That was the week that was
'Sarf & West mate, Sarf & West'
Pete Bernfeld
Fri 8 Jun 2012 21:22
A lot of minor, relatively unimportant jobs have been done, virtually all cosmetic. However the important 'stuff', namely engines and finishing off the electrical work......virtually nada!
I'm going to have to go round to the electricians' house this weekend. I've been unable to contact either father or son and if nothing else the anchor windlass needs to be finished. If they can't/won't complete the job early this coming week I'll retrieve the various 'bits' that are at the house and have somebody else finish the job. Enough is enough.
John the GRP, normally very reliable, found a job that had 'slipped through the net'. At the bottom of each rudder skeg there is a stainless shoe. The bottom of the rudder shaft sits in it One is missing, John thinks it might have come off on the reef. I'd need to check back through the photo album, but he might be right. Whatever, a new one has to be made except.....the right thickness/ grade of stainless is not available and delivery is uncertain. The option is for F$250 a metal one can be fabricated, shot blasted and two-pack primer put on. Not ideal, but it'll have to do.
Delivery of the sails was put back to Monday by mutual agreement. The weather is terrible at the moment, lots of heavy rain and anyway there's no point in having them bent-on and suffering avoidable UV damage.
The crane might be available, but the crane-company has a contract 'up-country', 57Kms in the interior and they won't come back for one lift. There are other cranes in Suva, but this company was more careful in their work. Just one more minor irritation.
Then we have the engine situation. I now have two bolted-in-place sail drives, filled with ATF fluid, props on but no rope cutters. One engine was delivered to the boat and I arranged to have it hoisted up on deck. Martin was apparently content to just leave it sitting underneath the boat. Apparently the 'con-rod situation' has been overcome, but get this. Yesterday afternoon the F### wit sent me a text message asking for partial payment on the second engine which he'll work on over this long (Queen's Birthday) weekend. He hasn't done the work, but he wants partial payment, and after the entire job is now two months late! I really don't know what planet this guy is living on. I've ignored the text message and I don't intend to waste any more time on him. If he hasn't done anything after the weekend I'll hire a pick-up truck with mini-crane and retrieve the engine. If once I get them installed I find any problems then matey-boy is going to find himself in court at some point, probably after I've left the country. I know that I'd lose the case, but I'll simply cause as much trouble for him as he's caused me. Hopefully more.
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