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01/10/17 Sun. Today's gripe is water! There isn't any water in the loo's or showers and it's Sunday so the office and workshop are closed. Each night since we've been here, the water pressure pump has been turned off at the end of the working day, which of course is no good for us yotties wanting to shower and clean up after working all day, so each night I have turned it back on. This morning that isn't possible because the pump, which is in a cage, has been unplugged and the cage locked. After making a few irate phone calls......order was restored! Stripped remainder of pipes, fittings, cables etc from the cylinder head and removed it from the block.
02/10/17 Mon. Ordered the head gasket from Singapore through the yard and they say delivery will be about a week. Fitted the missing u-bolts to the hull and clamped the exhaust pipe to the outlet, bolted both exhaust outlets to the hull.
03/10/17 Tues. With the head gasket and bilge pumps on order, there is little more we can do here on Dulce until they arrive, so tomorrow we will make our way back to Labuan and the jobs waiting on Rhumb Do!
04/10/17 Weds. Spent the day travelling! Left at 0900 by taxi from the yard to Kudat town and another taxi from there to KK arriving at 1220. No time for any lunch as the bus to Menumbok left at 1230 but Ana had made some sandwiches, so all was well. Arrived Menumbok ferry terminal around 1615 and on the second ferry to Labuan. Back onboard just after 1700.
05/10/17 Thurs. Time to think while on the bus yesterday, and I've reached the conclusion (after thinking everything through) that Bob's engine problem is not the head gasket! I now think it's backwash from the exhaust pipe, cooling water has flooded back in through the open exhaust valves. No worries though, the head had to come off to clear the water and in doing so, I discovered broken hose clamps and broken electrical connections.
06/10/17 Fri. Several jobs to do on my own boat, as expected. What was not expected was a change of standing rigging! The insurance company are now insisting on new rigging, so I will have to measure accurately and get all the new wire and end fittings shipped from the UK for fitting. An expensive job.
07/10/17 Sat. I have done a rough estimate of the cost of parts to re-rig the boat, and it's frightening! I'm guessing around £1200 for the rigging excluding the forestay, which would need a complete new furling system (another £1200). Again, the 'marine' tag kicks in with the cost of simple 'A' bolts for the deck (photo) which retail at £175 a pair! I need 3 pairs, so I am not a happy bunny at the moment.
12/10/17 Thurs. Into town today for epoxy resin, some cable, fuses and switches - going to fit a washdown pump up fwd to clean off the anchor each time it surfaces. Spent the last two days fitting the two stanchion bases - six bolts took forever to get off, the last one being in a most inaccessible place and fibre glassed over by the builder! It's a good job Ana is small and can get into tight spaces! The rigging issue is a constant worry which I still have to sort out.
14/10/17 Sat. More contortionist moves over the last two days, climbing into the anchor chain locker to glass in a wooden base to which to screw a washdown pump, and run hose through to the seacock under the fwd cabin bed. The weather over the last two days and nights has been awful, strong winds and heavy rain, so it was a surprise to see Paul over from Brunei yesterday and a speedboat today.
15/10/17 Sun. Fitted the washdown pump today and fixed the chain locker pipework and electrics, just need to run the cables back through saloon and into switchboard, and connect the pipework to the seacock. Ana re-spliced the anchor octoplait to chain and made an excellent job of it (it's not always an easy task!) then we stored it all in the chain locker again.
16/10/17 Mon. We went to immigration, customs and harbour master to check out this afternoon - planning to leave in the morning for Muara but the weather is still awful and we got soaked on the way back to the boat. Forecast for the rest of the week is no better!
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