Leaving Nassau, again.

We are getting ready to leave Nassau, again.

We had hoped that the new bearing would arrive in time for the V-drive to be installed before the weekend and we would be back to the outer islands.  Obviously it did not happen.  Late Monday afternoon they showed up with the V-drive and installed it.  It is a meticulous procedure to install; everything has to line up perfectly.  They line it up, check it with a feeler gauge, make an adjustment, check it again, make another adjustment and on and on.  Once everything checks out they start tightening the bolts and again, check everything with a feeler gauge to make sure everything is aligned.  The final checks are to turn the prop shaft and make sure there is no variation.  Any misalignment will cause vibration and wear.  The final check is to start the engine and see what happens when it is in gear.  So far everything checks out.  It is a several hour process and some of these fine adjustments are made with a three pound hammer.  Now I have to remind myself to check the tightness of the bolts after running it several hours.  Sometimes they will vibrate loose.

We had not planned on any of these stops in Nassau, or to stay as long as we have so we are way behind in seeing the islands.  We plan to leave here and head back to the Staniel Cay area to continue south.  How far we get is anyone’s guess.  The weather forecast for the next few days is for light and variable winds then clocking to the south, exactly where we are planning to go.  We may give the new equipment a workout since it doesn’t look like we will be sailing.