Compressor Repositioned

Roger visited yesterday morning and rotated the compressor 90 degrees.  The fan at the right sucks air to the left over the body of the compressor.  The warmed air should then be drawn out of the compartment by the exhaust fan in the corner under the dome at the top of the photo.  It is a strong and neat setup and I thank my lucky stars that I decided to build that shelf even though Roger had told me that the underlying supports would be sufficient.

For a man who wanted to circumnavigate initially on tiny 23-ft gaff rigged Chiquita then on the 27-ft Angie with her ice box and the luxury of a marine head that I installed in later years, I must confess that I have become soft and decadent with my enjoyment of padding over the soft carpeted sole to the delights in my refrigerator, with its chilled and freezer sections. 

Comforts are like a ratchet in my life.

Refrigerator Installed

As I write this I am celebrating with a cold beer out of the newly powered refrigerator - my third beer in almost 8 weeks.  Roger arrived at 9 AM and he was delighted with the shelf that I had fitted to the compressor supports. 

He installed the unit in 3 hours, which he said was at the lower end of the rang, which was quite true because his quotation stated 6-7 hours of labor.  At $55 per hour I think that my preliminary hack work was worth the effort.

Roger decided that it was best to mount the compressor cross-wise so that the output from the cooling fan would be directed to the corner with the exhaust fan.  Unfortunately I discovered later that the compressor cooling fan pushes instead of pulls, that is it sucks air out of the corner where the exhaust fan is doing its work and pushes it back over the unit.  I visited Roger and told him about my finding and he replied that he had made the wrong assumption about the fan.  Then he surprised me with the question of whether I minded the fan pushing instead of pulling.  Yes, I replied, because the cooling and exhaust fans are fighting each other.  With this setup I'd be better off having no exhaust fan at all.  He could see the logic of this but was reluctant to rotate the compressor 180 degrees because I would lose access to the connection junction box (which can be seen in the second photo).  He suggested a 90 degree rotation to align it the same as the previous compressor.  This sounded OK to me, so he will visit in the morning to do that.  Unfortunately it means that I have to spend another night with the cabin full of the items that are normally stored in the starboard quarter berth.

The second photo shows the current setup: a vent shown at the front, the compressor lined up athwart ship, the dome of the exhaust fan in the corner.  I'm storing only my copious supply of diesel motor oil next to the unit because I do not want to clutter up the space around the compressor.

The final photo shows the position of the thermostat inside of the refrigerator compartment.


After the installation I rode the bicycle to CCC and purchased 400 pesos worth of fish, fruit, and vegetables as badly needed provisions and thermal ballast for the new refrigerator unit.

For the record the unit is an Italian-made "Vitrifrigo", model ND50 ORV GR with a Danfoss BD50F compressor, input 12 & 24 volts, input current 4.9 amps @ 12V and 2.45 amps @ 24V, refrigerant charge 0.050 Kg of R134A, Serial Number 0190835.  It has a 3-year warranty but should give 20 years of service.

Carpet Laying and Hola Teresa

I spent most of the day laying down as much carpet as I had on hand.  I deliberately purchased an under amount knowing that I can go back and get the exact amount needed to finish the job.

As you can see in the first photo I've laid carpet along the starboard side of the cabin.  The second photo shows the square piece in the middle to match the floor board that I must lift up to manage the raw water cooling valve.

Shortly after finishing the job the thought crossed my mind that spending hard weeks restoring floors then covering up the result with carpet could quite reasonably be deemed as bordering on lunacy.  I'm glad that I don't have to explain myself to an inquisitive 6 year old.

The carpet is not what Ib has on his boat and in fact it could be an underlay rather than a carpet.  But I like its lightness and resistance to water and am banking on its gripping qualities when under load to keep it in place.  Time will tell.

