It is defiantly true, things seem to have gotten a bit harder lately.  I think the reality though is that none of the problems I am facing are any more difficult than those that have already come and passed, but my frame of mind hasn’t been quite the same.  I am not down or even unhappy, but I just haven’t had the will to tackle things like I have on previous legs of this trip.  With the exception of meeting my new friends Dax and Kristyn and seeing Meg again it has been a pretty long and somewhat lonely road since I said goodbye to Maria in Honduras.

The time spent in Mexico, Belize, and Honduras was something of the honeymoon phase of this cruise.  It was all new and perfect, the boat was in great shape after a two year refit, I was on a high from cutting the dock lines, and people were friendly and easy to meet.  Panama and Colombia are becoming something of a transition time between what was a running party and a normal life that just happens to be taking place on a boat.  I don’t know what that life looks like yet and it is something of a growing pain to figure it out.  Regardless, I know I’ll shake this slump off like an unwanted dog molesting your leg.

Back to business.  My engine nearly kicked the bucket for good.  Yesterday morning I was sitting at anchor drinking my coffee and eating when I heard the revs suddenly drop. They came back up, but then did so again.  I thought the fuel line might be clogged which is an ongoing problem, but no.  Then she shut down.  I tried to turn her over with the starter and she would barely crank.  In trying to do so I saw the LO oil alert was on and the engine temp was almost 200!  I dropped below and sure enough, she’d lost all her oil.  I poured in the three quarts I had on hand and immediately went to try and crank her again.  She turned slow a few times before she ran free, started, and dropped back to normal operating temp.  Thankfully, not permanently ceased. 

Enter Elvis.  Yes, I picture a Colombian man with a white jumpsuit also, but no.  Elvis Taller Castro.  He’s the best mechanic in Colombia and fortunately he was working yesterday morning on a boat anchored next to mine.  After a quick inspection Elvis said it would be a lot of work, but he could do it and he can start this week.  This begged the question, did I really want to be in the anchorage powerless and without refrigeration for a month or more?  NO.  So, I called Club Nautico and with the help of the crew from AKKA I brought Jargo into the dock Med Moore style.  Things were set.

This morning I woke to the sound of someone calling the name Jargo, but being that we are in Colombia it is pronounced Hargo.  Sure enough, there was Elvis in his cover alls, kind of like a jumpsuit, ready to start prepping the engine for removal.  As I type this now Elvis and his friend are poking around dismantling everything that can be taken off as an individual unit.  In a few hours we’ll tie the engine to the boom and bring her out of the hold.  I’ve become ridiculously excited at the prospect of a newly rebuild engine and the chance to scrub an paint the bilge below the engine.  This is big progress.

For comparison sake, I was quoted ~ $20,000 in the States to repower Jargo.  The total effort here looks to be around $5,000.  Elvis is charging $2,500 for all the labor including pulling the engine, rebuilding the motor, alternator, and starter, then reinstalling and aligning the engine.  On top of that I ordered the Perkins rebuild kit for $1400 from the states including shipping.  I figure another $500 - $1,000 for the unexpected and boom, I’ve got a rebuilt engine that is already matched to my boat.  Perfect.

Now, how do I want to go about replacing my fuel tank while the engine is out?

Lee Winters
Phone: (281) 336-0855
Skype: lee_winters

www.SailingForSOS.com

Lee.Winters@SailingForSOS.com