Calita Partida

This morning we weighed anchor at 9.45 AM and motored to Calita Partida, only 4 miles to the south. This is the gap between the islands Espiritu Santo and Partida that runs east-west and gives good protection from the north, east, and south. At the eastern end are overlapping spits of land from each island which form a natural breakwater and yet allow passage to shallow draft boats. On one of the spits was a well established fishing camp. Bob Carroll had recommended the anchorage and we were interested in taking the Zodiac to the other side of the islands.

On the way in we noticed another sailboat anchored on the northern side close to the cliffs of Isla Partida. We pushed on to the anchorage at the eastern side of the gap near the fishing camp and dropped anchor in 7 meters of very clear water over a sandy bottom. A few minutes later Brenda and I spotted an inflatable dinghy headed our way from the other yacht. The closer it got the more familiar it looked and yes, it was Bob Carroll on one of his trips to the islands and this was his second day here if I got it right. After a short visit he was off to the other side of the passage. An hour later we saw Bob returning to his boat. Brenda and I had by then had lunch and soon shoved off in the Zodiac to do some exploring of our own. We rounded a makeshift buoy as Bob had advised to get around the first spit of land then motored along a channel between the two spits with the fishing camp on our left. The water was crystal clear. We then rounded the second spit and made for a tiny sheltered beach on the Espiritu Santo side. We spent about an hour on shore, with me occupying myself with taking photographs and Brenda looking at the fauna and flora, which included a dip in the water. There had been talk of a Chubasco ("... a violent but short-lived squall, usually accompanied by thunder, lightning, rain, and strong winds") reaching the La Paz area this afternoon but sometimes it is better to not worry about what might be and enjoy what is right now, and on that visit to the shore we were enjoying a splendid day with a mild sun and a gentle easterly breeze. On the way back we visited the camp and asked two men if they could sell us some fish. They replied that they didn't have any this day but would have some tomorrow.

It was 2 PM by the time we returned to the boat. With the talk of the possibility of a Chubasco I took a few minutes to add my spare rode to the primary rode. I've only got 38 meters (118 ft) of 10 mm (3/8") chain as my primary rode and I'd feel much more comfortable with 60 meters. I learned in Port Townsend that metric chain is not available in the US so I decided to go with what I've got. What I do now is to lay down my anchor with the snubber taking the tension, then pull the tail of the chain onto the deck through the hawser pipe and shackle it to the 15 meters of chain of my spare rode with its 80 meters of 20 mm rope at the other end. So potentially I can pay out over 50 meters (164 ft) of chain and 80 meters (262 ft) of rope. In practice I'll pay out the chain only. If I start dragging and have to hold my ground my last resort will be to separate the 80 meters of rope from the chain and put it directly onto my 50 lb admiralty anchor as a second anchor.

In the late afternoon Brenda noticed that a catamaran had joined us at the anchorage, over closer to Bob at the north side.

The evening was picture perfect, with the lingering red hues of the sunset and almost still air. We enjoyed spotting the twin tips of manta rays and what we were sure was the heads of turtles coming up for air.

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Ensenada Grande

We weighed anchor at 10 AM and motored along the coast to Ensenada Grande on Isla Partida. We chose to hug the coast and pass inside several island in order to get a good look at some of the bays on offer to passing boats. We found crossing the gap between Isla Espiritu Santo and Isla Partida interesting. The two islands are so close that they are almost joined. We looked down Caleta Partida, as the gap is called, and could see the sand bars on the eastern side. It looks like an interesting place in real life as well as the chart and Brenda and I plan to anchor there on the way back.

We motored into Ensenada Grande and the gap leading to our planned anchoring spot seemed impossibly small from the distance. Nevertheless we persevered and dropped anchor at noon in 6.6 meters of water onto a sandy bottom about 400 ft from the southern cliff and 750 ft from the eastern cliff. We had our usual anchoring post mortem and I agree that I should proceeded another 300 ft before dropping anchor - but we are here discriminating between perfection and practical adequacy. Our position was 24N33.50, 110W23.88. We were the only boat in the bay and had the place to ourselves, including the southern beach which we termed with usual humility our private beach. On the northern side there was also a beach with what appeared to be an eco tourism base of operations: modern tents, plenty of kayaks, palapas and cane furniture, and toilet facilities. However, the place looked deserted so we assumed that there was a caretaker somewhere inside taking it easy.

Not long after dropping anchor Brenda expressed the desire to see a turtle. I replied that if anyone could spot a turtle in that bay it would be her. Twenty minutes later she saw her first sea turtle in the Sea of Cortez, going up for air with its tiny head and large trailing shell, then eventually disappearing into the depths for a while. Brenda also saw manta rays leaping out of the water and coming down with a large slap of their wings.

After the usual lunch followed by siesta we took off for the beach at 3.30 PM. That turned out to be a magnificent experience. The beach was gravelly with a fast-rising bottom that made for an easy landing. Behind the beach was a pool of water, the end of what appeared to be a water course when the heavy rains came. To the right was a cliff that gave great protection from the sun.

The swim was great, with its gentle water protected from the 15 kt easterly wind by the cliff. Because we had the place to ourselves I made the heroic decision to spare my underclothes from the ravages of salt water and went snorkeling au naturale. The first 20 meters of the bottom were rocky but thereafter I had a sand bottom falling away to the depth of Pachuca's keel remarkably near the edge of the water. Along the way I saw many colorful tropical fish that would not be out of place (aesthetically speaking) in a home aquarium.

Toward last light we saw an expensive "two domer" power "ship" arrive, laying their anchor after their second try just out from us. (I love watching other people anchor. I become an instant expert, secure in the knowledge that I am infallible. In this case I told Brenda that they had not laid down enough chain and soon saw that the anchor was not biting when they went into reverse. Sure enough, they raised their anchor, went forward, and did it better the second time.) Later that evening two women in an inflatable kayak from that boat paddled by. One of them asked about Pachuca's Aussie flag. She was an ex-Aussie lass raised in Canberra, then moved to Sydney, and now living in New York.

After dinner it was a glorious night with a gentle westerly wind massaging the skin better than any human could possibly do, and the canopy of stars dominated by the constellation Scorpio which Brenda described with its "little tail" and the scientific me responding that the "little tail" spanned many light years.

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At Isla Espiritu Santo

We are now at anchor in Ensenada La Gallina (24N27.00, 110W22.39) which in my opinion is the best anchorage on the island. We are snuggled in the SW corner of the bay, close enough to the cliff to hear the gentle lapping of the water, and protected from all sides except the west. At the moment the wind is out of the east at 7 knots, the sky is full of stars, and we are feeling pretty secure with 35 meters of chain in 9 meters of water over a good sand bottom.

