On September 13, we went in to Williamstead with Frank and Paulette from Amphritrite. They were checking out, and we were checking in, so it worked out well. Thankfully, they were going otherwise, we wouldn't have found our way. Customs was relatively easy to find. However, Immigration was located on the other side of downtown, across the inlet and down the waterway almost a half mile.
Williamstead is divided in to 2 halves. The side with Immigration is Otra Banda, literally, the other side, and the side with all the tourist shops and Customs is Punda. We returned to Punda and wandered around the tourist area, finding the McDonalds and the Baskin Robbins, conveniently located next to each other.
We caught the bus back to Spanish Waters, and spent the rest of the day quietly.
On September 14, the engine room was cool enough for us to try to find the problem. After thoroughly searching for the problem and not finding it, we called in the professionals (actually we wanted a skinny guy, we told them to send a skinny guy, they sent us someone as big as Mike).
On their second trip out, mind you it took 3 days for the second visit, they found the problem. Part of our oil pan had corroded through. The pan would either have to be epoxied or removed and repaired. They said they would have an estimate in a day or two.
After two days, we tried to call, for two days. Finally, I talked to the service manager who was concerned about just patching the oil pan. We told him that if they thought that they could remove the oil pan, we would prefer to repair the pan. So, after another visit, that took another two days to happen, we got our estimate on September 22.
They started working, almost immediately. Though, on their second day out, they never returned to work in the afternoon. When we called to find out what was going on, they informed us that the diesel truck they were using had broken down! I tell you, what a way to instill confidence!
The rest of the month was taken up with them working on the engine, and us watching, and helping, or working on other parts of the boat.
During this time, while our focus was primarily on the engine, we did have time to get together with friends from Nautibear, Austrailia 31, It's Good, and Carina Rose on different occasions.
You may be wondering why it is that we had to get someone out to do this relatively simple repair. It involves engines and boats. The engine in a boat is located, essentially, in the lowest part of the boat. So, you have to raise the engine up in order to get the oil pan off. You have to unmount the engine from its mounts, and then lift it up. Only then can you remove it. For our particular engine, this poses quite a few difficulties, the least of which is that neither Mike nor I fit on the outboard side of the engine! Our oil pan is 8 inches deep. The engine sits beside a major structural support that is 9 inches tall. The ceiling of the engine room is 4 inches above the engine. The floor could flex, probably another 2 inches, maximum. Finally, the engine weighs 2000 lbs. So, to lift our engine, we needed a skinny guy and some serious lifting equipment, which meant we needed external help. You also need to remove the shaft from the transmission, again not a big deal, but it helps to have extra help.
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