It's New Years Eve and we are sitting in Grenada.
The last post I said we were scheduled to be launched Monday afternoon. We are used to "island time" and how things don't happen on a tight schedule. We had a number of things that had to be finished by our 3:30 launch time and we were working on them when the lift operator stopped by to confirm he would be there and have us launched by lunchtime. They only had two boats to launch and they wanted to be done early. Soon he was back to let us know the other boat was not ready and he would be right over to get us. So much for "island time". The launch went without incident, nothing leaked, the engine started and we moved over to the slip we planned to spend the night in. I made a trip over to the Customs office to let them know we were now in the water. Last year we did not notify them and they were displeased. This year they couldn't seem to care at all. You never know what rules they are going to enforce. The next day, Christmas Eve, the rigger came over and did a final tuning of the rigging. I noticed that the fresh water pump seemed to be cycling more than usual. A quick check showed that one of our water tanks we had just filled was down a quarter. We searched everywhere looking for the leak and couldn't find anything. Cori did a final load of laundry and sent out our float plan. When traveling to and from Trinidad we have three Trinidad contacts that we notify so they are aware that we are out there and our contacts back home that we notify in case there is a problem and they get contacted. After that we moved out to a mooring to finish preparations. The weather forecast was saying the next two days were favorable for the trip to Grenada.
Wednesday, Christmas Day. It was a quiet night on the mooring and it felt good to be back in the water again feeling Hi Flite gently rolling. I found where I suspected the water leak was and decided to do a temporary fix. I bypassed the pump that distributes the water and connected to a foot pump at the galley sink that usually pumps sea water in. We still had fresh water but only at the galley sink. By this time we were down a half a tank, thirty gallons. We made another trip to the yard for a quick shower then went over to check out. I had asked at Customs what the fee would be for checking out to be sure we had enough TT money. I had not thought to check with Immigration if they had a fee. Checking out with Immigration went very smooth and I was glad I had the $200 TT ($30 US) to pay them. Off to the Customs office we went. Because it was Christmas Day there was a clerk who didn't normally do that job. After filling out the paperwork and she calling her supervisors to decide if everything was ok she asked for the fee, $250 TT ($37 US). It was a holiday and overtime charges were added. I had checked with Customs and had money for their fee but gave most of it to Immigration. I was $200 TT short. She was able to find enough change to break some of our US currency and we were checked out. A lesson for next time, check with both offices about their fees. Back on the boat we finished preparations and decided to move over to the fuel dock to top off the water. We didn't want to leave without our tanks full. Being a holiday the fuel dock was closed but the water was still turned on. With the tanks full we cast off for our overnight trip to Grenada.
We make this trip overnight because of the distance and speed we travel, 80 miles at about 5-6 knots. If we leave during daylight we will arrive after dark, We try very hard not to arrive after nightfall, too many things can go wrong. It was 4:00 pm and we raised the sails and headed off. We have made this run two other times and we agreed that this was the most pleasant of the three. The winds were out of the east-southeast at about 15 knots and the seas were only about 3-4 feet. The best conditions we could ask for. We made the passage without a problem arriving in Grenada just after sunrise. It had been a cloudless night without a moon and the stars and milky way were as bright as I had ever seen them. We motored up into Clarks Court Bay and dropped anchor at 8:00 am. We sorted things out and lay down for a nap. It had been a long night even with us changing off shift. The day after Christmas is Boxing Day and is another holiday. We opted to not check in and waited to do it the next day and avoid the overtime fee.
Friday morning we took the dinghy around to the next bay and checked in. We were now officially in Grenada. On the way back to the boat we stopped at Whisper Cove Marina to pick up a loaf of bread. They have a bakery and have some of the best fresh loaves of bread I have found. Once on the boat it was time for a PBJ sandwich on fresh bread. There is little else that can compare. Now it was time to get to work. I had planned out how to troubleshoot the leak problem by disconnecting and plugging one feed line at a time. I reconnected the pump and started changing connections. The third line I checked was the culprit. Fortunately it was a line we do not use. Several years ago we removed the sink in the V-berth and had left the line to feed a connection into the anchor locker for wash-down purposes. Since then I had installed a wash-down pump and feed line from the forward water tank and that line was not being used anymore. It was a simple matter of capping it off at he distribution manifold. Problem solved. Since the boat was built around the line it will stay there unused forever.
