We finally installed a solar vent in the galley. It is a Nicro solar vent, designed to run on solar power when the sun hits it, and a switch to use 12 Volt DC house power at other times. I think I would choose another model Nicro vent, one which has a battery to store solar power instead of switching to 12V DC, and have a simpler system. It was bedded with Dow Corning 795, which we have been using for all through-deck bedding and like very much. Here are views from the outside and inside on the galley ceiling headliner.

We are also taking some time to have fun, too, of course. In October, Andy from Oma - Opa, Peter and Sylvia from Trade Wind, and Larry had birthdays. Andy's was her 70th birthday. So we had a wonderful birthday dinner and party for all of the birthdays in Peter and Sylvia's apartment.
Last night, we went out downtown to Paseo Colon with Trade Wind and had a great time looking at the sights, buying some locally crafted jewelry, and dinner at El Sultan, a local Arabic restaurant.

Work on the PortaBote is finally complete. We drilled new holes in the bow for a new coated stainless lead for locking and a painter. The fiberglass mat and epoxy job on the seats took over a week of work, and lots of epoxy, but they are very sturdy now. I sanded and painted the seats, both for UV protection and to make them look better. We used Venezuelan epoxy and fiberglass, and marine duro paint from Venezuela, which is a two-part paint.

Meanwhile, work continues on the Debonair. Varnishing (Cetol) on some pieces, and Semco sealant on most of the exterior. Most of that work is done now. Our fresh water system pump broke. It is a Shur-Flo, and the third one since we started cruising. They only seem to last a year and a half to three years, even with being very careful with it. This time we can't get a new pump, parts are not available in Venezuela. So we had to get our hand pump working. We have a foot pump in the head. The hand pump in the galley is a Fynspray, made in New Zealand. After not being used for over 10 years, it was a job to take it apart and put in new gaskets. We had to bend it a bit, but it's a hardy piece of gear and works just fine now. We're not sure, but it seems that Shur-Flo can't make a pump that lasts very long, so we may try a new company for the replacement pump. We thought about taking out the pressure system, but we like our water filtration system, which only runs through the pressure system.

Meanwhile, projects continue on the Debonair. The dinghy, an 8-foot Portabote, is getting a facelift. The seats were crumbling, its leads for the painter and lock were falling apart.
To start, we used new grommets for all holes through the sides, using the new grommet tool we ordered from Sailrite while we were in the States.
Then the seats, which were falling apart, all plastic parts cracked, needed complete rebuilding. We considered making new seats out of plywood, but wanted to preserve the ability to fold them up. They were being held together with Gorilla tape - which worked very well for almost a year. Then the seats were reinforced with fiberglass mat and epoxy, which took almost a week for the two seats. I found a great worksite here at Bahia Redonda, in an out of the way spot in the shade, where everyone walking by could look at my progress and offer comments. Finally, I painted them with marine paint. I'll add some seat covers the next time the sewing machine is out.