We departed from the Schooner Wharf in Key West on May 6th, 2008, for the fuel dock on the other side of the island around 08h00, and enjoyed our first sail aboard the Liberty Schooner. Greg, the previous owner had kindly supplied a bottle of wine to toast Neptune with, and so Luke and I had the honors of thanking the crew for being a part of this special occasion, and to say a small prayer for our up coming voyage to New York City.
We arrived at the fuel dock and had to tie up to an very well used shrimp boat. The spot was so tight, one crew member had to hold some cables out of the way, the whole time we were there, to avoid becoming entangled with the shrimp boat's rigging. We put in 425.9 Gal, @ $4.63/Gal for a grand total of $1971.92. Ouch!
We cast off for Miami, our next port of call at 11h00, and after passing through the reef were enthralled by the beautiful blue water of the Gulf Stream.
We quickly settled in our 4 hours on, 8 hours off watch schedule, and enjoyed a pleasant evening at sea. Luke stood his first night watch with Chris and I, and has earned quite a reputation for being a good helmsman.
About mid afternoon, with zero wind, and glassy seas, we decided to swim in mid-ocean. The water was so clear, we could see the lure hanging 50ft below the boat, like it was floating in space. It was fun swimming under the boat, and diving off the bow sprit, with no land in sight.
One thing that had become apparent, was that somehow sea water was getting into the fresh water side of the heat exchanger, and was coming out of the heat exchanger cap. This required hourly pumping of the engine room bilge, and constant monitoring while underway. The priority in Miami would be to have a diesel mechanic look at the engine and fix the problem. Another concern was that the new alternator we had purchased with the boat wasn't charging the batteries as we had thought it would. The charge voltage did not exceed 13.5v and we were expecting something north of 14.5v.
Philip and Sharon are committed to life transformation.
Our vision for the Liberty Schooner is to create a unique learning environment as a catalyst for a life transforming experience. We want people to develop to their full potential.
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