NO MORE PARTS TO CHANGE

I test ran the engine yesterday morning, after installing a freshly rebuilt water pump.  The new pump seals worked great, no water leaks.

Last week I had the heat exchanger tested for leaks.  The shop reported it did fine and there are no internal leaks.

All the hoses and hose clamps have all been double checked and are holding fine. 

The new radiator cap is good. 

I took the cap off while the engine was running and cooling water did not erupt out of the heat exchanger as it would if the head gasket were leaking combustion gases.

There is no evidence of external leaks anywhere.

There is no water in the oil.

There is no white steam in the engine exhaust.

In spite of this seeming water tightness, we still are losing about a pint of water from the cooling system every hour the engine runs.  And I have no more parts to change. 

I think that means it's time for some professional oversight.  I have emailed the local diesel guru for help.  He will be coming out soon. 

In the meantime I will run the engine one more time this morning, bring it up to temperature, shut it down and remove the intake manifold and take a look at the intake valves to the cylinders. I had the manifold off the other day in order to replace the water pump, and noticed some moisture in the
passageway to a couple of the valves.  I had spilled a little water over the inlets to the valves while removing the heat exchanger, but don't think any got by the duct tape I used to seal the openings.  By bringing the engine up to operating temperature I can see for sure if water is leaking into the intake valves.

If water is present I may have a problem.
 

DIA DE LA TORMENTA

The weather was the day's torment.  We had a squall move directly over the moorage this afternoon, and one boat got fried.  Lightening was hitting all around.  The hotel next to the yacht club was hit.  There was a strike at the head of the dock near the boat tram, and the one solid hit in the moorage.

The weather barrage lasted about an hour, bringing torrents of rain with the thunder and lightening.  The count between them was way under 5 many times.  It's a bit unusual to get such a direct hit. Storms track over Panama City most days now.  If the storm is in your lane its gonna get real and crappy for a while, but there a lot of other lanes and most afternoons we spend time in the yacht club bar, thanking our good luck and raising one to Balboa.

We did our test run and the leak is back, but I do have another part to change....

Installed our rebuilt fresh water pump today.

THE HEAT EXCHANGER

"THE HEAT EXCHANGER".....sounds like a good name for a country song.

The heat exchanger is back (first line?) from the shop and reinstalled and working fine.  I ran the engine a couple hours today while tied to the mooring and the coolant level seems to be holding ok.  We will take the boat out tomorrow for a run at high RPM and see how it does.  I'm slightly hopeful. 

The shop, Radiadores Alaska, pressure tested it, tweaked it somehow (I don't speak Spanish and the mechanic doesn't speak English), retested it and says it is all ok.  The charge: $55.  I paid more for the taxi ride.

Maybe I can forget about buying a new engine and get on with crossing oceans.

AN OH SH_T TRIFECTA

We're sitting on Grace with all hatches closed, the cockpit enclosure all buttoned up, because its raining Gatos e Perros (cats and dogs) rocking in a vicious cross swell, sweat soaking our clothing. And we are back to counting the seconds between the lightening flashes and the arrival of thunder.  Thunder travels one mile per second, a 20 second count means we can relax because the lightening is four miles away.  That's oh sh_t number one.  We did not want to go through another rainy season counting off seconds.  We got hit by lightening last summer.  Once is way more then enough.

Oh sh_t number two is an el Nino is likely to occur this year. Conditions in the Pacific are displaying classic el Nino characteristics and are very much like those that existed prior to the worst ever el Nino that took place in 1997-1998.  A large body of warm subsurface water is moving from the western Pacific to the shores of South America.

If westerly winds appear in areas where easterly trade winds predominate the el Nino will occur.  Should westerly winds not develop then no el Nino.  There have been westerly wind bursts.  Meteorologists rate the probability of an event at 70 %, and could start in July.  I'm not going to head off to the Marquesas' some 4000 miles from here if we may have to beat into westerly's. 

And finally, the big OH SH_T, it may be that our coolant leak is a failing tube bundle in our heat exchanger.

