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Larry's LogFriday was a tough day. I installed the switch box and its support and also put in the chain pipe. The hard part about it all was working in the sun all day. The switch box and support went in with no problem but when I did the chain pipe, I ran into a snag. The chain pipe has 3 holes to fasten it down - the back 2 are easily accessed from the top but the forward one is directly under the axle of the windlass gypsy. I tried the angle drill but there was no room. There was no way to mechanically drill a hole straight down in that position because of the axle. I was worried that I might have to remove the windlass just to drill a damn hole. Then, as I looked through my toolbox for inspiration, it came to me. I could use the tap holder (from my die and tap set) to hold a drill bit and manually twist it to drill the hole. After I made a start with an awl, I started in using the bit inserted into the tap holder. It worked although it took almost an hour to do what should have taken just 2 seconds. By the end of the day though, it was done. All that remained was to support the switch wires and put in the switches themselves. That evening we went to dinner with Suzie and David at the marina restaurant and had a very nice time - we always do. Saturday I had intended to finish the windlass completely but it didn't happen. We got a call on the radio early from Ariyl to say we should check email immediately and that they would be over. I tried to check it via the wireless internet but the power to the marina buildings was down so I couldn't do it that way and I don't like to interfere with the various nets by doing SSB radio email at that time of the morning, so I couldn't check it. Suzie and David came over and I went out to talk to them - they had gotten an email sent to them and us from Steph on Mima. They were in Coche, an island just south of Margarita, with Judy and David on Survival, who we also knew fairly well. Tom and David had taken their dogs for a walk on the island just before dark and had been coming back when a big gust of wind flipped the dinghy. Tom managed to get David out from under it and, putting David's hands on the dinghy, made sure he was OK. David said to get the dogs but when Tom came back, David was gone. They and some locals searched but they only found his body over 2 hours later. It was devastating news. The tragedy was compounded by the fact that Judy is paralyzed from the waist down. David was a really nice guy and Judy is terrific. We had spent 2 weeks with them and Mima in Laguna Grande about 2 years ago, and we had met them first in Trinidad about 3 years ago. We tried calling them on the SSB but couldn't raise anyone. We later sent off an email offering any help we could. We knew that Tom and Steph would take care of her but we wanted to help if possible. After hearing that, Diane and I didn't feel like doing much but we went to the monthly swap meet to try to sell some things we had. David and Suzie were already there. We talked about the bad news some more. We didn't sell much, and didn't buy anything but George, from Irma La Deuce, brought us 16 jars of jam from Colonial Tovar. Diane had asked him to do that several weeks ago when he had a chance during one of his weekly trips to Caracas, and he finally had managed it. We thanked him and paid him for the preserves. When I put the box with the jars down near the stuff we were selling, it seemed like we could have sold them at a profit. We actually did re-sell 3, but only to people who we knew. After the swap meet, we went back to the boat but first I got the key to the storage room we had rented with Autumn Wind and another boat, Babylon. The guy from Babylon, also named Larry, was a friend of Geoffrey's on Panache, who had rented the room originally. Diane and I put some things into the room like the large genoa, the remaining plywood from the sheet I bought to make the windlass mount, some bags with spare material we wouldn't need for the next 4 months or so and the extra varnish and thinner we would need only when we got back. There was some more we wanted to put in but the main reason we rented it with the others was to put our air conditioner in it while we were gone. The last trip out, the a/c unit had sat on the port side settee and made it impossible to use that side of the boat. It took most of the rest of the morning and part of the afternoon to move the stuff and by the time we finished, it was raining so I couldn't start on the windlass again. Paul, on Autumn Wind, had been having problems getting through to the Internet over his wireless connection so I figured this was a good opportunity to help him. I went over and figured it out after a bit of poking around. He still couldn't connect because of a different problem but I was pretty sure that he would be able to once he could 'see' the Bahia Redonda server again. I stayed there and visited for a while since it started to rain harder and finally went back to Destiny, getting wet anyway, around 6. Sunday I still didn't finish the windlass but got some more done. I permanently mounted the switches and connected the control wires but it started raining again so I couldn't finish it - all that remained was to support the wires and mount the top of the switch box. It would be tomorrow. I did test it again