Back in Saint Martin
Persephone... Cruiser/Racer
Nigel & Karen Goodhew...
Fri 2 Jun 2017 12:30
Tim and Oli fly back to Europe today, and we are feeling sad as their all too brief stay comes to an end.
On the boat and sailing front, we fitted a new earth for the alternator....as the old cable sheared away from its ring fitting....Tim and I jury rigged the earth a few days ago in the BVI's, but now a new, beefier cable has been installed. While doing that, I noticed a dripping leak from the sea water cooling pump.
This throws up a dilemma. Normally, I would immediately attend to an issue like that, but the VolvoPenta guys here in Saint Martin tell me that many of the parts for our engine are obsolete. If I remove the pump on Tuesday, they will offer me an opinion and possibly repair it from stock they hold, but there are no guarantees. If I do that, and they cant repair it, we are stuck in the anchorage, immobile, and unable to charge the batteries.....and we fitted new batteries a couple of weeks ago in preparation for the return journey.
I want to get going to Azores as soon as possible, and really cannot hang around in Saint Martin for weeks waiting for parts and customs clearance and all that. The summer, and all that entails, including the hurricane season, is on its way. So I think this little maintenance item will have to be done in Azores...but before I finally decide, I will consult Wayne, my friendly diesel mechanic back home.
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