On Tuesday night the lights went out on base as the hydro electric plant bearings failed. The generators were turned on and the lights came back. However, this means burning diesel so Tommy and Erny (the new mechanic) started working on fixing the hydro. They worked hard all day wednesday through friday staying there till 9pm on tuesday and wednesday.

On Tuesday we had a cruise ship in the Plancius. I got a lot of odd looks when I jogged past on the track with a very large rucksack on my back. Tommy had requested a can of WD40 and a large roll of blue cloths to clean up the grease. So along I ran with some thermos’s of tea and the large rucksack.

On Wednesday I called Tommy at 5pm and asked if I could bring anything round. This time I got a request for a 110V transformer which I put in the sack on top of two sleeping bags I needed to deliver up to the tsunami shelter, two cans of coke and two snickers. As I had just left base Tommy called and asked for a crimping tool and some electrical terminations so I returned for those. Again I left running along and the radio went again with a request for some cable ties. Back I ran to base and picked up cable ties. I swear he was sitting at the hydro with a pair of binos waiting for me to set out again!

The 110V transformer.

The transformer was used to power a heat gun which was to heat up an oil bath to expand the new bearing so it could be installed in the place of the knackered one.

All good training for Aconcaqua!