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Larry's LogThe next day, we were wakened by rain. We closed the hatches and went back to sleep but not before I noticed that the batteries were fully charged. Very good. Unfortunately, after we got up, and tried using the AC power again, it kept tripping the breaker. That would have to wait though, since I needed to look at the alternator. I had started to remove it when Francois came by to start to help. I let him look at it but I did most of the work actually removing it. Once it was off, he wisely said that he really couldn't fix it and it would need a shop. I had to agree since it was a repair that required opening the case and some specialized tools and expertise. So he gave my alternator and I a ride to a repair shop some way outside town. While waiting at the shop, he showed me the back of the place. On various shelves and on the ground were starter and alternator parts and pieces in various stages of rust and decomposition. Francois seems to be saying that if they couldn't fix it, we might scrounge parts. I certainly hoped it would not come to that!! We finally got to talk to the technician who looked at it and said to call back around 2pm. Francois and he talked a bit and we left. I asked if the technician was good. Francois said, "Oh yes, very good." I hoped he did better work than the condition of his shop indicated. There were bits and pieces all over. Hopefully my unit would come back with all its parts. Francois dropped me at my dock and said he would call the place at 2 and let me know. OK, merci beau coup. See you later. I had expected Diane to be gone since she had made an arrangement to go shopping at the big supermarket outside town. But she was still there since Guy, Jacques father, had stopped by to say that his wife would be a little late. No Problem. Diane started to update her inventory spreadsheet and I started to work on the electrical issue. About that time, a dock neighbor, who had mentioned that there might be a problem with the electrical setup called out since he had unplugged my Rube Goldberg cord. Since I was on the same box as he was, every time I tripped the breaker, it interrupted his service. I said I would leave it unplugged for now, since I thought that in the heat, the transformer was just getting too hot. So I worked on other things like the leaking forward head vent and the loose lifelines. After I finished those, I went to try to get the electrical hookup working. About that time, Rose, Guy's wife and Jacques mother, came by for her shopping trip with Diane. Rose was a delight, she spoke with a brogue and I love that accent. She was also very gracious to take Diane shopping with her. I happened to mention that I was having problems with the electrical hookup and she said, "Don't worry about it, Guy can figure it out." As she and Diane were leaving, she stopped at her boat and called to Guy and helped explain the problem. Guy and I then looked at the problem and we he said that the setup was wrong. It seems that Jacques had explained it differently, or maybe I understood it wrong, and although it worked that way, it was dangerous. So Guy and I went to the chandlery across the street and bought some new plugs and he explained how they fit. In the meantime, Diane and Rose went shopping. I changed the plugs on the various cords according to Guy's instructions and then went back to him to see if I had done them correctly. Yes, they were fine and we were set to try it. Bad luck again. It seemed that the transformer was not working the way it should. It would have worked the way I had it, but as it was dangerous, I didn't want electricity that bad. Guy kindly said he had another at home but since Rose had the car, it would have to wait until tomorrow. That would be fine, the batteries were still pretty good. He really helped, checking the electrical box with his meter and going to the chandlery to make sure I got the right parts. Many thanks, Guy and Rose. About the time Diane and Rose left, I had expected to hear from Francois about the alternator. When I mentioned this, Rose said that they could pick it up. OK, I gave them the card from the shop and they went shopping and to the alternator shop. Later that day, Francois did come by and said that 2 ladies had picked up the alternator. I wasn't sure if had gone over or called but he seemed fine with the situation. He was drinking a beer and was happy enough. I asked him about his payment, and he refused, saying "For what?" I offered another beer at least and he said maybe later. I must admit, and even Diane will say, that our opinion of the French, after the fantastic way we were treated here had certainly changed. When Diane got back shopping with Rose, we asked about renting a car for the day tomorrow to see some of the island. Rose said Guy may drive us for a while which would be great. He's a really nice person and even though he doesn't speak much English, we can communicate. Diane also said that they stopped at the repair shop but it wasn't ready yet. It will be though, he promised at 9am tomorrow. Rose said Guy would drive me to pick it up. What great people! Later that evening, Jean invited us to his boat. Guy was already there and we enjoyed a nice get together, even though Jean spoke no English and Guy relatively little. I speak no French and Diane not much more than me, but still we communicated and had fun. The next day was pretty busy. Around 9am, I thought I would take a shower but nobody was in the marina office to give me the key, but when I came back to the boat, I saw Guy had arrived and with my alternator. Fantastic. He gave me the bill that he had paid already. Although it was more than I had thought it would be, it was still reasonable. We weren't sure if Guy was interested in doing a tour with us but since he didn't mention it, we didn't either. We then decided that we would rent a car for Saturday and Diane went to the car rental place and got the information. I decided I would reinstall the alternator before I took a shower since I knew I would get sweaty working on the engine. As I did the alternator, Diane worked on her provisioning spreadsheet. Since we weren't plugged in (there was a problem with the step down transformer Guy had lent me) I asked that we be a little careful with the batteries, at least until the alternator was installed and working. After about 2 hours, the alternator was installed. A test showed it was working fine. Great, we can leave when we want. |