This morning Ken told me that the apartment that he had been trying to get had been rented to somebody else and he wanted to look at the apartment building that I had just vacated.  Just after lunch he came to the boat then we walked to the building. While I was showing Ken the court yard and laundry I gave the lady next door a wave then we saw Teresa looking down from the third floor.  I told her that Ken was interested in the apartment and waved us to come up. Teresa showed Ken the apartment that I had just vacated.  Ken liked what he saw and agreed to take it starting on Monday morning.  As a bonus Teresa got the OK from the lady next door, who seems to be the owner, for Ken to park his truck inside the courtyard behind the locked gate.  During the walk back Ken expressed great satisfaction with the arrangement and said that finding a suitable place has taken a big load off his mind. 

I am looking forward to Roger's visit tomorrow.  With luck I'll have a working refrigerator before the afternoon.  (YES!)

Ensconced

I vacated the apartment this morning.  Things went well, though the two loads that I carried to the boat were big enough to force me to walk beside the bicycle and use it purely as a cargo carrier. After putting away the first set of things I sat down at the nav station and used the Google translator to pen a thank you note to Teresa.  I also gave her a contact telephone number here at the marina in case I left something behind or she has a question about anything.

On my second trip I made sure that the apartment was clean and tidy (even the bed was made up) then walked out, leaving the note and three sets of keys on the table.  Downstairs I saw Teresa at the laundry, told her about the note and the keys, thanked her for everything, and extended my hand, but instead of shaking it I kissed it.  She looked surprised and very pleased.  I had told Brenda that a hug like she had given Teresa might trample on cultural sensitivities, and a handshake seemed too formal and frosty.  Maybe my time in Mexico has activated a caballero gene.  She asked a question with the word "regresso" in it, which meant something about coming back.  I told her that Brenda and I would visit in January to say hello, so this was not adios but hasta luego.  She smiled at that.

Soon after returning to the boat I screwed the new shelf onto the refrigerator compressor supports and laid down a second coat of varnish. The photo shows the result of my effort.

In the afternoon I walked up the 3 or 4 blocks to Serdan street and two minutes later I was on the no. 34 bus for Home Depot.  There I found the carpeting which Ib had described and purchased 6 meters of the 650 mm (26") wide material.  I like it.  It is actually more mat than carpet: soft like neoprene, not solid but rather with tiny gaps.  I ran into Roger and Jean Wise and Jean admired the material, saying that they once had similar mats on their floor.  I expressed doubts about the material holding up when wet but they were pretty sure that there would be no problem since the water would not penetrate the material.  At our Skype session Brenda correctly described it as a heavy version of those anti skid place mats that we have for the table.  As the photo shows, I  chose a blue color to complement the seat covers.  Fitting this will be my project for tomorrow.

During our encounter Roger said that he would install the new refrigerator on Friday morning (day after tomorrow), which suits me just fine.  For today I've kept the fish, fruit, and vegetables in a chiller bag with two  Sprite containers of frozen water at the bottom.  Tomorrow I may bring in a block of ice.

At Home Depot I also purchased three plastic containers.  I have given the three large reserve water containers to Ib and will use the gained space to better organize the starboard quarter berth.  I've had too may spray cans, oil containers, etc just lying around.  The need for reserve water is not as acute as before, when there were two or more of us on board and we were crossing vast expanses of ocean.  The 280 liters in the main tanks should support me quite comfortably for 70 days.  I've got two 10-liter water containers which I use for rinsing after a salt water bath and capturing rain water.  I'll probably get 2 more 10-liter containers for reserve drinking water.  In an emergency that 20 liters should sustain me for 20 days.

Tonight will be my first sleep on board Pachuca in three months.

Yet More Painting

Roger Wise visited the boat this morning to look at the site for the new compressor, now that I had removed the old one.  He was delighted with what he saw.  He said that the two existing supports were perfect for the new unit and that I could expect his labor charge to be at the low end of the range.  He looked at the wiring and pronounced it heavy enough.  He will put an in-line 15 amp fuse on the power wire. I showed him the small exhaust fan and he said that he would wire it up to run whenever the compressor runs.

