Paint, paint, impeller and paint...

Tim and I thought we'd start the weekend off by removing the impeller from the Jabsco raw water pump for the engine. It has sat unmoved for 8 years so we were pretty sure it should be replaced before the engine runs.

The back plate of the pump is about 4-5 cm from the oil filter. Not a sensible place for quick and easy replacement of an impeller at sea, but never mind, we're not at sea. To make things easier we removed the oil filter first. That was straightforward at least. There were only five of the six bolts in the impeller cover plate, and eventually these were removed. Of the five, one was a countersunk type, one or two were OK and at least one had been filed to be a square head to be undone with a mole wrench.

Removing the impeller was easy... with two of us... Tim rotated the pump and I levered with a screw driver. Will have to remember the technique if we have to do it in a sea way. What we need is replacement nuts. Off to Andriou Brothers to see if they have any.

They have 4mm with allen key heads, but these are imperial, approx 5/32 of an inch. Which is very close to 4mm. But is the thread the same? We'll only find out by testing. When we get back to the boat we find they do fit. The advantage of allen key heads is that we can get an allen key into the 4-5cm gap between the raw water pump and the oil filter relatively easily.

Then I find that we don't have as much paint as we need for the weekend. Yes, I know I should have checked and ordered it so that it could be delivered by courier to Larnaca, but I hadn't... so off to Limassol we go.

Actually this was a good start to the weekend. Tim and I had had tiring weeks and so a trip out was a good break and start to the weekend. At Ocean Marine in Limassol, apart from buying the paint, we also found two things: Firstly a stainless steel part that will help us attach the gangplank to the boat and secondly information about where to get the Jabsco impeller.

Finding the store for the impeller was not so easy, but we found it and it proved to be a useful place to know about. As a chandler they seemed to have some of the plumbing parts we had not found at other chandlers or plumbers merchants. I think I should produce a list of useful contacts for yachts visiting Cyprus.

Back to Larnaca... quick lunch and then the afternoon split into two: I spent the afternoon undercoating the side decks and aft deck and Tim spent the afternoon making a template for the starboard side for Treadmaster. Mark and Jacob spent their time helping us. Jacob's like a midshipman and was extremely helpful bringing this and fetching that. Like all midshipmen he is also young and impetuous, in the best possible way:

'Can I climb the mast?'
'No!'
'You said I could be the first up the mast'
'Not until I (Richard) have been up first'
'OK, you said I can be the first non-owner up the mast'
'You can be the first first non-owner up the mast, after I (Richard) have been up the mast'

Try another stalling technique...

'Would your mother let you climb the mast?'
'Yes, if you and Tim let me she would know it was safe'
'Do you think she would go up the mast?'
'Yes, after the new baby is born but not while she is pregnant'
'Your father?'
'No'
'To be safe we need the bosun's chair'
'Where is it?'

And so it went on... every stalling technique we could think of. Not admitting we actually knew where the bosun's chair was located, and weaving stories of where it might be... you may know the American Children's game show 'Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?' It is the second longest running game show in US TV history. Well this was a long running 'Where in the world is the bosun's chair?'

The midshipman never got it right, but it occupied him for an extended period wondering. We do actually have some masthead work to do in the future but I want to be 100% sure it's safe before going up.

Sunday morning was the start of another painting day for me and finishing the templates for Tim and Mark. No Jacob today.

The next section is PG15... in other words... not to be read by young midshipmen.

I needed to paint the hull superstructure at the stern behind the mizzen mast. To do so I needed to be alongside the hull not on the deck.

How to do it?

The bosun's chair!

Actually this would be a good test of the bosun's chair as if it failed I would just get wet not fall from a height!

It worked well and I painted the first undercoat around the stern and then did first topcoat on the stern cabin deck and halfway along the port side and touched up the grey band and the dorades and... yes a fruitful day painting.

The templates are ready so all in all a very profitable and enjoyable weekend.