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Larry's LogThe next day I was very busy with much more physical labor than I had been doing studying for the HAM tests. At about 9am, I started putting the boom end cap back on after the modifications I made but ran into some problems. The extra bolts that I wanted to hold the boom interfered with an aluminum box inside the boom extrusion containing the sheaves for the reefing lines. The front of the box was flush with the back of the end cap so the bolts extending through the cap now hit the front of the box. Although the box was not structural, I needed to be careful when cutting or drilling it so I wouldn't hit the sheaves or rope inside. I managed to do most of it with my new angle drill (a regular drill would not have fit between the mast and the end of the boom unless I really pulled it to one side) and so I was glad I had brought it with me from home on our last visit. I also had to use the Dremel tool with a heavy-duty cutoff wheel to cut the ¼ inch aluminum. It was long, hot and very tiring work since I had to stand or kneel in the sun to do it. By 2:30, I had most of it done but since I wanted to go over to Powerboats Yard to make our reservation to haul the boat next week, I stopped, cleaned up all the aluminum shavings and such with a vacuum and walked over. As a minor annoyance that morning, the light bulb blew in the new (only 6 months old) fixture over the navigation station. I had just bought it on our last trip to the States and installed it while in Puerto La Cruz. I took the lens assembly off and pulled out the halogen bulb to bring it with me to get a replacement. I walked over to the place that said he was getting the compass light bulbs and he said that after all the delays in getting the shipment; they had sent the wrong ones. I left the old one with him so he could better describe it and said that his distributor would send them via air next time. He asked to me to come in next Tuesday so I could get my bulb back and find out when the next shipment would arrive. I showed him the halogen bulb but he didn't have those at all, but his helper said that Radio Shack probably would. There was a store near the Price Smart store Diane goes to so maybe she could pick it up when she went next. I continued to Powerboats and made our reservation for Tuesday, 3/11 to be hauled. I stopped at Budget Marine on the way back and picked up some 8-watt fluorescent bulbs (I just used my last 2) and found that they had the halogen light and so bought one. I could use it now and get a spare at Radio Shack, where it would be much cheaper. I then stopped at Mima to visit with Tom for a bit since Steph and their company had gone to Grand Riviere to hopefully see some of the Leatherback Turtles laying eggs. It was a little early in the season yet, but worth a try - we had done it twice and it's truly a wonderful thing to experience. After talking with Tom a bit, I went back, took a needed shower and just relaxed for the evening. I needed to continue the work on the boom tomorrow, as well as start to get the boat ready to be hauled. Saturday we slept past the net; don't know why as we didn't go to sleep late last night. I then spent the entire morning modifying the sheave box inside the boom to accommodate the changes to the end cap. Then, after I finally put the end cap back on, after using Lanocote and Tefgel as lubricants, Diane and I tried to get the gooseneck back together. After struggling for several hours, Diane asked Bob, from Happy Ours, the Island Packet 44 next to us, to come over to help. He did and, although it still took another 30-40 minutes, we finally got the pin in and connected the boom to the gooseneck. Thanks again Bob. The strange thing was that I did it myself last time I fixed it in Margarita. I had been working in the hot sun and was soaked with sweat so I just collapsed below after finishing and cleaning up. I had to re-attach the awning since I had to take it down partially to allow me to use the main halyard as a topping lift to hold up the back of the boom to let us get the gooseneck connected and then had to get the boom stabilized once it was re-attached. Hopefully the modifications will prevent any further problems when the boat gybes or the boom slats a bit. That evening we went to the last Carnival event, Champs in Concert. It was the winners from all the categories and was very good. It included the juniors in all the categories, which we had not seen before. There had been a 3-way tie in the junior calypso and one of the three was only 9 years old. She was really good! Of course there were the winners in the mas events, the King and Queen although the King costumes wasn't quite as impressive since it had been cut down a little because of the wind. The Queen costume was still original as were the Junior King and Queen. There were also the winners of the pan contests so we saw Exodus again, but with the full band this time, and the winners of the Junior Panorama competition. There had been a tie in that category also so we saw both bands and they were also both excellent. We saw the winner in a separate pan category, called single pan band, a smaller band consisting of only about 30 to 40 pannists. The Trinis take great pride, and rightly so, in their culture and history and really strive to keep the traditions alive and it seems that they have done a good job. The winner of the Calypso monarch title, Singing Sandra, was also there, and she did a song from her winning performance. She has a great voice. It's interesting that some, but not many of these singers try to make it in a larger market; most seem very happy to stay on the island. I suppose the market of 1.3 million people is sufficient. I think they just like to do their type of music and that's where it's popular. I was almost sorry to see the Carnival season close but it had been a wonderful experience. Everyone should experience it. The next day was a very busy one. Now that the HAM tests and Carnival were behind us, it was time to start on boat projects again and get ready to leave. This morning, in preparation of hauling the boat, we hauled the dinghy on deck. Of course, that means I take everything out, like the seat, gas tank, oars, security cable, etc. and then Diane helps with the engine. We then hauled the dinghy up on deck and washed the inside before setting it down with the hull up, and of course, we then washed the bottom. It had a slight covering of oil since there was a slight slick of gasoline or diesel very often. At least there hadn't been any major spills again