The coolant pump for the Lugger and the relief valve for the Naiad roll stabilizers finally arrived. It took only 3 days to get from America to Male (Maldives) and it took daily multiple phone calls to get the parts the 300 miles from Male to Gan and those calls took an additional 6 days.
We tackled the coolant pump first. Getting the old one out was a real chore since some bolts were corroded and the spraying coolant had made a mess on the hot engine. Below is a picture of the old pump and the mess. The entire unit weighed about 50 lbs and was a struggle to muscle it around.
It took all three crew in the engine room to hold up the heavy coolant tank while we aligned a gasket and several bolts with the new unit. After much cursing and some bloody knuckles, the new pump was installed. Several bolts and bolt holes were buggered up (technical term there) and Tom had to run a tap and die to clean them up. The job was done right though and all bolts were coated with anti-seize to make the next repair go smoothly. Tom added about 5 gallons of coolant, crossed his fingers and started her up. Everything ran smoothly and there were no leaks. It is nice to have that repair behind us.
The next day, I replaced the relief valve in the Naiads and that repair went quickly and without any dramas. That solved the problem and the system pressure came right up to normal. The relief valve was stuck in the open position thereby dumping all the hydraulic pressure back to the reservoir tank. It will be nice to have our roll stabilizers back for the rest of the Indian Ocean passage. The short trip (300 miles) to Chagos should be fine, but the 1500 mile trip from Chagos to Madagascar is known for being a bumpy ride.
We appreciate the comments, well-wishing and prayers of friends and family. We spent the last of our Rufiyaa on food, fuel and customs fees and pushed off south…once again to Chagos.
Tom
3 comments:
Madagascar? Cool. Does that mean you've opted to take the southern route and avoid the middle east altogether?
Have a safe trip.
Alan Head
I stumbled upon this post about Chagos. I'm interested to know if you about the history of Chagos and the people who were forcibly displaced?
EML
Alan,
Good to hear from you. Hope EB is treating you good. We are too scared of pirates to go through the Red Sea so will head around South Africa.
EML
Yes we are aware of the tragic relocation of the Chagos people to Mauritius that was conducted by the British, paid for by the USA, and then all the relocation money was stolen by the Mauritius government. Plenty of blame to spread around.
Tom
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