Few more small jobs done
28 April 2014 | Yacht Haven Marina
early morning coolness
I'm sitting up on the quay beside the offices trying to get a decent internet for downloading files. This marina has several routers around the docks but the fastest is up near the office and stores. At least it is until the general population of the marina gets up. It's just after 5AM and I'm enjoying the coolness before the Sun comes up and it gets hot and humid again. What a delight to sit outside and not sweat to death. Plus there is the quiet of morning before the workers show up and start working on boats, running their motor bikes up and down the marina docks taking provisions to the boats. Most of the motor bikes here are set up with a cart along the side so lots of provisions as well as people, can go back and forth to the boats speedily. The marina also has the largest number of large ordinary carts for taking supplies and provisions to your boat. Several dozen carts are available and with this marina being so larger, they are a blessing when you get back from town with a car full of food and parts.
Yesterday, I finally got the new rope installed that holds the bottom of the net attached to our life lines to the deck. I'd bought line from a fellow cruiser when we were in the Philippines and it had literally rotted away in the 8 months since we left there. I've never seen rope do what this did. It apparently had no UV protection. The cover fell apart and the core then broke. Now, at least, it should last a good while longer as I used a much better line for the job.
I've started our outboard a couple of times, flushing the system and making sure she runs and I'm happy to report she has fired up each time. It may have taken a couple of pulls but she started and ran well. I'll be doing it again today.
We found another hole in Puff's tubes and I've added another patch to her collection. This glues--according to the manufacturer--has to set three days for it to cure and the final cure takes as long as seven days! As it cures, it turns a deep color of purple. Stuffs made by Bostik. We ran out of the Zodiak glue with the last patch. Problem with the glues is that you have to make a lot of it to even do a small job so you go through a lot of glue. The good stuff is two part glue and getting the measurements right of how much of "A" do you add to pert "B" to get the right mix as "B" is a thick goo with a rubbery consistancy. I made this patch so it surrounds the "new" leak by at least two inches all around it. Sure hope it holds but I won't know for a couple of days till the curing is done.
We are off to town tomorrow with Christine and Terry off Teka Nova. We each have some errands to do. We found out yesterday that Thursday is Labour Day, another national holiday where everyone will be closed again and next Monday is Coronation Day celebrating the coronation of the current King back in the fifties. It's the day Xander-our son-and his fiance-Szonic- will be flying in. It's another national holiday. Let's hope it's not like the Thai New Years we ran into when we arrived a couple of weeks ago that lasted almost a week. It will be great to see him-first time since we left Mexico in two thousand eleven--I can't type it numerically on the key board as my "zero" key had died when I hit it. It's our first time meeting Szonic since they got engaged several month ago. Skype is good but face to face will be better. Let's hope the country doesn't shut down as they love their King.