under water. No Inquisitorial Stockwhip or other unmentionables
tangled round the prop, feathering prop fully functional, no damage,
anode still ok, rudder bearings ok. Grand - that eliminates one of the
variables and it just about has to be the gearbox, so I will start to
dismantle the old one this afternoon or tomorrow to get an idea of
trhe task ahead. Some organisation required with John Witchard to get
the new one here through US customs but in now way a showstopper.
I hope I can exchange boxes without lifting and shifting the engine,
but we have been offered help every which way by so many people that
I'm sure we will be able to build a tripod and shift it if necessary.
The place is organised for 300 tons and up trawlers and big commercial
vessels and the toy meccano stuff we need just doesn'r exist here.
There's a floating dry dock for big ships and a huge slip in the old
submarine base, but no travel lift anywhere closer than Anchorage. So
we'll work it out from first principles and get on with it.
I'll keep posting these updates as we go and McQ and Kimbra no doubt
will do the same. It's good to have a real opportunity to get things
sorted and relax a bit.
