IT'S A LONG STORY

We left Vero Beach Sunday morning, Dec. 16, with plans to be in Miami before the week's end. Weather to go out at Lake Worth looked promising on Wednesday or Thursday and if all went well, we'd skip the 22 bridges between Lake Worth and Ft. Lauderdale by doing the ocean run. About an hour out of Vero Beach, engine read-outs were acting up so Mike went down to check wires. He found a loose ground wire which he tightened and all was well. But was it? Why was there no antifreeze in the over-flow tank? Hmmm...The engine wasn't overheating so we continued, but decided to stop in Stuart, FL to check things out. Stuart is a lovely town off the beaten path of the ICW, 5 miles up river from where the St. Lucie River meets the ICW. We had not been to Stuart before, but knew from our friends Jim and Kathy, on CHARM that it was a great place to stop. We consulted with Jim and he connected us with their friends already on a mooring in the basin – Dave and JoAnn on Tropical Breeze. Once under the Roosevelt Bridge – Highway 1 - (after going under the wrong span and getting into some very shallow water – oops, gotta stay on that Magenta Line), we saw the mooring field and Dave was in his dinghy ready to help guide us to a mooring. It's a pretty spot, and we have the Roosevelt Bridge as a back drop – sunsets and sunrises here are spectacular. Downtown Stuart is a short walk from the marina, a bit quaint and full of little shops -- and all the real shopping we could ever need is just a bicycle ride (free use from the marina) away.

By this time Mike had concluded that the heat exchanger was the problem - small holes in the copper tubes, so first thing on Monday he consulted with our Volvo adviser. After some discussion, Dick confirmed Mike's fears, and over-night mailed the parts to us. These were some “big boat bucks” (Merry Christmas Mike and Polli) but it's a 15 year old engine and stuff happens. With parts in our hands on Wednesday we went to work. I'm the Mechanic's helper and I've learned more about diesel engines than I ever imagined!! The installation had its challenges, but all went as Mike expected. With everything back together, we ran the engine to check it out. Yikes!! it overheated. After bleeding lines and trying all tricks we called it a night and waited for morning when we could talk to Dick again. Next morning, another phone call. In the next 2 days, Dick and Mike walked through a number of options, but nothing resolved the over-heating problem and by Friday afternoon everyone agreed that this wasn't getting fixed before the holidays.

Since we couldn't get to Miami by boat we initiated Option 2 – rent a car. On Sunday, Dec. 23, we drove to Miami and caught up with our kids and Diana's family who were in full holiday mode. With 11 people on Christmas Eve, we were a merry bunch – overflowing stockings, a fabulous rib roast dinner (Dustin's efforts), two “kids” - Lilli and Belanna (Diana's nieces), ages 15 and 10, and presents under the tree. It was a festive time sharing Christmas with Jary's and Diana's families – and they were perfect hosts.

We're back in Stuart again, arrived yesterday. Mike and Dave have done some head-scratching and now have a plan for some additional things they can try in order to get the antifreeze circulating through the system as it should. That's tomorrow's project; well, after we visit the Sunday vegetable stand and the seafood market. We're expecting CHARM to arrive tomorrow night.

Looks like New Years 2012 will be celebrated in Stuart with friends – not a bad option! We'll be moving south as soon as we have a happy engine once more.

Happy New Year to All!!