The day went as planned with one exception. We left the slip at 0945 and motored out in a gentle wind and calm sea. As we cleared the La Paz channel I remarked that the navy mother ship was ahead with a panga hanging off its stern. Within 30 minutes the panga chased us down for another inspection. This one was different: Brenda said that the automatic weapons were much bigger, and they were not interested in the boat's equipment or in taking photographs - just the papers - and there was no customer feedback form to fill out. (I've haven't noticed the armament of either group of inspectors. Maybe it's a survival thing to focus on the people rather than the guns that they are toting.)

I actually enjoyed the visit. One official came on board, made himself comfortable, and asked to see the ship's papers. I told him no problem, but that this was the second inspection in three days. He asked about the boat's name Pachuca and told me how it was the name of the capital of Hidalgo province. I told him that the boat was named in Australia. During the process he noticed my fishing licenses and asked if I did any fishing. I let him know that I am the world's worst fisherman and haven't caught a fish since I left Australia two years ago. (Brenda told me later that when the armed crew on the panga overheard this their serious demeanor was changed to smiles.) Then this fine man proceeded to give me fishing tips, principally what bait to use and how to keep the fish from stealing it. He apologized for this second inspection and told me that the boat's name would be noted so that we would not be bothered again. I told him that it was no problem. He shook my hand and I felt like I was saying goodbye to a friend. I like this splendid place Mexico. It's the people that make it what it is.

After the inspection we proceeded to Isla Espiritu Santo at 2000 rpm doing speeds over the ground ranging from 6.1 to 7.4 knots. Along the way I figured out why the AIS was not displaying on the chart plotter: months ago the chart plotter had hung up and I figured out how to do a factory reset which had changed the NMEA baud rate. At 1.40 PM we dropped anchor, tidied up the boat, had lunch, and then a nap. In the late afternoon I launched the Zodiac and we made the 1 mile run to the head of the bay and landed on a patch of sandy beach to look around. On the way we waved to the people on a 42-ft yacht sharing the bay with us.

Back at the boat we had refreshing swims followed by fresh water rinses then we had some margaritas while Brenda produced a find dinner which we had in the cockpit over a bottle of wine. There was a cool wind, the stars were out, we felt secure, and it didn't get much better than this, as they say.

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Visiting the Islands

Nasty old Hurricane Frank is no more.  When he got to cooler waters he stalled, died, and now shows up as a garden variety weak low off Baja.  There is something brewing south of Acapulco but it has been given only a 20% chance of growing and in any event would take days to invade this area.

Brenda and I plan to motor today directly to Ensanada la Gallina  21 miles from la Paz on Isla Espiritu Santo then work our way up to Isla San Francisco, 44 miles from La Paz.  We expect to return on Thursday to give Brenda time  to prepare for her flight back to Oz on Sunday.

Engine Replacement Costs

Trying to keep track of costs during the repowering project was challenging enough because of "minor" charges being presented and paid off in cash often with no receipts during busy and demanding times.  To compound the challenge, some charges were presented in US dollars and others in Mexican pesos.  Because I express all costs in my spreadsheet in Aussie dollars I was forced to deal with an AUD-USD exchange rate that ranged from below .82 to above .94 during the span of the project. 

Having said that, the following is a summary of the repowering costs in Aussie dollars (AUD):

1. Engine Purchase and Preparation:  $17,052 ($13,392 USD)
2. Engine Spares, Crating, Shipment to San Diego: $1,333
3. Truck Transport San Diego - La Paz: $916
4. Hardstanding: $1228  (Includes haulout, 3 days on hardstand, labour for antifouling, cutlass bearing and propeller shaft)
5. Propellers Shaft: $675
6. Engine Bed Preparation and New Instrument Panel: $1686
7. Engine Installation: $3822

That yields a total of $26,712 AUD, or  $23,774 USD using the current exchange rate of .89.

The actual engine installation, leaving out the measures taken to deal with the bent propeller shaft, came in at $24,809 AUD.

I'll make some remarks on the costings.

The engine purchase costs (items 1&2) included "extras" such as the PSS dripless packing and the bronze high rise exhaust, as well as enough spare filters, belts, impellers, etc to get me back to Australia.  Also, not explicitly stated is the invaluable service that was provided to help me select the engine and its options.  I would not have known about the proper engine sizing, which gear option to choose, about the 8 degree coupler angle and its advantages, the high exhaust riser option, choice of instrumentation, etc.  Even after the installation I am getting a lot of help with propeller matching issues.  Anyone who thinks that he can put together an engine order from working with a web site is asking for big trouble.  It was my bad luck that the exchange rate of the Aussie dollar dipped from the high .90's to about .82 at the very time that I was paying for the engine in US dollars.  To add insult to injury the exchange rate climbed back to over .94 after my payments.

In my opinion the most difficult part of the repowering was the engine bed preparation, which involved lowering the engine beds and changing their angle.  In this Mac, one of the principals of Marina de La Paz, provided invaluable assistance when he quietly designed the new beds, complete with drawings, and built a jig on short notice only a day or two before he departed on a long holiday to the U.S.  Mac's work was the foundation for the engine bed preparation work that came in at $1686, including about 3 days of labor for the fabrication of the new cockpit instrument panel.

The charge for the actual engine installation work by Marina de La Paz came in at a remarkably low $3822.  This included tasks such as removing the old Sabb engine and then towing Pachuca back to her pen and 20% of the cost of a steel crane built for the job of lowering the new engine into the boat.  Joel, the chief mechanic, did the installation at a charge of 45 hours at $31 per hour.  The hourly cost of his colleagues was only $10 per hour.

I told Neil, the other principal of Marina de La Paz, how happy I was with the installation charges and more important, how happy I was with the quality with the work.  I cannot envision a better installation job done anywhere else in the world, and I will recommend Joel and his team at Marina de La Paz to anyone who asks.

And speaking of Neil, he's another factor that does not show up in the ledgers.  I thanked Neil for acting as interpreter, counselor, and de facto project manager.  He was my "go to" person with problems ranging from an obstructive Customs service to finding skilled specialists in carpentry, fiberglassing, and boat electrics.  I really don't know how I would have fared without him.

Doing It Tough In La Paz

Our favorite restaurant is Rancho Viejo on Calle Manuel Pineda just around the corner from the apartment.

It is a large restaurant/bar on a hill with two levels, the upper level offering a deck with splendid views of La Paz bay from the city across to the El Magote peninsula.    The first time we visited the restaurant we were greeted by the staff like long lost friends  Tonight was our third visit and the manager beamed when he saw us, shook my hand, and I introduced Brenda to him.  On the way past the bar I asked for our usual Margaritas (on the rocks, with salt) then we sat ourselves at the premier table to enjoy the vie and feel like millionaires while we sipped our margaritas. 

Dinner at Rancho Viejo

We felt like beef rather than fish tonight so Brenda ordered a T-bone steak (muy bien cocidas) and I had a filet mignon (cocino medio raro) and mine was outstanding with the spicy sauce accompanying vegetables and hot tortillas.  Brenda enjoyed hers which had a nice charcoal flavor to it.