Saturday we made a run to a marina to buy some gasoline since I needed to charge the batteries after running them down on the crossing. We are still using more power then the solar and wind generator can put in. Cori joined her local friends at Hog Island to clean and prepare sea urchins to make what they call "sea eggs" and I spent the day reading and listening to the generator. Sunday was a quiet day on the boat and we later joined a group of cruisers at the Hog Island beach for a couple of beers. Monday was spent going to visit a local family that is storing some of our stuff and sorting it out and making arrangements to get it back on the boat.
It's Tuesday, New Years Eve and again I am charging up the batteries. We have had a couple of overcast days and we are anchored where we don't get the full effect of the wind so the batteries need help.
Here is a little story about our time in Trinidad. Trinidad and Tobago are an independent country that was a former part of the British Empire. They have their own currency, the Trinidad/Tobago dollar ($TT). The exchange rate of one TT dollar is equal to about fifteen cents US. Therefore it takes a lot of cash to pay for something. For example one evening we went out for fish and chips. The price was $98 TT or $14.50 US. Needless to say most transactions are made with hundred dollar bills. They announced that beginning December 14 they were introducing a new one hundred dollar bill. Now when the US does this it leaves the old bills in circulation and takes them out of circulation as they wear out. Here in Trinidad they announced that you had 14 days to trade in your old bills. The old bills were being replaced and after December 31 would not be worth the paper they were printed on. They become scratch paper. You can imagine the confusion and the lines at the banks.They also required that you show proof of identification and fill out a form describing how you came to have this money. There were several stories of people showing up with millions of dollars to trade in but they put a limit on how much you could trade at one time, depending if you were a customer of the bank or not. It also took several days to get the new bill into the ATMs. There were stories that car sales had jumped with many instances of being bought with cash. People with too much cash were looking for ways to get rid of it. This was all taking place during the Christmas shopping season and several days when the banks were closed for holidays. Many of the businesses put an early limit on when they would no longer accept the old bills so that they would have time to exchange what they had on hand. We had to be careful when exchanging money to be sure that we received the new rather then the old.
That's it for now.
We want to wish all of our friends and families a Happy New Year!
Tuesday, December 31, 2019
Sunday, December 22, 2019
Almost Ready
We are still in the boatyard. I had originally estimated that we would be here for three weeks and it has been a little over five. But we do have a launch date. Of course we had one a week ago that got pushed back.
The big delay has been because we decided to have the mast painted. It took several days to remove all of the hardware, several more waiting for the welder to make some repairs, several to have it painted and several more to have it reinstalled. While the mast was off we made some modifications. We ran a new cable for the VHF radio. This involved some soldering which is a skill I never developed but we made do. The cables inside the mizzen mast (we have two masts) had been hitting the sides of the mast when the boat rocked. We added several new cables in the last few years and it was now making a noise that we could no longer ignore. This was the reason to have that mast pulled from the start. We solved this by running the cables through several pool noodles and sliding them up inside the mast. Now the cables will have some padding around them and the noise will stop. Who knew there were so many uses for pool noodles? Eventually all these were sorted out and it was time to reinstall (step) the masts. The reinstall went smoothly and all is well. I must mention that while the hardware was off the masts Cori gave every piece of stainless steel a thorough polishing and waxing.
