Since we arrived at Aqua a couple of days ago, Susan and I have been working on our "Honey Do" lists. She has been scrubbing the hull and waxing the topsides. I have been in the engine doing routine maintenance on the motors. One "find" was that I had never removed the generator heat exchanger, because it finicky to get at. Because of the overheating problem the last few days at anchor, I bit the bullet and pulled it out. It was soaked in CLR overnight, then flushed with a water hose. As I flushed it out, pieces of rubber were spit out! Turns out the previous owner had an impeller disintegrate in the water pump and the bits found their way to the heat exchanger, partially blocking it.
Last night we had dinner with two looper couples that had just completed the trip. Charlie and Robin Mcvey, on "The Lower Place" finished for the second time, getting a Platinum flag, after cruising over 13,000 miles. Milton and Julie Schaefer on "Here's an idea!" received their golden flag, signifying one trip around.
We went to a local hardware store today, and it turned into an interesting outing. It was called Old Time Hardware, and when you arrived, it was as if you had found a museum. The outside was ramshackle, with old gas pumps and signs plastered on the walls. As you walked in, there was a 1950s barbershop chair waiting for a client. Every isle in the store had old school hardware displayed. However, they were quite up to date on their product selection, just like an Ace hardware. Good marketing!