We've been traveling and dealing with issues. In other words, we've been cruising. We left Wrightsville Beach and traveled to Swansboro. We had no problems, but boaters all around us were making bad judgments . We saw a sailboat aground at Brown's Inlet and then we had to watch a young couple re-anchor three times in Swansboro. The following morning we watched a pair of guys plow hard up onto a sand bar in Swansboro. Their bow went up in the air a couple of feet and the boat came to rest heeled over on Starboard. Although we weren't having navigational issues, mechanically we were in some trouble.
Last Fall we had Stingray Point Boat Works do some work for us. Part of the work involved loosening the stuffing box in order to align the engine and prop shaft. Sadly, the young man who did the work had never seen a stuffing box like ours. In the process of trying to re-pack the box he managed to do the job all wrong. I didn't realize this until long after we left the yard. For some time now our stuffing box has been leaking badly. By the time we reached Swansboro the leaking had become spraying and was getting water under the engine. I was concerned that the nut on the box might give way and Elaine shared that concern. We decided to bite the bullet and get the problem fixed. We consulted with a number of our friends and decided to use Bock Marine.
We arrived at Bock about 12:30 and just as soon as we were tied to the dock Kenny came aboard to look at the stuffing box. We all decided the best option was to replace the plastic box with a more robust bronze box. The crew at Bock had us in the sling, scraped off the barnacles, power washed the bottom and secured on jack stands in the yard in about an hour. Dale, one of the Bock crew, came up and pulled the box out far enough to measure the shaft log and order a new stuffing box. This morning (Wednesday) Dale was back again to remove the coupler from the end of the prop shaft. He had it off in no time. He had the right tools and knew how to use them. Much to our surprise and delight, the new stuffing box had already been delivered overnight. It took about another hour for Dale to install the new box and voila, we're done. Amazing! We'll be launched first thing tomorrow morning and on our way to Broad Creek across the Neuse River. Did they do fast, professional work ? YES!! Would we come here again? Absolutely! The work done here was top notch and the yard is really nice. They have a great lounge with laundry, kitchenette and clean bathrooms. They have a courtesy car and everyone is honestly ready to help. Thank you Bock Marine. We wish there were more boat yards like yours!!
Fair winds & Smooth sailing,
Elaine & Lawrence S/V Elle & I