Sunrise
I slept well despite waking up a couple of times in the early hours of the night due to the loud music ashore. Part of that was due to my relief at finding the adhesive yesterday. This significantly improved the odds of my temporary fix becoming a permanent fix. This was a good start to a quiet Sunday in Le Marin.
I’ve updated the website and added yesterday’s post; that took my first cup of coffee. Now, I’ll make my second and final cup of the day. This is with Kaffa coffee beans I brought from Germany, ground with my Comandante grinder and then filtered through the Hario V60.
Fuel Tank
The epoxy has cured, and the surface is now hard to the touch. Experience has shown me that 2-part epoxies, once opened, do not last long in the tropics. Since the tube of “TAP Poly-Weld Adhesive” has been opened, and I don’t foresee the necessity of using it for something else, I am tempted to apply a second layer so as to not waste any of this precious stuff. But I don’t know if it will bond to itself and if I need to wait for a full cure or apply it before a full cure.
Subplot with my Racor 500FG
Just like good books or movies, this tank leak story has a sub-drama weaved into it. While the fuel canisters and jerrycans I’ve been loaned looked OK, I don’t want to decant from them back into the tank without filtering the diesel. I have a spare Racor 500FG filter and separator sitting in the bilges that is perfect for the job of filtering out particulates and water. But I am missing the fittings.
While the Racor web pages document a 3/4-inch diameter, the actual one is probably 7/16 (1/2″ is too big, 3/8″ is too small). I cannot find any chandlery or shop here that carries this connector part. Much to my dismay, the store that sells this exact Racor just said “no” when I asked about the fittings. I believe they have some, but they only sell them when someone purchases the whole assembly. My last hope is checking out the engine repair and maintenance shops in the shipyard on Monday. And if that becomes another dry hole, then my last option is to purchase another filter system (I think that the smaller Volvo-Penta ones aren’t too expensive) for this one-time use.
Lunch and afterwards
I managed to make it to the chandlery to get some items just minutes before their noon closure. Since Le Mango Bay was open, I headed in there for a snack. But their lunchtime menu is the same as the evening menu. All of the entrees were just too big for my lunchtime appetite. Thus, I opted for a liquid lunch.
Duly fortified, I returned to the boat and decided to get the fuel tank put back in position and battened down in preparation for refilling tomorrow. That is easier said than done. I spent over an hour trying to get the tank reinstalled and, when I finally gave up, my shorts and t-shirt were soaked through. I think I need to lift both the forward and aft sections at the same time. I’ve asked Antoine to come by tomorrow morning to help me.
Next, I chose a simple task. I replaced 4 of the Harken winch buttons. The old ones had degraded in the UV light and were dangerously close to not turning off when depressed. This was a fast job, which I managed to complete without breaking anything else.