Yep, I’m headless. Well, to be more accurate I’m half headless. Our aft Lavac head is totally out and we’ve been working to get it all back together. I thought I would have this completed in a weeks time or less. It’s now been almost 10 days and the head is back together. But; not perfect. I ran some fresh water through there yesterday and 4 little screws that hold a
Almost Plugged
valve on the pump for the Lavac Head leaked. I used the rebuild kit on the pump and she “should” be like new. I’ve never been really successful at rebuilding that pump. Because the pump is 99% plastic I’m always warry of over tightening the bolts. This is the 3rd time in 2 years. So I’m trying a “cheap” fix. I pulled the offending screws out, put a little 5200 quick set on each one and put them back in. I’m really, I mean, really hoping that works. Otherwise I have to pull the pump which means disconnecting two hoses (and with PVC sanitation hose it is almost impossible to install ), remove the pump, fix the leaking screws – I figure to get some new longer ones and screw them into the hose end that leaks. The screws hold the rubber check valve in place. Then check the pump and reinstall it. To complete the project I pulled all the plumbing out from the head to the the anti-siphon loop (See pic for 1/2 clogged fitting). Also we had to pull the base off the head as the plastic base had cracked. Another Lavac problem area. I JB Welded (essential stuff for a boat IMHO) the area after enlarging the crack and put it all back together again. Finally, finally,we have our aft head functioning again.
Then onto our new Victron battery charger install. While I install this charger I will also put in the new Uniden VHF radio. For some weird reason our currently installed Uniden will send fine but will not receive. I purchased a spare emergency antenna to diagnose the problem and ended up with the same results. I’ll send the radio back to Uniden for repair and get it back somewhere down the line. I hope the new one actually lasts longer. we’re replacing it with the newer version of the next model with the same footprint. This allows (dare I say it) an easy switch out. We also stayed with the same radio as we have two wireless mics that connect to that radio and I would hate to throw them out as well if we would switch radios. The wireless mics are nice to have in the cockpit when we’re traveling!
But; don’t fret. It’s not all work here in Paradise!
We’ve gone on one hike, went to a Pan Concert, told lies with other cruisers, availed ourselves of the local transportation, gone to Port O’ Spain, and been shopping several times.
Starlift Concert
The Pan Concert IMHO wasn’t a good value for the dollar or time well spent. But we both enjoy Pan music and enjoyed spending some time with the other cruisers and locals. The concert was on Trinidad’s Independence day (The country is now 42 years old) at the Starlift Armory (they don’t call the place an Armory in Trinidad but that’s the best description). The Starlift Pan Band played a couple of songs and by then it was time for us to go. We had arrived about 3 hours early and due to other activities, scheduling transportation, our having been there already 5 hours and being tired: we left early. Oh well. There will be more Pan bands in our future.
Last week we went on a hike up to an abandoned Tracking Station. The trail is called the
Abandoned Tracking Station
Bamboo Cathedral (with the worlds tallest grass-Bamboo) and the hike on a paved road with a gentle incline providing a relatively easy walk. The stand of Bamboo is about 150 years old. We (the men) followed the women to the top. They were our motivator. 🙂 We passed through an amazing forest of Bamboo. The
Bamboo Cathedral
grass was so thick that when quiet we could hear individuals topple over. At the top of the trail we came upon the abandoned station (scroll down the linked page for a little for the description – don’t let the page fool ya), two large buildings and then a HUGE radar antenna (48 feet across); one we could imagine fit for a Hollywood movie set. Catch some perspective in the pic on the right by checking out W/ and Julie with the antenna in the background. We climbed the steps on the warehouse building to hoping to have a better view. While the view was interesting it just wasn’t what we had hoped. There is so much growth in the Jungle here we barely saw the shore and any vista that we had hoped for. The
W Directing
excitement was in going up and down the un railed staircase. (See the pic of W/ directing Julie down). From there we began to explore a couple more buildings till the descent on the same road.
After the climb down we navigated by foot to a park on the N. Coast of Trinidad. There we found a little shade in a gorgeous cove overlooking the boundary between the Caribbean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Lunch, Lies, and Laughter was dutifully consumed till our walk back to the rendezvous point. Jesse from Members Only Taxi had arranged for our transport and there we had a pleasant trip back home; to the boat, to collapse and dream about a grand day.
Go Slow
Sail Far
Stay Long
