Engine Serviced and Status from North Sails

I started the day by cleaning the galley cupboards and the stove and its surrounds, removing all dust and other material from the removal of the galley vent.  This was an appetizer for the main event of the day, servicing the engine.

It was after 9 AM when I finished that task and visited Action Yachting to see what motor oils they had in stock.  They sold Shell 15W40, which was identical to the 5 liters of Shell oil that I had purchased in Tahiti and was stored under the starboard quarter berth.  I fell into the trap of believing the Volvo manual's statement that the engine took 6.5 liters of oil so I purchased a second 5 liter container of Shell oil. 

Once I had the oil supply and new filter (my last) at the ready I ran the engine for 15 minutes to warm up the oil and stir it up a bit.  Then I used my hand pump very effectively to suck the old oil out  of the sump and deposit it into an empty oil container that I had carried for the purpose from Brazil.  When I heard the sucking sound I pumped harder to make sure that I removed all oil within my reach.  But that removed oil totaled just over 4.5 liter.  I then sacrificed an old towel and placed it below the engine and removed the oil filter, which may have accounted for another 0.5 liters of oil.  That meant that there was 1.5 liters of old oil remaining in the sump, but there was nothing that I could do about it.

After screwing in the new filter I poured in the new oil and found that the engine took exactly 5 liters.  That meant that I had purchased the additional 5 liters of Shell oil unnecessarily, although it will be useful as spare oil in the unlikely event that I need it, and will most definitely provide the supply for the next oil change.  (I've also got 5 liters of Dela 15W40 in store.)  I have made a note in the Volvo manual that only 5.0 liters is required for an oil change.

The Volvo engine presented as she is: near new condition

The manual did not specify a change cycle for the transmission.  I checked its ATF oil level and found it to be spot on and as clear as the day I had changed it, so did not do another change.

This engine oil change was at 369.9 engine hours.  The last oil change had been at 235.5 engine hours at Mar del Plata, so I had changed the oil after 134.4 hours of running time under the criterion that the oil should be changed after 500 hours of running time.  However, there is a time dimension to this and I noted that in 2 months it would have been 12 months since my last oil change and I would have been forced to do another oil change engine hours or no engine hours.  That would have placed me back in Australia but it was just as well to get it done now because when I reached Australia would be very busy seeing my friends then flying off to the USA for the June 50th "wrong end of life" class reunion.

I was asked during my later years of high school for the school newspaper what was my pet peeve.  My reply was "greasy grease guns".  I've got this thing about cleaning up afterwards so I spent a good hour cleaning the engine and its surrounds with warm soapy water.  I noted that the engine is still solidly mounted according to the superb design (thanks, Max) and implementation in La Paz Mexico.

Then I attacked the storage area under the navigation seat which had been contaminated with oil from the grease gun and sump oil pump and salt water from the heavy rolling during the passage from Brazil.  I removed all of the parts and tools, cleaned out the compartment, then took everything to the jetty and flushed it all in fresh water.  I then laid them on the jetty to dry in the sun and went on to other things.  Later I sprayed everything with WD40, wiped it down, and repacked it into the storage area.

After lunch I contacted Steve Meek of North Sails.  I had not heard from him since Monday and still did not have a quotation for their work.  To his credit he was at Pachuca within 2 hours  When he visited he confirmed that he had sent his quotation to me via email, that the mainsail was ready with its re stitching and 3rd reef, as was the small lee cloth that I had requested for the starboard berth.  He brought with him the plastic track that I had told him that I was ready for.  Now that I have removed all of the press studs from the old spray dodger and filled the holes with epoxy I can now fit the new side tracks on a bed of 3M 5200.  I will let Steve know when that is done so that he can come down and fit a mockup of the new spray dodger.

The quotation for the work is as follows.  If I am publishing trade secrets it is for the good, because in my opinion it exemplifies the moderate prices of work in South Africa:

 2 PVc weathercloths @495.00 each  (AUD $53)  (This is for the heavy
Dodger)   R6400.00 (AUD $685)
Mainsail cover R4844.00  (AUD $518)
Pvc leecloth R140.00  (AUD $15)
Above prices exclude VAT@14 %

 I expect to claw back the VAT before I depart SA.

I consider the prices very reasonable.  To quote part of my response to  Steve: "Thank you for the quotations.  They look fine to me.  I have learned that price is secondary to quality and the important thing is that I have confidence in the standard of work that North Sails will do."  But if we're going to talk money, let's compare the $685 AUD that I will be paying for the new spray dodger with the $1,830 AUD that I paid in Sep 2007 for a spray dodger and a simple cover over my bimini and two zip-on drop down sun screens. 

