It's been surprising hot and humid, with no breeze, and even with our fans, we spend the day dripping sweat onto our work. Even the locals have been griping about the heat.

Our work slowed today since the engine is in the boat and it's all fitting and figuring. We've arranged to have all of our exhaust, raw water (that is, sea water used as a coolant), and fuel hoses replaced and that work on top of the engine installation. We imagine another 1-1/2 weeks here.

Today, we spent an inordinate amount of time dealing with a scrap yard that accepted (after some negotiation) our old Nanni block. The deal is that they sign an FP Customs form that we duly delivered the engine for destruction and made no profit from it. The owner wasn't there, so we'll have to return next week. To ensure that they "remember" our dealings, I took many photos of the staff and our engine being removed from our van with forklift. They gave us US$10 for the block and parts. Our driver, a Marina Taina worker named Georges, and Adrain, we treated to cheeseburgers, fries, and Orangina at a local Chinese "Snack" or open-air cafe.

By 1300, we were back aboard and we began our work for the day. Our decision was to put the new and very much larger coupler on the inboard end of the prop shaft and have Adrian (who was diving under the boat) push the shaft inward until the coupling touched the flange at the transmission's end. Having done so, he measured the distance between the propeller inner end and the propeller shaft strut. With that done, we had an idea that the shaft needs softening by 3-1/2-4 inches. Maybe. I think that we need more measurement, but it's a start.

We know already that the configuration of the beta is different enough from the old Nanni that we'll have to modify some cabinetry, most in a minor way, just some areas removed to allow parts to protrude where the old counterparts did not. I don't relish removing wood, but if done carefully, it was an expectation. To accomplish the cutting, I've got an oscillating saw, although it's 110VAC, fo course, and won't operate on the 220 VAC/50Hz. To run the saw, we usually use an inverter, but when I located our, it has rusted to failure: a West Marine product. A marine product simply should't rust away, in my opinion. We had trouble with the Honda generator last year, so it wasn't my first choice, but now we had no choice. Out it came, and after an hour trying to pay 700 XPF (US$7) for a gallon of gasoline, we were up and running.

As you can see, we accomplished much less than the hours might suggest. Tomorrow, Wedneday, is Adrian's boat watch day, so we're off work. Hurray!