Last night while it was cool I opened the carb to find it perfectly clean everywhere. Before we left I ran it dry of fuel to keep it clean, and it worked. I put on the new pump, and line, and immediatley fuel was to the carb. By then it was dark, and I was tired of being hunched over the damned thing!
It’s morning, and I have had my coffee. We lowered the dink into the drink, and with one pull she tried to start. On the third she started right up. A moment later water started pouring out it’s back, and I knew it was being cooled. We sat with smiles like teenagers who just got their drivers license, and freedom to roam at will. After a couple of minutes we decided we are good to go. Today we will get ourselves to shore, and run errands.
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| Albrook Mall- The biggest department store in Panama |
Fun things like laundry, provisioning, and seeking out more parts for various projects. It won’t be long, and the only project left will be to scrub Imagine clean, and set sail!
It’s the 29th of May, and it seems much later. I am anxious to get going, but that’s not going to happen right away. We will move once again today.
We need to gather official paperwork, so we can move the boat to the yard. Fresh bottom paint after 4 years, and new seals from the sail drives to the hulls. The seal are 11 years old, and the manufacturer claims 7 years is good. I have watched them constantly, and they still look good. There is no dryness, or cracking in the seals. But the Pacific is not someplace you want to push your luck, or any ocean for that matter. If I was home I may push them a little farther, but that would be day sails, and not a 4,400 mile crossing with the chance of snotty weather coming along.
The cooling system is cooling, but we have noticed water in the engine compartment again. I trimmed off the end of the hose hoping it was just worn on the end. It continued to drip. I pulled the pump off I replaced, and sure enough the seal is leaking. I put back on the original, and will have to take this one apart, and rebuild it. The previous owner left me an aluminum suit case that is a treasure trove of small parts. Seals, gaskets, plates, pumps, filters, and so on. Over the years I have used quite a bit out of the case, saving me quite a sum of money, and still it is over half full.
Melanie has turned out cooler into a water catchment system. It holds about 40 gallons of water. The boat tanks hold 150 gallons. This amount should get us to Hawaii with careful use. Using clean ocean water for things like boiling eggs, potatoes, plantains, and such. A first wash of the dishes, and then a freshwater rinse. Showers on the stern with a bucket of seawater, and a freshwater rinse. Yesterday evening it was raining long enough, and hard enough for Mel to shower, and wash her hair in the cockpit. Then she noticed a couple of fellas one boat over joining in on their stern too.
If we can fill the cooler a couple of times across to Hawaii we can use water liberally for usage on a boat that is!
Everything should be set to go by the end of the week, and if Don arrives we can go. The weather is looking light for the first 3rd of the way, but that will be better than fighting the ITCZ like we did twice last year. Once we get the trades behind us I am looking forward to 200 mile days. Until we will be lucky to get 100 at times. Last year the weather was so bad, and in front us . We sailed about 80 miles one day with the progress of only 36 towards our destination.
For those of you who don’t understand how a sailboat works. I will give a small, and simple explanation. A sailboat cannot sail directly into the wind.
Most boats can sail 45 degrees away from the wind on either side. That leaves a blank spot of 90 degrees, which is one quarter of the circle. Once you are 45 degrees away from the direction of the wind the boat will sail. The sail acts like a wing, and pulls the boat. As you sail further away from the wind you slowly let your sails out. You begin with the sails in tight. This is called close hauled, and in stronger wind can be very uncomfortable, and for many boats slower the bigger the wave. You have to push through those waves coming at you. Imagine pushing a barrel up hill if you will.
As you turn away from the wind the sails are let out, or eased. The pressure lessens, and the boat usually becomes faster. When the wind reaches the side of the boat it is called a beam reach. This is a nice sail until the waves get big. Then the boat beings to roll, and this can be uncomfortable too when the wind is strong.
You may have heard the term LET THE WIND BE AT YOUR BACK. This is the wind coming from behind the side of the boat, and it becomes much more comfortable, and easier on the boat. Imagine pushing that same barrel down hill now. Long sails are most happy with the wind behind the beam of the boat. Especially a multi hull. This is where a multi hull is at her best. She remains flat, and usually faster than a mono hull. There is a huge controversy about mono against multi. I have to say each has it’s plus & minus. Every boat is a compromise of some kind. You give up one thing to get another. When we were in the ITCZ with stormy weather. I would have preferred to be on a mono. I can’t snap my fingers, and change what we sail, so I have learned to live with the faults of a multi. Fortunately it’s faults are rare, because we try to keep the wind behind us.
This is one reason we are sailing to Hawaii first instead of up the coast. Going to Hawaii with wind, and wave, so we are letting the barrel roll down hill. Going up the coats is against wind, and wave, so we would be pushing the barrel uphill, which at times can include the boat pounding against the waves.
Well it’s Sunday morning, and the air is cool, almost enough for a t-shirt. Panama seems to hold a grip on us, and we just can’t escape. For 2 weeks we have been trying to get into the yard for bottom paint, and new seals from the sail drives to the hulls. They wanted us to come into the yard with no set prices for the labor. I could not bring myself to do that. For 2 reasons, first I don’t want any surprises, and an insane bill in the end. I want to know what, or approximently what the bill will be. I have been in the repair business of autos for 33 years, and I do understand sometimes things break,
or other problems are found underneath the obvious ones. Second I don’t do disagreements well when someone is trying to cheat me. I have a tendency to let the ghetto come out of me, and it’s not pretty.
