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Captain´s Diary #6, 8/27/02, by Paul Harmon

We did not start working today until around 10:00 am. We pulled the boat along side the ramp the same way we did yesterday. We had the additional posts that we needed. We also had the additional help from the Navy that we wanted. We immediately built a bridge of posts from the stone to the boat. We tried to wedge the posts under the stone as much as possible. We also did things to brace the boat in anticipation of it tilting when the stone began its journey to the boat. I climbed to the top of the mast and tied a rope there. Then about 50 meters away, on the opposite side of the boat, we tied the other end of the rope very tightly and tautly to a very large rock. We also tied to long posts, vertically to the side of the boat where the stone was coming from. These posts went very deep into the water with the intent of preventing the boat from tilting much.

Most of the Navy men pulled from on top of the boat, while the locals from La Isla del Sol used posts as levers to push. We continuously poured water on the "bridge" to decrease the friction. On the count of three, continuously, we all pulled or pushed, and moved the stone and inch or two at a time. When the stone was no longer on the ramp, and not yet on the boat, in the middle of the bridge of posts, the boat did not sway. I do not know if we did such a good job securing the boat, or if the boat simply is that stable. I know the boat is stable. I know we did a good job securing it. So we will say it is a combination of both.

All this time we had been sliding the stone on one of the long, narrower edges. When the stone was completely on the boat, we used levers to try to tilt the stone over. With every little tilt, we stacked small stones under the edge to maintain the tilt. We continued to do this until the stone fell over. It fell with a mighty thud. We had placed posts on the boat for the stone to rest on. When the stone fell, there was quite a thud like I said, and some other strange noises that made everybody's eyes widen. We studied the boat intently. Everything was great. Then we broke out in applause. And congratulations before pulling and pushing a little more to better center the stone.

There are so many milestones on this project. There have been so many intense moments...moments I will never forget as long as I live. But perhaps the pinnacle of this project was getting the stone on successfully, without a single accident. Only half the day was gone, but I have to tell you, I was immediately exhausted, more so than I have been at any point on this project. Adrenaline!

We immediately sailed the boat back to the Navy base where it is currently moored. We will either be leaving this evening or tomorrow sometime. It depends on the wind. We also have two team members suffering from food poisoning from yesterday. We do not want to leave anybody behind. A boat can always bring them to us tomorrow if we left today. But somehow that does not seem right to me at the moment.

I am off to see my boat. Later.