June 2: Back in Road Town, Tortola

Kristie flew back to DC on Friday 5/29, bucket and sand in hand which, after purchase of flowers, was soon to be reincarnated as cubicle art as a reminder of her visit. We headed back to Road Town to pick up new blowers and the alternator which was being rebuilt. We pulled into a marina after deciding that boat stability in a slip, shore power (read: AC) are justified expenses when major repairs are being done. We picked up the alternator and Craig installed it. Well. BUGGERS. They have rebuilt it with the wrong regulator and will have to order a self-exciting regulator like we need. We stay in the slip another day, doing routine maintenance, oil changes and laundry.
On Sunday, 5/31, we are ready for some quality time in anchorages a bit off the beaten path here in the popular BVIs. We select Deadman’s Bay off Peter Island, surprisingly, only an hour across the channel. Quiet. Stunningly beautiful. The next day, I have not even got my Monday AM coffee made before Craig has his windsurfer rigged and ready to go. We spend the entire day in the water, me snorkeling while Craig windsurfed. Having been in radio contact over the last couple of days as they came over from Puerto Rico to St. John and then the BVIs, S/V Falcon joins us in the anchorage that afternoon. We scout out and snorkel a rocky area. The sea urchins are like Star Trek tribbles and must reproduce at a phenomenal rate. They are everywhere. This turtle was a nice treat to see as well…he was not as shy as they usually are, so I swam with him for a while. We invited Donn and Kitty over for dinner and celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary (together 16 years).

Tuesday, 6/2 we up anchor to head over to Leverick Bay. Halfway there, the autopilot malfunctions. Uh-oh. Or, BUGGERS!! The autopilot takes information from the chart plotter and steers the boat, among other things, compensating for current so that even at the wheel, we do not have to manually steer the boat. Once the sails and autopilot are set, it is basically hands-free sailing, which we dig a whole bunch. The alternative, especially on passages, is hours at the wheel, wearing shoulders out and ultimately making one's way to a sailor's favorite orthopedic surgery, a rotator cuff repair. The utter horror of the thought...

I hand steer while Craig investigates. Turns out that the autopilot motor has separated from its mounting bracket and the bracket appears cracked. The bracket is a custom-fabricated mount that is fiberglassed into a little-bitty space under the aft berth. We contemplate the pain of rebuilding this mount but are thankful that the autopilot equipment (5K) appears intact. We turn around for Road Town, where parts and/or fabricators will be readily available, and quickly rationalize a slip and AC for what promises to be a hard job. We pull in around noon and the captain gets down and dirty. As it turns out, the motor bolts did not have lock nuts on the original install. Stoooopid thing on something constantly in motion. The mount is not cracked but is loose and requires reinforcement. I’m off to the chandlery in a flash. My main job in such repairs, unless my body/hands fit and his don't, is getting things. I return with fender washers (Craig does it right) and locknuts. Coupled with a glob of marine-tex (make your own fiberglassy stuff which we have on board...don't leave home without it), Craig makes short work of the repair. We will test it out tomorrow.

Sure glad that last bolt wiggled its way out now instead of during the three (count ‘em, three) ~120 mile passages we are preparing to make next week.