He looked at the refrigerator compartment and said that the insulation seemed to be nice and thick.  I told him about the gaps that I had filled with foam and sealed with fiberglass and he replied that it was a good move. He suggested that I put a rubber gasket on the refrigerator lid.

We agreed that the evaporator will be placed on the same wall as the old one was and the thermostat control will be inside the compartment next to the evaporator.  For me this will be a vast improvement over the old system where the thermostat control was next to the compressor, meaning that to make a change I had to remove half of the cargo in the starboard quarter berth.
 
Roger said that the old Danfoss 25 compressor was of no use and I took it to the dumpster later.  He estimated that it was 20 years old.   However, he will take the evaporator, which was installed new in Port Townsend. 

Anyway, I told Roger that I was thinking of painting the compressor area while I had the chance and he thought that it was a good idea.   After he left I spent a couple of hours strengthening the support framework with two thru-bolts and sawing a piece of ply board to fit over the two supports because I think that a flat surface will be a better platform for the compressor.  After that it was back to the sanding, painting and varnishing.  Fortunately all of the material was within easy reach in the main cabin.  I put a thick double sheet on the companion way landing, then a large plastic garbage bag on top of that and used that as my work area for preparing the paint.  The varnish was for the piece of ply that I had cut.

At this point I have moved about 75% of my possessions from the apartment to the boat.  My webtop computer is now on the boat and I am sending this blog entry from Pachuca.  I will spend one more night in the apartment and in the morning complete my exit.

Next Phase

I started the day by going to the Bravo market and getting a long overdue hair cut.  Using the Google translator I wrote down all of the instructions (e.g. medium cut, trim eyebrows & moustache, raise side burns) in Spanish and handed the note to the barber.  I included a comment about the possibility of paint in my hair because I had been painting my boat but he seemed to think that I wanted my hair tinted and told me several times that he could not do it.  Fortunately a colleague walked in, read the note, and explained to the barber what I was trying to say.  Paint in the hair was no problem, and I should not even mentioned it.  For 70 pesos (less that $6.00) I got the works, including a moustache trim worthy of Rhett Butler.  (No, I've got no illusions about looking like Clark Gable.  In fact, Brenda can verify that a museum attendant told me that I had the facial structure of Pancho Villa (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancho_Villa))

After returning to the apartment with fresh fish, fruit, and vegetables I loaded up my backpack with books and other items and headed for the marina.  At Club Cruseros Roger Wise spotted me while I was dropping off some books and told me that he would like to see the site for the new refrigerator compressor when I had it ready.  I told that I would have it ready in about 2 days.  He mentioned that he already had the new unit on hand.

At the jetty gate I found my two favorite people in La Paz having a chat.  Bob Carrol had visited Pachuca hoping to have a look at my Maxwell windlass.  I invited him and Ib to come on board and have a look at the results of my weeks of labor.  The timing was perfect because that part of the boat was in good order after my photography session for the blog.  Pachuca was looking her best.  Hey, I'm only human: it was nice to show off the fruits of my labor to peers whose opinions I hold in high regard.  We then started talking engines.  Ib had not seen my new engine so I proudly slid back the cover (still human with all its flaws).  The ensuing scene could be compared to three women clucking over the characteristics of a new baby. 

After lunch and a nap at the apartment I began serious work at 1.30 PM.  My plan was modest: start clearing out the starboard quarter berth, wiping dust off everything that came out, with the aim of taking out the Danfoss DS 2.5 compressor out the following day.  By 3.30 PM the area was clear.  After a 30 minute break over a cup of English Breakfast tea I started on the removal of the compressor.  I got lucky because the four bolts holding the unit down were of stainless steel (a pat on the back for my predecessor for a change) and with a little patience I had the compressor out and the area cleaned at 5 PM.  I then paid a short visit to Roger and Jean on Avalon to tell him the news.  He was pleased and will visit Pachuca in the morning.

The most important step of any job is to get started.

One photo shows the old compressor which never stopped working even though it was surrounded by leaks.

Another shows the compressor site under the starboard quarter berth.  At the bottom of that photo is a stainless steel diesel tank.  On top of the tank are the old compressor's electrics, which I left intact so that Roger can identify the wires coming out of the harness.  At the top of the photo you can see the dome protecting a computer fan that I installed with Arnold's help to extract heat from the area.  You can see the fan's electrical wire dangling below.  I've had a belly (and lung!) full of painting, but I may take the opportunity to paint that area before the new compressor goes in.

Finally, one of the delights of riding my bicycle back to the apartment: the La Paz waterfront.  As you can see it is low tide.

It will be a sad day when I have to leave this place La Paz.

Boat is Ready for Occupancy

After a long day (10 hours) Pachuca is ready for occupancy.

Here are some photos of the V berth ready for sleeping. 

And here are some photos of the head, where I varnished the woodwork and painted the compartments.  Unfortunately I had not dusted the place before I took the photos.































Now photos of the navigation station, settee area, and galley. Included is a photo of the refrigerator compartment, painted and ready for the installation of the new unit.  The ice box to its left got the same treatment.

Note that the companion way landing (i.e. the top of the engine cover) has been sanded but not varnished because I needed passage for the other work.  Once things settle down I'll varnish it over a period of 3 days and use the forward hatch for entry and exit.

The last photo shows the clean white bulkhead at the back, instead of the moldy fabric of before.

Finished

Today I finished the sanding, varnishing, and painting project.

I began the work on 7 September and worked at least 5 hours a day for 47 consecutive days with no days off.  Excluding time off for lunch and including trips for supplies a conservative estimate is that I worked an average of 6 hours per day, yielding a total of 282 hours.  I am into my 5th liter of varnish and 7th liter of Imron paint.  I've lost track of the number of disposable gloves, sheets of sandpaper, and paint brushes that I used.

I spent the bulk of this day putting up fittings and tidying up cabling.  In preparing for the painting I lost track of which holes were valid and which were redundant so I filled them all in.  That is just as well because it gave me freedom to make some improvements.  For example, I moved the V  berth port reading light 80 mm (3.2") toward the center of the bunk (which was as far as I could take it).  In the accompanying photo you'll see that the fan is now tucked into the corner and mounted on the bulkhead.  Previously it was mounted on the ceiling and I kept bumping my head against it.  The fan presents a good example of the remedial work that I've had to do throughout the project.   The screws fastening the fan to the wood base were about 6mm (1/4") too long, meaning that they had dug into the ceiling. I went to the trouble to find the proper size of screws.

Tomorrow I will set up the V berth with mattresses and bedding, which will see the forward part of the boat clean and ready.  I will then turn my attention to bringing order and cleanliness to the main cabin.  Everything in that area must be brushed and wiped of dust - "everything" means all cutlery, dishes, food packaging, books, etc.

I hope to begin transferring my possessions from the apartment to the boat on Monday.  That is the day in which my Telcel internet service expires and I am loath to pay another 500 pesos for another month.  So as of that day I must have my computer on Pachuca's navigation table and plugged in to the marina's internet service.

V Berth and Church

I placed the V-berth lids on tarps on the jetty access walkway and did the two-day job of sanding and two coats of paint.  Fortunately Robert rarely visits his boat on the other side of the walkway.

This is a photo of the sail lockers without their lids.

The starboard side is dominated by the big MPS spinnaker.  That shiny bright blue bag on top is one that we had made especially for the water maker.  I use it to store electrical cables.  Aft in that locker is the 50 a/h AGM battery for the anchor windlass.

The port side holds the two spare genoas at the bottom and the asymmetric spinnaker, storm jib, staysail, storm trysail, and storm jib higher up for easier reach.

The small section next to the port sail locker contains a Danforth anchor with rode, the important Volvo spares in the plastic container, some floats, and various other items.

A few days ago I took these photos of the restoration of a church on "5 de Febrero" street.

More Paint

When I purchased my first 4 liters of Dupont Imron paint I figured that it was more what I would require but purchasing a 4 liter can was much more cost effective than purchasing by the liter.  Well, yesterday I visited Dupont for my second 4 liter can, which gives an idea of how much paint I have been laying down.