Side Deck Sealed

"foam" core from below

"R" the genial assistant working away

Topside

Below, fiberglassed

Topside

Topside, patched and fiberglassed

Underside finished with 4 layers of fiberglass

Topside finished.  No More Tripping or Leaking!!!!

"USB" type electrical connection

New insulated connectors

Brackets for light placed anywhere along light strip

Result not pretty, but BRILLIANT

Titus and his assistant (who told me his name and it starts with “R” but it is an unusual one that I can't recall) did a brilliant job of removing the galley exhaust vent and fiberglassing the hole through the side deck.  They started yesterday morning and finished today at about noon.

I had been worried about the rough and irregular hole that had been cut for the exhaust fan but they finessed the problem by cutting a rectangle through the deck before they began their work.  The deck is made like a sandwich, with “foam” filler in the middle and a rather thin layer of fiberglass above and below.  They started by epoxying in a rectangular piece of foam into the hole that they had cut. Then they ground out the surrounding fibreglass on the topside and put a layer of fiberlgass covering the foam patch and extending into the surrounding deck.  Down below they put 4 layers of fibreglass to support the patch. 

Toward the end Titus approached me with the blue non-skid paint that they were going to apply over the patch, stating that it was darker than the surrounding deck and did I wanted it toned down a bit.  I responded that the blue paint was fine because I planned to repaint the deck back in Australia.  Besides, why bother to try to match a badly faded deck paint?  When he finished the told me that he had considered applying the blue paint to some patches that I had painted white but figured that he'd leave well enough alone.  I agreed and thanked him for thinking about it.

While the two were working inside of the boat they had teased me about my stash of wine bottles.  I was so pleased with the job that they had done that I gave Titus a bottle of Argentinian red and his assistant a bottle of Argentinian white because that is what he preferred.  I shook their hands and thanked them for a job wonderfully well done.

Later I visited David, the manager of Action Yachting and told him that Titus and his assistant had done a brilliant job on the boat.  David didn't seem surprised and told me that he would prepare the bill later in the afternoon.  I wasn't surprised either because the shipwright working on the boat next door had told me that Titus is a top fibreglass man with many years of experience.

At one point in the process I was told that I could put the ceiling panel back up so I began working on that as well as installing the new LED strip to replace the twin-tube neon light that had been servicing the galley.  The light is sensitive to polarity but once I sorted that out the installation went well, though the actual fixing of the light and cabling took a bit of time  In the accompanying photo you will see a USB-like electrical connection to the light strip.  There is a purpose to this.  At the other end of the strip is a “female” “USB” connector.  This means that one strip can be plugged directly into another.  In my case I have only a second strip, which will act as a backup or, if needs by, can be added to the strip over the galley to yield more light.

The result is not aesthetically pretty, but when night fell that tiny strip provided much more illumination than the neon tubes, and should serve me well during my passage to Australia.  When I renovate the galley I will replace the ceiling panel above – no more need for that round opening for the vent – and will install a more attractive light.  But in the meantime functionality rules and the new LED light is excellent.

After a late lunch and nap I pushed on and reinstalled the 9 kg cylinder that had just been filled.  I spent plenty of time securing both the large cylinder and the smaller 2.5 kg cylinder with shock cords around their waist.  The shock cord is fixed to a thick marine plywood housing for the cylinders, but because the housing is accommodating cylinders of sizes that it was not designed for and because the joints had been only nailed and not glued, it is coming apart, but it's OK, because I'm sure that the frame will support me until I reach Australia.  During the rough passage to Tristan da Cunha the small cylinder had jumped out and over its restraints and wound upon the port side of the lazarette.  Fortunately the hose held and there was no damage.  Today I passed heavy shock cord over the tops of both of the cylinders and I expect them to stay in place even in – heaven forbid – a rollover.  (Note that this problem did not occur in rounding the Horn, another testament to the rough passage from Brazil to Tristan da Cunha.)

