Chris heeds Murphy's Law...something had been bugging him about the generator's impeller.

Coming back from the DEMA show, we were looking for a weather window to sail to the Bahamas. We wanted to check a few things, buy a few more provisions, and we'd be ready to go.

Chris's check: The generator raw water pump. I had re-built the raw water pump for the main engine earlier this year, but hadn't had any problems with the generator. Still, I wanted to check it. After wedging into the lazarette between the generator and the refrigeration compressor, I was able to confirm what my subconscious had told me: the impeller was worn to the point where three of the six lobes were totally gone. I found a spare and replaced it, to discover that there was salt water coming out of the shaft seal. A rebuild kit required a special order, so a few days later I was able to pull the pump, replace the seal and then reassemble with the new impeller and cover. 1 down.

Linda's check: The aft head. It had spent the majority of the last year as a storage closet, and as a result the head plumbing was bone dry. After filling it with fresh water, we confirmed what her subconscious had told her: a leak running across the deck. I thought a new drain plug would solve the leak, but it was not to be. The plastic around the plug threads was cracked, probably from too much chlorine cleaner over the years. The advantage of buying a boat with four heads and only using two: I had a spare! I wound up switching the head base with the spare, only to still have a leak from where the pump attaches to the base. The particular gasket between the base and pump was part of an adapter kit for a retrofit kit to the head - got that? As a result, I couldn't even find a part number for the gasket, much less the gasket, and I wasn't about to buy an entire new kit, even if I could find one. After checking the auto parts store, big box home improvement stores, and the marine stores, I finally found a store that carried rubber gasket material (Ace Hardware), and cut my own gasket. Leak solved, 2 down!

One of the last things to do was top off fluids on the main engine. Oil, check. Antifreeze, check. Transmission fluid...hmm, looks sort of like a mocha latte instead of ruby red ATF. Time to drain the transmission, and look for the culprit: a leak in the transmission cooler. This particular cooler looks like it was made for Perkins with an aluminum body. The flange inside the end caps on the cooler had deteriorated over the years, allowing the gasket to dislodge and allow salt water into the transmission fluid side. SO, we sit here waiting on a new transmission cooler to arrive. It hopefully should be here by the end of the week, so I can install it, flush the transmission, change the fluid again, then test & start thinking of heading out again! (See "Refit Wrap Ups" in the Photo Gallery side bar for the latest pictures from these activities.)

With the transmission cooler leak having taken away any possibility of leaving before Thanksgiving, we made plans to spend the holiday with my brother and his family in Jacksonville. Linda baked pies, one pumpkin and one pecan, to contribute, and we enjoyed a traditional dinner with all the fixins. (See pictures in the "Friends and Family" album in the Photo Gallery side bar.)

Linda's "how-to" article for Southwinds magazine on the sail pack she made was published in two parts, Part I in Nov. & Part II in Dec. Southwinds is free and distributed in the southern states. You can read the articles online at link to Southwinds Magazine. Just search on "Linda Moore" and you will find her article.