The technician behind the counter remembered me.  "Quatro litros mas de Imron, gracias" I told him.  I passed over the can of Dulux paint from Australia and asked "Recuerdo?"  He smiled and nodded that he remembered.  Watching him match the color was fascinating.  He laid out a blob of Dulux on the counter about the size of a 50 cent piece, had a look at the color, them fetched three tints.  He got to work mixing, putting a drop of the intermediate results next to the Dulux until he was satisfied.  He the wiped the paint off the counter, laid down another blob of the Dulux then put a drop of the Imron on top of the Dulux. It was a perfect match.  This man is a virtuoso.

I asked him for a box and he produced one, put in the paints, reducer and thinner, then taped it up for my bicycle ride to the marina.  While I was paying words were exchanged and cashier asked me if I wanted a ride.  My initial response was No, but when she asked again I said OK, and that I was going to Marina de La Paz.  I thanked her very much and she told me in slow and very direct Spanish that it was part of the service.  A few seconds later there was a pickup truck in front of the shop and one man put my paint and bicycle in the back and the other one drove me to the marina and unloaded the bike while I unloaded the paint.  I wondered later where in Australia or the USA I would get this kind of service over a purchase of 4 liters of paint.

Even Comex is treating me well.  For the last few weeks I've been running around the marina wearing my Comex cap.  Last week the local Comex rang around to see what other outlet could supply me with a small can of filler and fortunately the Comex store near CCC had one.  I showed up there soon afterward and the senorita behind the counter must have seen my Comex cap and thought that she was not going to be outdone because she produced a very handy paint can opener which is so useful that I wonder why I have spent all of these years opening lids with screw drivers.  

I'm starting to feel at home in La Paz.  I'd better watch myself.  This weekend I went to the boating trash 'n treasure at the Abaroa boat yard next door and spoke with a man who was selling all sorts of great yacht fittings.  "They look new" I said.  He said that the were.  He had stocked his boat with all sorts of gear for a world cruise and had not gotten any farther than La Paz.  "I keep hearing that story" I told him. 

After unloading the paint I spotted Ib and Yadranka at Club Cruceros.  I went over to say hello and hasta la vista to Yadranka, who was flying off to Australia in the early afternoon.  I took the opportunity to take the accompanying photo of them.  Yadranka will be returning to La Paz on 18 November, and it looks like she will be arriving on the same airplane that will be taking me to Los Angeles, so we may be able to say a quick "hello" at the airport.  In the meantime, Ib and I hope to take Pachuca out for a sail as soon as I can get the boat in sailing order.

Today I laid the second coat on the V berth area.  I'll probably lay a third and last coat tomorrow.  After that I'll put the wood fascia on the longitudinal stringers then varnish them.  I also plan to paint the lids of the sail storage compartments in the V berth. 

Going Walkabout

After the long slog of hard work on the boat I am looking forward to the pleasure of visiting Arnold and Sandra in Seattle both for Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays.

I am booked with Alaska Airlines to fly out of La Paz on Thursday 18 November and return to La Paz on Wednesday 5 January.

And of course it will be great to visit Port Townsend and its wonderful people again.

I could easily countenance a life of sailing the triangle between the Sea of Cortez, Hawaii, Port Townsend, then down the West Coast back to the Sea of Cortez in an endless loop, over and over and over again.  I would throw in variations such as Hawaii via the Tuamotus and Tahiti, and sashays from Port Townsend through the San Juan and Gulf islands, to Vancouver, then up the Inside Passage to Alaska.

Wow.  I'm tempted ... but maybe next lifetime.

Home Stretch

Preparing the V-berth area for painting took longer than I had expected, but at this point the filling, sanding, and priming has been completed.  Quite a bit of priming was required for areas that had not been previously painted.  Fortunately I had a half a can of 2-part epoxy primer on hand from my chain locker work in Hawaii.

