BUSTED FLUSH

Can Phil Sampson sort his toilet troubles or will they finally drive him potty?

- Phil Sampson

Apparently, lots of people have dreams about toilets. I, on the other hand, have nightmares about them. Worse still, my nightmares are recurring. From hyperactive toilettes-from-hell in a low-grade French ski hotel to an exploding privy at the Bellagio, Las Vegas – not to mention the just-watch-me-overflow-all-over-your-floor WC on the 26th floor of a swish Hong Kong hotel. I’ve suffered ‘em all, so I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when my lavatorial nemeses pursued me into the boating world.

FOUR WINNS TO FAIRLINE 

Our first boat, a Four Winns 268 Vista, used a manual Jabsco unit, which rapidly packed up. I decided to fix it myself and invested in the required service kit and a pair of rubber gloves. Not being the most technically gifted, I recall feeling rather pleased with myself when I finished the job – only to find it still didn’t work. On closer inspection, it turned out there was nothing wrong with the toilet itself. A pebble had wedged itself into the inlet pipe and blocked it solid. If only I’d looked more closely, I could have just prised it out and saved myself a lot of bother.