SARASOTA, FL USA
Yesterday nothing got done. I installed the new parts on the thruster pump and was prepared to finish the project but the clutch is locked up and I can't line up any of the bolts. Four calls to ABT mechanics and I'm still waiting for a call back. One is in Malaysia, two are in the Galapagos Islands, that leaves me one chance for a return call. The mechanics here are down a man so it has been tough to get help locally. I did however go watch the Monday night football games with a couple of people I have gotten to know while down here. It was good to get off of the boat for awhile and go hang out with some people instead of sitting at the marina freezing by myself.
We found a guy that would re-fabricate the side doors in the pilot house and all I needed to do was get them off. I took some measurements and figured out how to keep the door opening secure with just wood. I went and bought the plywood and came back ready to complete a simple project. Drop the slide off the bottom track and pop the door off the track, put the plywood in place, put the base track back on and secure it. Well a few years ago the boat got painted and the whole frame of the door got painted in to the boat. Without ripping the entire slide frame off the wall of the boat and probably ruining the paint, the doors weren't coming off. Another simple task at the surface turned in to be a giant.
The electrician finally showed up today to go over some systems on the boat with me. The noise that we were getting in the stereo on the fly bridge when we turned on the under water lights had to stop. We disconnected this, disconnected that, plugged this in, and unplugged that. We cycled the lights on, turned them off, and back on again. We messed around in the engine room, under the bill, in the pilot house, and even in the rudder compartment under the aft lazerette. What did we come up with?....Nothing. Maybe a bad ballast for one of the underwater lights, but that six hour project is for another day.
So all in all....no thruster, no lights, no stereo, no new doors, no progress. I like to consider myself a motivated person in the work place. I called the owner and apologized and I think for the first time since I've known him got a little tense over the phone. He understood and we took some steps back. I said I was sorry, I seriously felt bad. I couldn't complete these projects on time, and the worst part about it is that most of it I feel like is out of my control, which makes it even worse for me. It is my job to get whatever needs to get done..done, no matter what, and I couldn't do that.
Tomorrow comes with one motivation and one motivation only...bow thruster. Every part (we hope) that is needed is on the boat and all it is going to take is proper assembly. I don't plan on leaving the engine room until it is done, and if it takes me all day then so be it...enough with this f-ing project. Everything tomorrow gets ignored and unless this boat catches fire (please lord I pray this doesn't happen) the only project on tomorrow's list is that damn hydraulic thruster pump
By the way...those doors aren't coming off, that project is closed.
Sound Waves Out.
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