Once the mast were installed it was time to get around to other projects. I started a simple project with the engine. I replaced the sacrificial zinc anodes and attempted to replace the water intake pumps impeller. I say attempted because it didn't exactly go well. First off you need to understand that we have a diesel engine installed in a very confining space. To make matters worse it is installed backwards. The front to the motor faces the stern and is only serviceable from the rear. This means that in order to do simple jobs like adjust the belts I have to work while laying on top of the engine and working around an array of cables and hoses. The pump is in a very awkward space and hard to work on. Replacing the impeller involves removing four bolts, sliding the face plate off. sliding the impeller out. Not impossible but just very clumsy to do while laying on top of the engine and trying to reach the work area with both hands. I also had to deal with the fact that for some reason the power was out in the yard and I needed to aim a flashlight to the area I was working in. Well, to make a short story long, it didn't go well. The fourth bolt I attempted to remove sheared off. It had corroded and was weak. This meant that I now had to remove the pump and find a repair. In order to remove the pump I first needed to reroute some hoses, and remove the alternator. Not insurmountable but remember trying to hold that pesky flashlight? Once the alternator was off I was able to get at the pump mount. I was very proud of myself for not dropping anything until the last bolt and the specially designed mounting nut dropped under the engine. Fortunately it and most everything I was working with are not stainless steel. Stainless steel does not react to a magnet but this part did. I was able to swing a magnet on a line near enough to catch it and the day was saved. Losing things in the hidden pockets in a boat is not unheard of. I once lost a socket and ratchet wrench while replacing the impeller several years ago. I never have found them, I just need to add them to the price when we decide to sell the boat. This all happened on a Friday and we were scheduled to be launched on Monday. I checked around and was given the mane of a shop in the neighboring boat yard to take the pump to. Remember I said the power was out? It was an area thing and since the power was off they closed and went home for the day. I checked with Budget Marine next door to see if they carried the pump, they didn't but told me who may have it. I packed it up and caught a bus to check. I told the driver where I was going and they dropped me off right in front. Continuing my streak of luck the person who dealt with pumps was gone for the day. I left the pump and asked him to contact me on Monday. Monday I received an email from him that it was no problem, I just needed to decide if I wanted it in a week or in three weeks and the price was totally out of our budget. I made the bus trip back to pick up the pump and they suggested a machine shop near the boat yard. Back on the bus. By now it was late and they were closed. The next day, Tuesday, I brought the pump over and they said not a problem they would have it done by lunch. Now I have to find a rebuild kit since the original problem was that the seal had failed and water had leaked out and ruined the bolt, not to mention the bearing. Several calls and I was told they had the parts. Another bus ride and I had the parts in hand. I dropped them off at the machine shop and they said they would get at it right after lunch and to pick it up at 3:00. We are used to everyone operating on island time but this is the first time that someone was true to their word and it was ready. Wednesday morning I started early reinstalling everything. It helped that the power was on and I had a light to work with. I didn't drop anything, used no words I would be ashamed of saying in front of my mother and it was once again ready to run. I also took the opportunity to change the oil, the filter and transmission fluid. Service engine checked off the list. We are getting closer.
Now not all we are doing is working. Most days, around beer-thirty, we have been making a trip to the store in the yard to have a couple of beers with other cruisers and compare the day. Most days my problems are small compared to the others.
Cori has been busy with getting the sails on, giving the boat a good scrubbing and working on some sewing projects. Today, Saturday, we took a break and made a trip to PriceMart (similar to Sams Club or Costco) for our final provisioning. Other than fresh fruits and vegetables we have enough supplies to last several months.
We are scheduled to be launched Monday afternoon and plan to spend Christmas here. We plan to make the trip to Granada later in the week when the winds and waves look more favorable.
That's it, not what I had planned when we arrived but it is all part of the cruising experience: repairing boats in exotic locations.
The big delay has been because we decided to have the mast painted. It took several days to remove all of the hardware, several more waiting for the welder to make some repairs, several to have it painted and several more to have it reinstalled. While the mast was off we made some modifications. We ran a new cable for the VHF radio. This involved some soldering which is a skill I never developed but we made do. The cables inside the mizzen mast (we have two masts) had been hitting the sides of the mast when the boat rocked. We added several new cables in the last few years and it was now making a noise that we could no longer ignore. This was the reason to have that mast pulled from the start. We solved this by running the cables through several pool noodles and sliding them up inside the mast. Now the cables will have some padding around them and the noise will stop. Who knew there were so many uses for pool noodles? Eventually all these were sorted out and it was time to reinstall (step) the masts. The reinstall went smoothly and all is well. I must mention that while the hardware was off the masts Cori gave every piece of stainless steel a thorough polishing and waxing.
