The seas are calm and light breeze is a warm 84 degrees - so it's time to be Underway Making Way.
We are planning to spend a couple days heading North to Isla San Francisco and then to Puerto Escondido to visit our friends Otis & Joyce. Finally returning to San Carlos to have Begone put in dry storage on March 25th.
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| La Paz |
They say La Paz is a "sticky" place. People sail, drive or fly here and decide to stay - or at least plan to return. Unfortunately we will won't be able to stay this year, but Begone will Be Back!
It should not be a surprise that Tom found something interesting to do in La Paz.
Our friends, Ron & Bette on "Wisp" (a home built 42' sloop), purchased a used Yanmar engine and trucked it down to La Paz to replace their old Perkins engine. It turned out that the installation required quite a bit more engineering expertise than Ron thought. And as good luck would have it, we arrived just as the project started.
Tom would get up in the mornings and after coffee and Spanish lessons would sit at the chart table engineering everything from shaft extension to engine mounts. He and Ron found a machinists in town who made the parts from Tom's specs -- then happily let Tom work in his shop so they were "perfect".
Yesterday, they finally were able to test the engine (does that eBay used engine actually run?!). Yes indeed, it does. And after Ron finishes the exhaust system, Turbo charger, engine controls, fuel system, Wisp will be able to leave the marina and head up to the islands with auxiliary power!
You can step away from the Marine Engine business, but the profession doesn't step away from you! As a matter of fact, almost everyday someone has asked Tom if they could ask him a question.
Yep, old habits die hard!