Finally we knocked around some numbers for cost of labor, and we were agreeable. We were told to come in Tues, or Wed. Then it was Wed, or Thurs. Then it was well, we don’t know when you should come in. At this point I figured I had annoyed the manager to the point where he didn’t want me in the yard at all. Turns out that on Wed. they lost the electricity in the yard, and even by Fri. it had not been resolved. So here we sit in the anchorage waiting for Mon. morning to make yet another call to the yard to find out when we can get in?
The dinghy seems to have a mind of it’s own. Yep the kids were grounded for several days without wheels to get to shore. We were going in to the dock when the motor sputtered. I sputtered a couple of times, and I tried to adjust the choke when the damned thing died! We were very close to the dock, so we quickly grabbed the oars, and started rowing. Mel looked back as we were rowing, and asked why the motor was smoking. I looked, and there was smoke oozing out from underneath the cowling. I raised the cowling, and one would think we were sending out smoke signals. There was a stream of unpleasantries spewing from a sailor’s mouth, and for the rest of the distance to shore.
We got to the dock, and I gently pulled the cord to see if the motor was frozen. It turned over easily, and would spit out more smoke. We left the dink, and ran our errand. Upon returning I tried to start the motor, but no luck. At least it would turn over easy, and there was hope it wasn’t fried to death. Now I have a tendency to anchor out away from shore. So we can catch a breeze, and be more comfortable. Also to stay away from boats that come loose in bad weather. So there we are about a mile away from the dock with a barge for a dinghy to row. +&)(_)^#%&*)_ was all coming from this sailor’s mouth. Especially when other sailor’s would ride right past us, and wave as we struggled to row.
People on their boats would look at us, and turn away. One in particular watched us from the dock to the stern of his boat. Knowing full well we had to row past him. He watched, and watched, and about 100 ft. from his stern he turned his back. Another couple who we had dinner with several nights before later asked Mel why we were rowing.
When Mel told her the motor had died. She replied well, we wondered why you would row?
Rowing a planing dinghy that is meant to go quickly through the water by lifting it’s bow, and riding on it’s flat stern is tough enough. When you add wind, and current against you it is even tougher. Then you add a small woman, and a recovering man with no strength, and no stamina. It’s downright worth some more cussing from a sailor’s mouth. Then on top of all of that Mel doesn’t understand the concept of rowing, so we are going in a zig zag pattern adding distance to what I already consider too much distance.
The wind, and current are trying to drag us out of the anchorage, and we are doing our best to stay in it. If need be we can grab onto another boat, and regain some strength. About half way I tell Mel not to think of the pain to just keep rowing. I have to tell myself this too. We keep putting the oars to the water, and we are 7/8s the way to Imagine. I encourage Mel to row, and not think of the pain. When actually I am talking out loud to myself. Even my leg muscles are burning from the paddling. Mel has her head down giving it all she has, and I am dry of mouth from breathing hard. I tell Mel to stop, because we are upwind of Imagine about 15feet, and we can drift down on her.
You would’ve thought we climbed Mt. Everest with the smiles on our face. I looked at Mel, and said “We did it, we ^*&#!$& made it!” My shoulders, and back ached so much it was hard to get on the boat, but we made it, and I couldn’t have done it without Mel. It was getting late, so we put the dink on the sterns, cooked dinner, and went to sleep.
Next day I go to take the bottom end of the motor apart to replace the intake impeller for cooling. Turns out this motor is the only thing on the boat that is standard size nuts, and bolts. I only, and have only carried metric for years. That’s right you guessed it some more cussing from this sailor’s mouth. I pull the cord, and the motor turns over easily, so I put the tools away with some unhappy thoughts. I am thinking I can’t do this any more. I just don’t have the strength, and stamina. I am thinking I can’t get in the yard, and I, no we need a break. So here I am sitting on a boat worth a small fortune, and I am thinking I will never get her home. I will get pennies on the dollar for her here. I just felt like giving up, and my heart sank.
I have never given up in my entire life. It was a benchmark, a sad day in my life to think this way.
Sometimes in my sleep I resolve my problems, and this night was no different. I woke up, and remembered I had a better set of wrenches, and although they are metric too. They might be tighter, and might not ruin the bolts. In the morning I break out the tool box again, and dig down to the other set. Sure enough I can give some pressure, and the wrench holds. It doesn’t slip off like the other set.
I gently work the wrench back, and forth to break the glue loose on the threads. Finally with ease the bolts are coming out. I am a hands on type student of life. Reading instructions have never been easy for me. Mel, and I together with her good eye sight pull the bottom off reading instructions. I let Mel take everything apart, and clean the parts. I let her put most everything back together, so it will be a learning experience for her. It takes us a couple of hours where a shop could’ve done it in less than 30 minutes, but it’s back together.
