Tartan TOCK Repairs (Friday January 22, 2010)

It’s going slowly... but we expected that. The Tartan we just purchased has several problems. The windlass, for example, has a cracked casing. And we deduced that it didn’t work by trying to turn it on and operate it... an unsatisfactory experiment. We figured we would be out $2K for a new windlass if we couldn’t repair the broken one.

Jim is amazing! He’s not Irish, but he has the luck of the Irish with him. A loose wire and some black gunky stuff and the windlass is working like a charm! Once we get settled down a bit I’ll make a nifty weather cover for it to protect it from the salt water.

Next on the list... unseize the seized engine. We’ve made several calls to the engine guru in Mazatlan... a man called Victor Gamboa... "EL Maestro". He has not appeared. So, Jim has taken on the task himself to the best of his abilities. He’s pulled the injectors and filter. He’s poured diesel inside hoping to persuade the Ford Lehman 80 to move... an inch. So far, she’s moved... an inch, but no more. We still have hope, but we’re not holding our breath.

In the interim, we have moved items from ‘Windfall’ to the Tartan and have given items off the Tartan away. We are slowly but steadily making headway. ‘Windfall’ is close to being presentable to show... even with all of us still living aboard.