41. Dead Head

Boat maintenance is taking over. I got problems with my head – every cruiser’s worst nightmare. I thought maybe something got stuck in a through hull when I was power washed, because my toilet isn’t flushing properly. So I jumped in (the bay) to unblock it. All hoses were clear, so I took the pump apart. Crap everywhere, literally, but I found the problem. I bought and fitted a new diaphragm and valves, cleaned everything and put it back together. And what do you know, now I don’t need to go…

my ensuite

My new outboard is heavy to lift on and off the boat from the dinghy, so I made a harness for the engine, and ran a line through the end of my boom so I can winch it up and swing it round into the cockpit. I fixed the air leak in the dinghy but water is still coming in. I’m not sure I can fix it, the whole transom needs resealing… My solution for the moment is to go fast, to plane whenever possible – that gets the water out.

birdy on my bowsprit

I’ve also been busy earning money. Last weekend I managed a booth at the USA College Fair in the Hyatt Hotel Port of Spain. I got paid a few hundred bucks, got to try out the Hyatt’s infinity pool, even got some little bottles of shampoo.

full moon in Chaguaramas (M/V Zorro on the right)

40. Back in the Water

Re launch was problem free. Actually I went in four hours early. Before breakfast I launched my dinghy, attached the new engine and went to pay my bill. All in all, for the haul and paint, the total cost was $1250, and more than half of that is paint. That’s pretty cheap; I reckon 25-30% cheaper than St. Martin. In the States it would be four or five thousand.

Hanging around before launching

About to be catapulted across the bay  (actually it wasn’t that kind of launch)

I got so much work done in five days; it was like a massive pit stop, and when I motored out of Peake’s dock, I noticed how much faster Sonic Boom was. The new paint and shiny propeller make a big difference. After going for a spin around the bay, I anchored back where I was before, then dinghied over to Crew’s Inn for a swim. Happy and exhausted.

Love My Tender

I took my new outboard for a spin, made some adjustments to the angle and by sitting as far forward as I could, I managed to plane for a while - at full speed the dinghy rises up and then levels, with just the propeller in the water while the bottom skims along the surface. You need a fast dinghy and weight in the front to do it. It reminded me of doing it with Steven and Shawn in St. Lucia. Brilliant fun.

Troon, in Scotland, is Sonic Boom’s home port