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Larry's LogBack at the boat, I started to figure out the right sequence to reassemble the pump. I had an " exploded" view but it wasn't obvious from the drawing what the pieces were. Eventually, with the drawing and my diesel book, I figured it out and started putting the pump back together. That also took a couple of hours since the shaft with the bearings was a very tight fit where it went into the pump body. I had to find and eventually buy, a bronze pipe fitting that fit exactly the diameter of the bearing's outside race to tap it in. I had the same problem with the main seal. It had to be carefully "pressed" into place. The fact that it was made of very thin metal that would have bent easily made the process very slow. Luckily I found a fitting that fit the diameter of the seal so I could tap the fitting, which would then force the seal into the pump body. A real PITA. Eventually, the pump was back together and I was reasonably confident it was right. By the time I finished though, it was too late to try to put the pump back on the engine - that would wait. Diane had gone shopping that morning and when she got back, she put some more 303 Fabric Guard on the bimini and dodger. We felt that this stuff, billed as "sunscreen for your stuff" worked pretty well and we tried to apply it every few months. Saturday I worked on the heat exchanger and cleaned that out some more and then reinstalled everything. Putting the pump back on was relatively easy, and the heat exchanger also went on well. After I put all the hoses back on, I decided to work on my logs and the website so I left the test of the cooling system for another day. I sometimes do that so I can think about the work and sometimes I remember something I forgot or change something just done. This time, nothing new came to me but I left the engine alone for a day anyway. Sunday, Diane and I planned to play dominoes at 1pm so I didn't test the engine, although I got together the things I would need, like the antifreeze, a new radiator cap, etc. We went to play dominoes near the pool at CrewsInn. We had never played before but it's a simple game and we both learned quickly. It was a fun way to spend a nice afternoon. We finished at about 5pm so we just relaxed and watched TV. The next day though, while Diane went into Port of Spain for more fabric for the slipcovers she wanted to make, I tested the cooling system. I turned off the engine intake and used fresh water to circulate through the raw water side so if the pump or heat exchanger leaked, at least it wouldn't be salt water. I also put just fresh water into the expansion tank on the engine and turned it on. Carefully leaning over the engine to see of the water pump was leaking, I saw no drips from either the pump or the heat exchanger and after letting it run for a few minutes, while checking that water was indeed coming out the stern exhaust, I turned the engine off and drained the expansion tank of the fresh water, flushed it through with some more fresh water again, and then used the radiator flush product I had bought at an Auto parts place to really clean out the "fresh water" side of the cooling system. After running the engine with that for 10 minutes, I let the engine cool and then drained the flush mixture. I then ran fresh water through the system 3 times more to make sure that the system was clean and then put in the antifreeze-water mixture. There didn't seem to be any leaks and water was coming out the back so I guess the water pump and heat exchanger were OK. When Diane got back, we started measuring for the slipcovers and I helped her cut the fabric since the space was limited on the boat to spread out everything. After that, I looked at everything that I needed to buy as supplies or spares that I had taken out of the cockpit locker. Of course, when I took out the engine oil, I discovered one of the bottles had cracked and was leaking oil. So it took a while to clean that up and then I did my inventory. Next morning, I needed to get more SAE 40 weight oil before I could change the oil so I went over to one of the larger chandleries, Budget Marine, to buy some, as well as some other supplies I needed. While they had oil, they didn't have the right weight oil in the size I needed. After looking at some other stores, and going to the woodworking place recommended by Mike and Dawn, from Just Dessert, I went back to the boat. The woodworking guy still wasn't there (his helper was but 'the boss' was out running errands) so I would have to go back again. I wanted to get the wood insert on the v berth replaced with a nice piece of teak and also enclose the insert area to make more storage space, but needed a quote first. The other woodworking shops I used before were OK but I wasn't completely satisfied with them so I thought I would try this one. After lunch, I went to another large marina/chandlery, Peake's. As