Bocas del Toro is the Hotel California.  You can check out, but you can never leave.  My motivation in all things has always ebbed and flowed.  Since I’ve been here I’ve definitely had a hard time mustering up the motivation to pull myself and my boat back in shape for passage making.  The problem is that it becomes a slippery slope and once you let the progress slow it continues to do so until you find yourself sitting at a complete stop.  I’ve been here too long now and the lack of real activity or progress of any kind has done a number on my general outlook.  I’ve drawn a line in the sand and I’ll be sailing again by the 15^th of this month.  I need to feel Jargo and myself come to life again which is as easy and slipping the dock lines and heading to sea.  Cartagena and the Pacific Ocean are waiting and it is time to get ready.  Here is my punch list of things to accomplish and a brief description of what the work entails that must be done by the 14^th.

Shaft Coupling – I pulled the shaft coupling flange from the transmission flange to try and determine just how much out of alignment my engine has become.  It is considerable.  Unfortunately, even with the amount of play in the alignment, I won’t repair this here.  I’ll be sailing as much as possible to Colombia where I’ll pull the engine and prop shaft for a rebuild.  On installation I’ll be able to true things up much easier.  For now, I just have to put it all back together.

Mizzen Boom Topping Lift – The new mizzen sail arrived and looks pretty good.  I bent the sail on and it fits fine with one small exception.  The topping lift is fixed at the top of the mast, runs through a block at the aft end of the boom, then cleats mid boom.  The block at the back of the mast is preventing me from being able to tighten up the foot of the sail.  I’ll remove the block and use a fixed topping lift which is a pretty minor modification.

Fuel Line Fitting – I rebuilt the fuel line on the monster beat from Roatan to Cayo Vivorillo.  It was clogging every 30 minutes shutting down the 4108.  I almost went crazy dealing with it and ran a larger diameter line allowing the particulates that have accumulated in the tank to run through the line reaching the racor filters.  I had to bypass half the line and one filter to make it work and I need a new hose nipple to put the whole system back into service.  This means a shopping trip in Bocas or maybe one of the larger cities.

Clean Fuel Tank – Same problem described above.

Pick up propane bottles from town

New Dingy Painter – Old one well worn.  I’ll splice a new one on the bow eye using a long section of the old 3 strand anchor line.

Paint Windless – The old cast iron windless is a rusting hulk again.  A wire brush, ospho, and paint will clean it right up.

New Anchor Snubber – Basically the same project as the dingy painter.  The old chain hooks are rusty as hell and the lines are more chaffed that I am comfortable with.

Clean and stow for sea.  Sailing in the ITCZ is slow, tricky business.  The winds are light and variable with regular thunderstorms.  I am expecting slow going and frustrating winds.  Maybe I’ll get lucky?

Lee