Part of the delay was due to my decision to take the opportunity to paint the refrigerator compartment before the new refrigerator is installed.  While sanding I discovered that there was a 3/8" gap running along the edges where the vertical walls meet the roof of the compartment, which can only be seen by sticking your head inside and looking up.  Gaps like that are a no-no in my book.  On advice from John the rigger I took a trip to Home Depot and got two cans of that expanding foam that comes in a spray can.  The instructions say that the can must be upside down which is difficult to do when you are shooting the material upward.  However, I was able to hold the cans at 45 degrees by bending the delivery tubes to make up the difference and managed to get enough out of the two cans to get the job done.  A few minutes later I glanced at the mirror and saw that there were 4 or 5 globs of the stuff clinging to my moustache, a result no doubt of my working head down, looking up in a confined space.  Teasing the smaller ones off with a fingernail brought a few tears the eye.  But the big glob required ... acetone.  So I wound up with a moustache saturated in acetone, which meant that I had to keep my mouth shut, which meant that I had to breath through my nose, which meant inhaling a heavy duty dose of the stuff.  C'est la guerre.  

Yesterday morning I trimmed off the excess foam that had dried overnight then decided to fiberglass the gaps for good measure, so I then went to Lopez Marine and picked up a roll of 2" wide fiberglass cloth.  That turned out to be perfect for the job.  I cut four pieces to the required length, laid them in order, then mixed a batch of West System 105 epoxy resin which again I had on hand from my Hawaii days.  The job went remarkably well, given that I was working upside down in a confined space.  Today I sanded the fiberglass work and primed it for painting.

I expect to begin the painting effort tomorrow (Monday) and expect to have the V-berth work completed by Friday at the latest.  That will give me 5 days in which to prepare Pachuca for occupancy and move from the apartment on the following Wednesday.

I'll finish this entry with a grumble.  The first photo shows Pachuca's two Samson posts.  The forward, smaller one, was on the boat when I purchased it.  I installed the aft, larger one before departing on this cruise, figuring that a second one would be required for double anchoring, mooring lines, etc.  Just as well.  The second photo shows what is holding the posts in place.  The forward post is held by relatively small bolts and standard washers (at left in the phot).  I find this disturbing to say the least, given that a Samson post must be able to take enormous loads from anchors and jetty lines, particularly in a swell.  The aft post is my work: thicker bolts, solid jarrah backing plate, and oversized washers.  Needless to say, that is my "working" post.

This demonstrates one of the big advantages of removing that carpeting material and exposing the actual hull: I can now directly see every bolt passing from the deck into that area, be it toe rails, stanchions Samson posts, or whatever.  I'll be able to quickly spot problems such as loose nuts, leaks, or as in today's case substandard construction.

Joel Finished and Refrigerator Ordered

Joel finished removing the contact cement from the V-berth area after 3 days of work.

I think that he found it a good experience in spite of the unpleasant work.  On the second day we had established a routine.  I would meet him at the marina at 7 AM and use my cable and padlock to secure both of our bikes together, then we would walk to the boat.  At the boat I would hand him a Sprite bottle full of frozen water then he proceeded  to the V berth and started to do his thing and I would continue the varnishing and painting of the head.   Every once in a while I would have a look at his progress and ask "Todo lo Bueno?" He used thinner at a much faster rate that I had so I solved that problem by bringing in two 4-liter containers of the stuff.   At 11 AM he was ready for lunch so I would give him 120 pesos because the lunch that he chose on the first day cost 117 pesos, and off he would go.  I knew that I could have brought in sandwiches for a lot less money but I figured that it would be good for him to get away from the boat into the fresh air and sunlight for a while.  He would finish working at 2.45 PM and I would escort him to the bicycles so that I could free his, and off he would go.

I let him go an hour early today and to my surprise he asked if he was coming back tomorrow.  I told him no because his job was finished and "La pintura es de trabajar para una", trying to tell him that the next phase was painting, a one man job.  I told him "Trabajo mas tarde", trying he tell him that there would be work later.  He seemed to understand.  In fact both Ib and I are thinking of engaging him to polish our hulls.  The first photo shows Joel at the work site.

