Chris Parker, our trusty and wise gay weather man aboard Bel Ami, normally gives a full synopsis every morning at 7:00 am on the SSB (Single Side Band radio for the nautically challenged among us), along with detailed forecasts for up to a week ahead. We have not heard him for a week, which is very unusual. Maybe he is embarrassed by the continuing foul weather; rain, rain and more rain. So we take advantage of the down time to tackle some of the more pressing maintenance issues. Alicia started a rip in the stitching of our netting forward between the hulls. This is not good and needs to be seen to, so I have dismounted the net and carried it in to the sail maker in Rodney Bay Marina. “Thursday“ he says gloomily, hefting the net and wondering aloud if it will break his machine.
We are here for a few more days. I am not keen to travel without the netting in place. It leaves a gaping chasm in front of the foredeck. But there’s lots to do. More work on the windlass to see if it will let out the chain as well as bring it in. So its back to Island Water World for a few more bits of wire. Alicia is quite happy to draw and paint. She says she is improving a lot in this intense and focused working environment. She kayaked off into the distance, returning as I came back from my shopping foray, big straw hat drenched and difficult in the wind. The windlass work went well until time to take a test. The machine ran up and down but at a snail’s pace. Something not right. Wires warm to the touch. Undo the down hot wire and off she goes again at full speed. Something awry inside the motor, so we will let sleeping dogs lie and settle for pulling up the chain for a while. Perhaps a new windlass motor?
More heavy rain overnight. We can take a bath in Boffo, she is so full of fresh rainwater. Another midnight insight, this time without blame. The lack of Chris Parker on the SSB is related to the short in the windlass solenoid, now repaired. The short has probably caused a stray current to eat away at the grounding strap running through Django’s bilge. I noticed this erosion in the strap when we bought Django in January 2008, and repaired it, but had no idea what might be causing the problem. Whit has helped here, pointing out across cyberspace that an annoying shock we were experiencing climbing up the swimming ladder was probably related to the bum solenoid. So first thing this morning, five minutes before Chris’ scheduled appearance, I had a peek in the bilge. Sure enough the grounding strap had parted. A couple of alligator clips made a temporary bridge in time for the test. Chris Parker reappeared on the radio and allowed that he really couldn’t explain the foul weather, but hoped it would dissipate soon.
This morning has passed with your skipper and scribe bum up and head down, kefia in place, replacing a length of copper strapping and redoing the multiple grounding connections to the ship’s systems. Hard, hot work. Alicia, completely unconcerned, has come up with an idea for a children’s book, handwritten and illustrated, to be launched with a show of the original work. Sounds like fun to me. The fruit man came in his tiny boat festooned with huge flags and sold us three mangos for EC$5. He comes everyday, yesterday he had a pineapple, the first we have found this trip. Yum. He can barely see where he is going for all the flag flapping.
It’s beer o’clock, ‘nuf writ.
Lesson for the day: Midnight insights are probably ok if blameless.
We are here for a few more days. I am not keen to travel without the netting in place. It leaves a gaping chasm in front of the foredeck. But there’s lots to do. More work on the windlass to see if it will let out the chain as well as bring it in. So its back to Island Water World for a few more bits of wire. Alicia is quite happy to draw and paint. She says she is improving a lot in this intense and focused working environment. She kayaked off into the distance, returning as I came back from my shopping foray, big straw hat drenched and difficult in the wind. The windlass work went well until time to take a test. The machine ran up and down but at a snail’s pace. Something not right. Wires warm to the touch. Undo the down hot wire and off she goes again at full speed. Something awry inside the motor, so we will let sleeping dogs lie and settle for pulling up the chain for a while. Perhaps a new windlass motor?
More heavy rain overnight. We can take a bath in Boffo, she is so full of fresh rainwater. Another midnight insight, this time without blame. The lack of Chris Parker on the SSB is related to the short in the windlass solenoid, now repaired. The short has probably caused a stray current to eat away at the grounding strap running through Django’s bilge. I noticed this erosion in the strap when we bought Django in January 2008, and repaired it, but had no idea what might be causing the problem. Whit has helped here, pointing out across cyberspace that an annoying shock we were experiencing climbing up the swimming ladder was probably related to the bum solenoid. So first thing this morning, five minutes before Chris’ scheduled appearance, I had a peek in the bilge. Sure enough the grounding strap had parted. A couple of alligator clips made a temporary bridge in time for the test. Chris Parker reappeared on the radio and allowed that he really couldn’t explain the foul weather, but hoped it would dissipate soon.
This morning has passed with your skipper and scribe bum up and head down, kefia in place, replacing a length of copper strapping and redoing the multiple grounding connections to the ship’s systems. Hard, hot work. Alicia, completely unconcerned, has come up with an idea for a children’s book, handwritten and illustrated, to be launched with a show of the original work. Sounds like fun to me. The fruit man came in his tiny boat festooned with huge flags and sold us three mangos for EC$5. He comes everyday, yesterday he had a pineapple, the first we have found this trip. Yum. He can barely see where he is going for all the flag flapping.
It’s beer o’clock, ‘nuf writ.
Lesson for the day: Midnight insights are probably ok if blameless.
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