5Dec2006
Puerto Lucia, La Libertad, EcuadorWe are up and off the ground. Not quite floating, although our bow sits over rocks as the waters crash under it and against the breakwater. It is a bit discomforting to be above water and over rocks.
Two days ago, the Marineras, workers at the boatyard, watched as Gaby and Sami lowered all the components for their bikes down the 15' to the yard. We have been carrying these aluminum bikes with us since El Salvador, a gift from our friends on s/v Aquastrian. The Captain threatened to abandon them at every Port of Call (as they are difficult to stow, in a boat loaded and disorganized, as ours). However, Sami and I love to bike, so we have resisted the pressure for over a year.
The Marineras watched the girls' attempts to rebuild the bikes. In frustration, G 'n S left the bikes in a heap of parts to await help from Dad. At that moment, John was too busy to help them and I was, too. Then like magic, the bikes were together. The Marineras took pity and with initiative, rebuilt the bikes. It was really kind of them. They are like that here in this boatyard, helpful and friendly, not expecting a tip or anything more than a "Muchas gracias".
Sami was tickled, it was like Christmas morning and she got her NEW bike. You know that phrase, "you never forget how to ride a bike." Sami followed that just fine and took off in her flip flops. Gaby on the other hand, was self conscience and didn't like all the Marineras watching (even at a some distance). So, Gaby hasn't had much fun. Gaby is more shy about such matters. But Sami being Sami, keeps nudging her sister to ride a little every day. And Gaby being Gaby is obliging to please her sister, secretly she competes to overcome her own apprehensions of the bike and being watched by others. It is interesting to observe as these inanimate objects (the bikes) are providing life lessons for the girls and further depth in their relationship.
The girls are plugging away at school, doing a lesson and a half per day. They will take their first set of exams on Wednesday.
The haul out is being a haul out. Uncovering more woes, one problem leads to another and well, you know how it goes. Naively, we thought matters would be straightforward, but they never are...are they?...
Captain is working (mentally and physically) really hard, I can see it in his silence as his mind is racing; solving problems, organizing tasks, delegating tasks, and when all else fails, applying brute force. He let's us know if he needs time alone to grump and be grumpy and we give him lots of space for these moments. One day, we even camped out at the Cruiser's Lounge to abandon the ship.
STATUS REPORT
1. Hull: We hired a laborer for $15/day (Julio) who has helped us with laborious jobs. Julio has hand-cleaned the entire boat's hull. Great job. I kept him fed with a good hot lunch each day; even made him and us, Char Sui Bows with a side plate of beans and rice. Yesterday, Julio worked at hand-sanding the bow. It was slow going for one man. His sanding has revealed more pinholes in the hull which is not good news. This may be an early warning of a major project and a major decision for the Captain and First Mate.2. Galley Sump Tank: John is installing a new sump tank under the galley sink. Months ago, John noticed that a patch of bottom paint on the hull, around a through-hull hole (that's a mouth full) for the sink drain outflow, was nearly all burned away. Without the bottom paint, organic sea matter was adhering and growing abundantly fast. Perhaps, the hot water from the galley sink was burning the bottom paint off the hull in this area? Solution: John is installing a sump tank and pump under the sink, thus allowing the drain water to be pumped overboard at a place above the waterline. Yes, he took the drill to the hull and had to punch a new hole in the boat. Yes, he will weld the old hole at the bottom of the hull shut.
3. Sweet Water Tank: We emptied our 350 gallon fresh water tank so that George Stewart (Canadian, yard service manager) can assign his smallest-framed guy to crawl in and sand the entire rusty "bucket". John is going to have a sealant applied to prohibit further corrosion. Also, we will need to build and install new fiberglass baffles, the originals were made of steel and were the major source of corrosion.
4. Dinghy Cover: In washing the dinghy cover, I found worn-out vinyl and wear and tear to the sumbrella. In the future, I would not recommend using vinyl in a dinghy cover. It is not sturdy enough for the daily use. I'd suggest a light leather is more durable. This project will take a few days as I need to find the leather and go from there with its installation.
