We're off!
10 May 2017
• Stuart Fl
by Mike/hot, sunny.
Is am sitting in our galley at 1000 writing the first notes of the day into the blog. First we have good news - I have convinced myself and the Admiral that the problem with the engine was indeed the loose connection at the solenoid. As I thumb this Yoki Yanmar is sitting beneath my feet purring away like a champion so I am increasingly confident in our ability to motor our way home if nothing else.
You might wonder why I am sitting here at 1000. Well, it's for our break as we have been at it since 0630 to get as much done as possible in the cooler AM.
We have seen that the Suzuki outboard runs. Very well, better, in fact, than it ever has since we bought it except for one small detail - there is intermittently no water coming through the coolant system. As I speak they are pulling off the lower unit to see if the impeller is NS or, hopefully if here is just some crap tangled up in it. Regardless we are likely to be here for another day.
Sigh!
Oh well. At least there is progress. Our new friends Derrick and Don are still having issues with their engine. At present they have a problem with a dead battery since they used the starter to pump fuel through the lines to prime it yesterday. This seems a little odd to me. Their diesel should have a manual pump to work by hand to move the fuel through the lines, through the filter and to the injector pump but Derrick was saying that if they did it by hand it would have taken three hours. If that was the case, in yesterday's heat, I can't say that I blame them. At any rate they are waiting for the shop to come down with a jump to get them started so they'll be able to charge the battery with the alternator. I feel their pain. Don came down for a couple of days to help Derrick get the boat in the water and then sail it home and he has been here over three weeks. Poor Derrick has been here for even longer and certainly hadn't foreseen the problems that he has been having and I know he is sensitive to the fact that this trip hasn't been what Don expected. All we can do is beam good thoughts in their direction and hope their problems are resolved soon. And as of 1100 it looks as though the good thoughts worked. Their engine is running and other than having to put a washer on a bleeder screw they may be good to go. In fact fact they were away at 1130.
More good news. We have bent on the main and #3 jib and perhaps this afternoon we will try running out the anchor to confirm that it is working well and to mark off the rode in 50' intervals.
Ok. Here we go. Stand by for a Turney rant. You know how there is a big issue in some places now over men's and ladies washrooms, unisex washrooms and where transgender folk should go? Well, I have no real opinion about the transgender issue, that is I really don't care if they pee in the stall next to me while I am doing my business, but I really do feel that unisex should not be permitted. Why? Well, I personally feel that there are enough male pigs out there that if I were a woman I wouldn't want to go where one of them has been. Here at the marina, for example, after waiting for this guy for fifteen minutes for him to finish his business, when I followed him in he hadn't even flushed the john! I mean, how much effort, how much brain power, how much consideration for the next guy does that take?
Whew.
Glad I got that off my chest.
End of rant.
Wait! More wonderful news! Susie Suzuki was holding her water because the thermostat was blocked so at noon she came home and we rushed to get everything stowed, to pay our yard bill, say our goodbyes and get underway. Hurrah! After only two weeks from arrival in Florida we were underway and down as far as Sunset Bay Marina in Stuart. We took a mooring for a week and we get some other little things done and to celebrate Mother's Day in proper style.
Underway, other that the odd little thing like a plug that had dried out and needed to be persuaded to stay in place by the Admiral the boat behaved in outstanding fashion. Even Wendy the wind generator kicked in as soon as the wind got over ten knots which was wonderful to see. Even better was when she cut out showing that between her, the solar panels and the alternator the batteries were fully charged. You know I have learned a lesson from the old battery bank. It had nearly 900 AHrs of juice but that would take so long to charge fully that it almost never did. My current battery bank of AGM batteries has only 250AHrs which from our experience at the dock would easily give us 5+ days with only the solar panels keeping up with usage.
On a less happy note, Derrick's boat, which had gotten away an hour ahead of us and who were were hoping to catch up with when we got away had yet another bad luck problem. One of the alternator bolts that held it to the engine mount sheared off. I really cannot understand that myself. The only torque on the mount is from the tension on the belt and that can't be all that much. Why would it have shorne off.? What crappy luck! You'd think the gods are trying to tell them something.
We went through the St Lucie Lock like pros. Amazingly the drop was about 14' which to me was kind of startling. We still haven't stopped at the engineer's marina at the west end of the Lock. Oh well. Some other time.
When we arrived at the marina they had an interesting arrangement with a single bridle that you had to thread your own line through to make fast. Fortunately we had been alerted and were ready to deal with it. The mooring ground tackle seems sturdy, at last the part of it that is on the surface appears to be. We only took two passes to get our line through and I must humbly admit that the only reason we didn't get it on the first pass was the fault of your truly. We used the CB headsets to great affect and were able to discuss what was happening without screaming at each other. Like I have said many times, it's hard to say, "I love you!", when your shouting at the top of your lungs.
We saw a lot of livestock on our way to Stuart from cattle and horses coming down to the canal for a drink to a young pelican that landed in the mooring field next to us in the hopes of a free handout. Sadly disappointed he flicked his tail in displeasure and flew off to easier pickings.
Oh. And we have also discovered that the US Customs seem to have lightened their point of view about foreign vessels checking in. At one time if you changed your anchor location in the same harbour they would pitch a fit. Now, they more just want to have an idea of where you are in general terms and actually don't want you to waste their time with numerous calls every time you stop. In particular you must call in when you are changing between Customs districts.
Nice to be in our own little world again, out on a mooring, gentle rocking in the wakes from the passing power boats.
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