21/Jan/2012, Prickly Bay - Grenada
A few days focused completely on maintenance tasks and repairs necessary before we sail on to the West.
All engine filters are now replaced with oil changes completed. The spare water pump has been rebuild and installed, the old one is still serviceable but weeps a little water due to leaky seals. We'll get a service kit and rebuild that one as our new spare. While hanging beneath the engine a slight drip of salt water alerted us to a flange on a water feed pipe that was starting to fail, so that has been brazed, at a local welder's, and refitted.
The solar panels we ordered about three weeks ago should be here early next week so we can install those and be fairly power sufficient using renewable sources. On breezy days, like today, our wind generator produces more power than we use, unfortunately, a stiff trade wind doesn't blow every day. At these latitudes between the sun and wind we should be able to produce up to 50% more eectrical power than we need.
Other news! Norna (Pete and Kourtney) sailed for the north early this morning wending their way slowly back to Florida after a two year cruise to Europe. Mary Ann II (John & Julia plus canine pal, Murphy) arrived a couple of days ago. A good reunion was had last night with a meal in De Big Fish; the last time we were all together was in Mindelo, Cape Verdes.
This afternoon Sue, Mandy and Julia headed off into St Georges for a girly afternoon shopping (EEEEKKK! Its Saturday and the shops are open!) while the chaps were left aboard respective vessels to carry on with various chores and tasks...oh its a hard life :-0
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...an email from Mum this morning asking whether we enjoyed the Christmas presents packed aboard Spruce back in August... a good prompt to dive into deep storage and it was Christmas again :-)
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...the reunion in De Big Fish with (from Left to Right) Mandy, Sue, Julia, John, Andy and Gavin. Happy hour followed by some great pizzas, a pleasant change from having ones heads in the engine compartment for the past three days.
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.... and just to show its not all girly shopping excursions, Sue polishing furiously from the dinghy alongside.
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... this chap is accurate with the machete (cutlass isthe local name) as he removes the tops of the coconut whilst retaining his fingers...
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14/Jan/2012, St Georges, Grenada
The fuel pump for the outboard has been ordered from the USA via the local agent. Hopefully it will arrive next week. Until then the fuel pump has been by-passed and the driver must pump the bulb on the fuel line to manually pump fuel through to the carburettor... the engine rapidly lets you know if you have stopped pumping :-)
A brief interlude in the shopping to enjoy a refreshing Water Coconut from a street vendor. Piccie shows Mandy and Sue quenching their thirst.
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