Item #14 is the tube bundle

I spoke with the local diesel guru today, and this was where he felt our problem may be since we are not getting water in the oil (a sign of a bad head gasket) nor are there any visible leaks anywhere.  He says it is a function of age, and our motor is old.  It was made in 1985.  The replacement part costs $2300 dollars from Volvo.  We are at a point where it is beginning to make sense to repower rather then repair. 

I will remove the heat exchanger bundle and get it pressure tested Monday.  If it is leaking then we have a big decision to make.  Repowering will cost 15 to 20 thousand dollars, but when it is time to sell we might be able to recover some of this, as a fresh repower is highly valued by boat buyers.

Repowering probably means we stay here through another rainy season.  OH SH_T!!!

I'M GLAD WE LIKE PANAMA...

In my last post I mentioned that we like Panama.  I'm glad we do 'cause we are still here. 

A couple days ago we departed for the Galapagos Islands.  We only got far enough to reach the point that we put the autopilot on.  When we did the boat swerved hard to port.  Dang, its a new pilot.  It shouldn't be doing this.  We motored back and dropped the hook in Las Bresas anchorage, just off of downtown Panama City, to trouble shoot the pilot.  I had moved the pilot "brain" to allow us to move the salt water strainer to a more accessible spot.  The strainer catches stuff, like plastic bags (very numerous, second only to old sandals), before they get to the engine and block water flow.  Moving the strainer would allow us better access to it while underway.  I figured that there had been a mistake in wiring up the relocated pilot brain, and that hopefully I could switch a wire or two around and everything would be ok.  Well, there were no wiring problems.  This was turning into a big deal, so we decided to move the boat back to the Balboa Yacht Club while I dug a little deeper into the pilot.  As normal I checked the engine oil and cooling water levels before starting the engine and found we had lost about two quarts of coolant in the three hours we had run the engine the day before.  Crap, now I had a bad autopilot and an engine leak. 

Back at Balboa again I worked on the autopilot and was advised by the manufacturer's tech support people to switch the wiring to the rudder drive motor.  Lead "A" was to be moved to the "B" terminal and vice versa with the "B" lead.  Then we were told to take the boat out and redo our pilot commissioning, which involves turning the pilot on in "standby mode" and driving around for an hour or so, doing several 360 degree circles.  Once the commissioning was done we switched the pilot to auto and it worked!  That was easy.  Back to Balboa we went, sitting contently awhile the autopilot steered along side the Panama Canal entrance back to the Yacht Club. 

Now for the leak, which had continued during the commissioning.  I brought in a diesel mechanic to help with this and he promptly found some leaks at our hot water heater.  It has a loop of tubing carrying engine coolant through it that warms water in the tank when the engine is running.  We took the easy way out and bypassed the heater.  Our mechanic was confident that the leak was cured. 

No way.  The lose of coolant has dropped quite a bit, but not completely.  There are no apparent leaks anywhere.  I don't know what to do next, so tomorrow I will call the Volvo marine engine dealer in Seattle and get some suggestions.

I will shoehorn this into a day already filled with chores.  The boat bottom and propeller are going to be scrapped clean of barnacles plus I need to take a long taxi ride out into the country where propane tanks are refilled.  The tank farm used to be located in the city, but an explosion and fire in the plant induced the city to move them out of town.  Should be a fun day.

I'm not real happy about all this, but I am grateful as hell for the autopilot breakdown.  It saved us from possibly overheating and damaging the engine on the way to the Islands. 

This is not to say my joy in complete.  While working on the autopilot I had a hissy fit and threw open the lazerette lid with such force that it snapped the darn thing completely off it's hinges..  I am in and out of the lazerette all the time, so something had to be done to restore it.  I glued the split and splintered board back together, replaced a couple sections that were to badly damaged to repair and reinstalled it.  So far the glue joints are holding.  I doesn't look real good.  Maybe I'll replace the board when I can get a suitable piece of teak, or maybe I'll let the next owner do it.

 

 

 

The shiny thing is the piano hinge that runs the length of the lid.

