Jan. 11, 2009 Of power take offs and other progress....(a short note from M)

No, I'm not talking about airplane take offs....We got our bracket back a few days ago from Metalica Perez (they've been wonderful to work with) and I've been busy fitting and modifying it to adapt our reefer compressor and large case Balmar alternator to fit. Most of the holes and support plates were fine, with a few exceptions, but nothing we can't drill out or deal with. Now consider, I have to crawl into the engine room on my right side, lift the half horsepower Tecumseh compressor with its attached refrigerant hoses over my head one handed to sit on the surface plate of the bracket, then lift the 165A alternator one handed to its new sliding foot support bracket in order to secure it with its half inch bolt...not the easiest of positions or work. When that was all done, it was obvious that the double pulley on the crankshaft would have to move forward to align with the alternator double pulley. Hmmm. By a process of guesswork and internet search, I found what appeared to be similar to what we have on our Perkins - a PTO (Power Take Off) extension to the crankshaft. Getting it off took several hours, as it had probably been on the engine forever. I couldn't reach the bolts without first removing everything! I had to (again) remove the alternator and compressor, then take out the bracket. Perseverence prevailed, as well as sweat and a few choice words. The tapered collar was then separated off the double pulley and shaft, and I'll clean, prime and paint everything tomorrow before reinstalling the PTO. We'll be able to align the pulleys properly and figure out the tensioning arms for the belts, get them fabricated and welded onto the bracket, then clean, prime and paint everything before final installation. Believe it or not, we're making progress! Baby steps! Everyone keeps asking when we're leaving! I don't know if they're sick of us (just kidding) or just intrigued with our modifications, but we answer them "When we're ready!!­" Actually, we're hoping to depart for the Galapagos by the end of January but we're not keeping to a schedule, and you can appreciate what's going on aboard by the above discussion. So, now we all know what a PTO is, and it's certainly one of those things I never knew about, yet alone considered taking apart, before we departed to go cruising! Guess you really can teach an old dog new tricks....

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Our best wishes to everyone for a happy, healthy and prosperous 2010! We've spent 2009 in Panama, have enjoyed many wonderful places from the San Blas Islands to the Perlas Islands, and have met many other cruisers as well as expats who live here. Slowing down and engaging with people is one of the reasons we mosey along in our slow way as we learn so much from these interactions with others. Of course, there is always boat work to do! Sometimes there are major projects, but most of the time it's about upkeep and preventive maintenance stuff. We're thankful for all the help we've received along the way, and are learning many of the arcane details which allow one to successfully cruise long term. We're particularly thankful for our families, and although we don't see them very often, they're always in our hearts and thoughts. We've also been fortunate to enjoy good health, with infrequent setbacks, which allows us to continue to meet the demands of the cruising lifestyle. So as 2010 unfolds, we'd like to share our prayers and blessings with all of you and appreciate your support of our endeavors as we prepare for crossing the Pacific and visiting those places that have, up to now, been dreams to us. May your dreams come true and may your hard work result in satisfaction and contentment. Our best to all, Michael & Susan

FELIZ NAVIDAD!

We wish all our friends and family a Happy and Healthy Holiday Season. We're enjoying our stay here...work aboard is progressing as we wait for the fabrication of the new mounting bracket for the alternator. Michael has completed the wiring and says it's ready to pass inspection. We've also replaced our starboard upper shroud chainplate (due to crevice corrosion cracks in the old one), and begun to put things away and straighten out the boat. I happened to have my camera when I noticed the Tall Ship Cuauhtemoc go directly past Infini. She's in active service as a sail training vessel of the Mexican Navy.

