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Thanks, Tony! Glad you're still out there! Hope all is well.

Oh, it's lovely here. No complaints at all....fun bike ride into town. And no rain today!

Starlink: I had hoped to run it directly at 12 vdc off the battery, but after watching a bunch of TH-cam videos, I had learned that one really needs to just use the adapter. SO...I'm using the adapter from an inverter. In fact, Starlink would not power up with my el-cheapo inverter so I am using the Victron square-wave inverter...it does work great but does draw 4 amps so not something to just let operate 24/7 when it's always cloudy or rainy. The 12 minutes: I had been awake early...was ready at 0800....had warmed up the engine and tested throttles and had the lines "singled up"....and then had to just wait because Edgar didn't want me to get underway on my own (although I was sure that it would be easy (no wind)). Appreciate the comment! Merry Christmas!

Ahhh...yes. The enemy below! Thanks! Just now I had a 3-hour gap with no rain, and I got the engine instrumentation installed and tested (SAT).

Thank you, and likewise! "A sailor spends his Christmas in a harbor on the hook..."

Making screen windows was Job #1 when I bought the boat. Besides, it rained so much that I usually kept all of the deck hatches closed. You can sit outside during the daytime, and into the evening if there is a good breeze. The challenge was electric power in such crummy weather. Hard to get the batteries charged up with the solar panels.

Y'know, I've not been able to find the peroxide here. I was looking at my bleach, acetone, paint thinner, vinegar and pine oil....thinking "which one?"

thanks, Ken.

Much appreciated!

Holy Moly! I'm going back to the doctor tomorrow. Gotta' get this resolved or I can't go anywhere.

Thank you. It's just a "tip of the hat" to the WWII veterans of the navies that literally saved the world.

Good thought. I've been trying to find the bronze fittings online, but I can't imagine the shipping cost. I hope I can find them in Panama.

All settled in a marina for the holidays! Just got the engine instrumentation installed (oil pressure and water temp). Looking forward to moving on...

@skipjacksailing8986 we enjoyed episode 133 as well. Happy Holidays 🎅🤶

@@SailingWindGypsy Merry Christmas! Give Ginger a belly rub for me!

Hey, thanks! You're one of the who get it. It is indeed a "tip of the hat" to the WWII veterans that saved our country. Specifically, this is one of the patterns from the Fletcher-class ships. (dazzle 6d and 14D, Measure 32) Obviously, I went with different colors, but I'm glad to do it. Back in Fort Pierce in 2023, I had two WWII veterans pass by to thank me for doing it.

WWII Dazzle Camo! I went with locally available paints (explaining the colors). Next time I might actually go with shades of grey like the actual warships, but no worries either way.

I am glad that you are still determined to make a go. Have you addressed all of your "lessons learned"? I have gotten as many repairs finished as I can afford....and should be on the move again in January.

@skipjacksailing8986 actually, I have. I had created a list of five failure points after the 2022 attempt. Depth sounder is in place (it's mainly historical, but will augment what the Garmin and the charts show), I've acquired a travel Torqueedo motor for the dinghy with solar panel for recharge; added a 12 volt powered igloo cooler (new technology and very nice solution to keeping things fresh), a 30 watt solar panel and an updated 110 volt battery charger for use in port, and charted out mr journey north in six to eight hour increments. Electricity up the mast and fixed mount VHF antenna is my last major project before I can leave.

Agree 100%. It was my starting position, and I could not find bronze fittings here. I admit that I should've dealt with this earlier...

@@skipjacksailing8986 Where this and many other raw water plumbing installations fail is in their robustness and their ability to endure stress and strain. While ABYC guidelines can be a bit sketchy in the area. I believe this represents a shortcoming in the standards in that a failure of any of these components could flood or sink a vessel. Presumably, in the event of such a failure, the seacock could be closed, provided the vessel is occupied and provided the seacock is not submerged by the time the leak is discovered. Non-metallic, purpose-made, ABYC-compliant seacocks and fittings are well-suited to raw water applications. The materials from which these are made, reinforced Nylon, are durable; however, unlike PVC, it is not brittle. Just say no to PVC… ee

@@bojangles8837 You are spot on. I was a little tentative going with that new Marelon valve for the raw water intake. I will get those PVC connection outta' there as soon as my bronze fitting come in.

