Busy day today, and we need to start painting.

Christy will take the shopping bus with George and I will try and get the starter sorted. I’m at the boat just after 7 am, listen to the net and then take the old starter motor out … again. I bench test it and of course this is where I determine for sure it does not work and James was right. In some ways that is good news, if it did work then I would be lost on what to do next.

Christy is there and I check my email, Latysha at Palm Tree Marine says they have an aftermarket starter that appears to be the right fit. They are at Clarke’s Court so I call her and tell her I’m on my way with the old starter. I jump in Albert’s Taxi who is always hanging around Budget, Christy jumps in too and we give her a ride to Cool Runnings. She will do the shopping, I will get the starter, then I will walk the two old starters over to Nissan to give to Fonda, who will give them to Al, who will rebuild one of them. Away we go.

On the way to Clarke’s Albert and I are joking about You Tube videos, I make him laugh and he is happy the rest of the day. At Palm Tree in Clarke’s the starter Latysha has appears to be exactly the same as mine so I take it. It’s about C$320 but I think I paid that in US 2 years ago and had to wait 2 weeks so I’m very happy about this.

Just hope it works and solves our problem.

Back at SIMS I install the starter but don’t do anything else with it – really need two people to test since one of us has to feed the motor with water. I call Fonda, he is at work at Nissan so I start the walk over there with the two bad starters. I just want one back.

Walk back to SIMS, get ready to start painting. Finish Christy’s edging tape job and then next thing is to stir the paint. I used an old piece of steel rigging I found to stir the primer but the anti-foul paint is so thick and nasty there’s no way I can stir it that way. I go over to Budget and thankfully they have an attachment for my drill. Buy that, a paint tray and a jug of water.

I start mixing, no way this could be done any other way. Then I start painting. I get out the mini roller and do the borders all around the boat. Sunny side of the boat is hooooot. As I get to the underside of the boat Christy shows up and she takes the big roller. I also stir up a second gallon while she suits up.

It’s hot and nasty but I’m not stopping until this job is done. I started about noon and it is full heat and sun and the paint is awful, makes you light headed and nauseous, and doesn’t help with full Michelin man suit, bala clava, mask, goggles, gloves and booties. We do the sunny side last and it is painful. Both of us ready to barf or pass out or both.

Then, suddenly, we reach the end.

We disrobe the suits, soaking wet inside and breathe a little fresh air, though the smell of the paint is still around. I’m sitting on a board just drinking water, regaining enough energy to pack up.

We both drink a lot of water and inside Milu I pull out a Camelbak I had put in the fridge. OMG I don’t think either of us has ever tasted anything so good. I haven’t eaten anything except some mango slices around lunch time. Wanted to get a double on the way back from walking to Nissan but I’m out of cash.

“Didn’t you want to test the motor?” says Christy. It’s 3:30 pm, about eleventy seven million degrees. “I’m done” says me.

We go back to the apartment, maybe we’ll return to try the motor.

I’m writing this now at 7 pm. We’re not going back.