Yan Diesel is Healthy Again

A heat exchanger is the boat equivalent of a car radiator.  The coolant flows through the heat exchanger and in a separate but overlapping path, the raw sea water is pumped through just like the air that flows through your radiator.  Yan Diesel had a leak at a sea water joint and the salt and heat ate up the metal so there was an irreparable leak.

Oh Bother!

I had three options - get a complete used one from a Yanmar dealer that had been “reconditioned” or get a brand new case and use the bits from the old exchanger in the new case or pay the equivalent of a year's tuition at a nice university for a brand new, complete unit with all the bits.  I decided to go with the first option that I could implement… and it turned out to be the new case with the old bits.  Ian, the manager of the local Island Water World has been outstanding in helping to expedite the acquisition and shipping from Georgia, through Florida.  It arrived yesterday - after 4 days - and today it is in the boat.

Wow... brand, spanking new!!!

Out with the old... in with the new

Local mechanic, Roger whipped through some problems that would have caused me a world of problems, like stripped threads and getting the end caps on the right way.

Come on, Roger... smile!

We ran it for an hour to let it heat up and build up pressure under the brand new “radiator” cap and it appears to be perfect.

Purring

This hasn’t really kept us from cruising… the weather has been challenging and we wouldn’t have gone anyway.  It just costs way more staying in a marina as opposed to anchoring for free out in the bay.  

Happier and poorer.  Oh well, just a little less for the kids' inheritance.

We are headed over to Martinique on Tuesday or Wednesday.  Hoping to run into CASA, Tyrant and some of the other boats we've come to know over the past couple of weeks.  Also hoping that we meet up with folks we met back in Luperon 3 years ago.

Talking about stopping at Montserrat on our way back from Antigua.  Should be great fun!!!

Here we go!

Negotiating with the Fruit Guy

Pam says I got ripped off!