The entire meal including drinks cost 350 pesos, or about $30 Aussie dollars.

Back in La Paz

We motored from Balandra back to La Paz today. 

At 3 AM I had seen lightning off to the SE and this morning we learned that another system independent of hurricane Frank had moved down the mountains and was heading west.  That along with continuing uncertainty about the future track of hurricane Frank as well as our total lack of experience with storms in and around the Sea of Cortez led us to choose prudence over adventure.

We motored back in gentle variable winds and a smooth sea.  As we were about to reach the entrance to the La Paz channel we were stopped by a panga with four military people.  One of them asked if he could come on board and of course I agreed.  He was a young man, very polite, and doing his job of inspecting our papers.  His biggest worry seemed to be communication across the language barrier.  I presented my FM3 residency card and the ship's papers from which he recorded the boat's international registration number.  He seemed very interested in our equipment and went to the binnacle where I pointed out the autopilot.  He asked about the engine I proudly told him that it was a nuevo Volvo  of cuarenta caballos with seis horas.  Inside the cabin he lit up when he saw the chart plotter and I also pointed out the two older GPS units (muy viejo I said).  He asked about radios and I pointed out the VHF and HF sets.  He took photographs of the equipment.

He asked for our names and ages then asked if he could photograph us.  Brenda saw him get the camera ready as I was bent over straightening out my papers and frantically tried to pull the back of my shorts up.  It would not have been a moon shot or even a "plumbers ass" because I was showing plenty of red underpants but nevertheless it would not have been flattering.  I straightened up and pulled up my shorts with what was left of my tattered dignity and our visitor and his colleagues in the panga broke out in laughter.   I joined in.  He took a photo of Brenda and me smiling from behind the wheel like a couple of tourists.

At the end of the visit I was asked to fill in an sign a form which was totally in Spanish.  However, I could understand enough to see that it was a customer feedback report in which I was to rate various aspects of the visit from muy buena to muy malo.  I ticked the muy buena with honesty because the visit had indeed been conducted with courtesy and professionalism.  However, Brenda did point out that it would be difficulty to give an adverse report when there is a man with an automatic weapon in a panga 3 feet away.  My big concern was how useful would a customer feedback form written in Spanish and administered by non-English speakers be to a newly arrived Gringo with minimal  knowledge of the language.

Just outside of the marina entrance I hailed the office on VHF 16 and asked for someone to take our lines. When we turned into the fairway I could see the familiar sight of Joel's son, who seems to deal with the jetties and fuel dock, waiting for us.  I backed in against a 6 kt tail wind close enough to hand him the line from the cockpit.

Jellyfish and Family at Marina de La Paz

While I was setting and adjusting the lines I noticed a large and very colorful jellyfish drifting from Pachuca under the walkway and to the next slip.   I was fascinated to see that this jellyfish was host to many tiny fish and one larger one who seemed to regard it as a mobile home that offered complete hospitality.  There must have been one of those biological symbiotic relationships at play.  Note the larger fish in the photo.

Another Day at Puerto Balandra

The wind started to veer late in the afternoon yesterday from the north to the east and to the SSE picking up strength as it clocked around to settle at about 20 knots for most of the night.  Fortunately we had just enough cover from Punta Diablo to enjoy a relatively peaceful night.

We looked at the predicted path of TC Frank and it was supposed to swing to the NNE on Sunday, losing strength.  We made plans for moving to Ensenada Gallina on the west side of Isla Espiritu Santo where there was just enough cover from Punta Catedral on the south side to give us similar protection to what we had enjoyed in Balandra. 

But then I heard on the VHF radio that the local weather guy had stated that the storm would definitely veer to the NE and hit La Paz on Monday or Tuesday.  That was about the time that we expected to return to La Paz so that Brenda could make preparations for her return to Oz and I didn't relish the thought of fighting our way back through thunderstorms and associated winds.  We decided to wait another day in Balandra.

We made the most of our extra day.  In the late morning when the wind had died down I prepared the Zodiac (e.g. inflated it, threw it over the side, lowered the outboard motor, loaded the paddles and air pump) and then we zoomed off to the beach with Mushroom Rock at one end.  The water was crystal clear and the beach and bottom were of white sand.  The water lapped onto the shore as though we were in a lake.

After a long swim that included a visit to Mushroom Rock we did a tour of the head of the bay then returned to the boat in time for lunch.  By then the wind had died down but at about 2PM it started coming in from the north and picking up strength and it started to look like a rerun of the previous evening.

First Day at Puerto Balandra

Today went as planned.  Brenda and I overloaded ourselves with baggage and made the walk to the boat at mid morning (mostly down hill, thank heavens).  After arranging things in the boat I went to the office and asked for someone to meet us at the fuel dock.  Brenda and I got the boat off the slip with no problem, helped immensely by the fact that the boat was bow on to the fairway.  The tie up to the fuel dock was uneventful and the tanks took an amazingly little 23.85 liters of diesel.  This represents the fuel consumption of the short trip that Arnold and I did that culminated in that frantic and smoky 8-hour lunge from San Evaristo to La Paz with one cracked engine head.  I recorded full tanks against the engine odometer of 2.8 hours.  Our departure from the fuel dock was not exactly picture perfect but we managed to get off OK with the help of a fellow yachtie who did a lot of pushing.

We had a sunny and pleasant 12 mile ride along the La Paz Channel past the Pemex oil terminal at the entrance to the channel, then past Bahia Pichilinque and the tiny Isla Lobos.  I ran the engine at about 1800 RPM, varying the speed at times as part of the break-in process.  In the smooth seas against an apparant head wind of 11 knots we were steaming along at 6-6.5 knots over the ground.  The engine temperature held  steady at about 195F.

We arrived at Puerto Balandra to find a very large motor cruiser and another sailboat at the northern side of the bay.  Arnold and I had spent a night at anchor here on our way to La Paz last spring.  The description in the cruising guide states that "Puerto Balandra is a picture perfect anchorage with its brilliant white sand and sparkling blue waters."  The bay has another attraction: a Telcel tower on a nearby hill which gives us access to the internet.  We dropped anchor in 6.1 meters of water over a sand bottom and soon found ourselves living in the scene of a yachting magazine.  But it was hot.  Everything that we touched on the boat seemed to be hot.  I hydrated myself with a couple of quick beers and soon I had the ladder over the side and Brenda and I had refreshing swims in the very warm - probably close to 80F - water. 

Puerto Balandra

Tomorrow we'll take the Zodiac to visit the "famous Mushroom Rock' and enjoy the beach.

The photo is a panoramic 180 degree shot of the bay.

