Where There's a Will There's a Welder

Where Next?
Bob Williams
Mon 28 Apr 2014 13:54

Alongside Fukuoka
Weather:
overcast, occasional showers, mild

I have just returned from a very pleasant evening on board the boat of fellow Australian, Justin, and his Japanese wife, Naomi; so it is a late blog entry tonight. Much of the rest of the day has been spent with Thom san and Mena trying to work out the best way to weld up Sylph's stern. First of all we went over to a nearby marina which has a 200 volt power supply. Thom thought that I would be able to use my own arc welder there but on inspection the dock was not suitable for working from, so it was back to Sylph and the drawing board.

As we were standing around on the dock considering options, a local yachtsman passing by inspected Sylph's stern and with Mena's language skills it became apparent that he knew what he was talking about. He recommended hiring a welding machine.  Now for the average Australian this might seem a pretty obvious solution, but it seems not so in Japan.  Regardless, I was grateful that a relatively simple solution was in fact a real possibility.  Thom was soon on the phone and found a company in the local area that hired out what I needed. He then drove us out to the company’s premises and I have duly paid to hire one to be delivered on the morning of the 7th of May.  I would have liked to have been able to start sooner, but unfortunately one cannot be hired before then as there is a spate of holidays this coming week, known as the “golden week.” The delay is a little frustrating but I have plenty to do in the meantime. Yesterday I removed one of the coach house windows which had a very minor weeping leak in heavy weather, so will replace that over the next few days.

Once more I am indebted to Thom, Mena and many others for all the kind assistance I am receiving.

All is well.