On the Road Again.....

As our Texan friend Miss Kitty (sv 'Falcon') says: "This cruising life is just a series of 'howdies and 'so longs'"…. She is so right. After five months, it is time for 'Persephone' to say 'so long' to Grenada. This year's departure is even harder than last year's due to the additional friendships we made this summer. Saying 'so long' to 'Silver Heels III' was especially "tuff"…last winter we buddy-boated for nearly 6 months from Grenada to Antigua and back. This year, the Heels are spending the Christmas season in Toronto so they won't get underway from Grenada until late January. They will be missed…..hope to see you up island later in the season.
'Persephone' left Grenada on Sunday, and sailed the 38 miles north to the island of Carriacou (one of the 3 islands which make up the country of Grenada). This was a "shake down" cruise to get the kinks out after sitting in the harbor for five months. The Gremlins were obviously at play while 'Persephone' sat in Mt. Hartman Bay (rhyme intentional) …The most serious issue was overheating of the main engine. Although it didn't reach the critical stage, the engine was running about 20 degrees hotter than normal. (all the time the engine was running, the over-heat alarm was sounding…enough to drive you nuts ! Thank Neptune that it was good sailing and the engine was only needed for about 45 minutes to enter the harbor). Yesterday, I spent the entire day trying to find the problem; replaced the thermostat, checked the sea water intake, and cleaned the heat exchanger. I have not been able to determine if my labors solved the problem as I found (or I over tightened it during re-install) an end cap on the heat exchanger cracked which is now leaking salt water all over the transmission. This is a $2.00 proprietary part which must be ordered from the states. Carriacou is a very small, rural, quintessential Carib island and has no marine parts or services… heck, the internet hasn't worked since I arrived…and I want boat parts…good luck !! So, I am going to have to use my best Rube Goldberg skills and jury-rig something so I can use the engine to leave. Now, I'm trying not to over-heat !!

(I still don't have internet so I am posting this via amateur (ham) radio)