Engine Honeymoon

We expect to fuel up the boat in a few hours then motor out of La Paz and spend a night on anchor at Puerto Balandra, a picturesque bay not far from La  Paz.  We then hope to spend the next 6 or 7 days mooching around the bays of some of the local islands such as Espiritu Santo, Partida, and maybe San Jose near San Evaristo.  Winds are generally too light for sailing this time of the year, which suits us because we want to put some hours on the engine.

A possible fly in the ointment is a tropical depression named Frank, 3 or 4 days south of here.  Fortunately the latest prediction  is that it will pass to the west and pose no threat to Baja California.

I expect to send daily text only blog updates via Sailmail.

Photos of the Apartment

Approaching the apartment at end

Here are some photos of the apartment and some of our neighboring birds. 

The large Tamarind Tree is in flower and there is a resident hummingbird. Although we have seen up to three hummingbirds in the tree, one pair appears to have assumed ownership  and individually they chase the intruders away. One morning this led to a fleeing hummingbird flying right through the apartment - in the entrance door, up too high so it was blockred by the room divider, then down and out the balcony door at the other side. They are very fast in full flight but can brake rapidly too. A continuing challenge for us is to capture the perfect hummingbird photo. Three of the attempts are below. Robert also took a photo of a White-winged Dove relaxing in the tree. The woodpecker photos were also taken from our door when the woodpecker was investigating the old barbeque. Then it hopped up a sheer concrete wall with no apparent footholds.

Note Weekly Drinking Water Supply in Blue Jug

View from Street Balcony

Engine Adjustments

I met Joel at the boat at 8.30 this morning so that he could adjust the engine alignment.  When he arrived I was looking at the travel provided by the accelerator lever in the cockpit and he confirmed what I was observing that when the accelerator lever is in full forward the accelerator on the engine is pegged out to its maximum.

After he separated the shaft and transmission couplings I asked him how the shaft was centered in the stern tube.  He slid the shaft back a couple of inches then moved it up, down, and sideways and reported that the shaft was properly centered when it was joined to the transmission.  He did say that if the shaft were making contact with the stern tube I would hear a distinct "bang bang bang' instead of a steady grinding sound.

He spent about 30 minutes with feeler guages studying the problem.  No gap around the coupling interface could exceed .003".  He made the curious observation that the gap moved around when he spun the shaft around, leading him to think that there might be a slight misalignment of the coupling on the shaft, bolted down hard as it was.  Mind you, with the tolerances that he was working with the variations must have been slight.

He made some adjustments in the front engine supports, rejoined the couplers, and we ran up the engine at 1800 rpm in forward gear, then reverse gear to check for wobble.  He was not happy with that result and had another go.  That's what I like about Joel.  He doesn't work to a schedule or deadline - a job will take as long as it takes.  He wound up raising the port forward mounting and lowering the aft starboard one ever so slightly and got the result that he wanted. 

Along the way he removed the gear shift cable and compared the slight play of the transmission  shift lever when in neutral against the position of the cable when the cockpit lever was in the neutral position and made an adjustment of several degrees.

After Joel left I finished cleaning and drying the bilge.  I left the bilge open so that it will get very dry before we set out on our week's tour of the nearby anchorages.  With no prospects of rain or heavy seas I will be interested to see if we ship any water during our motoring tour.

Brenda and I plan to motor out of the marina on Tuesday, filling up the diesel tanks on the way out.  Our first night will be probably at nearby Puerto Balandra, where Arnold and I spent our last night at anchor before reaching La Paz.  After that we will work our way up Isla Espiritu Santo, Isla Partida, and maybe spend a night at Isla San Francisco.  After that we'll probably head up the Canal de San Jose.  We've been told that the winds are very light this time of the year and to expect a lot of motoring, but that suits us fine because we want to put some hours on the engine.  We plan to return a week later to give Brenda a few days to prepare for her return to Australia.

Boat Trim and Speed Trial

I devoted yesterday's effort to preparing the boat for today's sea trial.  This involved a lot of cleaning both inside and outside of the boat as well as rearrangement of stores. 

There was a fine film of dust from the engine work as well as the dry desert wind in every nook and cranny inside the boat.  I started off with cleaning the port quarter berth and closet behind the navigation station then restoring into them much of the material that had been temporarily displaced into the cabin and forecastle. 

Along the way I gathered up the impressive set of Sabb engine spares and handed over to Joel brand new oil filters, at least 6 fan belts, about 6  water pump diaphragms that I had ordered form Norway, all sorts of gaskets, etc.  Later I  delivered the old stuffing box and Sabb instruments (tachometer, oil pressure, ammeter) and Joel said that they would all be useful.  It was painful handing over this set of spares that had taken me years and considerable money to accumulate but this is inevitable when you make an engine change.  (What the economist Joseph Schumpeter called "creative destruction".)

I finished the day on deck with a water hose and I was amazed at the amount of desert dust that had accumulated in the ropes, rigging, chains, canvas, and every hard surface.  I looked at the boat's trip as I walked away and saw with great pleasure that Pachuca was almost perfectly trim in the water, with an ever slight nose-up bias.  Although the plow anchor is in position at the bow roller the chain and spare anchor are on the foredeck, which means that when I move them forward the bow will tend to dip again.  This should be compensated somewhat by the Zodiac and its Mercury engine which will be stowed at the stern. 

Brenda and I arrived at the boat this morning at 11 AM.  After settling in and doing some final preparations for departure Joel and a workmate arrived just before noon.  Leaving the slip was no problem because I was pointing bow out.  I kept the engine revs  low for the first 10 minutes to clear the marina and warm the engine up.  Our plan was to run down the narrow channel along the city front as though we were leaving La Paz then turn around and come back.  On the outward run we got a maximum of 7.9 knots at 2600 rpm.  On the way back we reached 6.3 knots at 2600 rpm.   Thus our maximum speed (after eliminating the effects of the current) was 7.1 knots.

The Volvo owner's manual states that the maximum rpm should be in the range 2800-3200 and Pachuca's theoretical hull speed is around 7.9 knots. 

To me it confirmed that Pachuca's 17" prop does have too much pitch.  The propeller calculator in the internet suggested a pitch of 14" and I had measured a 16" pitch on Pachuca's propeller. 

The next question in my mind was what are the ramifications.  The Volvo manual does not make a comment in this area. 

The return to the slip was to my mind perfect.  I employed the lessons learned from mistakes when I first backed into the slip months ago, overshooting the double slip, and being saved by 4 or 5 members of the morning coffee group who were waiting for me.  This time I sneaked up only a few feet from the line of slips and before the stern had cleared the end of the slip walkway I put the engine in reverse and let the prop walk nudge the stern into the slip just inches from the walkway.  Joel and his companion had an easy step off the boat to do the rope work.

Later in the day I discussed the speed findings with Mark at Port Townsend.  Tomorrow I will check and make sure that the throttle lever is providing maximum travel at the engine.  There may also be another issue of "throttle creep" since I could achieve 2700 rpm if I held the throttle forward but fell back to 2600 rpm when I let go of the lever.