While securing the cylinders I kept thinking over the problem of gas supply.  If I started using the newly filled gas cylinder it it might or might not last until I got to Australia, depending on how much in-house cooking Brenda and I did in the coming month.  I thought of continuing to use the smaller cylinder and refilling it before I departed for Australia but I had spent so much time securing both cylinders that I really didn't want to tamper with them in the future. My solution was to release the spare 9 kg cylinder that Rick had given me off the stern rail, place it free standing on the lazarette floor, and connect it up.  Before I leave for Australia I'll mount Rick's cylinder back on the stern rail and begin using the other 9 kg cylinder which I know will be full.  This should ensure a passage to Australia without the need to swap large cylinders in a rolling sea.

I still had a bit of time so I hosed the boat down from one end to the other.  Three railroad cars had caught fire a few days earlier which had deposited quite a bit of soot on the boat.  Besides that there were the remnants of the work of my resealing the windows and the fiberglass work.  While I was at it I filled up the internal water tanks.  After that, somewhat damp and soggy, I went for my hot shower, shave, and a tall beer followed by a glass of house red.  The wind was calm and I enjoyed very much the vista of the marina.

Gas Cylinder and Water Vane

I spent over two hours trimming off the excess sealant from both sides of the windows.  I learned the hard way that it is much easier to let the surplus material harden for a day so that it can be peeled off like rubber.

Holes to be Filled Above Window and Back

Handy Epoxy Stick

Repaired Monitor Water Vane

Then I removed the old press studs that were used to fasten the spray dodger to the coaming.  Most of them were broken and frequently next to an open hole where a previous press stud had been.  I filled every hole with epoxy and tomorrow I will sand the epoxy flush with the surface of the coaming.  I've included a photo of the neat tube of epoxy that I purchased in the USA over a year ago.  The idea is to cut off what you think that you'll need, remove the paper covering, then mix it the green outer layer with the inner core thoroughly into a consistent paste.  I've used it before and it works very well - with minimal waste.  The photo shows the holes before I filled them in.  The red mark with the arrow is the starting point of the new track which will be bedded down on 3M 5200 had have many screws holding it down.

At 4 PM I walked over to Action Yachting and found that the gas cylinder that I had dropped on yesterday morning had been filled.  Better yet, the Monitor water vane that I had also dropped off yesterday for welding was back good as new.  Filling the 9 kg gas cylinder cost R250 (about $25) and the welding job was only R350, which I consider very reasonable given that all I had to do was to drop it off and pick it up at the shp at the end of the jetty, with a 1 day turnaround.

The photo shows the plate at the top of the water vane firmly in its proper position again.

Boat Windows Resealed

Splashdown, Low Loader at Left

Yesterday I managed to reseal all six cabin windows.  The process involved removing lots of screws, scraping off the old sealant, the applying marine grade silicone sealant to the window and cabin surfaces, then mounting the window back on.  I worked until 7 PM but wanted to get the entire job behind me. 

Mast Being Stepped

First Window Being Resealed

The windows are showing their age, with lots of minor fracturing particularly around the screw holes.  Fortunately all of the fracturing is in the zone where the windows are bedded down onto the cabin with sealant.  They should see me to Fremantle OK but will be replaced when I repaint the cabin of the boat.  I think that it will be a good idea of putting washers under the screws when I mount the new windows.

Today I'll trim off the excess sealant then remove the spray dodger press studs and fill the holes with epoxy in preparation for the new spray dodger.

I received an email from Steve at North Sails last night, and he was preparing his quotations which I should receive today.

Yesterday I received a visit from David, the manager of Action Yachting, and the workman who will be doing the fiberglass work on the side deck.   I asked the workman his name and introduced myself to Titus with a handshake.

I'm including photos of a new catamaran that was lifted off a low loader and plunked into the water yesterday.  The people in this boat yard know their business and I would have no hesitation in having Pachuca lifted out by them if it became a necessity.

Productive Sunday

I had a very productive Sunday. One thing led to another and I didn't want to stop so I managed to get a lot done.

Although the wind speed from the south was predicted to be 36 km vs 43 km the day before when it had been so windy, the actual conditions were much milder, even though there was a bit of a table cloth on the mountain. I sat I the cockpit watching the wind clock around three complete circles and decided that it was safe enough to drop the headsail. The first step in dropping the headsail is to roll it out completely, which means that any wind from aft can be lethal.

New Boat Fenders

At Bottom, new 90 degree twist Harken Shackle at Peak

2nd shackle at tack of sail, eliminating strop twist

What deteriorating fenders can do to the side of the boat

Plate at right to be welded to look like left.  Note rope damage.

