Tuesday ~ Thursday

Tuesday:

The insurance rep was at the dock on time and was told the tale of how Mahalo Nui came to be on the bottom and how she is now at the dock.  He spoke english about as well as we speak spanish so Maryella helped translate.  He took pictures and looked around the boat.  He left us with no conclusions only to forward additional documents and pictures.  J, Jerr, and I worked on the boat and I actually got to use my scuba gear.
I dove the hull of Second Chance to check on the damage of what we had hit and the rudder situation.  There are a few scratches in the bottom paint and probably into the hull but nothing major.  The rudders are in pretty good shape.  The remainder of the repair to the rudders would be done topside.  Diving Mahalo Nui was a different type of dive.  There is a gouge in the fiberglass at least 3/4 inch deep and about a 6 inch circle as well as a few radiating cracks and numerous other questionable spots.  J had gotten some lifeline underwater patch and I applied it everywhere I suspected water could be getting into the hull.  By the time I was done, the bilge pump was pumping about every 5 to 6 minutes opposed to every 27 seconds.  While the water intrusion wasn't completely stopped, it was much better.  J and Jerr continued to take stuff off the boat to clean and see what is salvageable.

Wednesday:  I was up way too early again and started working on Mahalo Nui.  I rerouted the bilge pump power connection so it wouldn't be in J's way to continue working on the boat.  I worked on Second Chance and fixed the water heater, starboard rudder, generator bilge pump, and fixed the Honda idle issue as well as cleaning the carbs and fuel/water separators.  There was a good amount of water in the fuel/water separators so I am sure somewhere between Key West and Mexico I picked up some questionable fuel.  After Beth cleaned out the port aft locker, I got into why the rudder wasn't working.  It was a linkage bolt that had come loose and fallen out when we hit the rock around Punta Allen.  The repair was pretty simple.  I replaced the rudder lines and searched for the proper nut but was unable to locate one.  J drained the oil on Mahalo Nui and didn't find any water in the engine oil, unfortunately water was found in the transmission.   We rinsed the transmission and refilled it with oil.  J didn't have another oil filter for the engine so it would have to wait until tomorrow to source a filter and attempt an engine start.

We all went to Latitude 20 for another excellent meal and good company.  If you are ever in Puerto Aventuras, be sure to get at least one meal here.

Thursday:

J and I started on Mahalo Nui early and energized the secondary DC panel so we could add a few systems to the batteries as well as have control.  We added the VHF, cockpit Nav, water pump and the bilge pump to the panel.  We isolated the generator and engine main wires.  Attempts to start the generator failed due to a faulty water pump.  We were still waiting on an oil filter to try the engine.  Around 1pm we all headed to Playa Del Carmen to try to source parts.  We took the Collectivo bus which dropped us off in the centro.  Instead of taking another bus or cab, we walked about 2 miles.  My knee wasn't hurting until near the end when I stepped onto a curb that wasn't level.  There is not a lot of level sidewalks here and much of them are torn up or in disrepair so walking around, it was inevitable.  We got the oil filter and a couple other necessities but were having a problem finding the nut needed for Second Chance.  We finally found it about 4:30pm for a total cost of 15 pesos for two. ( always buy a spare ).  We took the collectivo back to Puerto Aventuras and hit the grocery store on the way back.  Once back, J and I worked on the engine.  Oil filter installed and filled with oil she was ready to test.  We drained the fuel filter which contained a few ounces of water.  Turning the key, Mahalo Nui belched and started.  It was a little rough at first but smoothed out until she ran out of fuel.  We had neglected to bleed the fuel line and as it was dark thirty, it would have to wait until tomorrow.
Beth made sloppy joes and we relaxed for the evening.