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Larry's LogMost of the next day was taken up with the aft cabin, first taking everything off the aft berth, Diane washing the sheet that still had some olive juice stains, inventorying the lockers, cleaning the connections on the starting battery, checking the connections on the house batteries, removing things that I needed for some projects I wanted to do, trying to clean the stains on the cushion edge near the hull, letting that dry, and then finally putting everything back once the sheet was washed and dried and the cushion was finally dry. Diane tried removing some rust stains from the cockpit gel coat with Snobowl, the toilet bowl cleaner, and it worked fairly well. There was some rust stain left but not as much as before and it wasn't nearly as noticeable. While she did that, I removed the old rope clutch from the starboard side coach roof. I had a new clutch to replace it with and I needed to see if it would fit OK. Of course, to remove the old clutch required taking down the ceiling in the shower, since that's under where the clutch is located. Fortunately, it was just screwed in and although I had to cut some wires leading to the shower light, that probably needed to be done anyway. Jim and Jacque came over around 5 for drinks and snacks. We had invited them in return for going over to their boat so much since we got back and also just because they're nice people. Sunday morning, I inventoried the electrical supplies I had right after breakfast and then went to the HAM study group. I don't think I'll go to the group much since I think I'll do better studying on my own. After the study group finished, I went back to Lady J to pick up the HAM book I left there. We talked a bit and then we tried helping Bob on Bon Accord with a problem he was having with his pactor modem. I then went over there and tried to help but with no luck. Back at the boat, I tried the Morse code programs I had gotten and the one I used to like wouldn't work properly but there was another designed to run under Windows that worked OK. I just worked on that for a while and then studied the Technician question pool that Jim had given me. Monday and the next few days were pleasant but we didn't get much accomplished. I did though manage to drill the new holes for the replacement rope clutch and fill them with epoxy. I would have to redrill them so that the balsa core of the deck was completely sealed; it wasn't from the installation of the old clutch. Fortunately, the core wasn't wet at the old holes. The next day I walked over to Dockside Electric in the morning and they had gotten in my oil sending unit. Now I could try to fix the oil leak on the engine. They didn't though, have the 5/16 machine screws to fasten the new rope clutch so I went over to Budget for those. On my way, I saw Alpha Canvas driving over to get our cushions. When I got back, Carlos and his helper were still on the boat. They didn't want to take the old foam as a template; they made a template of the seats themselves, obviously the right way to do it. As they took the covers off the foam, you could see the foam was really bad. Diane and I talked about the problem with Orient Canvas, who had replaced the foam just a few months before in Puerto La Cruz, and felt it was either through lack of knowledge or that it was that kind of foam was the only available. After finishing lunch, we went to the movies at the new movie mall with Jim and Jacque and saw the new James Bond film - very good and action packed. Afterward, we ate dinner at Joe's Pizza and walked back to Crews Inn. The next day, I continued installing the new rope clutch and mounted it while Diane went to the gym. I had drilled the new holes through the epoxy and now just had to apply sealant and loosely fastened the machine screws until the sealant dried. I also reattached the light for the shower, anticipating that I could put it back up tomorrow. We both went to the dentist later and he put a temporary fix on my tooth that needed a crown. I already had another appointment for that on Saturday. After the dentist, we went to PriceSmart to get a new propane tank as the old one had gotten very rusty. Although I cleaned it up with a wire brush, the metal was somewhat pitted in spots and I didn't trust it anymore. We also stopped at the Radio Shack there and got the General and Technician books for the HAM exam I was studying for. The next morning, I finished attached the shower light and made sure that the rope clutch was ready to have the fasteners tightened. I also took off the hinges the cockpit lazarette hatches since the fiberglass around them was rust stained and that meant that the screws or the hinges needed attention. I was glad I did since the screws were very stuck and I wound up shearing the screws themselves when I tried to take off the nuts on the bottom of the locker. More work the following day. I worked on the oil sender in the morning and managed to get it on fine but the joint between the 'T' and the other oil alarm leaked a little. The sender though worked properly though so at least I had gotten the right part. It took all that morning to get the 'T' and the alarm to stop leaking since in order to tighten the alarm sensor I had to remove the sender first since there was no room to get to the alarm sensor with a tool with the sender attached. It still leaked a very little when I was finished but I was afraid that I couldn't tighten the sensor any more without breaking something. After lunch, I started disassembling the side-boarding ladder we had bought from Lady J. The stainless steel was fine but the steps and the aluminum plates under the treads were in bad shape, particularly the aluminum plates that were below the water when the ladder was in use. One of the treads was also cracked. The other treads, except the one on the bottom, were in sad shape also. It was obvious that whoever had cut the treads did it in a hurry since they were different sizes and shapes as well. As I was removing the hose that Jim had put on the top rung, I cut myself badly trying to remove the tie wraps. It wasn't that big but it was deep and took a while to stop bleeding. I probably should have gotten stitches. Oh well. I just relaxed after that but Diane went to the gym and Alpha Canvas stopped by at around 5:30 to drop off the cushions they had finished, all the bottoms. We got the cushions on the boat (of course, we hadn't gotten rid of the old foam yet) and the boat was full of cushions and foam. I managed to move everything around and get the slipcovers on the largest cushions so they wouldn't get dirty, and naturally, my finger started bleeding again. I had just finished when Diane came back and it was time to go to the Friday night dominoes game. The game was in addition to the one on Sunday and Nancy on Cabaret arranged it. We order food