PANAMA IS STRANGE



 Panamanian Dollar
The "Balboa"

Latin American countries frequently celebrate leaders of their revolt against Spanish rule by placing their images on their currency.  The Panamanians however honor the Conquistador Balboa on their most common coin, the Balboa.  It is equivalent to one US dollar.

Balboa was the first European to cross the Isthmus of Panama seeking rumored riches to be found in a kingdom to the south.  Following the great rivers of the Darien, he enlisted the help of friendly indigenous tribes, fought, subdued, enslaved, and plundered the villages of those who were not so friendly.  He soon reached the other side of the isthmus becoming the first European to see the Pacific Ocean. 

His glory was short lived.  A few years after claiming the Pacific Ocean and all lands that bounded it for the King of Spain he was seized by Pedro Arias, the Governor of Panama and his father-in-law, as a traitor.  Arias charged Balboa with plotting to usurp him and make himself Governor.  The charges were false.  Arias was jealous and fearful of the wildly popular Balboa and wanted him out of the picture.  Balboa was quickly tried, found guilty and along with four of his trusted officers, beheaded.  Arias watched the execution while hiding behind a screen.

Some 500 years later it seems strange that Panamanians would honor the first of many Spanish conquistadors that plagued Latin America, by placing his portrait on it's most circulated coin.

It's one strangeness in a strange country.  Some others:

Panama has been one of the strongest economies in the post war world yet about 25% of the population lives in poverty.  It has the worst income distribution in Latin America.

The indigenous Indians living in tribal areas, the poorest of the poor, are charged $10 tuition per week for each child attending public school, while compulsory free schooling through the 10th grade is provided everywhere else.

Panama is the most beautiful place we have visited so far.  I don't think Costa Rica is anywhere near a nice as Panama, but almost no one knows this.  Panama, strangely, makes almost no effort to lure the snowbirds that flock to Mexico into coming a little further south.  

Panama has strong governmental transparency laws yet the current president, Ricardo Martinelli, refuses to publish the contract he made with the Spanish company that is building the Panama Canal expansion.  It is the biggest and most important project in Panama, but the deal Martinelli  negotiated remains a secret.   Panamanian courts, strangely, show no interest in enforcing the law.  The largest Panamanian newspaper attempted to obtain a copy, but lost interest in the story when their freedom of information request was denied.  Two major sources of ad revenue for the paper are government PR campaigns and Martinelli's own "Super 99" supermarket chain.

It's strange that Panama would accept a bid for the canal expansion that was one billion dollars less then the next lowest bid from a nearly bankrupt, under-resourced, Spanish company well known for buying into contracts. 

Panamanian authorities were warned of serious design flaws in the design of the new locks, but strangely began the project without addressing any of them.  The proven practice of  guiding and holding ships motionless while up or down locking using shore based locomotives has been abandoned.  The new plan is for ships to be held in place inside the locks by having a tug at the bow and another at the stern.  Retired canal pilots say the tugs will not be able to completely control sideways movement caused by strong currents within the locks or by cross winds  blowing against the sides of ships. Ships will be hitting lock walls.  I can't imagine an owner putting his ships at risk in the new canal.

The retired pilots believe shore based locomotives will eventually be installed and put to work, but the lock structures were not built for their weight or the stresses caused by controlling a ship of up to 120,000 tons displacement.  The changes will get done, but will cost a lot and take a lot of time.  They may or may not finish before the Artic ice pack melts enough for ships to make use of the much shorter and cheaper Northwest Passage across the Artic Sea.

There is more: Environmentalists warn that the plan to recycle water in the new much larger locks will introduce salt water into Lake Gatun, the source of domestic water for Colon and Panama city.

And also:

The Administrator of the University of Panama was charged, a few years ago, with selling university diplomas, enraging students who felt this destroyed the university's reputation and the value of it's diplomas.  President Martinelli undertook an investigation of his good friend, but strangely, could find no proof of illegal activity.  So Bachelor of Arts degrees still remain available at a really really great price.  No, no, sorry I just made that last part up.  

