Steering fixed!!!!

Stuck in the bottom of a laserette, reaching into the cramped canoe stern, blood running down your arm, and sweat beating off your face from the 90 degree heat sounds like a mans work. Not on this boat, on this boat we share these burdens equally. I stand about 6'2", 200lbs, and have a bad shoulder that has a special slip out of the socket spot, making some hard to reach spaces dangerous. Jennie is built for working in small boat spaces she is super skinny and tall, 5'11" so her arms can reach the spots way in the back. So by default she is learning lots, and is increasing her mechanical aptitude; and we both get greasy.

The most recent repair, one month in waiting, is the steering cable. We found a spare in the boat, and went about transfering everything out of the quarter berth and lazerette. Our boat looks dishevelled, but we will be able to pack it better when it all goes back. Cypraea has a pedestal mount steering, an edson chain wire thing. So I got online, read a couple how to dos, and dive in taking the compass off and releasing engine controls, dropping the chain down.....ugggg. In actual fact once we hooked up the wire the first time it was pretty straight forward, except that we missed a pulley, assumed the cable was too long, cut it, and found out it was now too short. Luckly we had another length.  

The one thing that drove us nuts were the cable end nuts to the swage fittings. They were difficult to take apart, we kept spiking ourselves with the freyed cables, and we had to do it all twice. Eventually after fitting and refitting, and missing pulleys and adjusted cable lengths we got her tuned up. WE even got to adjust the engine controls. We greased up all the lines. I know some eco freaks may be saying that oil products are bad for the environments and if you combine soap with some margarine, it will work even better. Not for us, lithium grease and fluid film.

All we have left on the list now before Jennie heads back is a few jerry cans of diesel, move over to the marina, showers and beach time.