As a pastoral introduction, let us talk about the vegetable garden up the street. You may remember that I was worried that the old lady who maintains it, had run into difficulties. Not so.
I pass by today to see that beds of rushes have been laid across the garden. Previously, all the potatoes, onions, cabbages have been removed.
Yay, this is summertime preparation. Everything is OK.
Vegetable growing in Okinawa is very different from my previous experience. This is because it is so hot in the summer that even Mediterranean stuff like Tomatoes, Aubergines, Courgettes, are frizzled. Here you plant Goya and, I think, Courges, I cannot remember the English name.
The structure is for Goya and the rush base is to make the Courges happy, I think.
Watch this space.
Back to business. I get to the boatyard to find a lowered center plate.
May not mean much to you.
I thought that the center plate might be the end of the road.
Horribly corroded and totally jammed in the most inaccessible, secret parts of the boat, I feared that it would not be possible to release it.
As usual, I had underestimated the genius of Kiyano san. To be frank, I do not really understand what happened, but it appears that the retaining pin was not the real showstopper. He removed it but still the plate refused to surrender.
Check out the saw blade.
He sawed up and down the sides of the center plate, releasing kilos of rust and shells. The center board slot was totally occupied by decay and squatters.
Once this lot was out, the plate came down.
This is an immense relief to me as I had, for a moment, felt that the project was over. Not so, there is still a way to go before I get a smoothly operating center plate, but I have been to the top of the mountain and seen the other side.
Kiyuna san in all his glory
Kiyuna san does all the intelligent stuff, I do the stupid stuff.
I roll on the second coat of anti-fouling.
It is dismal stuff, full of chemicals and constituency of glue.
Cover my sins.
Looking good.
Starboard.
All of this is a lot of fun. What is more, I am outside in sunshine for hours every day.
The Quiet Ripple Defines The Pond 
Courges are squash, assuming you’re not using a Japanese word.. Is the Biker King going to get a new plate made or will you have to get a new one from the boat’s maker? Have fun in the sun!
Kiyano san’s current plan is to sheave the existing plate in copper!
Possibly embossed with suitable characters to please the gods of the deep? Certainly an opportunity for hours of merry polishing. Maybe a Brasso franchise could be established?
Looking good. How goes the GM10? Have you seen Isle of Dogs? Great story, Homeric.
Mega zinc anodes a fine investment.
Kiyano san has dismantled engine, changed piston rings, reground valves, found replacement starter and alternator, so all good. He repeats that I will die before the engine.
Two new anodes came with the boat. Removing the old one proves tricky as it it is bolted through the hull and the top of the bolt is lost in the bilges somewhere inaccessible. Of course everything is horribly corroded.
Isle of Dogs is on the list. Just need to find myself in the right place and time with attached grandchild! Have you tried Early Man and Coco?
GM10? Que? An old GM vehicle type? A DAC?
Zinc anodes sounds good but frequent polishing would help keep the sharks away.
Early man is on the list for sure. Isle of Dogs mentions Unna Prefecture. Kampai! Our rudder pintle failed due to electrolysis – awkward. Good news re engine, “True Glory” and all that.