Day 43, Year 4: Transmission Woes
Date: Thursday, December 4, 2008
Weather: Sunny, Hot Day
Location: Rebak Marina on Pulau Rebak Besar, Langkawi, Malaysia
The transmission issue continues. Two of the mechanics returned today, Man and Nadri, and they worked all day trying to get the transmission out so the seals can be replaced. They first continued the problem from yesterday getting the coupling that connects the transmission to the prop shaft loose and once they had that, they learned they had a new problem. The spline from the transmission was rusted into the buffer plate which connects the transmission to the engine. They finally broke that
loose about 5:30 pm and then Nadri, a bit stronger than both Mark and I together, walked the 50 pound transmission out of the aft cabin, up the steps, and out onto the dock with no problem. There were many times today when we were ready to tell them to just put things back together, but we are glad we didn’t and that we have the hope of having the seals replaced with no other issues arising. I say that because you never know. But our hope is that the transmission will be back in the boat by Saturday
(optimistic) and that all will be well.
My day was spent waxing parts of the boat. It was no easy task in this relentless sun and heat. Mark continued to remove plugs and screws from the deck where they need to be replaced, watched over the transmission removal process, and took a midday trip to the main island to pick up our stanchions that we had taken in to be straightened and reinforced. I think we are both wearing down with the work in this hot weather, but I also think we are getting close to the end for now.
Our big decision currently is whether or not we will really take the ferry to the mainland to visit Penang. Monday and Tuesday are Muslim religious holidays (Hari Raya Qurban) and everything will be closed, so if we go it will be next Wednesday and Thursday. When we return from that trip, it will be time to get ready to sail north to meet Kevin and Claire. It looks like the political situation has been resolved and hopefully they will be able to fly into Bangkok with no problems.
Tomorrow is Friday here and if I take the early morning ferry to the main island, I will be able to buy fresh veggies that are delivered to the dock each Friday morning. So I will start my day doing that and Mark will get the straightened stanchions firmly in place and put our life lines back up. There will be a bit more waxing and more work on plugging the teak deck, but I do think things are slacking off a bit. Maybe we’ll actually get to the beautiful pool here that is oceanside and enjoy the
late afternoon that way.