though - still working fine. While Diane played dominoes, I started putting things away below that I wouldn't need, like the angle grinder and such. Since it stopped raining, I rinsed out the anchor bag, containing all the pieces of the large Fortress anchor, that had been in the bilge when it flooded, let it dry (it had stopped raining) and managed to get some of the things that had been in the bilge back in there. As Diane came back, I was putting another coat of epoxy on the board I had made to prevent the anchor chain from spilling into the v berth. We had spoken to Tom and Steph briefly this morning. They were back in Porlamar - Tom had sailed Mima and Steph helped Judy get Survival back. They were busy making arrangements and sounded OK. They asked if we might come to Porlamar when we left PLC and we said sure. Monday, August 9, a red letter day, as I finally finished the windlass installation this morning - I used some plastic tubing to protect the switch wires and attached them to the anchor well sides with wire ties. I also put some anti-corrosion spray on the switch contacts and some silicone caulk inside the box where the wires came through. Finally, I put the top on with some silicone. I had received the windlass crate on May 21 - it had taken almost 12 weeks to finish installing it. Of course, I had done everything by myself, and it had taken a considerable amount of redesign of the anchor well. I had also done all the construction of the switch box and a complete re-wiring. Oh well, when I tested it, it worked fine. By the time I finished, it was past noon and Diane still wasn't back from shopping. I cleaned up and went below and sat down for 2 minutes and heard knocking on the bow. She was back and had LOTS of stuff. We got everything aboard and had lunch. After eating, I did some little things like coiling the spare anchor rode to put back under the v berth, and rinsed out another line that had been in the bilge with the flood. I also got out some things I still wanted to put in the storage room. Later on, we heard Bob from Pipe Dream make an announcement about a potential tropical storm heading this way. These storms usually don't come this far south but it does happen. I went out on deck and took some things below and made sure that any wind we did get wouldn't blow anything away. As it turned out, we got nothing that night because the storm moved to the north and west very quickly. In the morning the next day we went to a store named Exito, where I hoped to get a toolbox and some outboard oil and Diane wanted to get some more provisions. We went with Geoffrey and Nancy from Panache and got back a little after noon. After lunch, Diane and I went to get fuel and I filled the tank - it had been about three-quarters full - using three jerry jugs of fuel. That meant I needed to fill those three before we left. By the time we got back and I filled the tank, it was about to start raining so we just relaxed the rest of the day. While Diane went shopping again Wednesday morning, I continued getting things put away. I took everything out of the starboard cockpit locker, did an inventory and repacked everything but put some things from there into the bilge; some small lengths of chain and our spare garden hose. Of course, by the time Diane got back, it was starting to rain again but stopped again about 2:30, so we went to get the last of the diesel fuel and made another trip to get the gasoline. Of course, the cap on one of the gas jugs broke meaning it wouldn't close. I'll have to figure out if I can fix it or need to get another. When we got everything back on board, I washed the dinghy a bit and also the side of the boat where I hoist the dinghy. It was really dirty and the entire hull needs to be cleaned but I don't know if we'll get to it before we leave. Doing emails, we heard from Tom and Steph on Mima. They were still in Porlamar with Judy, helping her get things settled with Dave and the boat. They and Judy were planning to stay in Porlamar for a couple of months and they had asked us if we could go to Porlamar before heading west, to Bonaire. We said no problem so we'll probably go there first for a week and then head to Tortuga before going to Los Roques, Las Aves and Bonaire. We got the propane tank refilled on Thursday even though it was still half-full - we wanted everything full and ready for a 4-month trip. We also needed to get another load of laundry done. I needed to change the heat exchanger zinc and equalize the batteries. Neither had been done for about a year so it was time. But, by the time I drove Diane to drop off the laundry, came back and got started, it was too late to equalize the batteries so I did the heat exchanger zinc. I took off the side cap to make sure I got all the little pieces out and that I cut the zinc to fit properly (they were 2 1/2 inches long but needed to be cut to 1 1/8). By the time I finished that, checked the engine oil and transmission fluid, it was lunchtime. Diane wasn't back so I just made a peanut butter sandwich and relaxed for a little while. After lunch, I put another coat of epoxy on the board for the v berth door to the chain locker and then started putting things away. Everything always takes longer than expected but I was just about done (at least for the time being) as Diane came back at 3. She had bought me some outboard oil