So under the orange thing in the middle...is the bright spot...and under the bright spot is the starter.

Okay maybe we haven't been here 2376 days (probably more like 2375!)...fortunately, the weather's been good.

So, we changed out the alternator...took two days because the brackets we're different. (Thanks Eagle but we we're already on to the bracket change). Ended up calling a specialist in Victoria because the serial number on the new alternator was one digit off from the old...the reason they didn't send us the older original alternator is that they don't make them any more...Noah got the last one...ha! The Perkins specialist is really helpful (by phone), and we have Perkins mechanics right here and we can get about 40% off on things if we need them...so we'll probably stay here to get things straightened away. Why is this important?...

continuing...

Okay, so new alternator's in, but now no tachometer...seems as though Motorola made both the alternator and tachometer for this model of Perkins and they're a pair. All of that is okay except now there's no place on the new alternator to hook in the tach....this'll be good....the specialist says hook it to the "stator" terminal...it is...it doesn't work.

Aside from that issue...now I'm also suspicious that it wasn't the alternator after all but the starter...ugh! We'll know more later as now we're running a complete electrical test.... I'm thinking that if the starter was bad it put the load on the alternator as that's where the electrical smoke was coming from when we tried to start it. Naturally I assumed (we know that word!) that it was the alternator....I'll know more later today...truly hope I'm wrong as changing out the starter promises to be worse than changing out the alternator! I have a spare starter, but after the fiasco with the alternator I'm curious now if it's going to fit.

So we're down but not out. Fortunately this is a great place for boat problems as it's a full service yard. We haven't tapped the yard and mechanics yet as they get $85.00 hour U.S. or Canadian...take your pick.

We still need to get to a store (haven't eaten in like...six days!)...and the boat's kinda not working right now (it starts and runs) but we may have to go back to dirt sandwiches before it's over. (Just kidding of course...we have plenty of food aboard...just that Sandy could use some fresh veggies and stuff...me?...I'm just looking for some toaster leaven's.

So for the next couple of days it looks like boat repair time....just glad it's happening during the shake-down cruise and not real life!

Ray out for now