​@skipjacksailing8986 You know it's very easy to buy stuff from Amazon or EBay and get them delivered to Panama, within a few days? I pay $2.75 per pound and it arrives within 2 to 3 days.

See if the welder can fabricate something to replace the PVC! the boat looks Dazzling 👍👍

Hello another sea dog! I didn't know about the 6 knot speed! You're talking Panama Canal, right? We can make 6 knots but I'll have to be sopping up oil drips and adding oil along the way.

I understand the minimum speed limit is 5 kts but they have accepted speeds as low as 4.5 kts

@@stephenburnage7687 thanks for that! I have done a little research but hadn't come across that limit. We can do 4.5 or 5....but any faster will need a tailwind!

@skipjacksailing8986 If you watch the video of the Sailing Brothers going through the canal (E-W), they could not achieve 5 kts but the authorities were more concerned with the possibility of the engine dying.

And thankfully it had a good seacock valve. I reworked those valves (lapping disc and seats) when I was in Mexico, so I was able to make the repairs in the water. I like the chemical equation, but technically I am still in river water...not even brackish, I'm told.,

Hey Russ, glad you’re off the hard! That’s where our boats belong😁 Could I request a short vid of your dinghy David’s setup. Just wondering how you have it setup. Thanks.

Davits- sorry/ spelling correction sucks!

Hi there, Roy. Hope all is well with the family. Hope the holidays are grand!

Thanks, Chris. Hope the paint is durable. I wanted to "survive" with paints that I got locally, and I am already regretting not going with 2-part paints. I guess we'll just see!

Where the hell are you, Frank? Miss you, buddy.

That was a long 2.5 months, Steve. Very glad to be in the water...and no longer flooding!

We'll see. I witnessed a boat that had used automotive clearcoat, and it looked great after 3 years. We'll see. If this doesn't work, then I am just going to buy wood-colored paint...

Thanks! I am happy to incorporate any comments. Tell me what's good and what's not! Thanks for being out there!

Floating at this moment! It's always a good day when the ship retains positive buoyancy! (and the rain stopped)

Thanks, John!

I am very much ready to move on from Guatemala. Staying in one place for more than 2 month is no longer an allowed practice! We all tend to get comfortable and lethargic. I'm ready to get moving.

The new paint job is not too much? This pattern in from the Fletcher-class destroyers of WW II.

Thanks! I'll include "durability assessments" in future videos.

Thanks, Paul. There's a time lag, of course with these videos. Just hit the water a few hours ago and positive buoyancy has been maintained!

You are the best!

I certainly have a lot to learn about this anti-fouling business! Right now I am near-desperate to get out of this boatyard and head out on a shakedown cruise on the big lake (upriver a few miles). Thanks for the comments, Dave.

I'm glad it helps. I was a first-timer doing this....hadn't really messed with engines at all since middle school and that lawn-mower. Cheers!

You're right. I think Toe-Injuries are my most-often-logged...sure that I've broken toes twice in the last couple of years. Yanmar, eh? I had a Yanmar 3-cylinder once. I have no issue with the Perkins, per se (keeps on chugging)...the worst part is dealing with actions of POs.

Eager to get back on the move. Crew morale is slipping, with the clouds of fiberglass in the air, or the kind of rainy weather where it doesn't enough to collect meaningful amounts of water, but it's enough to stop most work. I keep telling myself that I won't have my weather window until late December anyway... Thanks for following!

Thanks again for that comment! Inspired me.

Yeah...not my strength area. Very glad I paid these guys to do that work....their scope is to work all blisters and have me ready to roll on bottom paint. So many other tasks on my list...

SOOOoooo tempting to want to fix everything.

"without realizing" no kidding at all. The tweaked muscle in my back, I think, was part of slinging that heavy backpack around during my visa run to Costa Rica...at least that's when I first noticed it. Hurt the toe first in the dinghy, then on the bridge...those miscellaneous scrapes are probably due to the 37 trips in and out of the cockpit lockers.

Thanks. I admit that one days when your back hurts (and it's just muscular, nothing along the spine), it saps your will to some extent. I didn't do ANYthing at all yesterday!

Y'know, I could've gone into coatings. I think I've mentioned that I usually just use 1-part oil-based paints topside (above the waterline) and now the guys are wondering if my 2-part clearcoat will adhere. Oh brother. Did Robin Know Johnson deal with this?

Thanks, Jim. Just another week of "shit" work....then final painting and I'll get her outta' here.