and light bulbs, along with some groceries but mostly she bought Diet Coke (30 bottles). We drink a lot of it and I always have it for my rum and coke at cocktail time (generally sundown but could occur anytime). The propane was back a little later so we were certainly making progress. We wanted to get as much done as possible since the referendum on Chavez' presidency was on Sunday and we didn't know what to expect, but if there were problems, we didn't want to be out shopping. Friday, August 13 and the power was off when we got up and stayed off for most of the morning. I got busy cleaning the stuff in the cockpit after the net. I took everything out of the coaming boxes and the port cockpit locker. I washed out the locker and rinsed off the stuff - it was all amazingly dirty from accumulated dust, hair and 'miscellaneous dirt'. By the time I finished that it was almost lunchtime. When the power came back on, Diane got busy vacuum sealing the meat and chicken she had bought for the trip - it lasts much longer that way. She did some cheese also, but as we later learned, not all cheese takes kindly to it - Brie in particular. In the afternoon, we got some more stuff into the storage room. I brought the staysail, small fishing pole and some spare clothes since its stuff we rarely use. That done, put some more things away on the boat and added oil to the gas we bought for the dinghy - more progress. The next day we continued making 'significant' progress (as my ex-boss used to say) in getting ready, at least before it started to rain again. In the morning, Diane helped me tighten up the bolts for the staysail chainplate and then the windlass. Once that was done, I could now get the anchor rode back in place while Diane prepared for our little dinner party tonight. Getting the rode back in the chain locker and under the v berth involved some minor problems (like moving some things that were already under the v berth) but it was finally done a little after noon. I started moving some things around in the cabin after lunch and put the last things back in place inside the cabin like the teak strips between the headliners and the molding around the base of the mast. I then helped Diane put some provisions away inside. Finally, I did some things on the Internet (in the cockpit using the wireless connection) and relaxed before Suzie and David came. It had been cloudy all day but waited to actually start raining until about 5. David and Suzie were supposed to come over about 6 but called to say they would be late because of the rain. It didn't stop raining, and hard, so we called them and said we could postpone it for a day. Oh well - I had more of the dessert Diane had made. Sunday, August 15 - Today is the referendum on the Chavez presidency here - we hope everything is calm. Venezuela is a democracy but there are some things definitely not like the democracy we know in the States. It was pretty quiet in the marina but I did some work on rearranging the stuff inside the boat. Later on, Suzie and David came over for dinner. The next day we heard that Chavez won the referendum so he will be in power until at least 2006. Interestingly, Jimmy Carter, one of the international observers present, said that the election was fair but the Opposition claimed fraud. The price of oil, although it reached a new high in NY, was stable and the stock market went up. Anyway, in the morning I removed and replaced the cowl vent holder in the forward head. It was fairly easy to remove it and I could see why it leaked - there was a crack in the plastic at a hole for the screws. I cleaned up the area, found another deck plate and replaced everything, using the last of the 3M101 to bed the deck plate and silicone to bed the cap. That took most of the morning and it was time to go to Autumn Wind for lunch. They had invited us over along with Nancy and Geoffrey from Panache. We had a very nice meal and enjoyed the company. It started raining slightly around 2 so we left and I did some more work inside the boat. To finish the v berth area, I put another board on the door between the berth and the chain locker, on the chain locker side, to prevent the chain from falling between the door and the blocking board already inserted. Hopefully it would work OK. After that was done, I could put the cushions back in place and the forward area was finally done. I did the net Tuesday morning again for (hopefully) the last time during this stay - I got a volunteer to do it in Michael from Wind Witch; he and Donna had just come back from their 6 month trip around the world (by plane). A little later in the morning, we finally put up the jib, washing it first. That took all morning since it took time to wash it, then attach the sheets and finally adjust the furling line. After lunch, Diane went shopping again at Plaza Mayor with Suzie and I did more things to get the boat ready, like replacing the PVC tubes over on the starboard shroud turnbuckles, figuring out another method of supporting the solar panels and finally, I had to change the orientation of a piece on the windlass - it was on wrong in order to be able to raise the anchor manually. We were making slow progress in getting ready but since the weather wasn't very good anyway, it was fine. In the evening, I worked on the website. I hadn't updated it in some time and wanted to before we left. |