Brenda's footpath challenge of the day does not make a very exciting photo. It is the metal protrusion. This one tripped Bob Carroll when we were walking with him a couple of weeks ago. It is about four inches high and very solid, being square channel. As it is in an otherwise trouble free walkway, defenses tend to be down. This is the last in the series for the time being. So far we have not managed to photograph the dogs with their snarling jaws on our side of the fence (this has happened to us twice), or the famous wire concealed by vegetation that can fling the victim onto the road.

Tidying Up Loose Ends

I began yesterday's effort with the purchase of a 6-ft length of 3/8" reinforced clear plastic hosing for the PSS packing.  I drilled a hole through the bulkhead which enabled me to pass the hose from the packing into the engine compartment through the bilge, then up and through the bulkhead and up to end beside the anti-siphon valve.  This represented an increase of 2.5 ft to the height of the end of the hose.  When I tested the setup under reverse gear I could see the column of water pulsating up and down but never closer than 6" to the end of the hose.

I then spent 30 minutes repairing a broken piece of wood on the engine cover base then spent another hour tidying up the wiring harnesses between the engine and the instruments.  This has opened the way to moving stores back into the port quarter berth and the closet behind the navigation table.

I then did a sticky tape test that Mark had suggested to overcome the problem that when the engine cover is closed and latched down we can't really see if the coolant tank is making contact with the insulation of the engine cover.  I put some masking tape along the edge of the tank, sticky side out, and put another strip of tape - again sticky side out - on the inside of the engine cover where it would face the tank.   I then slid the cover into position and latched it down.  If there was any contact the two pieces of tape would be joined when I slid the cover back.  Well, they didn't join, indicating that the engine cover is totally clear of the engine.  (Yippee!)

In the afternoon I visited a place named BMC that specializes in fittings and hoses.  They put together an oil-rated half-inch hose 18" long on a fitting that will allow me to screw it to the sump oil extraction pump.  I fitted the hose over the smaller oil extraction tube on the engine, used a clamp to tighten the hose around the tube, and found that I had a good seal.  Thus I am set up for the first oil change.

This morning I telephoned Victor about a visit that he was supposed to make to fix a wiring problem on Pachuca.  He had wired the engine directly to the bus bars which meant that it could be started even when both main switches were off.  This represented an unacceptable security risk.  I met him and his helper Mario an hour later and he spent 30 minutes making the correction.  In the end the system worked as it is supposed to: when the switch to the "starter" bank is off the engine and its cockpit control panel are dead.

I offered to pay Victor for his time on the fix-up visit but he would not have it.  I then pointed out where the envelope was containing the 1200 pesos that he had billed me and he had forgotten that I had not paid him for his first visit.  As usual no receipt was exchanged for the cash.

I will devote tomorrow to preparing the boat for a sea trial on Friday.  Joel has agreed to go on the trial which I expect to take about an our out on the water.  We will run the boat through its paces and will do some speed/rpm trials to assess the compatibility of the new engine with the old propeller.

Another Year

 I have postponed my departure from La Paz and expect to remain in the Sea of Cortez until April 2011.  This would put me back in Australia in April or May 2012.

When due to my engine problems I missed the deadline of sailing out of La Paz before mid-June in order to avoid the hurricane season I figured that I would still be able to make the Horn in the optimal Dec-Jan period if I departed La Paz in mid-November, the end of the hurricane season.  But Brenda wasn't so sure and I did some precise calculations that jolted me out of my wishful thinking.

Multiplying the point-to-point distances by 1.2 (to account for sailing off the rhumb line due to the vagaries of the winds), assuming modest average boat speeds of 3.5 kt (84 nm per day) to the Galapagos and 4.0 kt (96 nm per day) to the Horn and layovers of 5 days in Acapulco and 3 days each at Cocos and the Galapagos, I calculate that I would have to sail out of La Paz on 8 October in order to round the Horn on 1 January, the middle of the optimal span of time for making the rounding.

The problem of course is that early October is still in the hurricane season along the Central America coast.  I could take a chance and go for it but I don't relish the idea of running for whatever strange anchorage I can reach if I get notification that there is a storm approaching the area.  Leaving La  Paz after the hurricane season would put me in danger of rounding the Horn in February or even March, something that I want to avoid at all costs because those rogue waves can wreak havoc on a boat.

Brenda, Arnold, Reg and I personally know the penalties to be paid for sailing to a schedule rather than to conditions.  The winter crossing from Western Australia to New Zealand set the stage for being pounded hard for 3 days in Spencer Gulf, a terrifying night entry into American Harbour to avoid another gale, and two heavy gales in the Tasman, one of which knocked a cruise ship on its side.  The very late departure from Neah Bay for San Francisco on 24 October resulted in another rough trip under gale conditions with Brenda down below seasick for about 3 days and the fordeck awash with the chain locker full to the brim with water.  (The wind must have been strong because in San Francisco I noticed that my 16 MHz antenna at the masthead was bent over 45 degrees.)  The last pounding that we got was probably more bad luck than bad planning, when we encountered those 3 gales in what was said to be the worst weather that San Diego had ever experienced.

When I started sailing as a young pup of 42 years of age I used to go looking for trouble to see what boating in rough weather was like.  I'm an old sea dog now and know that trouble will come looking for me, and my task is to avoid it.

This extended stay is certainly no calamity.  To be honest, I was ambivalent about leaving Mexico anyway.  I like La Paz and I like what I've seen of Mexican culture.  Unfortunately I've had my head in the bilge working on the repowering project for so long that I have not been able to see much of the Sea of Cortez, let alone the rest of Mexico.  The same can be said of Brenda, who has patiently watched me go out day after day to work on the boat as though I still had a regular job.  Reg also pointed out that the extra time would be useful for putting a lot of hours on the new engine and making sure that any hidden problems are exposed and corrected.

The plan is for Brenda to return to Mexico after the new year so that we can dedicate a few months to pure touring.  We'll take that train ride to Copper Canyon then use the bus system to try to span the country all of the way to Yucatan.

Engine is Running

Today at 11.50 AM we started up the new Volvo D2-40 engine for the first time.

The startup almost didn't happen.  Joel and I set up the instrument wiring harnesses quite correctly in our opinion, but could not get the EVC control panel at the cockpit to power up.  After an hour of fruitless work Victor the electrician arrived with two helpers just as I was leaving to telephone Mark in Port Townsend.  Victor spent 20 minutes going over everything and could not find any problem.  I then went to telephone Mark while Victor got on to the original agenda items.

Mark provided advice that turned out to be very helpful, which was to set up a minimal configuration: one main wiring sheath to the EVC, the other to the tachometer, and leave out the other instruments and buzzer/alarm.  We did this and the EVC panel came alive and we were able to start the engine.  Victor then daisy-chained the temperature and voltage displays off the tachometer so we were running with all instruments except the external buzzer/light alarm.

