We don’t want to have to do this too often!
By the time most of you see this post, Rebecca and I will be on our way south towards Grenada. The passage is approximately 380 miles and we hope to make it to Port Louis Marina sometime on Tuesday, barring any unforeseen challenges.
As promised, the pics below outline what we went through to remove the engine from our tender. It is NOT a job that one wants to have to do on a regular basis! We’ll let you know how well our plan worked out when we get to Grenada.
As usual, there is no guarantee that we’ll have any internet connectivity while underway. I did however temporarily rig up our new WirieAP Wi-Fi booster so who knows. We also plan to turn on our Spot tracker so if you’re interested, check out our route on the Where page. If for whatever reason that does not work, or it stops while we’re underway, don’t freak out! Spot is not a safety device for us. We have an actual EPIRB that we’d deploy if we got into real trouble.
See you on the other side!
Engine removal went as follows…
A frame was constructed with a 2×12 plank.
Our friend Harold from Budget Marine did us a favor coming to the boat to help.
No, this is not a service that they offer.
I paid close attention to the removal steps.
Very close attention!
And took reference photos!
This was a big BIG job and was not made any easier by the countless
boats which kept coming by and waking us during the removal process.
We did get it done though. The dinghy is now raised high on the davits, sans engine.
It is trussed down tight with block and tackle setups that we put together.
And the Yamaha engine is high and dry on our frame, ready for our trip south.
Looking at your improvised motor stand, I thought, dang he’s good at rigging things with rope.
Did you ever think you’d become this MacGyverish of a sailing Bob Vila?
One thing you get good at while cruising is improvising solutions for various problems.
Though I sometime envy larger motors and RIBs, today I loved my 3.5 hp 2-stroke.
In order to do some work under the tramp (relocating the jackline anchors to the tram edge–a much better location) I had to remove the engine from the tender; the tide was high and I had to slide it under a dock. Two screw clamps and a one-arm lift over to the dock took only seconds; certainly much less than a minute. I need to baby this motor, since 2-strokes are no longer available.
But I’ll be back to envy someday when I have to move 4 sailors a mile or more.
Having a little engine as a backup would be the best of both worlds.
Good for you, you are now boat servants or servants on boats.
There are worse jobs. Many in fact.
Note to readers: This comment was made by the same person who called our blog narcissistic. Why he/she is still reading I do not know.
Snicker, snicker.
Well done, Mike and Rebecca. Enjoy your new occupation/life style.
Thanks, Dale. I’m sure we will.