I was leaving the dinghy dock, I saw Great White Wonder in the yard, up on jackstands. I thought to myself that they must have just gotten hauled and as I did, I noticed Vesta sitting under the stern so I walked over. She said the boat had just been hauled a couple of hours ago, although they had been scheduled for 2 days prior. When I asked what caused the delay, she said that the yard had dropped a boat due to a problem with the Travelift and that had backed up everything. That's every boater's nightmare, having the boat dropped while its hauled. The boat was the from the Antigua Coast Guard so no individual owner was going to be hurt but it could have happened to any boat. We talked for a bit and then the new owner came down the ladder and I met Nick. He was a nice guy and extremely knowledgeable about boats, having owned a shipyard, Electric Boats, in Connecticut. He was retired now and wanted Great White Wonder, to be renamed Mad Jenny (after his nieces Madeline and Jenny) to cruise from the Northeast o the Caribbean every year. Ken cam down a few minutes later and we all talked for a bit. As I looked at the hull, I realized that GWW was, indeed, a very large boat - 60 feet on deck with an 11-foot draft. It was one of the few boats that I could walk under with no problem. We walked through the yard as Ken and Vesta were leaving anyway and I went to the chandlery. They were going to the car they had rented to the apartment they had gotten in St. James, which is near the West Mall. They said they would stop by in the next day or so but that they weren't leaving Trinidad for a week or so. I bought my oil ad went back to the boat. Wednesday morning was a first for me. I was the net controller for that morning and it was fun. The morning net in Trinidad is a very good way for the cruisers in the area to communicate and there is a different net controller for each day of the week. The controller has a script to follow and makes sure that the net remains directed. Mike, on Just Dessert, had been the one for Wednesday but since he had left for Tobago, David on Mood Indigo had filled in while also doing his normal day, Saturday. I figured that I would do Wednesdays at least until Mike got back or we left. Diane went to shopping to PriceSmart again right after the net finished and I changed the engine oil and filter. Ken and Vesta stopped by while I was in the middle of doing it but they said they would come back later. At about 11 they came back and I was just cleaning up so I just put the companionway steps back in, cleaned myself a bit and they came aboard and we talked for a while. They stayed for an hour or so until Diane got back and then left shortly after since they had some errands to run and Diane wanted to put her perishables away. That afternoon, we worked on the slipcovers for the cabin cushions. Carlos from Alpha Canvas stopped by to look at the work on the dodger and gave us some hints on how to make the slipcovers, particularly how to make the corners. It was very helpful and after he left we continued making the covers and they started coming out much better. The next day we continued on the slipcovers but went for a test ride in a Caribe dinghy in the late morning. The salesman from EchoMarine had offered to take us for a test ride in both of the 10-foot models but by the time we called to set it up, the lightweight one was loaned out to a customer. So we could only take a ride in the regular, double bottom model. We had gone over to see them a couple of weeks ago since we were interested in buying a new dinghy. Our old one was OK but every time the wind was up (even a little) we got wet. The ride was a good one and the boat planed well and tracked nicely. The price here in Trinidad was a bit high though and we thought we would buy it in Venezuela where we were told the prices were much lower (they were made there). That evening we went to the weekly Thursday night potluck, as usual. When we got back to the boat, I did email and got one from our tenants who informed us they want to leave the house a week or so early. We had been trying to work out an equitable arrangement since they had been good tenants but it seemed that we would have to call our lawyer back in New York. I again wished we had just sold the house. Friday, while Diane made some phone calls and did faxes back to the States I went shopping. Of course, my shopping is at the chandleries. I needed to get some supplies to keep in my onboard inventory and also get some equipment. I wanted to get double blocks so I could finally setup the windvane and also some small blocks to increase the purchase on the engine hoist. Diane was having a hard time pulling up the new engine since it was much heavier than the old one. We also went into a large hardware store near the West Mall and bought some stuff there, but I still needed to get some more supplies they didn't have. I would have to continue looking. |