Thursday, April 2, 2009
Today was dedicated to laundry (two loads, only a preliminary attack on the problem) and fluid replacement in the engine rooms. The laundry issue was easy, into the Dockyard and drop off the loads.
On the way back, there was Paul Ridley , with his sister, Joy, at the dock by the dinghy dock in his ocean rowing boat. He has just completed an 88 day passage from the Canaries to Antigua, Rowing for Hope following the death of their mother to cancer.
(double click on this photo, the resolution is great and Joy hiding behind is the best part)
A photographer was on hand from some US publication, and after asking Paul if he minded, I was able to jockey Boffo into place to get a couple of shots for you, my dedicated groupies. Breaking news, as it happens, here on the blog.
Taking a few deep breaths, I was able to return to Django for the job du jour. Replace the fluids.
There are four major fluid systems in Django's Volvo-Penta D1-20 diesel engines. You have been regaled with the difficulties she has experienced with the seawater cooling system, shells in the heat exchanger, you remember. Now we are dealing with the internal systems, isolated from the marine environment. First is the engine lubrication system, which I have dealt with before, and for which I have accumulated some small body of experience and tricks of the trade. The only problem with this fluid change is that the oil seems to get everywhere, all over my bare feet as I clamber over the small engines in the tight space, and then spread stealthily over the cabin sole. I notice every time despite my inadvertance and determination not to make a mess. The other issue is getting the oil filters to screw off. In Grenada, I almost had recourse to stabbing them with a screw diver and winding them off that way. I have learned a trick, for which I might be able to charge a large fee if I took the trouble to patent the process, but, screw that. Suffice to say that I have the answer.
The next replacement involves the internal cooling system. This is your run of the mill antifreeze and water combo running through the internal systams of the engine and passing a heat exchanger to drop off its heat to the heretofor mentioned sea water cooling system. The draining of this system is diagramed in the operations manual, showing drain ports through transparant renderings of all the engine bits which are actually in the way. All very good in theory, but in Django's engine space, there is no way to see these ports without a mirror. Fine then. I am brought to the thought that marine diesel mecahnics have probably lived reprehensible lives in the past, and have been reborn to struggle in cramped spaces with unknown sized things which need to be unscrewed, which they cannot see, to boot. What is I did to deserve this?
The really interesting part is that once the way of it becomes known, the problem unravels, and success is achieved. The fluids drained out, and the new flowed in.
Finally, the transmissions, those fearsome beasts which seem not to work, need their fluids changed as well. Most important not to overfill them. They will self destruct is you do. I am duly careful and even suck some of my newly replaced fluid from the port engine, just in case I am might be marginally over the limit.
By 4:00 pm, the jobs are done. There is still a lot to clean up and put away, but the brunt of it is achieved. I need to go in and get the laudry, drop off half the old fluids at the dump (I can't carry it all at once) and then perhaps head over to Arnold's for an after five cup of tea (not!).
The buzz at the cafe was all about Peter, 72, single handed master mariner, we talked about his distress call yesterday. Apart from the distress call, he had not been heard from for about a week. He has sailed from somewhere south in an old gaffer with a bum engine. This morning, he called Arnold on his cell phone. Five miles off Montserrat, he was making for Antigua, just about dead upwind, and hoped to be in sometime early tomorrow morning. His gaff has broken, so his normally poor upwind performance has been reduced to abysmal. Everyone at the table knows him well and talked about towing him in. The Antigua rescue people went out but were not equipped to tow him 20 miles upwind. So they took his almost useless dinghy from him, to lighten the load a bit. Hopefully he will be in English Harbour in the morning.
Back aboard Django, the feelings of loss have tempered somewhat, and I am able to enjoy the solitude. Dinner was more complex and interesting tonight, rice with curried christophine and tomatoe and onion salad. The secret to a good vegetable curry is ..... oh! alright then .....
Maybe another time.
No comments:
Post a Comment