Repair Progress

Repairs have been progressing slowly, partly due to cold, rainy weather and partly due to some depression about my circumstances. The loneliness and cold and feeling stuck wears me down and some days I just don’t feel like doing anything. Over the last two weeks though, some progress has been made. After a few days of getting a visa and learning what’s what here, I assessed the damage on Sparrow. The list grew longer, of course.

The big news is the parts shipped last week to Miami where they hopefully departed for Santiago yesterday. It was rather a big job to specify everything, buy everything, consolidate the parts into a carton and ship it out. A huge shoutout to my longtime friend Steve who did an amazing job helping me specify parts, order them all, consolidate everything and ship them out. As of now, there is a 55 pound box on it’s way down here. If everything goes perfectly (sure) the box will clear Customs and meet the weekly ferry to Puerto Williams to arrive on the 23rd. There is no way I could have pulled that off from down here, so thank you so, so much Steve. I’m certain I have taken on a debt that I cannot repay.

Before the parts arrive, I’m doing everything I can both to make repairs and adjustment, and prep as far as possible to be able to quickly install the parts. With luck I should get everything done in three days after the parts arrive. So here is a list of repairs and status:

• Rudder Bearing – cleaned and inspected. Bearings looked OK, but cracking (top only) in deck around upper bearing housing. Leak covered with 2mil poly bag material.
• Turning Block hole in deck – hole filled with epoxy. Turning block not installed due to no backing plate. Will use padeyes and blocks as work around. 2 blocks shipped.
• Gooseneck Pin – New pin shipped
• Jib Halyard – old halyard removed, mouseline in, new halyard shipped
• Mainsheet Sling Chafing – Chafing material shipped
• Mainsheet Turning Block – replaced with spare 100mm block
• Jib Battens – Still need to cut two battens and sew pockets closed (pockets torn)
• Mainsail Cars – All car pins need to be replaced due to multiple failures; 2 new cars and carriage ordered; new pins and nuts ordered
• Mainsail Batten Boxes – 4 broken boxes need to be removed; 4 new boxes shipped
• Traveler Cars – Old cars removed; New cars shipped
• Center hatch – Old hatch removed, new hatch shipped
• Keel Box Leak – photographed keel joint, confirmed damage limited to fillet material.
• Battery monitor – new part shipped
• Laptop charger – new part shipped
• Tricolor reverse polarity switch – new part shipped
• GPS Antenna – new part shipped
• VHF Antenna – new part shipped
• Wind Sensor – Remounted but still moves affecting AWA, TWA maybe 5 degrees
• Echomax XS Antenna – new part with mount shipped
• Watermaker – High salinity. TDS meter shipped but resolution unknown. Will depart with full tank of shore water
• Chainplate Leaks – unresolved
• Jib Track Leaks – unresolved
• Forward and Aft Hatch Leaks – unresolved
• Winches – all cleaned and greased

So, with some work and luck, Sparrow will be ready for the open ocean again by the middle of next week, maybe the 27th?

Meanwhile I also muddle on where Sparrow is going…the U.S. East Coast or keep heading East? Looks like the option of heading up the Chilean waterway is not practical for singlehanded Sparrow. COVID and getting late in the season argues for heading up the Atlantic. Possible regret and doing what you said you would do argue to keep going around. As I lack sufficient life wisdom, I dither. But this topic will be for another post as departure draws nearer.

Now is the time for tea with a blanket and to read about Godel’s Incompleteness Theorem and its implications for determinism and AI while rain patters on the deck. I continue to be astonished at what I didn’t learn during 20 years of formal education. Although perhaps after 58 years around the sun maybe I can finally begin to put some pieces together.

I keep hearing COVID is raging back in Los Angeles. Puerto Williams feels like a safe place to be during the pandemic, even though the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in Puerto Williams. Everyone stay healthy.