from Joe's Pizza in advance and it arrived around 7, just as we pretty much finished the first round. We finished the game at about 10:30, pretty late for us. I had to go back to the dentist the next morning to get one tooth prepared for a crown. I took the maxi in and got there before the dentist. After some delay, I spent over 2 hours in the chair - not much fun. I got back at around 12:30 and just relaxed and studied Morse code for the rest of the day. Sunday morning I went to the HAM study group and got a new PC program that will administer practice tests for Technician and General licenses. I also got a new Morse code program that works pretty well. When I got back, I just studied the code some more and also took some of the Technician tests, and did pretty well. The next day I walked over to the Internet place and updated our web site and checked some things. I also bought some stainless steel fasteners for my inventory. On the way back I stopped at Sojourner and got some rigid foam they were throwing out from their old refrigeration box; I was going to use it for the air conditioner. Dan was nice enough to offer to drive me back in their dinghy and I accepted. After lunch, I installed the foam, cutting it with a hacksaw to prevent the small pieces from flying around. I got it to fit well and I covered everything with the plastic bag that was there already, knowing that it was better insulated now. Other stuff; I adjusted our dock lines a bit since we were hitting the dock when the wind blew a certain way and Diane cleaned the bimini side curtains and the dinghy cover - they came out much better. Tuesday we worked on cleaning the dinghy. We applied the 303 Protectant and generally got it ready to launch. We also cleaned the cover and put it back on. I setup the 3:1 block and tackle I wanted to use to hoist the dinghy with the engine out of the water (I hoped it would be easier than using the mast winch). I cleaned up the side ladder from the deposits that were on it, and also cleaned up the hinges from the lazarette hatches but I will try to get larger replacements tomorrow. Finally, I used the Sno-Bol and FSR to try to get rid of the remaining rust stains on the fiberglass gelcoat on the lazarette lockers. Tom and Steph came in to Trinidad the next morning, knocking on our boat at 7 am. To say we were surprised in an understatement. Diane had made plans to go shopping in the morning but I helped them go into Tardieu Marina and once they were tied up, I did some errands and then Tom, Steph and I went to eat at Joe's. I then went back to Destiny and did some work until Diane came back and I helped with the groceries. We then launched the dinghy and went over to Alpha Canvas to decide on what color vinyl reinforcement be put on the dinghy seat cutouts. Orient Canvas had done a good job but mis-cut the seat opening on the starboard side and the seat rubbed the cutout. After that, we just went over to Mima and talked (drank) for a bit and went to dinner at Joe's. When we got back from Joe's, I tried out the 3:1 purchase system I had rigged to haul out the dinghy and it just wasn't enough power. Thursday morning I emptied out the starboard lazarette, again, and proceeded to first clean it and then check the steering radial, cables, sheaves, autopilot ram and rudder shaft. Everything looked fine but I took off the bolt holding the autopilot to the separate arm and regreased that after cleaning the old grease off and checking the spacer and bolt for cracks. Again, everything looked fine. After doing that and lunch, I filled in the holes in the lazarette hatches from the old hinges with epoxy in preparation for attaching the new hinges. The new hinges were just a little bigger, giving more support area and I felt they were more appropriate for the size of the locker lid. A little later, Ron and Lena, from Jacobite, came over for drinks and snacks. We missed the potluck (heavens). I started to finish the lazarette hatches the next morning and found that I still didn't have the right size fastener. Unbelievable as I had bought about two dozen different sizes and types just a few days ago. Naturally, Dockside Electric here at CrewsInn didn't have the right size so I would have to go across to the other side. Since I was going anyway, when I lowered the dinghy, Diane and I looked at the side ladder so I could figure out how the ladder would mount to the toe rail. I then took some measurements and made some simple drawings to bring to Chaguaramas Metal Works for an estimate. After returning a book to Jacobite, I left the dinghy at Coral Cove and walked over to Lincoln and we estimated what it would take to make the mounts. More errands - I went to pick up the repaired dinghy cover, got some more fasteners and then got on the Internet. After that I stopped at Mima and stayed for a while. We were invited to dinner that night but I only stayed for an hour or so then and went back to the boat. Diane and I went back over later and had a very nice dinner with Tom, Steph and Fred from a boat nearby. The next morning I managed to finish the lazarette hinges even though it rained a bit. It took all of the morning and some of the afternoon in order to get all the new holes drilled properly and then mount the hinges. I ran out of lock washers so I couldn't put the last 4 nuts on but the screws were all in. I decided to use Lifeseal as a sealant rather than my usual polysulphide since I had it and wanted to see how it worked. I looked at redoing the hinges on the other cockpit hatches and found that the backs of the screws were imbedded in the fiberglass and couldn't figure out how to remove them, if it was possible without grinding away the back. I later found out that they were simply threaded into the fiberglass and came out very easily. Diane went shopping early at the market that morning and came back early and cleaned 6 pounds of shrimp, not a pleasant job but at least she was in the air conditioning. Later in the afternoon, I did a fresh water flush on the watermaker got out some more blocks (had to remove all the stuff from the aft cabin berth) and re-worked the block and tackle to lift the dinghy. The purchase had been 4:1 and by putting another set of blocks in front of the doubled fiddle blocks I had initially, I got 8:1. It took a while to get the lengths of the lines right but it worked well finally. Diane had gone to a wine tasting at the local wine shop, and she did bring me a glass. After that, I took a shower and went over to Motu and Diane came over after. Mo and Joe were going to go to Sails Restaurant with us that evening; we had won a dinner for 2 by entering a contest when we entered Trinidad.. After having a couple of drinks and talking on their boat, we went to Sails and had a very good dinner. Our picture, showing us enjoying our meal, later appeared in "The Boca", the local boaters magazine. |