May 7th, 2017

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Sunday, May 7. The Waiting Game.

Sunday, May 7th, 2017

My hopes are concentrated on one potential supplier of a replacement for my oil cooler. And I had expected to have the part on its way on Friday. I made several phone calls and sent  and re-sent e-mails with the picture of the oil cooler, but for some strange reason may e-mails and attachment were not coming through to them. A little late, I realized that the specs and picture were posted on my Thursday blog. Hopefully I will have better luck on Monday. But it is doubtful that I will be able to replace the cooler without having new fittings made up for the water and/or oil hose attachments.

I removed the exhaust manifold, which had been replaced once since the boat was launched, it is sound. I also opened the oil cooler. Two years ago I inspected the oil cooler and removed the rusted out baffles that distribute/swirl the water through the cylinder where the copper oil tubes are mounted. It did not appear to make much difference but I suspect that this might be the origin of the water flow obstruction. There was some rust inside but it looked fine otherwise. But I had planned to replace it ever since I opened it up two years ago.

But I am still not totally convinced that a new oil cooler will solve the obstruction and overheating. When the first overheating took place on the way north from Ft. Lauderdale I was afraid that it could have affected the rings and piston. But the water does not cool the engine block, just the oil and it cools off the exhaust heat on the way out.

Meanwhile, I am busy with some of the chores that I had planned to do while hauled out. My back up laptop, the $110 Mexican Wall Mart one malfunctioned. Fortunately the navigation program on my old Toshiba still works, but no back-up. The brand new Lenovo laptop was unable to connect with the wi-fi on my navigation/chart software. I fixed that yesterday, after many trials and errors.

My daily moorage in the marina is $51.36. I need to move north. For a solo-sailor there is little social interaction here in the marina in sharp contrast to Vero Beach. The town has little to offer. A long narrow strip along hi-way #1. I bicycled to St. Teresa of Avilla church for the 9.30 mass. The Polish pastor was difficult to follow when he switched from his written text to improvisation. I liked the architecture with the laminated arches and the layout. They have an excellent small choir, the texts of the bible readings, liturgy and the songs are all projected on two screens.

DSC_5675

Summer plans: I have abandoned the idea of sailing up the St. Lawrence from the Atlantic. A cruising couple from New Hampshire going North last Wednesday with me, told me that the current would be too strong. He told me about the Chambly canal/river out of Lake Champlain that connects with the St. Lawrence, east of Montreal. http://www.offshoreblue.com/cruising/richelieu.php I have a number of friends I like to look up in Quebec. I have been downloading bunches of charts on both laptops and a sailing friend gave me the link to the New York inland waterway website, which appears very detailed: http://www.canals.ny.gov/boating/index.html

I need to collect more details, but otherwise I would take the Mohawk River from Albany N.Y. to Lake Ontario. Anybody reading this with some “inside” scoop, let me know. I draw 6 ft beam 10′ length 30′, my mast is (keelstepped) 43 ft and from the water 40 ft.

Next I need to research the Missouri/Mississippi details to New Orleans.

smoke blowing east from forest fires, Titusville, Fl.

smoke blowing east from forest fires, Titusville, Fl.