Today will consist of home office in the morning and sun afterwards. I got up at 04:30 so that I could have time to make coffee and read my e-mails before my first conference call at 05:00. I’m going to have get some fresh beans somewhere, as my own roasted beans are no longer blooming, and the coffee is starting to taste very bland.
I took the toilet apart yesterday and it looks like there is a hairline crack in the base which is causing the slow leak. I’ll see if they have a replacement at the chandlery later on today. Failing that, I’ll try some cyanoacrylate to make a temporary fix.
The Starlink RV is going to arrive in Virginia today, so I will have to work on finding a way to get it here. FedEx quoted me US$470 and if I add the US$75 agent fee the sum total of shipping will be more than the cost of the satellite dish! I will need to shop around some more, but it looks like the Four-Star-Cargo shipment at $200 is the way to go. Alternatively, if I sail up to St. Martin then Four-Star will fly it there for $40.
Morning
Fortified with my second coffee, I’m ready for round 2 of video calls. It is only 09:00 right now and my workday day is already half finished.
Home office in the morning and sun afterwards and I’m still in the first part. I took a break from the computer and went ashore for a croissant and coffee and to give my money to Island Waterworld in exchange for a new toilet base. Since it is a boat part, that bit of plastic is a tad over US$200 (duty free). I’m excited to see if this addresses my slow leak so I’ll install it during my lunch break. I also don’t want to do it any later as there isn’t a cloud in the sky and barely a breeze, so it is going to be scorcher here in Gros Islet.
Lunch
Fortified with some water and a grapefruit, I’m ready to repair the loo.
- 00:00 – 00:10
Installation of the 4 captured bolts for the ceramic bowl, attaching the electric motor assembly with the recalcitrant O-Ring to new base. - 00:10 – 00:30
Filled base with water while it sits on paper towel. It’s dry! I’m letting it sit for a half hour to make sure before continuing with the rest of the assembly. - 00:30-00:45
Put on bowl assembly, attached input water and discharge hoses. Filled bowl with water and flushed. Still dry. Filled bowl with water and am debating having a celebratory beer before checking for continued leaking. - D**n. Slight leak. I’m glad I didn’t celebrate my successful plumbing job. I’m a bit disappointed, as all the parts in contact with water except the pump are new. Perhaps I didn’t seal the O-Ring correctly upon reassembly.
Afternoon and Evening
I’ve been giving the leaking head many nasty looks, but I suspect that won’t solve my problem and more direct measures are going to be necessary. Fortunately, my Starlink has arrived at the first station of its trip. The anchorage is still rolling a bit, so I went ashore for an afternoon sandwich at Jambe de Bois. There I spoke with Malachai, who recommend that I lift my dinghy out of the water at night. Apparently, the thieves troll the anchorage with bolt cutters, so chaining isn’t sufficient security.