Once the mast were installed it was time to get around to other projects. I started a simple project with the engine. I replaced the sacrificial zinc anodes and attempted to replace the water intake pumps impeller. I say attempted because it didn't exactly go well. First off you need to understand that we have a diesel engine installed in a very confining space. To make matters worse it is installed backwards. The front to the motor faces the stern and is only serviceable from the rear. This means that in order to do simple jobs like adjust the belts I have to work while laying on top of the engine and working around an array of cables and hoses. The pump is in a very awkward space and hard to work on. Replacing the impeller involves removing four bolts, sliding the face plate off. sliding the impeller out. Not impossible but just very clumsy to do while laying on top of the engine and trying to reach the work area with both hands. I also had to deal with the fact that for some reason the power was out in the yard and I needed to aim a flashlight to the area I was working in. Well, to make a short story long, it didn't go well. The fourth bolt I attempted to remove sheared off. It had corroded and was weak. This meant that I now had to remove the pump and find a repair. In order to remove the pump I first needed to reroute some hoses, and remove the alternator. Not insurmountable but remember trying to hold that pesky flashlight? Once the alternator was off I was able to get at the pump mount. I was very proud of myself for not dropping anything until the last bolt and the specially designed mounting nut dropped under the engine. Fortunately it and most everything I was working with are not stainless steel. Stainless steel does not react to a magnet but this part did. I was able to swing a magnet on a line near enough to catch it and the day was saved. Losing things in the hidden pockets in a boat is not unheard of. I once lost a socket and ratchet wrench while replacing the impeller several years ago. I never have found them, I just need to add them to the price when we decide to sell the boat. This all happened on a Friday and we were scheduled to be launched on Monday. I checked around and was given the mane of a shop in the neighboring boat yard to take the pump to. Remember I said the power was out? It was an area thing and since the power was off they closed and went home for the day. I checked with Budget Marine next door to see if they carried the pump, they didn't but told me who may have it. I packed it up and caught a bus to check. I told the driver where I was going and they dropped me off right in front. Continuing my streak of luck the person who dealt with pumps was gone for the day. I left the pump and asked him to contact me on Monday. Monday I received an email from him that it was no problem, I just needed to decide if I wanted it in a week or in three weeks and the price was totally out of our budget. I made the bus trip back to pick up the pump and they suggested a machine shop near the boat yard. Back on the bus. By now it was late and they were closed. The next day, Tuesday, I brought the pump over and they said not a problem they would have it done by lunch. Now I have to find a rebuild kit since the original problem was that the seal had failed and water had leaked out and ruined the bolt, not to mention the bearing. Several calls and I was told they had the parts. Another bus ride and I had the parts in hand. I dropped them off at the machine shop and they said they would get at it right after lunch and to pick it up at 3:00. We are used to everyone operating on island time but this is the first time that someone was true to their word and it was ready. Wednesday morning I started early reinstalling everything. It helped that the power was on and I had a light to work with. I didn't drop anything, used no words I would be ashamed of saying in front of my mother and it was once again ready to run. I also took the opportunity to change the oil, the filter and transmission fluid. Service engine checked off the list. We are getting closer.
The offending pump
The red beast that lives within
Now not all we are doing is working. Most days, around beer-thirty, we have been making a trip to the store in the yard to have a couple of beers with other cruisers and compare the day. Most days my problems are small compared to the others.
Cori has been busy with getting the sails on, giving the boat a good scrubbing and working on some sewing projects. Today, Saturday, we took a break and made a trip to PriceMart (similar to Sams Club or Costco) for our final provisioning. Other than fresh fruits and vegetables we have enough supplies to last several months.