Unfortunately there is still quite a bit of preparation work to be done in the V-berth area.  The lining material had been used to hide all sorts of irregularities in the surface so I will dedicate a day to fairing and filling in holes.  The accompanying photos show the situation.

Have a look at the photo looking down the length of the V berth area.  The dark square is the patch that I put in (a double patch actually because it is a double bulkhead with a 5mm cavity).  Notice that the patch is set in what appears to be a larger patch, as though the boat was originally built with a rather large access to the chain locker.  Without a strong watertight door this would have been a disaster (as I found out) because in a rough seaway the chain locker can fill to the top with water.  It looks like someone may have walked the same path that I did.

At mid morning I had finished the latest round of work in the head and used my time to once again take the windlass foot switch apart.  It had given trouble when Brenda and I were at the islands and the symptoms pointed to the recurring problem of corrosion.  I cleaned the contacts and stripped away the silicone sealant that I had used in an attempt to keep the sea water at bay.  The switch is fairly new - installed in New Zealand - and is in good condition, so I see little to be gained from replacing it.  The problem seems to be invasion of salt water from the chain locker below.  So my plan is to keep the chain locker empty at all costs.  For long legs of blue water cruising I'll take the anchor off the roller and move it and the spare anchor aft - possibly lashing the 50 lb Swarbrick to the deck just in front of the mast, and storing the 45 lb plow anchor below.  I discussed the problem with Bob who paid a quick visit today and he suggested storing the 38 meters of chain down below in a milk crate.  Great idea.  I'll put the milk crate between the V-berths directly below the front hatch, which will make the job of shifting the chain back and forth much easier.   It means that I'll have to find a new home for the large rope bag of the 18 ft sea anchor which currently sits in that area.  That would leave only the 80 meters of rope and 14 meters of chain rode for deep anchorages in the chain locker.  Even with a lighter bow I'll be very vigilant and if need be I'll either shorten sail or heave to.  The days of pounding to weather in gale conditions watching the bow bury itself like a destroyer are over for me (except in an emergency).

While I was in the cockpit working on the foot switch I saw Roger Wise walk by after delivering two solar panels to Ib and Yadranka.  Roger had done a "house call" on Pachuca shortly after we arrived in La Paz while we were at anchor at the Magote and gotten the refrigerator going again by stopping a leak and re-gassing it.  I told Roger that the unit had failed again and a shot of R12 gas had done no good.   It was time for a new one.  His wife Jean will send me an email with details on an Italian-made refrigerator that according to Roger is currently rated the best in the world.  I was glad to hear that it has a Danfoss compressor.  (They all have Danfoss compressors he told me.)  He can get one delivered in about a week, which should be just about the time when the work on the V-berth area has been completed and I am able to clear the starboard quarter berth to give Roger access to the compressor area.  Roger gave the OK for me to remove the evaporator from my refrigerator compartment so that I could paint it.  Doing that and giving the compartment a good scrubbing was my last job of this day.  In cleaning I found some hitherto unknown gaps at the top edge of the compartment which one would see only be sticking his head in and looking up.  This is unacceptable so I am making plans to do some fiberglass work.  It won't be a pleasant job - laying fiberglass upside down with my head inside the compartment - but mercifully the strips to be laid are short: in the order of 2 ft and 6 in.  The last photo shows the refrigerator compartment.  The large hole is for the lines.  The other holes will be filled in.  The fiberglassing job will be under that strip at the left.

With A Little Help From My Friends

On Monday morning Ib peered through the front hatch and found me stoically attacking the contact glue in the V-berth area, resigned to two days or more of unpleasant and boring work.  While we were discussing ways of speeding up the work Bob Carrol paid a visit and soon we were having de facto project meeting through the hatch.