A modern marine engine is a novelty to me because I've only known Pachuca's Sabb and my first boat Chiquita's heavy single cylinder Volvo.   Running the new engine is like driving a car: you push one button and the engine starts immediately, and you push another button and it stops.  There is no thump thump thump of a big bore with a heavy flywheel.   The engine is very smooth, with a gentle clatter of tappets and a whirr when I engage the transmission.

Joel fussed around the engine checking everything and the big demand seemed to be for more coolant as the system drained the top tank to fill itself.  He monitored the engine temperature very carefully, making independent checks with his hand held sensor.  The engine ran at a temperatore of 195-200 F.  After a 20 minute run we shut down and Joel topped up the crank case and transmission oil levels. The one problem that he found was that when the transmission is in reverse water was spewing out of the 3/8" hose that passes from the PSS packing to above the water line.  The "expert" at the boat yard to whom I paid $22 USD to install the 4 ft of hose had made it too short.  I will install a 6 ft long hose tomorrow to ensure that it ends  at least 2 feet above the waterline.

Victor had used the engine running time to figure out some of the circuits of the boat.  His solution for the problem of the management of the distribution of power from the alternator among the two battery banks was simple and cost saving for me.  He utilized the voltage sensitive relay next to the battery switches to yield the following.  The starter battery bank always gets charging current from the alternator when the engine is running.  When the relay detects that a voltage of 13.6V has been reached in the starter bank it allows simultaneous charging of the house bank.  When this happens a red light on the relay goes on.  So as far as I am concerned it is an automatic process.

Pachuca Instrument Panel

The external "Next Step" regulator has been disabled.  I asked about the battery temperature sensor which started a discussion about battery technology.  Victor says that if the house bank has AGM  (Absorbed Glass Mat) batteries according to my records then there should be no temperature issue since AGM batteries can take a higher voltage than the Volvo alternator will deliver.  However, were they to be GEL batteries then we would have a problem.  In any event he said that only 1 of the 4 house batteries was being monitored for temperature, making it a hit-and-miss exercise.  To get specific, Pachuca's battery will no longer be monitored for temperature because that function was being handled by the now defunct "Next Step" external regulator.  It will be my task to reach absolute certainty that the house batteries are AGM

After Victor left Joel spent some time tidying the cables with plastic ties then we moved the engine cover base into position.  Then came the step that I had been running over and over in my mind for weeks: sliding on the engine cover.  The big question was whether or not the engine was too far forward to allow the cover to slide on without modification.  This stemmed from the new propeller shaft appearing to be 6" longer instead of the 3" longer that I had specified.  I never got to the bottom of that because I foolishly allowed Ernesto to take the original shaft away.  Anyway, I had decided to take a chance and go with the longer shaft much to my regret in the last few weeks because the engine was in place and there was zero chance of moving it back during my tenure.  If the engine cover did not fit we would have to either move the coolant reservoir at great trouble or revert to the 3" spacer that I had installed in New Zealand and continue living with that half instead of full lower step.  It was a scenario for an enduring guilt trip and I had been kicking myself for not having Ernesto cut 3" off the new shaft while I had the chance.  Anyway, it was going to be a near thing: 10 millimeters either way, I figured.

We slid on the cover and I gently pushed it home with no resistance from the coolant reservoir.  Joel and I discussed how we would determine if the cover was hitting the reservoir then I figured that  the sharp edge of the join around the middle of the tank would leave an imprint on the soft 1/2" insulation.  After running the engine for 15 minutes with the cover in place we were not able to see any evidence of contact between the tank and the insulation.  Later Mark suggested that I use tape on the tank rim and the insulation with sticky sides facing each other to see if they would make contact when I shut the cover.

Before I left the boat I discovered that the EVC panel was active even if the main switches of both battery banks were off.  This was not acceptable and I telephoned Victor who told me that he knew what the problem was and that he would fix it.  I told him that Joel has the key to the boat in case I am not around.

This left the problem of the buzzer/key harness:  if we hooked it up in order to use the buzzer the EVC would not activate, but if we left the harness out of the picture the EVC would work fine.  I took photographs of the "X3 AUX" harness then went to the apartment and emailed them to Mark then telephoned him.  After discussing the situation he suspected that I had been shipped the wrong cable.  His invoice specified the correct cable but another trip to the boat confirmed that I had actually received an incorrect cable.   Volvo will make this good.  Mark reminded me that in the meantime the EVC has its own built-in buzzer which though not as loud as the external one will sound out if there is a problem.  A problem symbol will also be displayed on the tachometer display window.

As far as I am concerned the problems I've just described are minor and will not impede the functionality of the engine.  I plan to spend the next two days tidying up loose ends such as the PSS hose and strapping down the instrument cabling the cleaning and tidying up the boat from stem to stern, above and below deck.  It seems like every square inch of that boat is covered in dust either from the desert or from the engine installation work.

Brenda and I finished the day by celebrating the engine milestone with a bottle of excellent Shiraz from Chris and Jim's Condingup Vinyard, just east of Esperance in Western Australia.

Tidying Up and Visit from Victor

This morning Joel and I mounted the instruments on the panel, although we did not connect them up. Our attention then turned to wiring up the buzzer and we spent 30 minutes trying to figure out how to do it.  We decided to wait until I could consult with Mark in Port Townsend..

We looked at the PSS dripless packing.  Mark had seen a photograph of it and notified me that the flexible boot was much too compressed.  The PSS had been installed quite properly but well before the shaft had been connected to the engine.  I suspect that mating the couplings had resulted in movement of the shaft to the stern causing the compression.  Joel made the necessary adjustment.

Then Victor the electrical consultant arrived.  I showed him the layout and explained what I knew and he went away with the documentation on the Next Step regulator and BEP monitor, which he will look at during the weekend.  He will return to the boat on Monday and hopefully we can complete the electrical work during that visit because we are hoping to start up the engine for the first time on Monday. 

During his visit Victor had a look at our instrument connection task.  We both found the Volvo documentation pretty confusing, partly because it attempts to cover all options.  However, at the end of our discussion I figured that I knew how to hook things up but I had a couple of questions that Mark would hopefully answer after the weekend.

I had had enough of the boat so I took the afternoon off to walk into town with Brenda to do some shopping and get a haircut.  I prepared for the haircut by writing down in Spanish what I wanted, e.g. "A medium haircut please", "Trim my eyebrows and moustache", "Raise my sideburns".  After reading out the requests the barber asked me to put the list on the table and she referred to it several times during her work.  I got a great haircut.  Writing down requirements in Spanish will be a technique that I expect to use a lot in the future.

Brenda's footpath challenge of the day is a certain plant. It grows on vacant lots. The leaves which often straggle over the path, look light and feathery. Both of us learned the hard way that these plants are well armed with long razor sharp spines which tear the skin if you try to brush them aside. You have to go round.