We are scheduled to be launched Monday afternoon and plan to spend Christmas here. We plan to make the trip to Granada later in the week when the winds and waves look more favorable.
That's it, not what I had planned when we arrived but it is all part of the cruising experience: repairing boats in exotic locations.
Sunday, December 1, 2019
Still in the Yard, Working On Projects
Here's an update on how we are doing.
We are still in the boatyard, I had guessed we would be here for about three weeks and it has been two and a half so far. I am estimating another two at most. We have been busy. We decided to pull the mainmast and have it painted. There was some corrosion and we would be able to repair it and give everything a close inspection. Having the mast pulled was the easy part.
I had gotten everything ready the day before and it took less than an hour. That's when the work started. I spent two days with a three pound hammer and an impact driver removing everything I could from the mast. Most of these screws had been in place since the original construction in 1981. The mast is aluminum and the screws are stainless steel. There is a chemical reaction with two dis-similar metals and they will seize together. A lot of PB Blaster, a penetrating oil, was used and a lot of force from the driver. My arms ached for days. Our painter got busy once everything was removed and stripped the old finish and got it ready for painting. We were delayed several days while we waited for the welder to repair some spots with severe corrosion. He did an excellent job of filling in and then grinding down the problem areas. Finally it was time to paint. Painting aluminum involves a number of steps. First it needs to be cleaned, then etched so the paint will adhere, then primed and finally painted. This was all done in an afternoon.
It is now sitting over the weekend to let it cure.
While all of this has been going on Cori has been polishing the stainless pieces that have been removed. She has borrowed a grinder with a buffing wheel and is giving everything a good going over.
Other things have been happening also. We have been having a problem keeping the batteries charged so it is time to change them out. We use six 6 volt golf cart batteries as our main house bank. When changing out batteries you have to replace them all at the same time or the older ones will drag down the new ones to their level. Fortunately this doesn't happen very often but it is an ongoing cost of cruising. The Budget Marine store next to the yard carries the ones I need. An order was placed and when they were ready we made a trip to Customs to declare them and they were ready to be installed. The yard provided us with a forklift and driver to raise them up instead of carrying them up the ladder.
This is what $8400 TT (Trinidad and Tobago dollars) will buy. It isn't that bad since it converts to $1200 in US dollars. The reason for the trip to Customs was so that we would not have to pay the 14% VAT (value added tax or as we call it, sales tax). We should get at least six years of use if I take care of them.
Another project was to finish up the windlass install. It did not come with the proper size gypsy to fit our chain so that needed to be switched out. I had bought the right one over the summer and brought it with us. I found that I would have to remove the windlass in order to make the switch. That went well. I was also going to add a chain-stopper to guide the chain as it was going in and out. Once I got the mount for that made and decided where it needed to be placed I realized I needed to remove the windlass once again in order to access the underside of the deck to bolt it down. I am now very proficient at removing and installing the windlass.
It hasn't been all work. We stop around 5:00 or beer-thirty to sit back and have a couple of beers with some of the other cruisers. Sunday afternoon is time for dominoes. Cori sends me to play and tries to get more work done without me in the way. Thursday was Thanksgiving and in previous years we have joined the other cruisers for a pot luck dinner. This year there are only about three of us from the US so it didn't happen. Thursday evening is BBQ night where they fire up a grill and you bring something to put on it and a dish to share. We spent the evening with three Canadian couples and grilled some chicken. The day did not go by without some turkey being eaten. Here is what lunch looked like:
This last Saturday we made a run to the public market. It wasn't that we needed much, it is just another adventure. Here are some photos:
Tomorrow we start putting the hardware back onto the mast. Once that is done we will schedule having them reinstalled and continue with the projects. Several of them can't be done until the mast have been re-stepped.
