The last rites were being prepared for the very poorly engine on the club's committee boat 'Viking II', and pressure was mounting on the relevant sub-committee to scour the country for a suitable replacement.
With low oil pressure, no water and a healthy knock the prognosis was not good, and with spares at a premium the fat lady was warming up in the wings and the writing was on the wall for the former sea cadet vessel.
However, the club is lucky to have among its ranks engineers such as Mike Saunders and Don Cutler ; the faulty heat exchanger was stripped down to reveal that the solder had dissolved away over the years due to galvanic corrosion and was allowing the engine to dump its pressurised fresh water in to the cooling sea water and then overboard. Mike and Don, using modern resins, have made good the solder joints and the club once again now enjoys the bespoke facilities of our esteemed committee boat.
Well done Don and Mike.
Thanks must go to Euan MacNair who stepped in with his boat 'Sirius' as a replacement committee boat and to Andy Young and Ray and Lynn Capp who offered their yachts to be used by the club for the Merlin Rocket open weekend and the Squib South Coast championship.
Submitted on 22nd September 2013