Panama thinks of itself as the "Switzerland" of Latin America.  Banking generates nearly 10% of it's GDP, probably because Panama, strangely enough, makes no attempt to restrict money laundering.  The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development has Panama on it's grey list of countries where money laundering is prevalent.  Panama failed to meet 43 out of 44 OECD anti-money laundering standards.  This item was lightly reported in Panama and caused some snickering about the OECD's gutlessness.  Strange that a 98% failure rate only gets one on the "grey" list.

Strangely, there is little community spirit.  Editorials have commented that Panama seems to be occupied by renters who don't care about anything beyond their own personal interests.  Panamanians acknowledge they share a trait they call "juego vivo", or game of life.  The object of the game is to come out ahead of anyone you deal with, by any means necessary.  Life is a zero sum game and, down here, the other guy is out to eat your lunch.   This mind set destroys the sense of "community".  Living "juego vivo" in politics is the rule. Community projects are undertaken only after the pols steal their fair share of the money.

A contractor told me, over beers in the Balboa Yacht Club, that his workers show little pride in craftsmanship, but take great joy in slamming out work and laying around the rest of the day.  Collecting money for nothing is a big juego vivo win.



The Balboa coin may provide a clue to some of this strangeness.


Pedro Arias, who beheaded Balboa, was the first Arias in Panama.  His direct descendant Jose Domingo Arias is currently the leading candidate for the Panamanian Presidency.  In no other Latin American country have the earliest colonial families survived like in Panama.  They have done more then survive, they have ruled almost uncontested since Balboa's time.  And these guys really like Balboa. 

Strange as it may seem, I think the Conquistadors are still in Panama.  Still ruling.  Still plundering.  For the last 500 years they have set the standard of behavior and by example taught the Panamanians "juego vivo".

This is all strangely uninformed speculation, but here is one interesting fact:

The United States has the unilateral right to conduct military operations in  Panama whenever it chooses.  This right was granted the U.S. in the 1840's when Panama was part of Columbia.  The Columbians gave this concession in order to have the US protect the new railroad, that connected the Caribbean and Pacific Oceans, from unruly Panamanians who had been robbing and terrorizing travelers crossing the isthmus for years.

The US has retained this right through the treaties we have entered into with Panama, including the Carter/Torrijos treaty that gave the Canal back to Panama.

Perhaps strangest of all is that I really like it here.



.      

Leaving Panama.....Finally

Grace is in the final throes of getting ready to leave Panama.  Our first stop will in all likelihood be the Galapagos Islands.  The Islands are on many cruisers bucket list.  They aren't on mine.  I've seen plenty of desert islands with strange lizards while in the Sea of Cortez.  The reason we are planning to stop is to reload on fuel. 

We're running late, as usual, and have missed the most favorable time for this passage.  During the dry season, just now ending, north winds flow through gaps in the Panamanian mountains from the Caribbean, across the isthmus and out into the Pacific, sometimes driving lucky sailboats as far south as the equator.

These gap winds are driven by powerful Caribbean trade winds.  The Caribbean trades are laying down, and loosing power.  Gap winds are becoming rare, thermal clouds appear some afternoons, rain is coming.  Lightening too.

With winds no longer spilling out of the Gulf of Panama, the seas south of Panama go calm.  Sometimes light southerlies, bending around the coast of South America, fill the area.  Anything over 7 or 8 knots is a blessing .

It can be a great light air passage. 

But there's more.  Currents.  Ocean currents curl through these waters like spaghetti noodles at full boil, traveling several kilometers per hour.  Playing the wind and current could be fun if it works out.  It probably won't work out so we are almost certainly going to motor a lot.  We are carrying all the fuel we can, but still need to sail a good part of the way.

I've put up a couple screen saves taken from the Nullschool animated weather site showing currents and winds between Panama and The Galapagos.

http://earth.nullschool.net/#current/ocean/surface/currents/orthographic=-92.00,1.38,1102

 

CURRENTS

 



 

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 WINDS

 



Check out the Nullschool site.  It is mesmerizing.