Engine Topped Up

Closeup of Trnasmission Linkage

My first gofer task for Joel this morning was to buy five 1" clamps to allow him to finish the plumbing work.  When I delivered them I was sent out for the oils and cooling fluid.  I checked with 3 places but was not able to purchase the prescribed low detergent oil (e.g. Delo 100) and of course was not able to find the prescribed Volvo cooling fluid because the nearest Volvo Marine dealer is in Mexico City.  I consulted with Mark in Port Townsend and got the OK to go with the Delo 400 SAE 15W40 detergent oil and the standard green glycol coolant.  Finding the specified transmission fluid (ATF Dexron III) was no problem.  I handed the material to Joel who asked for the mixing ratio of the coolant and I told him 50-50  coolant concentrate to distilled water.  I then went off for my lunch break, which would be extended as usual because I didn't want to crowd Joel out while he was doing his work.

Repainted Cable Clamp

When I returned to the boat Joel declared that the engine had the required crank case oil, transmission oil, and coolant.  I then dug out my crank case oil extraction pump and he showed me how to modify it for extracting both crank case oil and transmission oil from the new Volvo.  Then he gathered up his tools and left me with the task of laying out the cable harnesses between the engine and the cockpit instruments.  It took me about one hour to do this job, most of the effort devoted to drilling a 32mm diameter hole through the tough 10mm thick bulkhead.  I then reloaded the quarter berth storage and documented the items as I stowed them (including a spare admiralty anchor from Chiquita and 80 meters of 12mm rode).

Fuel Return to Tank

I'll go to the boat early tomorrow to tidy it up before Victor the electrical consultant visits.  Joel will also drop by to help me mount the instruments.

According to Joel the engine will be ready to fire up as soon as we have the instruments connected.  However, much will depend on what Victor says must be done to set up the electrics.

I am including closeup photographs of both the transmission linkage (Sabb component light blue) and the clamp holding the cable. Also, Joel found a way to connect the fuel overflow hose into the port tank which happened to have a free fitting.  The Sabb didn't require one and I had been expecting to see a new hole drilled into one of the fuel tanks.

 Brenda's footpath challenge of the day is especially for those using wheelchairs or pushers for small children. The photo shows a nicely built wheelchair access ramp, painted blue.  As you can see, after crossing the road you come to some formidable steps. You will have to take our word for it that there is similar lack of wheelchair accessibility on all other corners of the busy downtown intersection.

Linkages and Plumbing Complete

The last two days have been busy but productive.

Yesterday I arrived at the boat at 9 AM to find that both the fiberglass instrument panel and the saddle of my cockpit lifeline and its thick wood backing plate had been removed.  Fortunately I had briefed Joel on my concerns with the rickety instrument panel and he had met the fiberglassers before my arrival and discussed the problems with them.  I went to the workshop to touch base with Joel and he took me out back where Salome and his partner were doubling the width of the flanges on all 3 sides.  Neat cuts had already been made at one end of the backing plate and part of the large washer in order to make room for the wider flange.  Yes, they saw the circle where I wanted a 17mm hole cut for the light of the system alarm that I had omitted in my original specifications.

At the boat Joel discussed with me some suggestions of jobs that I could do.  The first thing that we did was compile a list of hoses, joiners, clamps, and fittings that I would have to purchase.  Then I was to pass the two engine wiring harnesses from the engine compartment to the instrument panel.  Finally I was to remove the redundant engine-stop cable because the Volvo had a modern electro mechanical fuel cutoff.

Gear Shift Linkage Using Sabb Part

Throttle Linkage

While we were conversing I glanced down and noticed that the gear shift linkage was in place.  Yep, Joel had completed the task without making a big deal out of it.  He got a longer cable from somewhere else and presumably fed it under the companionway which would not have been an easy job.  For the cable-Volvo linkage he adapted the piece from the Sabb engine which means that a part of the Sabb engine will endure on Pachuca not as a museum piece but as an important working component.  The Volvo cable retainer was not required so I will keep it in case I need it in the future.  I then glanced over and saw that the throttle linkage had also been set up.

I then went into the cockpit to see the result of the remedial work on the instrument panel.  Everything was in order: the new handle had been fitted on the cover, the hole had been drilled for the buzzer alarm light, and the panel was fixed with nuts and bolts.  Salome & Co had managed to do this in one day and even filled in the old screw holes.  I was very happy with this result.

Today was a busy and hot road day procuring the items that Joel wanted.  Because I've got such a rotten short term memory (Hey, don't be too hard on me folks because Einstein used to forget to do up his fly.) I had carefully written down the requirements down in four groups:
(1) 8" extension to the 2" diameter exhaust hose, including a fiberglass joiner and clamps
(2) Longer 1" diameter raw water inlet hoses, 7' long from the thru-hull fitting to the raw water strainer, and 3' long from the strainer to the engine
(3) 3/4" diameter anti-siphon loop hosing, with clamps and 2 joiners
(4) 3/8" fuel hoses, 4' and 12', along with clamps and two new metal fittings to the Racor filter to take the larger hoses.

Overview Showing Fuel and Water Lines

As I was rushing to the boat I saw the unusual sight of Neil at the Palapa of Wisdom and Knowledge coffee table along with Bob Carrol, Dave, and Don and I could not resist the dereliction of duty of a cup of coffee in that august company.  It's just as well because soon Joel came by and told me that he had found a U-shaped hose section for a Yanmar engine that would avoid me having to purchase two elbows and clamps for a really clumsy setup. Neil told me that I could expect Victor Aviña Franchini tomorrow (Friday) do consult on my electrical system.

Closeup of the connection to the anti siphon valve. 

Until 2 PM I was on the road visiting by bicycle Los Arcos once, and Lopez Marine & Seamar twice.  At the end of the day I had found everything that Joel required with one caveat.  I was not able to find bronze 3/8" joiners for the antisiphon loop and we had to settle for plastic ones.  Joel insists that there will be no hot water passing through that loop but then I ask why the hosing I went to a lot of trouble to find is rated at 250F degrees.  I told Joel that I have ordered bronze ones from Seamar and should get them in a about a month. 

Anti Siphon Valve

Exhaust Hose Extension

When I delivered the last consignment of parts for Joel I asked if he needed my help and he said No, go and have your lunch.  Gracias Amigo I replied and arrived at the apartment wringing wet with sweat.  The air conditioning in the apartment felt phenomenal.  After one quick beer as an emergency procedure to quickly bring down my body temperature (tee hee) I jumped in the shower and emerged wearing my standard La Paz summer wardrobe in the apartment: underpants only.  After lunch and a second beer I had a wonderful hour of siesta then left the apartment at 4.30 PM to check out the day's work.  It appeared that all of the plumbing work had been completed.  I took some photographs and arrived back at the apartment wringing wet with sweat - there has been a definite change of season and La Paz is getting more humid.

