Double Rainbow

 

11 January 2006 - We Repair Our Way Around The World ;-)

We have been up on the slip, got the propeller-shaft replaced (all in all more than US$2,000), got a new alternator a while ago, just got the regulator fixed or replaced - and we are exactly where we were half a year ago. 

 

We STILL have water coming into the transmission and the alternator is STILL putting out 15.5 Volts, no matter what I do.  I could go down drastically with the RPMs, but that way I can't charge my batteries. 

 

Because of the way the boat is wired and the combination of problems, both engines are down, the only electrical power we get is from the battery-charger and we are effectively tied to the dock. 

 

Well, we are down US$4,300 plus so far and a few experiences richer.  It is pretty annoying that we are making zero progress here, mainly because of the absurd prices.  Customs is making trouble and on top of that we have to pay surreal amounts of duty on everything we shipped over here.  Never mind that "Yacht-In-Transit" business. 

 

These days I read things like Troubleshooting Marine Diesels by Peter Compton before going to bed.  I highly recommend it to any insomniacs out there. 

 

One thing keeps popping into my mind and that is to simply load up on batteries for the GPS and hightail it out of here.  To Puerto Rico, Trinidad or Panama, I don't really care where as it feels more and more that we have fallen into a rat-trap here.  It doesn't help when friends tell of other people who never managed to leave this place here, losing their cruise, their boat and/or their marriage in the process.  Well, we are not going to fall into that category, no matter what.  If all else fails, we gonna go without engines and electricity - just like we did from Papeete in Tahiti to Nuku'alofa in Tonga.  Not the way I'd like to do it, but better than getting stuck here.