Mazu and In-mast furling pin fix at Zimmer

MAZU!!  So many pictures of Mazu are kind of soulful, but here is happy, free Mazu.  She likes being in Hampton, since we are docked walking distance to a large, fenced dog park.  The Reggae Festival will be there May 14th.

 An historic carousel is nearby, reminds me of the one in Hartford, Ct. downtown park.  The boy said the reels played on the pump organ are some of the only copies of that music anywhere.

Drew kept telling me about a particular problem with the in-mast furling gear, and he couldn't figure it out until he took pictures inside the mast with his iphone and saw a pin sticking out.

Mast with boom attached and furling gear inside.  It furls in the main sail from the cockpit so in heavy seas we never leave the cockpit.

close up of the furling gear.

Drew took a picture inside and down the mast and saw this pin sticking out.  Looks slightly bent as well.

 Drilling through the outside of the mast to get a piece in to hammer the pin back in place.

Drew hammered and got it in about 2/3 of the way. 
After much talk we sailed up to Zimmerman to see if they'd help.

 After much talking with Alex and Peter on Monday, the phone rang at 8:00 am Tuesday with rain falling outside, and Peter came out in his dinghy to our boat, took off the sail and went to work.

In two hours he fixed our in-mast furling pin and guards and replaced the sail.   All done in the rain - no wind.  Incredibly, Peter had saved our old furling gear from last summer when he had to fix the bearings that were turned too tightly and damaged.  When he had ordered the bearings, the Charleston Spar Company could not sell him the bearings alone.  We had to buy an entire assembly for $2100+(trend of the future - not to be able to buy parts) .  This, today, allowed him to provide a replacement pin from the left over parts he didn't use.   Monday, I was shocked to walk into one of the huge storage barn and see a box with "Shawnee" scrawled on the side storing all the leftovers. Hurray Zimmerman and Peter.

Here's the bad pin after being taken out, bent after damage.  It was part way out of the hole as you saw above in the picture.  With a special tool, called a drift that comes in different sizes, he put in the new pin.  That did the trick.

  It's always the smallest parts that have the crucial roles in supporting the appliance.

  Onto the Mercury Outboard -- it's leaking gas.  It needs new gaskets Drew will order online and have sent to our next port. 
Since Drew has Sunrise meetings today we won't be able to leave until tomorrow, Wednesday.  So much for sailing/exploring around the Chesapeake for the week. 
  I ha e more to say, but will save it for another blog - "What's in the cockpit when we sail for 4 days and have no phone/Internet service."

Books:  A Little Life: A Novel is turning out to be a pretty gruesome story with pedophiles and cutting, but deep character development that has drawn me in.  Not sure I'd recommend it, though the writing is very good.  Also started Adios, Happy Homeland by Ana Menendez, a novel about Cuba given to me for Mother's Day. : )