The cursed cockpit locker (my "workshop") forward of the blue sport seats on the right....
Pontificating from my lair....
July is here. Yep ya'll it's the "H" season again, and my-oh-my the tropics look a little angry just now.
Where to start? Where to start?
Yesterday I was at 'Div pumping what little water was in the bilge (I am a dry bilge fanatic, because the bilge aboard a Westerly Centaur is basically, non-existent).
We have been experiencing deluge upon deluge, and it looks like a definite pattern has developed.
Yep, we're in a holding pattern, Holding Pattern!
Island Time Jim called me on the Skype and asked for my schedule.
Seems he needs crew to be able to deliver the boat from Isla Mujeres Mexico back here, an open water delivery of around a week. I am available, but first I believe it's time to deliver El Caribe II back here so that we can get busy moving aboard.....
Backing up, about a week ago we were up in Kemah. Earlier in the week, Blue Water called and informed me that the new heat exchanger had been installed (since I couldn't be there to do so), and that they could not get the engine to overheat at the dock. They suggested that we run it hard away from the dock....see what happens.
Soooo.....we got up there late in the afternoon, and I just couldn't resist. I fired up the Westerbeke W-50, sans cover (really the galley front), admiring the new shiny red heat exchanger, when I noticed (to my great chagrin) a veritable torrent of water pouring down the port upper bilge, bound for the dark, dark depths under the engine.
Tracing the river upstream, I threw open the gates of hell (the port cockpit locker.....it's big enough for me to cram my buttocks grande into, and hotter than Hades to work in, but everything on the aft side of the engine resides there. I jokingly refer to it as my workshop as there are several shelves replete with tools and parts down there....but as usual....I digress....
I pulled out the spare main sail, the hi-tech stainless portable barbie and some other junk, and there.....there below lay the villian. A fiberglass elbow downstream of the wet exhaust (which is also located down there) was gushing a spray, and oh-no, GOOD LORD the wet exhaust incoming elbow itself was spitting a gory stream of raw water.
I groaned understanding all too well what was ahead.
The next day was spent running around gathering parts (including a brand new wet exhaust), culminating with yours truly scrunched into the port cockpit locker cutting, fitting and hose clamping things back together, all accompanied by the muffled sounds of melodious cursing which I'm sure was appreciated by passers-by as a work of art in itself.
At one point I noticed another torrent of water pouring down towards the bilge, and I was momentarily confused until I figured out it was sweat....
Emerging from the cursed space some time later about twenty pounds lighter due to fluid and blood loss (as anybody who has ever worked with hose clamps knows, they slit you as effectively as an Aztec obsidian knife...and this time was no exception. I had about thirty five gashes on both arms....), around 1800 I fired up the engine, checking everything for leaks, and after a little hose clamp tightening, the problem finally appeared over.
Next chore, water pump impellers. First one was the genset in the lazaette. Opening the cover, the old impeller was just a few crumbles of rubber, not even resembling the part.
Is anything on a boat every easy? (or cheap?)......
Several hours later and after losing a few minute cover screws (and of course being stainless no magnet would recover them from down there) I finally had the cursed thing re-installed and the single lung Westerbeke generator purring and spitting a beautiful stream of water....
Guess everythings in order now huh?
-Nah-
Conscience is a horrible thing to have.
I figured I'd better check the big engine raw water impeller too....so back to Blue Water for two (at 56 dollars each....). Dropping the engine driven pump, and opening up the cover, lo and behold a vane was missing on the impeller, so it was probably a good thing that conscience go the best of me.
Everything back together (did I install it in the right direction of rotation?), I fired up the big engine again and everything seemed to be working OK.
Exhausted, I took a swim,
One of Watergate Marinas pools....and I want to move El Caribe back here? Where for twice the price we get to use a County Park nasty public shower? I must be outta my FREAKIN' GOURD!
......had a couple of grogs and crashed until the next morning when we were awaken by our new friend, Mario who had volunteered to show us how to get out of Clear Lake.
And out the channel we went, past the boardwalk, past the last channel marker before turning around and going back tot he slip. The engine never registered more than 182 degrees (F)...so I figure all is good. We did not haul sail as I needed to tighten up the port forward lower shroud (which I later did).
We had planned on either going offshore or delivering down the ditch (Gulf GICWW), but the wind was stubbornly on the nose, dead south, so the next day we decided to return back down here and wait for a weather window.
Which it appears we have, although the storms currently pounding us are pretty strong. The wind has gone SE though, with the promise of a bit more east which means we should be able to sail (we're thinking ditch at this point)....thus conserving diesel, which is currently around $4.60/gallon here.
In any event, we are sitting on GO, and should have a determination in the next day or so. I have been busy entering the routes and waypoints into Blue Charts for uploading to the chart plotter (Oh yea).
Once we get back here (about 5 days), hopefully the weather will look good enough down south and in the western gulf that I can fly down and help Island Time Jim get her home.
We just bought a SPOT satellite tracker, a handy little personal transponder, and will be trying it out on the delivery (or maybe before), and certainly across the Gulf later, so check it out. The link is on our sidebar under the "Links".
Meanwhile, Olivia is at her mooring, waiting her next assignment. She will be starting a new life as a charter boat, wine and cheese sunset cruises (yours truly as Captain) later this summer. So if you get down here, I'll take you out gratis.....just let us know that you found us here, at Olivias homeport. | 