Dec. 20, 2009 Bluey

We found a squatter on our hipped dinghy when we went to use it to reinstall our starboard upper shroud chainplate. The blue footed booby (sulu nebouxii) was using it as a perch to fish from. I was thrilled to get an up close and personal visit. He didn't move when we launched the dinghy, moved it around to the starboard side and started working...until he saw a fish to dive after. One of the joys of cruising for me is to be so close to nature and I've always held a special fondness for our aviary friends. Those webbed feet are an unusual blue, and each talon, or toe has a hooked nail on the end of it. They can dive from a sitting position on the water surface, or plunge from 80 feet in the air. Their wing span can be nearly 5ft (1.5m). What a sight...they're so much more streamlined and skilled then the pelicans I'm used to seeing. Their thick necks, streamlined bodies, long strong beak and webbed feet make them great sea hunters.

Progress......Dec. 11, 2009

There's a nice big mess aboard Infini...Michael is deep in the project of rewiring and simplifying our electrical system to better reflect our full time live aboard demands. I made a quick trip to Florida to pick up a new large capacity Balmar alternator,
(a 94-165-12-IG Dual Delta Stator model), Balmar MC-612-H regulator and various other stuff. This trip coincided with the expiration of my Panama 90 day tourist visa, and to top it off I had a chance to visit with kids and grand kids! I also drove up to visit my sister in Georgia...no moss growing under these shoes! (sandals). We make progress every day, but the scope of revamping is huge, and we're both looking forward to sea trials in the near future. The evenings have been pleasantly cool, and there's been no significant rain to talk of.

Nov. 26 HAPPY THANKSGIVING

We were more than ready for a nice break. We really do have much to be thankful for! This was the 5th year the VFW Ladies Auxiliary put on a traditional Thanksgiving dinner. There were about 120 people...20 of them our new cruising or expat friends. The history of the holiday, along with Obama's Thanksgiving proclamation, and leading prayers were welcome.
We've been dealing with the reality that we've been using many more amps than we've been replacing with our current charging system. We nursed our three lead acid house batteries back to health, and bought a new starter battery. We have been revamping our charging system...hence going over our wiring and changing quite a bit to make it a more simple/user friendly system that we'll understand. Changing from AGM to lead acid has also been a learning adventure. Our friend Rick has been very patient helping us through this and teaching us once again what sometimes doesn't sink in the first time. Getting down to the nitty gritty cell health using a refractometer is just one more item to be stored in the 'ol brain.
We hope all our family and friends had a wonderful Thanksgiving....you are in our thoughts!
The picture is taken from the yacht club resturant of the anchorage...just the section where Infini's moored

Nov. 13 HAPPY 21st BIRTHDAY MATT!!

Special family events still tug at our heart strings when we know we're not able to be there to share in person. Modern communication tools have made such a big improvement for the cruiser...but we're still adjusting to the fact our family thrives and flourishes without our physical presence. Perhaps it's because we're still working on major projects and have not yet departed on our long awaited passages, expected early 2010. So, Happy Birthday, Matt, and enjoy a wonderful, safe, healthy, and challenging year full of joy and satisfaction! We're thinking of you and send our love your way....and yes we need a current picture of you without your dreads!

Nov. 1, 2009

We're back at the Balboa Yacht Club after spending the night at Contadora where the only other boat anchored was a friend we had met in Cartegena! Paul has been to Costa Rica and down to Peru in the last year. He has a fast catamaran.....some folks move around a lot....others like us take our time! Paul was one of the three single handers (all bald!) we did our one night of 'clubbing' with. It was good to see him at Contadora and swap stories. As to Infini,we've installed an aluminum 'rain frame' around two of our solar panels that will work as a rain catcher. The rain awning we use now over the foredeck can only be used when the dinghy isn't stored there, so this can be used anytime. We've still got a work list, but things are coming along...Michael has a dentist appointment to get his permanent crown put in; Sue will get an MRI of her knee, which is feeling a bit better but the stability/strength isn't there. She misses swinging from the rigging. We need to sew the leech of the roller furling jib as the sacrificial cover needs restitching from sun exposure. We'll get some advice on our engine driven refrigeration unit which is a bit low on freon and has moisture in the system. We've not been running it much lately, and it hasn't been really inspected/gone thru since we put it in over 4yrs. ago. The weather has been wonderfully pleasant....cool nights with partly sunny days and occasional rain.