13. Got Smoke

White smoke came out of my engine when I stated it the other day. I think there’s diesel getting into the oil somehow. When I pull out the dipstick, oil squirts out. It needs fixing and I’m worried how much it will cost. Luckily 5 Star Yachting say they will help me do it (service my injectors), and I can work to pay for it. Since I was surrounded by boats, and had no engine, Andy towed me to the dock.

Sonic Boom at the workshop

It’s actually nice to be at a dock again for a few days, with shore power, water, showers, etc. I take advantage by scrubbing the decks and polishing the hull. I’ll do as much as I can while I’m here; some sanding and varnishing, paint my anchor locker, and do a few touch –ups here and there.

I’m along side Jock, an old pirate from Scotland, with a grey beard and a few brown teeth left. He twitches, and has a big eye, and says ‘arr’ and ‘matey’ a lot. He’s like Captain Barbossa. He’s renovating his new ship (a shrimp boat), and we became friends when I told him Sonic Boom’s homeport was Troon. He tells me his stories about smuggling in Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.

Bobby's Marina

A few more days work with Andy. He seems busy and could use a hand. I’m sanding and varnishing a classic old sailboat, and doing the same on Sonic Boom after work. I use the yard’s tools and some varnish I had onboard, and the whole boat looks much better. Helping to fix boats, I’m learning how to fix mine. I’m using my wages to pay for boat parts and food, and trying to save some and not use my credit card.

I took my dingy outboard out of the water, and cleaned the carburetor. I cleaned the fuel tank, and the engine, put it back together, oiled some bits and now it’s working much better. It’s still only a 3.5-horse power, but with that serviced, plus the new(er) dingy, means now at least I’ve got a much better set up than when I bought the boat. I still go slowly but now I’m much less worried about getting there.

Simpson Bay

From Bobby’s Mariner, where I’m at, it’s a short walk over the bridge to Simpson Bay. There’s a nice beach and bar, and finally a good free Wi-Fi connection. Getting that with a power outlet has been difficult, with French side and Dutch side using different plugs. In any spare time I go to the beach at the Royal Palm Beach Hotel, have a swim and check emails.

Simpson Bay