Bob asked why I didn't employ a local to do the work and I growled back that I wasn't prepared to pay the $10 per hour that I had been hearing around the marina.  Bob replied that it would be much cheaper than that and soon we were visiting yet another Robert (They're everywhere - I met the guy in the adjacent boat this week and he's another Robert.) at his boat who said that he had three young men at his disposal.  The cost would be 250 pesos (about $20) per day, plus lunch.

I returned to Robert's boat at 7 AM and met young Joel, who appears to be about 18 years old, is quiet and very serious.  The "quiet" I can understand because he speaks no English which is a challenge to my pidgin Spanish.  I took him to the work site which was prepared: clean and laid out with tools and materials such as gloves, safety glasses, scrapers, and varnish thinner.  He worked steadily until 11 AM which was the agreed lunch time.  As we were about to leave for The Dock Cafe he asked if I had a "cepillo de alambre".  (Gulp, say what?)  Demonstrating with the dust brush he let me know that he needed a wire brush, which I didn't have.  


At the cafe I let him order, left him to it to eat in peace, paid for the lunch, then set out to find Seamar then Comex where I got two wire brushes and the fourth liter of thinner for the day.  (The thinner costs only 22 pesos per liter.)  When he resumed work he started using the wire brush with great satisfaction saying "mas rapido".


At 3 PM, the end of the working day, Joel had completed the port side of the area.  That left the starboard side and then the ceiling.  Manana?  I asked.  Si,  Manana.  It will take Joel two, maybe three days to finish the job


The cost structure is interesting.  Lunch for Joel costs 120 pesos per day and yet his services for an entire working day costs only 250 pesos.  Before we think exploitation let's remember that the highest minimum wage in Mexico in 2010 is 57.46 pesos (about $5) per day.  I found out from others that Robert acts as a sort of mentor to young people getting started in their working life.  He finds menial day work for them and over time trains them up to higher skills.  Two of his young men have "graduated" to real jobs in permanent  positions elsewhere because of their experience around the marina.  As for the 250 pesos per day, it goes directly to Joel, not through Robert.

This help released me to attend to painting and varnishing of the head.  The walls, ceiling, and floor were OK because I had repainted them in Fremantle.  However, the wooden cabinet doors needed sanding and varnishing, and the interiors of the shelf compartments needed repainting.  Yesterday I laid down the first coat and I hope to finish that job today.

Oh, and my work pattern has changed.  I now set the alarm for 5.30 AM to be at the jetty gate at 7 AM.   Retirement is great - isn't it?

Puerto Montt Back On Itinerary

With a comfortable 5 months to get from Ecuador to the Horn, Puerto Montt Chile is back on my itinerary.  It looks like a modern city (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Montt) and is at the same latitude as Launceston, Tasmania.  I've been looking at the weather regularly (http://www.weather-forecast.com/locations/Puertomontt/forecasts/latest) and the winds are consistently moderate.

I've gone back to my earlier plan of working my way down the S. America coast.  I know that I will be beating against the prevaling winds and current, but Pachuca is a good upwind boat and I may as well exploit that advantage. 

My next step is to get good cruising guides of Peru and Chile.

Beginning of The Main Event

This morning I cleared out the V-berth area.  Stored in this area were all of the boat's floor boards which I removed and laid down. 

The first photo shows the area after it had been cleared and striped of fittings.

The second photo was taken after the removal of the mold-prone fabric lining (shown at the bottom).  I have a big task ahead of me to remove every bit of the remaining contact glue with Comex varnish thinner.

At the front you see the rectangular patch that I installed in Hawaii with lots of guidance from Wally.   Previously there had been a plastic door giving access to the chain locker which I foolishly installed in Fremantle.  Above is the electric motor and gear of the anchor windlass.

The whole area looks rather rough as would be expected on the inside of the hull and deck of a fiberglass boat.  I'll fill and sand as much as I can.

Floor is Down

This morning I laid down the floor boards.  I deliberately held off putting them down for as long as possible in order to give the new varnish a chance to cure and harden.

It's great to be able to walk around on a solid sole again instead of risking a twisted ankle by walking on the floor supports.

Port Side Finished

Work on the port side of the cabin is pretty well completed.