Greetings from Fiji,
A quick, slightly longwinded, note to report what happens to a boat
left alone with her keel in a hole for too long...not pretty.
We expected the mold to be growing on almost every surface since we
knew there would be very few nice days for our boat-minder to air her
out, and had already been informed that the solar charge controller
had gone kaput so the batteries would be flat and the fans not
operating. Since the engine couldn't be started we kind of expected
some probems there too.
The reality of things was kind of shocking, though, and I doubt I'll
ever leave our girl alone like that again. Bottom line is what we've
always known- the worst thing you can do to a boat is not use her for
too long.
Getting her cleaned up really wasn't too hard; just wipe everything
down with bleach and you're good to go. Luckily all four golf cart
batteries were tough enough to come back since they cost about $500
each here to replace, and the new solar charge controller we brought
back was a cinch to install. Most of the pumps and motors still
worked, which was cool, but the bilge pump float switch had given up
the ghost- no prob there, had a spare. Then came splash day.
The short trip from the travel lift to the tie-up spot would have been
comical if it weren't so stressfull on poor Ladysailor. There really
wasn't a practical way to test the engine before we hit the water
besides a quick crank, or at least that's what I thought, so there we
were, hanging in the straps, cranking the old Isuzu, running down to
bleed some more fuel, trying again, etc. with a very patient lift
operator wishing we'd hurry up and just s**t or get off the pot. We
could have gotten a tow to our berth, but no, gotta get this beast
going I'm thinking. Finally with a cloud of smoke she sputters to
life, whoopee, happy time now, she's smoothed out and purring like a
kitten. Ha ha.
Transmission seems to work OK, something I actually had tried in
advance, so off we go for the 200 yard voyage across the little lagoon
that is the marina here. "Why's all that smoke coming out of the
cabin?" shrieks Ladysailor as we pull away from the launching area.
"Oh, nothing too major," I answer after a quick look, "just a belt
slipping a little," as the engine alarm starts buzzing loudly. "No
problem" says I, reaching for the kill handle that is rusted solid and
unmovable, "just put her into neutral and we'll coast in." You
guessed it, the trans lever no longer wants to move and we're stuck in
forward, heading for a really hard sea wall. All was well once we did
a quick donut and I somehow was able to budge the kill lever on the
engine enough to shut her down, but I think we both grew a few new
grey hairs that afternoon. Turns out the alternator was rusted solid
and the belt that also spins the water pump just melted down going
over the stationary pulley.
Amazingly enough, almost everything seems fixed now, after going
through a can of WD-40 and Tri-Flow, and we may actually get out
cruising in a week or two, or at least do a sea trial. Here's a link
to Fijian-style boat storage http://www.sailinglinks.com/IMG_1709.JPG
Seaya,
Mike and Barb
s/y Arabella, a Swift 40
www.sailinglinks.com