like in December and January. That took through the early afternoon. The rest of the day, Diane did a lot of laundry and I made a lot of CDs. I had promised several people that I would share some of the pictures I took of Carnival and so I put those on a CD and then made some copies of other CDs that I said I would do. Since my CD burner is a little old (about a year) its slower than the new ones, so it took me the rest of the day to do that. Steph came by late in the afternoon and Diane just came back with the laundry and suggested that we go to the movies tomorrow. Tom and Steph were driving their friends to the airport very early tomorrow and were then going to see a house they might buy on the island, right on the ocean. They had seen one turtle the night they went to Grand Riviere so it was worthwhile. They would let us know after they got back if they wanted to go to the movies. About 8pm, the doorbell rang. It was Steph. She had driven over (we had turned off the radio) to say that they would like to go to the movies tomorrow after finishing all their errands. OK, thanks for coming by. The next day we continued getting the boat ready to be hauled tomorrow but Steph called in the late morning, after they got back, to say they wanted to go to the early movie since they were very tired. We were basically finished so we said OK and went to see "The Recruit." We all enjoyed it and then went to the new Ruby Tuesday's restaurant in the mall where the movies were. I went off the diet to celebrate passing the HAM tests although Diane was good - she just had a little popcorn during the movie. The food was OK but TGI Fridays was better. Tuesday was a busy one as we got hauled. I got up and did the net and then Diane went to get in a last workout in the gym at CrewsInn while I did the last minute preparations. I disconnected the cable TV since Powerboats didn't have it and filled the water tank and then disconnected the hose. I took off the lines that we didn't need and moved the some fenders to the other side since we would need them when we went into the Travelift pit. Diane had spoken to the Powerboats office and they had said to come in at 1pm and they would haul us then. Steph came over as did Bruce from Imajica and to say bye. Steph asked if she could help and I said she could come over to Powerboats and help catch our lines if there was a problem. She said just to call her and she would come over. Diane came back and called Powerboats to verify everything and then went to take a shower while I continued to get ready. She came back and I went to take a last hot shower - Powerboats has decent showers but no hot water. When I got back, we ate lunch and Bob from Happy Ours next to us, helped cast off the lines. I had started the engine earlier and put it in reverse to make sure we could still move; Chaguaramas is notorious for bad fouling. It seemed OK and we backed fine although the boat would not go to starboard in reverse at all. It took a little longer to get out of the marina but we managed fine and were on our way to Powerboats, a 5 minute trip. We were ready and I started to turn toward the Travelift when we saw another boat in the pit. Damn! We just circled while they lifted him and when he was clear of the water we headed in. The dock crew was there to catch our lines, as was Steph. It was a little tricky as there was a strong cross wind but I judged it well and we had no problems. When we got in, we naturally had to wait until the lift moved the other boat to their spot. Ray, the Travelift operator and a director of the yard, said we could go and pick our spot so while Steph stayed on the boat, we went around and picked one near the office (and bathroom) and upwind of any other work. Funny how you learn these things; near the bathroom so you don't have to walk to far when 'nature calls' and upwind of other boats and the road to prevent dust from passing trucks and cars and other boat work from getting on your boat. We had picked our spot, and had a good selection to choose from since the yard was fairly empty. After the other boat was set, they came back and lifted us. I was very curious to see how bad the keel had gotten and was not surprised to see some very bad growth. The rest of the hull wasn't too bad but of course, the prop, shaft and strut were also full of barnacles. The crew set the boat down and blocked it and a few minutes later the guy came to do a power washing. The power wash got most of the soft growth off and he scraped the worst of the barnacles off the keel. Once that was done, I hooked up the electricity for the boat and the air conditioner. I thought there was a slight problem with the power for the boat but it turned out to be a simple remedy, just make sure the plug is in all the way. Once the boat was setup, Diane started dinner and I just relaxed from the day's labors. Steph came over around 7pm. She brought her cell phone over since we had made arrangements for my brother to call me. He had actually called earlier and she had told him to wait another couple of hours to call again so she could get the phone to me. I thanked her for the loan and for bringing it over and around 8:30pm, he called again. It was really nice to talk to him again. Tuesday hauled, Wednesday started the boat projects. I started on the keel and Diane started the waterline. I got out my angle grinder and sanding disks and went after the loose paint and bare spots on the keel while Diane tried the liquid that YSATT (Yacht Services Association of Trinidad and Tobago) handed out to get rid of the oil stain. It really didn't work too well and she wound up buying some stuff called CIF, a strong household cleaner that worked much better. I worked on the keel all morning and finished most of it. Diane would periodically call me to get at a spot she couldn't reach. After doing most of the keel, and scraping the prop to get rid of the heavy encrustation, we had lunch. I then went to the Internet place and checked on several other things and stopped at Mima to talk and have a drink. I had a couple and we talked about their recent computer problems, that Tom had managed to fix, and about the slight play on my Max-Prop blades, which shouldn't be there but had been since I bought the boat. They had one for sale that they had bought new - they were very expensive and we couldn't really afford to buy it, even used but we did talk about it. They also let me use some of the prop anti-fouling paint that they had gotten in Venezuela, also very expensive. Back at the boat, I just took a shower and we ate dinner - both of us very tired. |