5. Reefer: Being on land and not able to use sea water to cool our refrigeration system meant the Captain had to come up with an alternate "temporary" cooling system. One thing led to the next, including a conversation during "Cerveza Time", with Royce (s/v RDreamz), that has lead to a new project and the designs for a new water cooling system for the refrigerator. John will replum the system to use fresh sweet water, instead of seawater, to cool the refrigerator. The concept is to dedicated a sweet water recirculating cooling tank for the refrigerator. Finding a location for this small cooling tank is a bit of a challenge, but John is considering several options including placing it inside the 350 gallon tank. Eventually, he will need to replumb the system. This will eliminate the every two week cleaning of the filters where we found barnacles and other organic sea matter growing and clogging up our hoses, filter and pump. Geniuses working with a cerveza nearby.
4. Floorboards: For five years, I have awaited the painting of the interior floor boards of the boat. The ugly and disgusting ruddy-brown original floorboards were the only part of our remodel of Encanto that John did not want to undertake when we lived in California. Over the years of cruising, there has been a loosely hung promise that the project could begin when we are at a place where time, supplies and labor can make it feasible. Patience is a quality that I have certainly shown with this project. However, La Libertad and Puerto Lucia appear to be the perfect place for us to remove all the floorboards, remove all the existing paint (sanding), purchase sealer, primer and paint and go at it. We agreed that this is a project that the girls and I can do with minimal assistance from John.
6. Transmission: Replace a zinc to the transmission cooler, maintenance item.
7. Project Management: I'm sure there are more PROJECTS on the "TO DO LIST", but I think the Captain has the list buried under his tools and old rags, or in his head...so this is all, that I know, for this website entry....
Oh, yah...PENDING....what lurks behind and ahead....
-- found small crack where the keel meets the bilge sump....ok, not good. From inside the boat, I can see daylight. Undesirable holes, even in a doubled hulled boat are unwanted. When hauled, rusty water was flushed from the bilge. The bilge pump worked all day to empty this rusty water. Shall we call this one...Project Mystery Crack?
--bilge pump broke when it had to work overtime. Jerry-rigged a pump so it works for now. Will add a new bilge pump to the future purchases when in the USA. Can't find one here.
--after Julio hand-cleaned the entire boat and started to hand-sand the bow, John discovered tiny pinholes in the steel hull. Some large rust patches in the top coat were obvious, but these new pinholes make us wonder if the original bottom paint was a poor quality paint or if it was applied correctly? Will this mean that we will need to remove all paint, and sand down to the bare steel and start over with several layers of protective paint from top to bottom? This is a BIGGER job than just the every two year maintenance effort.
--the topping lift on the boom broke when we hauled out.
--increasing corrosion on the interior hull where we stow canned goods. Are the canned goods and moisture accelerating the corrosion of the hull? We are considering an option to remove all canned goods from under the floor boards thus reducing further corrosion. Problem: where do we stow the canned goods? We will need at least 2-6 months provisions for passage and living in the South Pacific in 2007. Discussions at the family dinner table include converting the girls bunk beds into storage areas and "formally" converting the forward bathroom, into a pantry storage room.
--need to remove the prop and lift the engine, then shift the engine and the tranny back so we can get replace the cutlass bearing. (a bearing that supports the propshaft as the propshaft exits the boat)
--bug screening system. There are bugs, mosquitos and noseeums in Puerto Lucia and we are reminded that we remain challenged to design a permanent bug screening set up. Our temporary one works, although it constrains air circulation and on hot nights, it can be miserable. We suspect that in the South Pacific this will be an important issue to have resolved.
We arrived to do modest maintenance projects, but it looks like we will be undertaking major projects. Alas, what will today bring? Always an adventure, even "living on the hard." Meeting the challenge of the unexpected is what adventure is all about for us. We meet adventure and challenge everyday, little is routine or "ho hum" on s/v Encanto.
Depressed as all this can be for the Captain, he remains optimistic: "I see boats, like Jack's, that look spectacular, the stainless is all shiny, the hull immaculate, and the deck all orderly. Then two slips down from Jack's boat, I see, Susan's boat, with its broken mast, stuff all over, and problems rampant. Well, maybe we aren't in too bad a shape."
All of life is a matter of one's perspective.