I think that tomorrow will be Electrics day.  We'll certainly connect the Volvo instruments.  Victor the consultant will have things to say about the more exotic aspect of the setup.  If I get a chance I will take guidance from the Volvo manual to  purchase engine oil (low detergent SAE 15W40), coolant fluid, and ATF (Dexron II, III) for the transmission.

La Paz Dead End Trap

Brenda's Footpath Challenge of the Day is the Dead End Trap. The trusting citizen walks along this section of the path, literally walks into a stone wall, then finds his way out by using the step in the foreground to make a leap to the safety of the street.

Engine is Aligned

Yesterday morning Joel told me that the engine was aligned.  He said that the alignment would have to be rechecked after I've run the engine for a few hours.  He asked me to return after lunch and help him with the next phase: connection of the hoses and linkages.

We sorted out the hose issue fairly quickly, though most of the hoses are too short.  He could not understand why the raw water hoses were too short until I explained to him how and why I had swapped the positions of the raw water and Racor fuel filters.  We'll have to extend the exhaust hose because I want to avoid the expense and hassle (e.g. removing at least two of the large batteries under the cockpit) of replacing it.

The throttle cable presented no problem but the gear shift cable did.  He told me that it was actually a steering cable, and the end was not compatible with the connection point on the Volvo.  However, he got the bright idea of getting the connector from the old Sabb and that looked successful except that the cable is about 1" too short.  He and Neil are going to try to get a used cable that is a bit longer.

Today Neil will visit the boat with the fiberglassers.  I am still cross with them.  Yesterday Joel was forced to spend over 30 minutes to fetch the large vacuum cleaner from the workshop and vacuum the large amount of fiberglass dust that they had unprofessionally left behind for others to deal with.  Privately I call them at various times "Heckle and Jekyll", "Abbot and Costello", and "The two Marx Brothers", which is a testament to my opinion of their non professionalism.  However, in person I will be hypocritically polite and decorous (Yuk!)

Today's Footpath Challenge  is non user-friendly steps. The lowest step of these three is extra big and although Robert is taking the plunge, I had to go round. (Note that the little dark strip of concrete at the base is not a step, just a change of texture.) In the background is a local woman, wisely using the road.

Engine Work Continues

Yesterday, Sunday, I visited the boat to do some painting.  I removed the fiberglass instrument holder that had one coat of primer on it and put on the first coat of 2-part gloss white paint.  I also repaired a gash through the top of the piece that was small but nevertheless pierced the material. 

I had a look at the chisel work that I had briefly seen Joel doing from the companionway and it had involved only a small section of bare wood beside the port engine mount, meaning that the fiberglass covering of the engine mount had not been compromised after all.

Back at the apartment building I stationed myself on the street just before noon and soon saw Bob Carroll walking up with books in one hand and a pack of beers in the other.  I took him up to the apartment where Brenda greeted him for his lunch visit.  After a brief tour of our modest "penthouse" we sat down to a splendid lunch of chicken, eggs, cheese, salad, fresh bread, etc prepared by Brenda.  We followed this up with desert of cold yoghurt with pieces of fresh mango.

I returned to the boat at 4.30 PM and put on the second coat of paint on the instrument panel.

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When I arrived at the boat this morning Joel had the engine suspended by the hoist.  He had noted that the feet had not been painted and he was taking them to the shop to put a coat of black enamel paint on them.  I took advantage of his absence to re-fit the instrument holder.

I saw Neil who had the bill for the fiberglass work.  I was charged for 50 hours work which seemed a bit high.  Having said that, the fabrication of the instrument holder was a finicky job that took a few hours of work.  The hourly rate was $18 USD per hour, yielding a total of $900 USD, but that was for two men (i.e. $9 USD per man).  I have a policy of not quibbling about money.  Even if for argument's sake the hours had been padded twice over, the result was a lot cheaper than what I would have paid in the US or Australia.  

Neil confirmed that I would not be charged for the fabrication of the crane used to lower the engine into Pachuca.  As I expected, he sees it as an investment which will be very useful in the future for lifting all sorts of things into and out of boats.

Neil had already seen that the plastic lid protecting the instruments would need some sort of handle and I went back to the boat and produced a small stainless steel saddle that we thought would do the job.  He will have one of his people put the handle on.

Before going home for lunch I visited the boat to find the engine back in position with its fresh painted feet.  Joel said that he was finished with the chain hoist and I had arrived just in time to help him put the hoist on the cockpit.  He said that the engine was mounted but he next had to do the fine work of lining it up.

At 5 PM when I returned to lock up the boat I had a close look at the engine compartment and found that somehow Joel had fitted all ten half-inch horizontal thru bolts as well as the four vertical lag bolts and the 8 engine mount bolts.  I wasn't sure if he had finished the final alignment which would involve the exploitation of the flexibility allowed by the feet (i.e. jack nuts and slotted bolt holes).

I visited the cockpit instrument panel to see where I would position the light and buzzer alarm and with the slightest pressure the top of it came loose and folded back into the quarter berth area.  The fiberglass people had used screws which were totally inappropriate for such thin material.  In order to avoid the protrusion of sharp screws into the quarter berth area they had used screws so short that only the tips were biting into the instrument panel flange.  I visited Neil and explained the situation and added that I could not afford to be in a rough seaway in the middle of nowhere, push too hard on the panel, and lose my instruments into the cavity of the quarter berth.  He was shocked that thru bolts had not been used.  The men have already been paid but Neil said that he would attend to it.

Brenda's footpath challenge of the day is holes. This is a large one where a tree had been - a little of it remains - but they come in many shapes and depths.

Engine Status on Saturday Afternoon

When I went to lock up the boat this afternoon I found evidence of progress during the partial (until 2PM) day of work.

It looks like Joel had gone a long way toward bedding the engine down.  I noticed that one of the engine mount bolts is missing, shown in this first photo of the port side of the engine.  Either there is a slight misalignment of the holes requiring a reaming out or he ran out of time.  Also shown in this photo is the result of quite a lot of chisel work that he was forced to do on the engine mount for one reason or another.  This area will have to be fiberglassed and painted.

This next photo shows the starboard side of the engine.  Note the great access to the oil and fuel filters.  Working off the plan my worst case estimates indicated a possible access problem that did not eventuate.

This front view shows how the engine is sited a bit farther forward than I would have liked, due to that still unexplained extra 3 inches on the new propeller shaft.  The cooling fluid reservoir will probably have to be repositioned to the surface at the rear left.

It looks like Joel had joined the couplers.

And the fiberglasser have fixed the plastic cover to the instrument compartment.  The job cannot be finished yet because I had to use a key to pry the plastic cover out.  The cover needs both a handle and a latch to keep it closed when I am heeled hard to starboard.