And on...


It has been a very difficult week on Osprey. The engine has been hanging in the companion-way since Wednesday. This makes it very difficult to get in and out of the boat via the normal route and I end up either flopping through the opening or painfully hoisting myself out of the overhead hatch in the V-berth. Tom being stronger and more agile than me does a better job of exiting than I do. The other awful part is that we have had to construct a polythene tent around the engine compartment which has essentially taken the galley out of service. The reason for all this goes back to the dreaded engine install which is encountering no end of problems. Even with low profile mounts the engine was too high to be properly aligned to the prop shaft. This has meant that the stringers (joists of wood glassed onto the hull) have had to be cut down. This has proved a monumental task as the stringers are made of a really hard wood (probably white oak) and encased in about a half inch of fiberglass. Scott and Tom cut down the stringers over the course of two days. Tom and I have been working to grind and fair the cut surfaces so they are straight and level, this has taken another two days of hot, dirty and dusty work (hence the polythene tent). At this point we are seriously questioning the wisdom of having a new engine - we are hoping it will be worth it in the end.

To make matters worse I have had to bail out and drive back to Maine as I am back to work tomorrow. I felt awful leaving Tom with such a mess on his hands but we have to do what we have to do. We hope that the worst is done and that the rest of the install will be a bit easier.