and left Scotland for the warmer climates of the Mediterranean. There is no set route or plan. We will go where the wind and life take us. We sail on a 1995 Gib'Sea 472 which has undergone a huge refit over the last couple of years. We made her our own and now? we're off on an adventure! Connect with us! Instagram: http://instagram.com/sailingragdoll Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/sailingragdoll Website: http://www.sailingragdoll.com Email: sailingragdoll@gmail.com Music credits: https://www.epidemicsound.com/referra... #sailingragdoll #gibsea472 #gibsea #sailingfamily #sailingmediterranean #dogswhosail #sailingwithdogs #liveaboard #sailboatlife #sailboatliveaboards #goldenretriever #bernesemountaindog #polish #scottish #familieswhotravel #vlogger