OUTBOARD MOTOR FIX

I couldn't find the right spark plug - the main suspect for the conking out on Union Island back in May. So emailed a company in Port of Spain, who replied promptly with suggestions on where to go, and one saturday morning set off from Tim's place having memorised the route from google maps. It was a fair old walk, which I needed, but as it was the day after the night before, managed to en route mis-remember the name of the business premises, and even better, the number of the plug. I found the road ok, which is probably a surprise to you, but found it to be wall to wall motor dealers with no obvious choice of target.

I decided to ask 3 local lads lolling around chatting, but of course asked for a non existent place. After some teeth sucking and head shaking they suggested a place back down the road I'd just come up, which just happens to be the right place, I find. Lucky! By then there's only 5 minutes to go to closing time but fingers crossed.

I go in, give the man the wrong number for the plugs and get given the wrong plugs, of course. He quickly loses interest and starts serving another as I stare helplessly at the oversize plugs. Why oh why didn't I WRITE IT DOWN?! Two minutes to closing..

In desperation I tell him how it was I that phoned earlier, and a small Indian lad pipes up with the correct number straight away. I get the plugs.

CREW FINDING

I am using a website to see if I can pick up some crew, and company, on the way. For the past couple of months there has been only a trickle of interest, but suddenly in late November - when northern winters start to bite I guess - I have 6, 7, 8 people all interested, all in one day. Replying to them all in a useful and positive way took a whole morning.

Most are not going to happen as they are still the wrong side of the Atlantic and I suspect are just testing the waters. Why not! But there are quite a lot of mainly younger folk who do their travelling like this, and its a cheap way to do it - the travelling and accommodation comes free. I have spoken with quite a few who would make good crew I'm sure, but the difficult bit is fitting it all together time and place wise as cruiser boats don't run to agendas and timings are variable - being able to choose when to sail is one of the most important safety factors.

THE AUTOPILOT FIX

Received the Hydraulic ram back having been cleaned up, but the pump had to stay in place, as to get it out I would either have to take out half the sole (floor) of the lazarette, or drill a large enough access hole to get my hand in there to undo two nuts. Neither appealed. The autopilot is a no-go-without item for a single hander as although I dont use it much, sometimes I can't be in two places at once and need it - usually when there's a problem with a sail up for'd. The only other bit was the reservoir, which looked ok, but when I took that out it had a nice thick brown sludge settled hard on the bottom. A bit of research on the net to find out what to clean it out with, and a whole days work and that reservoir was good as new.

Put it all back together, topped up with new hydraulic oil (more research), bled it (yes more research) and tried it. Lots of noise from the pump, erratic movements from the wheel - but at least it was doing something now. A couple of days later after more bleeding, a check by a lad from the Raymarine shop (who left a nut undone, thanks) and it was working beautifully again.

OTHER WIP

Emptied the forecabin of sails thus compounding the mess having had the cockpit full of spare anchors and stuff out of the lazarette whilst the autopilot was being worked on, and completely removed the headlining that was 80% hanging off anyway. Reglueing with contact adhesive spray is an interesting experience in a confined space like that, ok as long as you dont breathe.

Filled up the difficult to get to locker stbd side in the forecabin with items unlikely to be used, like the double bed conversion!

Even better, wrote down what was in there!

Next was the fairly useless forecabin wardrobe. Currently a small unused hanging space, I made a good solid shelf halfway down out of spare wood, and fitted a piece of elasticated netting higher up, so for the first time I had somewhere other than a bag to keep my clothes. Painted out, wood varnished, I am ridiculously proud of this improvement which would go unnoticed by anyone else, and like to have a look at it daily. Saddo. No more moving my bag around whenever I needed to get at a cabin locker. Well, its the little things in life..

Got a nice piece of teak from the woodman to roll the back screen of the bimini cover in. Looks great!

..and then there's the cleaning. Always things to clean, clean, clean..

Still to do: mainly the cockpit - clean - and all the teak needs oiling apart from the rubbing strake which I've done. However, it needs to stop raining first.