Hakuna Matata

Colin's favorite movie is The Lion King.  We've probably watched it fifty times now.  I can practically recite the dialog in my sleep.  The line that sticks in my head the most is when Poomba the pig says "You gotta put your behind in your past", or, as corrected by his friend Timone the ferret (I'm guessing), "You gotta put your past behind you".  Pretty good advice coming from an animated Disney character.  We try to live by that "problem-free philosophy" these days while waiting -- as patiently as humanly possible -- for our engine.

The good news is that we actually have a working engine again.  Our Perkins went back in the boat last week with only a few snags in the process.  Two sheaves (pulleys) at the mast-head broke when hoisting the engine on halyards, which required multiple trips up the mast for me.  Fortunately, we had newly-fabricated replacements in just a couple days.  We ran the engine at the dock for two days to locate and fix a few leaks, and then motored out the channel to drive it under load as part of the break-in process.  After three days of motoring straight offshore, turning around after a few hours and motoring back, anchoring for the night, and then waking up and doing it all over again, we limped in to port with an overheating transmission and a pool of oil under the engine.  That was Sunday -- not a good day for me.

I can honestly say that today, however, is looking much better.  I was in the office at Total Yacht Works bright and early on Monday with a list of problems and a strong feeling of deja-vu.  I had already started making plans to leave the boat here in Mazatlan and fly back home.  But, Bob assured me they would take care of it and, to his credit, that's exactly what happened.  The guys were on the boat by 9 AM that morning and by the end of the next day had removed the transmission, replaced the rear seal, changed out a few gaskets, and installed a separate sea-water oil cooler for the transmission.  I ran the engine at the dock all day yesterday without issue.  Could it be?  Do we actually have a working engine?  I knew this day would come eventually but the skeptic in me is still struggling with the idea.  I'm definitely feeling more optimistic today -- that's a new sensation for me.

Unfortunately, it's a little late in the season to explore the Sea of Cortez.  We still want to put the boat away up north at the end of the month before going back home for the summer.  Leaving the boat in San Carlos/Guaymas will allow us the opportunity to sail down through the Sea in the fall.  That's our last chance to spend some time in Baja.  Next year we're determined to set sail for the South Pacific and New Zealand.  Assuming, of course, we have confidence in our engine at that time.  That may be asking a lot, given our history with all things mechanical on this boat.  But, like I said, I'm feeling a new sense of optimism.  Next season I'm hoping to finally put our behind in our past.