I was up and out of the tree house at the crack of 9:30 and back to work. Since I left Key West, I have noticed that the boat is making more noise than usual while under power. This usually means a worn out cutlass bearing and is a problem that needs to be dealt with when the boat is out of the water. The cutlass bearing is what the propeller shaft rotates in, inside the strut just ahead of the propeller. As it wears out the shaft starts to wobble and the problem only gets worse if not remedied.

The good people at Whiticar Boat Works sent Tom over to check it and he confirmed the diagnosis. So, today, while I was giving Norma and myself a second coat of anti-fouling paint, Tom and Terry removed the old worn out bearing from the strut.

Today, I finished applying paint and began to put of the scaffolding in anticipation of waxing the hull on Wednesday.