Well, what can I say? We had an awesome start as we gracefully pulled away from the dock before the sun came up, leaving all of our fenders dragging the water. We didn't discover this until the railroad bridge closed for a coming train, and we had throw it in reverse and to do a quick tie-up at a nearby dock.

Then, we proceeded down river to Lauderdale Marina for fuel. While we were still docked and waiting on the 17th Street bridge, we took this time to put the jib back on the new forestay. Suddenly, the furler base completely separated exposing the bearings. It was shot! So we dropped the jib (again!) and headed for Sylvia Bay to anchor and come up with options. However, we couldn't figure out the trick to getting into Sylvia Bay. We tried feeling our way in & using my memory of when I came out of there with Rick, but we couldn't find sufficient water.

So, it was another eventful trip back up the river to Lauderdale Marine Center. One bridge had to stay closed long enough to let a rescue vehicle cross. The Jungle Queen needed to pass, and when she did we were able to trail her through the rest of the bridges. At one point, we did have to hit reverse, back up, and make room for a large yacht to pass.

So here we are (again!) trying to fix the furler. Also, the port engine was overheating with increased oil pressure and smoke. It's taking in unwanted water. Maybe needs a new head gasket.

All in all, it was an exhausting day. Since we never start a passage on a Friday (and this Friday will also have NE winds), we are "planning" to try our departure again on Saturday morning.

What a welcome back into the world of boating!