Engine
I wanted to finally get the cylinder top cleaned and put back together so that my main cabin would no longer look like a workshop. The more I worked on the engine, the messier things got. But sometime in the early afternoon I think I might have found a cause for the starting problems.
All 4 cylinders had valve seat gaskets where the plastic/rubber/neoprene/nitrile sealant had cracked over time. This might have been one reason for losing compression. I’ve ordered 8 of them (2 per cylinder, one for intake and one for exhaust) and will need to wait a week before they arrive here in Sint Maarten.
Late afternoon
I need to stop concentrating on the engine repair and do the other accumulated tasks. That includes cleaning the galley and getting rid of the engine coolant I’ve drained from the generator.
Caffeine Emergency
I hadn’t intended on going ashore for drinks or dinner, but as I was cleaning up the galley, I noticed that my coffee bag looked rather empty and as it turns out I had barely enough for one cup. That doesn’t suffice for a full workday in the office, so I zipped ashore and got some coffee at the Sky supermarket. Despite everything shutting down on Easter Monday, the Chinese stores dotted around Simpson and Cole bays remained open for business.