Beautiful Aussie Flag Under Beautiful SA Flag

The main reason why I wanted to drop the sail was to fit a shackle with a 90 degree twist at the peak. From the time that I have owned the boat the strop at the peak of the sail has lined up with the shackle so that there was a cruel 90 degree twist in the strop, which seemed to me put undue load on it. In Brazil I had added a second shackle to avoid this twist, during my recent visit to the boat shop I had purchased a harken 8mm shackle with a 90 degree twist. It was a similar story with the lower (tack) end of the sail.

I managed to drop the sail and was pleased to see that the new shackle fit perfectly. After I had fitted it I let the sail lay on the side deck and took the opportunity to tighten the headstay. While under sail I had judged the headstay to be too loose but for me,  judging the tension of the headstay is much easier without the enormous weight of the headsail on it.

I first eased the inner forestay by 3 turns then tightened the backstay by 2 turns, using the biggest screwdriver I had because of the enormous force required to rotate the Gibb turnbuckle. I then tightened the lower and intermediate shrouds by 1.5 turns and judged the cap shrouds to be OK. I then tightened the inner forestay and was pleased with the result. The rigging is tight but this is not a wooden boat susceptible to hogging and sagging, and can take the loads, particularly with the strong and well fixed chainplates. Looking back, my rigging failures have been due to metal fatigue at the swages rather than tensile loads. We arrived in Hawaii with broken wires at the headstay swage (we're lucky we didn't lose the mast, actually). Dan at Port Townsend Rigging told me that the failure of my lower port shroud at the swage during the run to the Horn and been due to fatigue. It was the same case with the failure of the inner forestay at about the same time. (Dan told me that I didn't lose the mast because it is stepped at the keel and had it been stepped at the deck I would not have made it to Argentina. Also, I've mentioned before that the mast is a “lamp post” with big cross section and thick walls.)

The wind had picked up while I was tightening the rigging so I made plans for lashing the sail to the rail until we got a calm day, but right on queue the wind died down as I finished the rigging work and it had steadied from the bow of the boat. I have always worried about feeding the bolt rope into the track while working alone at raising the headsail, probably because in my early days of sailing I was dealing with badly deteriorated bolt ropes with practically non existent feeders on various boats. Profurl provides a decent feeder, the new sail's bolt rope is in perfect condition, and I little trouble in raising the sail at the mast while keeping an eye out that the bolt rope was roughly aligned with the track. Things got too heavy when the sail was 3 meters from the top so I cleated it off at the mast, took up the slack to the winch, then released the cleat which caused the sail to drop maybe a half meter, then winched the rest of the sail up.

Once the sail was up I removed the shackle at the tack and added a second one to remove the 90 degree twist in the strop. I'll probably leave this setup at the tack as is because Profurl has provided a special shackle for the tack and I don't want to replace it with a Harken with 90 degree twist.

After a lunch break (with obligatory nap) I went over the stern and removed the Monitor watervane. The top plate had separated and one of the lines had been damaged after working its way into the gap (see photograph). I hope to have the plate welded in the coming week.

Then I went to the galley and dropped the ceiling panel go get access to the underside of the side deck where the vent will be removed and the hole fiberglassed. In order to be able to completely remove the panel I disconnected and removed the twin-tube neon light serving the galley. I had a good look at the neon light, saw that it was tired looking with the ends of the tubes getting dark. I have spare tubes but know from past experience that when they fail they do so suddenly with no warning. The light had been on Pachuca when I purchased her in 2005 and had served me well, but maybe it was time to retire it.

I had purchased two strips of LED lights at Fisheries Supply in Seattle and did the preliminary work to fitting one of them for the galley when I put the ceiling panel back up. I used a much improved style of crimp-on connectors that are fully insulated, meaning that plugged or unplugged there is no danger of either the positive or negative wires coming into contact with anything.

Anyway, the site is now ready for the fiberglass people. David had spoken of somehow fixing a plastic sheet under the opening of the vent to capture all of the material dropping down from the work but I figure that simply laying my blue tarp over the stove and icebox will be sufficient.

The main gas cylinder had run out this very morning. It had served the boat for at least a month in Argentina, during my passage to Brazil, my stay in Brazil, the passage to South Africa, and several weeks here RCYC, so I certainly could not complain. I switched to the smaller backup cylinder after breakfast and in the afternoon got down 'n dirty and removed the empty cylinder. I've been told that I can drop the cylinder off at Action Yachting to get it refilled. … Let's hope that I don't get hassles due to compatibility or certification issues. The large size cylinder that Rick gave me in La Paz is on the stern rail, full, and ready to go.

