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Larry's LogDiane finally came back and said we were going over to Second Tri later for drinks. We busied ourselves with boat chores and such (it was still raining) and discussed the state of our finances. Diane had done an analysis of our expenses and it was "interesting,' but not too alarming. We had planned to go into the marina at Marin for a few days and we thought we still would. At the appointed hour, we went over to Second Tri and I helped Joyce setup the Sailmail program and pactor modem. They hadn't actually signed up yet so we couldn't test it but it should work. I said to call me when they were ready and we would try it. We spent a few hours just enjoying their company and finally went back to Destiny. We were both glad we had stayed. The following morning, we got up early to leave for Marin. I hadn't slept well and got up around 3am and decided to download the email I had been unable to get earlier. Sailmail is a great program but occasionally, it has problems. There are only 2 stations on the East Coast to use and these are often busy (there are more now - as of 8/10/02). Also, recent sunspot activity has caused some problems with radio propagation. Anyway, I got on and easily connected (nobody else using the shore stations that early, and then wrote a little in my log. I finally went back to bed at around 4am, only to wake up at 6. We got up and raised the anchor and got underway. We saw Cameron leaving as we were raising the anchor and spoke to them briefly on the radio. We got underway and slowly made our way out of Anse Mitan. As the most direct route goes between a small island and the southern point of Anse Mitan, we made our way through in about 13 feet of water. As we did, we noticed that there was a slight rattling. We also noticed that the tachometer wasn't registering properly. It sometimes does that for a bit until the RPMs reach a certain level. I thought that we just hadn't reached that level yet so didn't pay much attention. Diane finally said that the rattling wasn't getting any better and that she thought it was from below. I went down and opened the hatch to the engine room. I heard it louder there but didn't see anything immediately. I checked the electrical monitor and the alternator was generating electricity, so I didn't think it could be that. I opened the engine room again and shown a flashlight in to look around. In amazement, I saw a large bolt lying in the engine room bilge under the alternator. I looked at the mounting and, damn, it was the bolt that held the case to the engine itself. I immediately told Diane to slow down and we then looked to see where the closest anchorage was. The alternator wasn't going to fall off since it was still held by the bolt on the extension arm, bit it had to get fixed immediately. We were about 2 miles from Anse Mitan and 1 mile from Grand Anse, but only about ½ mile from Anse Noir, a small and really picturesque inlet just before Grande Anse. It wasn't very protected but I hoped we wouldn't have to stay long. So we slowly made our way in. Our friends on Nirvana had said it was small. Really, there was only room for 1 or 2 boats at most but fortunately, there was nobody else there. We quickly anchored and I removed the access panels and steps so I could access the engine. Of course, it was very hot by that time since we had been motoring for about an hour already. I looked around for the various washers and the nut for the bolt. I couldn't find the nut - it must have fallen and bounced somewhere. But I did find the washers and of course the bolt itself. The bolt itself looked OK and I couldn't immediately figure out why it fell off. I let the engine cool and found a spare nut. It was the last one I had (I made a note to get more) and started to reassemble the mounting. Once I could touch the engine and alternator, I put the bolt through the flange and saw what had happened. The bolt had sheared and what I found was only part of the original. There wasn't enough length left to use. OK, lets see if I have a spare bolt. In the meantime, we had been in contact with Cameron and Second Tri, who both offered to come help or bring spares. We are really fortunate to know such great people. Luckily, after some digging, I found one that was long enough (another note). After some cursing and sweating, the alternator was back on, properly. We started the engine and left Anse Noir. Diane had been sitting in the cockpit and the boat had been doing 360 turns around the anchor - I'm sure we would have dragged at the first large gust. We motored out and I checked that everything was still OK. All appeared well and as we past Grande Anse de A'rlet, we decided to go there for the day and continue on the Marin tomorrow. It had already been a very full day and it wasn't even 11am yet! We anchored, got the boat settled and just sat for a while. It was a nice spot and we were tempted to stay for another day but we knew that Mima and Second Tri would only be in Marin for a short while and we wanted to catch up to Mima. So we relaxed a bit and left the outboard on the stern and the basically ready to go. We did though, decide to do the waterline again as it had been several weeks since it was done last. Diane and I both got on our snorkel gear and did it from the water rather than from the dinghy. It was actually easier that way, particularly since the water was crystal clear and a nice temperature. Even though it continued to rain, we didn't care. It took about an hour to scrape and scrub the waterline; it was pretty bad. I could also see that Jack had done a great job when he cleaned the hull. Thanks again. Once that was done and the gear and us rinsed off from the salt, we just had dinner and relaxed. Diane made a really nice veal dish with prosciutto and Swiss cheese. After downloading email, we went to bed. |