I feel good in my soul!
It’s so nice to be in a real cruisers community again and out of the dirty river in Fort Myers. I met a lot of good people in Fort Myers, but I must say it wasn’t my favorite place in the world and I’m happy to be moving on.
Chuck and I spent all of Tuesday working on the diesel generator with no avail. We got it started for a moment and that was it. We spend half the day tearing it out of the engine room along with the old water heater. We both agree the rings are shot. Chuck is bringing it to his house to open it up and take a peek. It is a really good, one cylinder, Kubota diesel. With a rebuild it should provide power for many years to come. I was thinking I would sell it as I’m all about simple ships and systems, however it only uses 1/4 gallon of diesel an hour as opposed to my main engine which burns closer to a gallon an hour. I don’t really feel like maintaining and servicing two diesel motors but it is surly the “green” and cost effective way to go. I don’t plan on using much diesel as I’m really going to deck Splendid out with solar power and a wind generator. I’m also planning on using the wind vane as much as possible and living with out refrigeration unless we have a good stock of fish. I can deep freeze the freezer with the compressor attached to Splendid’s main engine in a matter of a few hours.
Chuck’s family came to pick him up day before yesterday and spent the night. Chuck and his wife Lesley went out on the town while I stayed home and watched his two great boys Zack and Brice (4 and 7). We had a good time watching movies.
Sam and Guin are still in New Jersey (Happy Birthday Guin) she just turned 4, Darrin’s girl friend is visiting from Canada and I’m drinking coffee by myself for the first time in a long time. It’s kind’a strange and quiet.
I have a bunch of projects to knock out before I leave for a 3 week job in April. I need to wire up the windlass, install another bilge pump, do some wiring at the helm and about a hundred other things. I am planning on taking the rest of the week kind of slow as I’m feeling pretty “tore up” from giving Splendid all of my energy.
I’m going to the dive shop today to price a spear and new bands for my gun. I hear there are a few good spots to shoot fish around here. I’m flat broke but I just may have to fork up the money for a fishing license. I think it’s inherently wrong to make a man pay to shoot his own food, but what the hell, “when in Rome”, right?
I don’t think I’m going to fair and paint Splendid until I’m in Colombia and can hire a few guys to sand, sand, sand! I think I need a break!
Peace, Love, and Spear fishing.
– Alex