Did I mention that it is hot? Everyday is about the same, 80-90 degrees during the day with a rain shower most afternoons that really kicks the humidity up and then down 70 at night. We have an air conditioner so we are able to be comfortable and can get out of the heat at times. Here is a typical weather forecast:
I have taken advantage of a good Internet connection to add a lot of photos. I hope you enjoy them, I won't always have a good connection.
We are still in the boatyard, I had guessed we would be here for about three weeks and it has been two and a half so far. I am estimating another two at most. We have been busy. We decided to pull the mainmast and have it painted. There was some corrosion and we would be able to repair it and give everything a close inspection. Having the mast pulled was the easy part.
I had gotten everything ready the day before and it took less than an hour. That's when the work started. I spent two days with a three pound hammer and an impact driver removing everything I could from the mast. Most of these screws had been in place since the original construction in 1981. The mast is aluminum and the screws are stainless steel. There is a chemical reaction with two dis-similar metals and they will seize together. A lot of PB Blaster, a penetrating oil, was used and a lot of force from the driver. My arms ached for days. Our painter got busy once everything was removed and stripped the old finish and got it ready for painting. We were delayed several days while we waited for the welder to repair some spots with severe corrosion. He did an excellent job of filling in and then grinding down the problem areas. Finally it was time to paint. Painting aluminum involves a number of steps. First it needs to be cleaned, then etched so the paint will adhere, then primed and finally painted. This was all done in an afternoon.
It is now sitting over the weekend to let it cure.
While all of this has been going on Cori has been polishing the stainless pieces that have been removed. She has borrowed a grinder with a buffing wheel and is giving everything a good going over.
Other things have been happening also. We have been having a problem keeping the batteries charged so it is time to change them out. We use six 6 volt golf cart batteries as our main house bank. When changing out batteries you have to replace them all at the same time or the older ones will drag down the new ones to their level. Fortunately this doesn't happen very often but it is an ongoing cost of cruising. The Budget Marine store next to the yard carries the ones I need. An order was placed and when they were ready we made a trip to Customs to declare them and they were ready to be installed. The yard provided us with a forklift and driver to raise them up instead of carrying them up the ladder.
This is what $8400 TT (Trinidad and Tobago dollars) will buy. It isn't that bad since it converts to $1200 in US dollars. The reason for the trip to Customs was so that we would not have to pay the 14% VAT (value added tax or as we call it, sales tax). We should get at least six years of use if I take care of them.
Another project was to finish up the windlass install. It did not come with the proper size gypsy to fit our chain so that needed to be switched out. I had bought the right one over the summer and brought it with us. I found that I would have to remove the windlass in order to make the switch. That went well. I was also going to add a chain-stopper to guide the chain as it was going in and out. Once I got the mount for that made and decided where it needed to be placed I realized I needed to remove the windlass once again in order to access the underside of the deck to bolt it down. I am now very proficient at removing and installing the windlass.
It hasn't been all work. We stop around 5:00 or beer-thirty to sit back and have a couple of beers with some of the other cruisers. Sunday afternoon is time for dominoes. Cori sends me to play and tries to get more work done without me in the way. Thursday was Thanksgiving and in previous years we have joined the other cruisers for a pot luck dinner. This year there are only about three of us from the US so it didn't happen. Thursday evening is BBQ night where they fire up a grill and you bring something to put on it and a dish to share. We spent the evening with three Canadian couples and grilled some chicken. The day did not go by without some turkey being eaten. Here is what lunch looked like:
This last Saturday we made a run to the public market. It wasn't that we needed much, it is just another adventure. Here are some photos:
Tomorrow we start putting the hardware back onto the mast. Once that is done we will schedule having them reinstalled and continue with the projects. Several of them can't be done until the mast have been re-stepped.
Did I mention that it is hot? Everyday is about the same, 80-90 degrees during the day with a rain shower most afternoons that really kicks the humidity up and then down 70 at night. We have an air conditioner so we are able to be comfortable and can get out of the heat at times. Here is a typical weather forecast:
I have taken advantage of a good Internet connection to add a lot of photos. I hope you enjoy them, I won't always have a good connection.
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