Then I attended to the sad looking Australian flag flying off the stern of the boat. It was faded, the end starting to tatter, and two stars worn through. I go to great lengths to show flag respect to my host countries but had shamefully fallen short of the mark with my own Australian flag. I mounted a new and bright flag that Brenda had brought on her Argentina visit and it looked great.

As darkness approached I was showered, shaved, beered, and enjoying a wine, very satisfied that more steps had been taken to prepare Pachuca for sea. The headsail was set up as I wanted it, the rigging was tight for the next departure, and preparations had been made for the fiberglass work, repair of the Monitor watervane, and refilling the gas cylinder.

I'll have to end on a sad note.  Rick, a member of the Palapa of Truth, Wisdom, and Knowledge  at La Paz, for whom I came to feel privileged as a friend, is fading away  in a hospice in the USA from cancer.  I understand that Rick is comfortable, surrounded by loving family and friends, and is ready to depart, which sounds like the Rick that I know.  Farewell my good friend. 

As for the rest of us, let's be good to each other and ourselves while we're still on the planet.

Visit to Boat Shop

I was up at 5 AM because I had an early night, hitting the sack at just after 7 PM. At just after 8.30 AM I left the boat and made it to Seaport Supply just after they opened at 9 AM.

The first item on my list was a replacement for the solar powered fan that ventilates the head when I am not cruising and have it capped off. They had one with the correct OD (outside diameter) but the fan and section that fit through the deck had too much diameter to fit through the hole on the deck and I certainly was not inclined to enlarge the hole. I am to telephone them on Monday morning to find out if they have been able to source one with the correct size for me.

I then purchased 11 meters of 8mm Spectra Dyneema rope for the Monitor control lines, two s/s shackles, and 12 meters of 7mm shock cord.

The shock cord is interesting. Steve of North Sails had told me that one of the big traps when reefing and tying down all of the cringles (grommets) along the reefing line to the boom is that when the reef is shaken out if even only one of the cringles is still held to the boom the mainsail will tear. They have repaired many sails where in the heat of battle or perhaps in darkness dealing with fatigue this has happened. A solution is to tie a length of shock cord to the mast then spiral it along the boom passing it through every reef cringle then under the boom to support the surplus sail and tie it off at the end of the boom. With this set-up the shock cord will give before the mainsail tears if a mistake is made. Steve told me something that I didn't know. The cringles along the reef line are not designed to take the load of the wind on the sail. Their only purpose is to hold up the surplus sail off the deck. Without this information I would have probably overloaded the cringles and damaged the sail.

Then I selected four new boat fenders. Fortunately I had been wise enough to take the length and diameter of my existing fenders which made the selection process much easier. Each fender cost only R231 each, which was equivalent to about $23 USD and a bit less in Aussie dollars, which I considered a bargain.

The total bill came out to R1646.95 but I will be able to claw back the R202.26 VAT tax.

As I was winding up the purchase Steve the manager mentioned my car and I told him that I was walking and would probably take the bus to RCYC. He gave me a disturbed look and I said 'Hey, I'm on a boat and I'm used to walking.' That man got the cashier, Joline (not sure of the spelling) to leave her post and drive me to the marina. I told him that I didn't mind the walking but he insisted. Just then the assistant who had set me up with the boat fenders showed up with some cord with which I could tie pairs of fenders together and drape them over my neck. I told Steve that I was really OK because if a car hit me I would be well protected by the fenders. He had a genuine laugh then asked Joline to drive me to the RCYC.

Joline is a Cape Town girl but her employer International Paints had transferred her to Durban. She didn't like Durban and besides, her family were here and she had her 4 year old child to think of so she came back to Cape Town. I told her that if that is how she felt she had done the right thing. I told her that I liked everything about Cape Town except the wind: the people, the climate, the setting, the food, etc. She agreed. We got to the yacht club and she offered to help me carry the fenders to the boat but I told her that she had done enough for me and I would be OK. I asked her to thank Steve for arranging the transport.

I'm getting to really like this place Cape Town.

Thanks to the ride I was back at the boat at 10.30 AM which gave me a shot a walking to the Food Lovers' Market before they closed for the weekend, whenever that would be. I arrived at the market at 11.30 AM and learned that on Saturdays they close at 3 PM. Nevertheless their salad and meat selection was limited but I love a bargain and purchased two hefty salads on special for only R250 each.

