Bad news from the Volvo doctor. I was concerned about Namaste’s engine, a Volvo MD11C. As I am just a few hundred miles from the Bahamas, and will not be back in the states for quite some time, I wanted her really checked out. Both of her injectors were stuck wide open and after rebuilding and replacing both injectors, The compression test revealed very bad bad news. Namaste’s #1 cylinder was short 100Lbs of pressure. She has basically been holding on and running on 1 cylinder. That’s a Volvo for you, I’ve been told they are the most durable engines money can buy, and I have to admit it’s true. She’s 28 years old, has over 4000 hours, and still holding on, I’d call that bullet-proof. She needs to be totally rebuilt though, this will take about a week, and a cost of about $3,500, ouch! I suppose it’s a good thing as the motor was the one thing on Namaste that I didn’t rebuild, and after this I should be able to count on it for the remainder of the trip. I luckily pulled into the Ashley marina (Charleston South Carolina), believe it or not they have wireless, and I have internet access onboard. After the motor is rebuilt, I’m changing travel plans a bit. I’m, going off-shore, and I should make West Palm beach in 3 1/2 days. This will put me about 20 hours from the Bahamas. The ICW is beautiful, but it’s very difficult to single hand. I need to be aware & at the helm every moment, and I can only make about 40-50 miles a day.
One of my subscribers suggested placing a donation button on the website, she mentioned that they support public radio & television through donations and suggested that I do the same, so I’m giving it a shot. It has always been my plan to take Project BlueSphere.com to a paid platform. I wanted to do this after hurricane season, and after I left the states to ensure all of you monthly episodes, and weekly text updates. I do not receive any financial support from my sponsors, and this show had been produced on spec for the last year, a labor of love. So if you have enjoyed it please make a donation of what you think it’s been worth to you.
I’ll post another text update in a week, and I’ll have another episode up by the end of the month. If anyone is interested I’ll be on MSN messenger this week alex_dorsey@hotmail.com.
Thanks.
– Alex
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