Ok, the story first. I have a dear friend here I call Captain Tito, possibly the least knowledgeable or competent sailor I've ever come across. He's in his late 60s, and a few years ago lost his daughter in tragic circumstances. She had encouraged him in his unfulfilled lifetime dream of having a sailing boat. When she died he felt the time had come.
He duly found a cheap boat in Lisbon, and we sailed it round to the Algarve together. The headboard blew out of the headsail off Cape St. Vincent in boisterous conditions. He was completely unfazed, the joy of ignorance! In the event the sail ended up wrapped round the keel and I had to sail in circles (difficult with no headsail...) to free it and haul it aboard. He thought this was all part of the fun of sailing.....
Anyway, he's enjoyed learning a little, frightening himself, but always coming back for more. Just recently all the oil fell out of the gearbox of the Bukh diesel in his boat, an old but beautifully made and venerable marine engine. We pulled it out, but the casting had cracked badly around the mountings. Welding has been unsuccessful. Casting around for a solution I found a DV10/20 gearbox on ebay in Newport, IoW for 15 quid, buy it now! Whatever condition it's in I'm confident we can make one good 'box out of two, so I bought it and a friend in Newport picked it up.
Now, how to get it here? The good Captain isn't at all well heeled, and the secondhand 'boxes on the market at £450+ are beyond him.
Any ideas for getting this small but lumpy thing back here? I have the paperwork from my payment to ebay so importation shouldn't be a problem.
He duly found a cheap boat in Lisbon, and we sailed it round to the Algarve together. The headboard blew out of the headsail off Cape St. Vincent in boisterous conditions. He was completely unfazed, the joy of ignorance! In the event the sail ended up wrapped round the keel and I had to sail in circles (difficult with no headsail...) to free it and haul it aboard. He thought this was all part of the fun of sailing.....
Anyway, he's enjoyed learning a little, frightening himself, but always coming back for more. Just recently all the oil fell out of the gearbox of the Bukh diesel in his boat, an old but beautifully made and venerable marine engine. We pulled it out, but the casting had cracked badly around the mountings. Welding has been unsuccessful. Casting around for a solution I found a DV10/20 gearbox on ebay in Newport, IoW for 15 quid, buy it now! Whatever condition it's in I'm confident we can make one good 'box out of two, so I bought it and a friend in Newport picked it up.
Now, how to get it here? The good Captain isn't at all well heeled, and the secondhand 'boxes on the market at £450+ are beyond him.
Any ideas for getting this small but lumpy thing back here? I have the paperwork from my payment to ebay so importation shouldn't be a problem.
