Daily report #80

Today.

Spent almost all day on the fuel supply of the main engine. After riding the engine for a while, I turned it off this morning and then it wouldn't start again. Leiden in charge. I had already bought spare fuel filters, hoses and clamps and exchanged/renewed everything today. But the engine hasn't run yet. The starter motor started to smoke. It was awfully hot. Continue tomorrow. We still have a day and a half to get the problem out of the proverbial water. An incredible amount of water and junk came out of the filters, so that was certainly not an unnecessary luxury. Bleeding the fuel system is also a major crime. Perhaps there is a problem there too. Deep tanks are not recommended. It is better to pump up a day tank. A task for later.
But diesel is junk. I've probably said it before.
Today we were both able to take an outdoor shower separately, given the outside temperature. We had a lovely shower. I feel completely soft and plump again. Only my back hasn't been washed in months. Nice job for mothers and wives.
The sea water is 19.9 degrees. Mark has already dug his swimming trunks out of his suitcase. Tomorrow he will probably be the first and last in there. Works out well; some 'nature' still needs to be scraped from the hull. We need a smooth hull to develop maximum speed. We haven't seen any sharks or crocodiles yet so it's probably possible. The Pippi Longstocking adage applies here. 'I've never done it before so I probably can'.

For all interested parties; my burns have almost all healed without leaving any residue. There were three open spots and a lot of that brown skin - as if all the skin pigment had turned brown - but it all fell away quickly and was renewed. I can be given the cold shoulder again with peace of mind; new skin. It's just not that thick yet. Be careful with those nasty comments.

Well see you later.

Keep Calm, almost at St Helena.