On the way back to the boat I spotted a liquor store. I must have passed it a dozen times and never noticed it. The bottles of wine ranged for R27 to R100 so I chose two middle of the range wines for a total cost of less than R100 ($10.00) for two bottles. At the moment I am sipping a “Leopard's Leap” 2010 Merlot “based in Franschoeck, in the heart of South Africa's wine district.” It's a bloody good drop – better than the vin ordinaire that I've been getting at the club. In reserve is a “Du Toitslkloof Cellar” Shiraz from 2009 which I'll try out in a day or two.

The wind was gentle when I returned from my food foray so I installed the new Spectra control lines on the Monitor the got my wrenches out to adjust the unit so that when airvane was vertical the watervane was lined up with the boat's lubber line and keel and discovered that in the tranquility of the harbor everything lined up perfectly.

I was tired and it was getting late but I pushed on and topped up the internal fuel tanks, which took about 32 liters and represented a consumption of 1.6 liters per hour. As usual, even though the spare fuel had been treated with anti algae additive I added more into the tanks before the pour.

I don't want these algal bugs Dead on Arrival, I want them Dead Before Arrival.

A Walk to Paarden Eiland

Yesterday afternoon I braved the second day of strong winds to make the walk to a new part of the city for me, Paarden Eiland, along the coast toward the NE and away from the city center.  My immediate objectives were to visit North Sails and find the boat shops that Steve had told me were in the area.  There were the other usual benefits of exploration, becoming familiar with the area the best way, on foot, and exercise.

It took me over an hour to find North Sails because the Google map showing its location was of necessity simplified and there were many streets not show.  Nevertheless after several wrong turns and help from people along the way I crossed the Liesbeek River and found the place.  Steve was not in but I spoke with one of his colleagues and left a sketch of another very simple job request: a lee cloth measuring 700mm x 600mm for the starboard quarter berth area.  I am tired of having cargo fall out into the quarter berth crossover during heavy heels to port and this should stop that.  There is a lee cloth on the port quarter berth from the days when Arnold slept there, and it works very well, enabling me to cram the bunk high with gear.

I then trekked back to Paarden Eiland Road and found the two boat shops.  The one that attracted me more was Seaport Supply, which I found to be the best boat shop since the USA.  I told the young man that this was just a reconnaissance mission because I felt tired and disheveled after having been walking around in the wind and heavy traffic for hours.  They have spectra rope for new Monitor wind steering control lines, though they are 8mm in diameter and not the 6mm recommended by Scanmar.  They've got a reasonable selection of boat fenders and the ones suitable for my boat were amazingly  cheap at around R200.  I will return today (Saturday) with my shopping list.  Fortunately the bus station is only a few meters away at the next corner, which will be helpful because I expect to be carrying 4 boat fenders,

I then set off back to the club satisfied that I was now familiar with the light industrial zone of the city that seemed top have every conceivable service for cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, boats, ships, people (clothing, appliances, and medical), etc.

I had set off at 2 PM and got back to the club much more tired than I would have expected from a 3 hour walk, which I attributed to the high wind and heavy traffic.  There is something debilitating about strong gusty winds - it seems to suck the energy out of me.  It seemed like a constant battle to keep my footing and not be thrown over a rail or onto the road.  The wrap around sun glasses protected my eyes from the grit but I could feel it grinding between my teeth.

Crossing the busy Marine drive from the container terminal road was a trap that is going to get somebody killed.  The first time I crossed it I set off on the green "walk" signal just as a double lane of traffic took off like race cars on their green light to make a left turn into my path.  I found myself literally running for my life through this traffic that was in too much of a hurry to be concerned about an insignificant pedestrian.  I had to make the crossing a second time but this time I let the wall of traffic make its turn and get past.  By then the "walk" sign was flashing so I stepped onto the road to dash across quickly.  On my second step a car making a right turn onto the highway from behind caught my eye and I stopped just in time to have the car whiz by like a bull passing the toreador as the driver yelled something at me.  All I needed was a red cape.  Ole!  Seriously, that "walk" sign is a trap for the unwary, who has a choice:  ignore the lights and run like hell when you see an opening, or obey the "walk" sign and wake up in intensive care taking comfort from the knowledge that you were legally in the right.

When I reached the club I headed straight for the bar and washed down the grit in my teeth with a tall half liter glass of cold drought beer.  Later after a long hot shower I visited the bar again and enjoyed two glasses of their house red while I looked out on the maria and watched the wind throwing the boats around like corks.

I had survived the day and life was looking pretty good again.