06/12/2014 – 21°19′N 157°54′W

Tahiti Trip:

Still here at the slip :(

During the bleeding process the starter wouldn’t quit after the start button was released. The starter kept cranking until we turned the battery switch off!

So after much dirty work, covered in oil, removing and installing the starter numerous times, filing the flywheel’s teeth to remove burrs and getting quite intimate with Siren’s ignition and starting system, it’s time for a new starter. My old starter has been refurbished to perfect working order twice now and works perfectly on the bench, but a new starter is on the way in hopes and prayers it will work. If not, I may have to go diving, move the prop shaft out, disconnect quite a few connections, remove the transmission, and get at that flywheel! Or is it the crankshaft bearings? Or some other alignment issue? Oh please be the starter!

The new offset reduction starter should arrive Friday or Monday. If it arrives Monday, Tahiti is off. There’s just not enough time to get there and return before my flight back to work and the other crews’ commitments. If it arrives Friday however, if it tests well, if the engine bleeds successfully, and we pack that night: golden.

In other news, I baked my first golden loaf of French bread today, cleaned and fixed the windlass (it’s been rigged backwards since I’ve owned the boat), stocked Siren with Tupperware for flour, pasta, sugar, rice, etc and filled and tested our emergency water tank. Oh, and I bought some raw material to fix the ratty dodger. If we do go to Tahiti, I’m hoping she’ll arrive better than she left :)

Well, back to my wine and French bread… So long.

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