Skip to main content


The endless glamour of yachting! Time to sip the forbidden milkshake (yes, there is a good reason, and yes, it has to be a plastic straw)
Unknown parent

Sarah Brown

@VeronicašŸ³ļøā€āš§ļø :inanna: There is a rubber gland where the propeller shaft goes through the hull. Itā€™s lubricated by sea water, but needs a millilitre of grease inserting once a year to keep it watertight. This can only be done when the boat is dry docked.

The seal between the gland and the shaft is very narrow, so a plastic drinking straw, which can slip between the two, and then squeeze the grease in, is the ideal way to get it in. If you try with paper, the straw explodes from the pressure.

Iā€™ve heard it can be done with a hypodermic needle too.

ā‡§