After the day's work of removing the framework around the engine, we were still up and ready for Adrian's 0800 arrival. He started to work immediately.

Adrian is like a well-oiled machine. He's methodical and direct, attacking one problem after another until he finished for the day. By 1230, he had removed most external engine parts leaving a narrow, tall block set into a hole in the floor. He promised a cleaner electrical system and many fewer wires, and I'm looking forward to that.

The motor mounts are loose so the engine is somewhat precarious. The engine is disconnected from the propeller shaft, but the transmission is still connected to the bell housing with bolts that are internal to the bell housing. We plan to lift the engine off the mounts using a chain hoist from the boom, disconnect the bell housing, then the transmission. After lifting the engine from the hole, we'll set it on the cabin floor and drag it to the companionway. With the companionway ladder removed, we should have clear path vertically.

Here's the rest. The harbormaster will tow us to a dock where we'll side-tie, and a fork lift with protruding forks will be able to reach over and lift the engine from the boat. Done with phase 1!

Next, the forklift will set the new engine into the boat and we'll reverse the process and get the new engine into the boat for a "dry fit"; that is, without connecting anything to ensure that it fits. Gulp! If it doesn't, well, I'm not sure what Plan B is.

At any rate, we'll spend a week, perhaps, replacing all of the hoses and wires and generally cleaning up the old engine mess. The new engine will be sitting aboard but not in the engine hole and Conni and I will clean the old oil and mess from the bilge. When we were in Fiji, for example, one of their workers, while changing the engine oil, just drained it into th bilge! 1-1/2 gallons of dirty diesel oil in the bilge is an impossible mess to clean. Adrian would like for us to clean the bilge well enough to paint it with an epoxy paint. Interestingly, he suggested that we solve a perennial problem of ours with our bilge pump by installing a non-submersible pump that sits above the bilge and has only an input hose and bilge switch in the water.

We'll get several days of a "miramou", a severe storm from the south, so things will be on hold for a bit. We expect that we'll begin again on Thursday and, if all goes well (Too smug? Crazy? Delusional?), we'll end the day without a Nanni and with a new Beta sitting in the middle of the salon. Stubbed toes, anyone?

Conni says that she'll buy me a hamburger tonight, if we can find one.