Hi All!

Well...what can I say. It was a different first day than we planned.

We headed down the bay...sun was out, getting toasty, wind was mild, all was good. We got into Norfolk/Portsmouth area. We made the bend at Mile Marker "0" of the ICW and then there was a big noise and the boat stopped moving. Luckily we were right alongside Ocean Marine Yacht Center, a Yanmar repair facility. They had a face dock and we were able to coast to the dock! Boats always breakdown...just a matter of when. We were very lucky and feel very fortunate that if it had to happen it was the best place to breakdown. What a blessing!

With the extended marina stay and the cost of repairs, our budget has been hit hard for day one! Yikes!

Today we were able to get a mechanic and it looks like the problem is the torque limiter which is part of the transmission. Tom is up at the shop right now ordering the part. We are hoping to get it sent one-day mail. If all goes well we should be underway...again...by Wednesday or Thursday.

Just got news from Tom that the shop can't get the part in the U.S. It would have to be shipped from Japan!

We are checking with our friend Luis in Marathon, FL who has a repair shop. He has a torque limiter but has to check to see if it will work with our transmission. Here's hoping he does! Dang this stuff gets complicated!

We missed our warm weather window that we tried so hard to make. Now the weather will be high in the 50's and low in the 40's when we leave...brrr! We have the enclosure and have certainly done this many times before. In fact, this would have been the first time we would have had warm weather to start our trip...so it is all good.

This is our fist time staying in Portsmouth. Usually we are across the river in Norfolk. We are enjoying having heat on the boat and touring old town Portsmouth. It's not bad to just chill out, visit coffee shops, and just destress for a day or two. Of course, there is always shopping!...fun for me but not so much fun for Tom.

Wish us luck so that we can leave before the weekend and get somewhere warm soon!

Hope all is well with you and yours! Thanks for stopping by!

Cathie on s/v INTERLUDE. OUT.