Storms, outboards and winches.
03 October 2017 | Spanish Waters, Curacao
Bill/sunny with winds
It's now Saturday evening and we've heard a storm is coming and bringing a good bit of rain with it(if you believe the weather people). At least a 60% chance of rain over the next few days. We just came in from buttoning up the cockpit so should it rain, we will still have a place to sit "outside". Winds are also forecast to be in the 20 knot range so it's got the makings of a pretty good storm. It's been windy off and on all day long with out wind generator spinning nicely on the stern. Not making much but some is better than nothing and the boats that have solar panels didn't get much today as it's been sort of over cast all day long. Some sun, some shade but the wind just keeps on coming. We've checked out anchor location and all is well with where we dropped it with little to no movement. This may not be a big storm but one thing we have found here in Curacao, you don't know what's coming till it slams into you. Better safe than sorry.(the storm never materialized)
I couldn't get the bolt out of the Tohatsu outboard this afternoon, try as I might. I cleaned it all off and sprayed with PB Blaster but what I was missing was our propane torch. If my memory is any good(and some times it is and sometimes it's not) the last time we used it, the propane canister was so rusty, we threw it away after using it. I found the torch nozzle but no tank so I'll be out getting a new one on Monday morning. Once the bolt(or what's left of it) is out, it will give me something to take to the hardware store so I can get a new one.
It's now Sunday evening and we just finished watching some shows on the computer. We spent a good portion of the day just cleaning Zephyr and getting as much cat hair up as possible. We had a game of Mexican Train scheduled for this afternoon and Johanna is allergic to kitties so we wanted the make sure we had as much of their hair cleaned up as we could. It was a great game though I came in last(by a wide margin) again. Oh well, it's only a game(so says the looser). Tomorrow, off to the hardware store for a new tank of propane. I'll get that bolt out.
It's now Monday and it's been a busy day. I took off for the hardware store and got a new small propane tank so I can make a torch and super heat the stub of the bolt that's coming out of the outboard that used to hold the zinc. We got the outboard off Puff and hauled on deck where I again dosed it with more PB Blaster and then let it sit again for a while. I pulled out the torch and really heated up the bolt and it still won't come out. It's stuck in real well. If any one has an idea of how to get it out, I'd love to hear it. My last alternative is to drill it out and re tap the hole. Not going to be fun.
After lunch, I planed to go up the mast for an inspection but a big dark cloud came at us and they normally bring rain or at the least lightening. While it passed, I checked our water and diesel tanks. Looks like we will need more of both before we leave for Panama. Once the cloud was gone, it was up the mast I went with Tracy at the winch as I climbed up the steps I installed when we were back in Mexico. At the top, about 60 feet up, I had a great view and I checked all the connections as well as spraying lube on everything that looked like it needed it or even if it didn't look like it. Every sheave got a nice heavy dose so the lines will run smoothly. To assist me in my climb, Tracy ran the main halyard(raises the mainsail) to a winch and used our electric drill to help get me up. As she kept trying to get me to the top, the winch started making all kinds of bad noise. She finally moved the line to a different winch and that solved the problem but now I had a winch that needed attention. Once down, we started in on it.
Out came my computer with the schematic for the winch and between the two of us and a lot of patience and repeatedly taking pictures so we knew what it looked like along the way, the port winch(a Lewmar 44ST) came apart. It was a mess inside. When we had the teak decks taken off and the new layer of fiberglass installed, all the dirt, grit and dust from all the sanding found it's way inside the winch. Add the occasional rain of salt water from waves and there was a layer of junk all over the inside. The winch came apart easily with all it's big and little bearing and we made sure to put each piece as it came off on trays and cookie sheets so there would be no mixup. We put cloth over and in the deck drains as the last time we did this, a small set of bearings that make it run smoothly got dropped and went right out the drain. This time, we were taking no chances. It took about 4 hours to dismantle both winches(if one is bad, the other probably is too), clean and lube and reassemble them finally finishing about 1800 in time to get Puff back on board. Tomorrow we will be doing the other winches in the cockpit.
Today, Tuesday, Tracy started in on cleaning out old food. We have a lot of storage for many things on Zephyr but food far out weighs most anything else. Today, Tracy went looking for everything and any thing that we have in storage under and behind the settees in the main salon. Oh the things she found. Cans of blackberries and blueberries we bought in Port Townsend before we ever left the US as well as vacuum packed bags of roast beef we bought at Costco even before that. Old broken radios, cords to who knows what. For food, she had carte blanche. For electronics, she ran it by me before it was either saved or thrown. We now have several big bags of garbage to get rid of tomorrow.
We never got to the winches as we had planned as we gave the Tohatsu one more chance to give up the broken bolt. We pulled it over the lifelines from its bracket, laid it down on the deck. I grabbed the torch for one last shot and it still refused to budge. Some friends(Johanna and Timo or Iiris) of our called over that they were willing to help. They live on a steel boat so they are used to stuck bolts. We headed over in the afternoon and hauled the engine up on deck where Timo went to work. He grabbed his Dremel and sliced a slot in the bolt and then tried his impact driver(a type of screwdriver that you pound with a hammer to break loose screws and bolts) and went at it. It still would not come loose. In the end we gave up but decided to just drill another hole in the base of the outboard and install another bolt and zinc. If you can't get the old one out, install a new one, so I'll be off for the hardware and marine stores tomorrow to get the right bolt and nuts we need and a new zinc. We've also order in a water delivery from the "Water Boat" that will deliver water out to all the boats in the anchorage. Not cheap but it's the same price if you got it at the marina so it's just easier.