Hi Everyone,
It’s been Thanksgiving Holiday here in St. Thomas, so everywhere has been closed since last Wednesday, but I’ve been going to the boat every day and trying to keep up a steady work rate so I can get the big Clean up finished. Another three big black bin bags of mush yesterday – to give you an idea of the mess, I had a pack of 12 toilet rolls in my store, this has gone to a mulching mess and is absolutely everywhere. Mixed in with it is all my bits and pieces of documentation and memorabilia from the places and people I’ve met.
There are still two more compartments to open, and the biggee, the electrics compartment, which I’m scared to open because I know it’s just going to be a mangled rusted mess. Where to start there I won’t know. Now I’ve managed to run the engine the water has come out of the diesel tank, gallons of it, and the engine is now running on proper, if somewhat dirty diesel again. The renewed alternator is working great, starts first time to recharge the batteries, the propeller is working, so I’m power independent again.
My next priority is to get the hull back to some sort of condition so that GL will be able to float again, but to do this I have to also buy a completely new windlass and anchor, as during the first failed recovery attempt when all the bad damage happened this was shattered and was lost to the sea.
The cost is scary for just that one item, about 2.800$US. Lost many of my tools to salt water too.
I’m trying to make a deal with the boatyard so I can stay here in an out of the way corner for the time it will take to get the planking stripped and repaired.
To get to the damaged hull will need to take up all the tongue and grooving, remove starboard bunk, door down aft, pull out paneling, dismantle toilet and all fittings. The hull is in worse shape than when I first got Guiding Light, but at least I won’t have to do the mast , rigging and sails again.
Some good news is, today I finished washing all my flags and pennants, so they are neat once more, also my waterproofs and clothed are also OK after a wash.
My camera did turn up, guess where? In the motor of the recovery vessel pump! The girl from the crew said they had heard something rattling around and found my camera inside. It’s in working condition too, except it must be shorting on the rust in the battery compartment as it runs out of battery in about 5 minutes. Haven’t been able to do anything about posting pics on my blog because it’s been Thanksgiving Holiday and everywhere is shut…
Hoping to be able to replace my computer again very soon so I can get communications going to everyone under my own steam.
All for now, more later.
