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Position: 12°01’27″N 61°40’42″W
Aleta is on the hard here in Grenada getting a few repairs. Boats need hauling now and again. Nestled in the lift’s slings Aleta sailed gracefully skywards. Then she made her precarious way across the yard to her designated space. As soon as the chocks were set and the Travel Lift pulled back, yard mechanics descend on us like flies on horse-pucky.
Initially we came in to replace our transmission. Several months after we bought Aleta I found at times she’d slip when getting into forward gear. Nothing much, just a slight hitch every once in a while. Suffice it to say, nothing good comes of not addressing boaty issues immediately.
Eventually, it became clear we’d really have to do something. We have a spare transmission that came with the boat. It’s in Massachusetts. Because we weren’t sure of it’s age, it’s condition (stored for years, rebuilt, whatever) we went ahead and ordered a new one. Repairing the Hurth ZF 150V isn’t really an option. Because of its complexity it costs almost as much to rebuild it as it does to replace it.
Skeg Mess
Then, having pressure washed Aleta’s hull, the four inch crack in her skeg became obvious. That meant her skeg was full of water. It also meant something had caused the crack.
Thus the yard vultures had found fresh meat in the form of a slightly bent rudder post. How bent? Enough that when turned, it stressed the skeg and cracked the fairing. How this happened is perhaps something for the previous owners, or perhaps the current ones, to explain. Still, let’s fix the problem rather than the blame.
Then there are a few routine things that need doing. Changing the zincs, replacing a leaky through-hull, impellers, cleaning and polishing. Oh, and a new jib, lee cloths – and well, does anyone have a job for an experienced executive in need of large amounts of (legally-sourced) cash?
Distractions
I’ll have further updates shortly. Suffice it to say there’s nothing time and money can’t fix. It’s just a question of how much time and if there’s enough money. Meanwhile, here’s a couple of diving videos from our trip to the Caymans in 2016 that may amuse you:
