Well, I think I will write a movie script, sorry Rob. I already have the title - The Curse of the Brain Dead". A horrifying story, the hero of which is a sea captain who has been ashore and away from his boat too long and has mentally misplaced many of the details of vessel operation. Last night after celebrating getting the boat launched and getting the stuffing box repacked we tried to start the engine and......nothing, nada! I checked voltages etc., and finally decided to sleep on it after a wobbly pop or three. Then in the middle of the night I remembered another switch thatbwas required too and sure enough this morning when I did that, the engine started. Hurrah, says I. Bravo, says Barb. After letting the engine run for ten minutes and ensuring everything was working I shut her down so we could have breakfast. Then after, when we were going to move the boat over to one of the floating docks I confidently went through the start up procedures again and, guess what?

Nothing!

Shriek.

I was then convinced that there was an intermittent contact with the starter button.

Sigh.

Another trip into town for parts. We will also do some provisioning while on the road. Our flying trip, which took most of the morning, introduced us to Lewis Boat Supply, and Boater's Own Warehouse, or BOW for short. First time for either of these for us and they were suggested by some new folks we met, Frank and Jeannie aboard a trawler built in 1980 called Island Girl that they are fixing up. We were aboard her last night and she is some right nice, you, with a bunk in the master cabin that you can walk around both sides, a full size fridge with freezer, two heads each with a shower that can double as a small bathtub, a convection/microwave stove and a four burner propane range. I am estimating that their mess/lounge area is twice the size of Nelleke's pilothouse and the galley is big enough for all the stuff that I mentioned plus space to have a real Ceilidh.

On our trip into town I got two new switches, one to replace the one that I thought was broken and the other to wire in a new one below decks. Also, now that the fridge and freezer are operational we have begun to provision. One or two more trips while we have the car are required and if I can get the engine to reliably start we should be good to go.

However. Pardon me while I smack my forehead. SMACK! Could you hear that? I sure felt it. The reason for the self abuse is that before I began to install new switches etc. I took one more look at the positive connection to the solenoid. It turns out it is a female spade connection, things that can notoriously get loose. This one was no exception. I pulled it off - it came away far to easily - and plugged it back in with a reassuringly firm and snug small thuck. Then I started the engine again and lo and behold it started. Hmm!

I decided to do a quick job of pumping up the pontoons on the RIB but one push with the talented Turney tootsie on the foot pump and one of the hose clamps that holds the bellows in place was so rusted it gave up the ghost and flew off. Sigh! Since I needed the dingy to do my part of cleaning the hull above the waterline and the dingy needed its pontoons inflated and since tomorrow would be Sunday with many things closed I hared off to Stuart, again, to buy a hose clamp and while there I dropped into West Marine and bought a whole new foot pump. Just in case. This was the first trip without the Admiral and it sure felt weird to not have her input on things, and her presence beside me. Barb had decided to stay back and work on cleaning Nelleke's topsides.

So our late afternoon became one of tightening the hose clamps on the pressure water system getting prepared for a real test tomorrow.

We are finding the free table at the marina a great source of neat stuff. I believe I have already mentioned the $300+ stove top oven that Barb scored. She also found a couple of coaxial cable tools that someone was leaving behind. I might never use them, heaven knows I don't know how to, but if I ever do I will have them. Murray, my neighbour back home who is in that business might be able to show me.

We have been visited by the local crocagator now that we are on the dock. He has grown a good foot and a half or two feet since we were here two years ago. Nice to see the old crowd.

The old farts at the dock are all watching the Kentucky Derby tonight. Don't see it myself but they are having a hoot.