October 24-31 2016 Brunswick, GA

We cleaned the dinette cushions today after sleeping until 10AM.    The noon dog walk suited the dog just fine since she isn't an early riser by any stretch of the imagination.  

I also cleaned out the watermaker filters and then worked on the depth sounders.  We have three and all three read differently.  I adjusted the keel offset on the aft stateroom sounder, and the draft setting on the main sounder up on the bridge.  The forward looking sonar / sounder on the lower hem station doesn’t have an setting for this so it is what it is.

These settings are necessary because we are interested in the depth of water below the keel of the boat.  The transducers are located up on the hull, about 2 feet (actually 1' 9") above the lowest part of the boat, the keel.  So the depth reading can be adjusted to subtract the number of feet between the transducer and the bottom of the keel which would display the amount of water between the bottom and the lower edge of the keel.

Went to the cocktail party tonight and had to leave a group that was bashing ObamaCare with a more than a usual spat of venom.  Rather disturbing to hear from some we know rather well.  I had no idea they harbored such virulent opinions.

Ate the lasagna from the pizza place the other tonight.  Yummy!

We were taking the dog for a walk this morning when Sharon stopped over and said they were trying salvage Three Girls, the shrimp boat that had sunk during the hurricane.  So I started walking over but forgot my phone and decided I’d just take the bike over.

Trying to raise Three Girls

 There was a large crane on a barge with two tugs and several tow boat guys.  Divers were securing two slings around and under the boat, then attaching them to the 4 hooks from the crane.  The plan, so the tug boat first mate told me, was to haul it up in increments and get some of the water out to lighten the load.  The crane, or for that matter the boat's keel, would never withstand the weight of the boat with all that water inside.

I stayed awhile but the retreated to our boat and did some cleaning and engine room work.  Cleaned up the fly bridge and then started the engines.  The port engine with the new battery fired right up.  Starboard as usual was a little balky but finally started.  There seems to be an excess of exhaust smoke and I did notice the air filters looked pretty dirt so I’ll have to change those too.

After all that excitement Mary went to have Robin cut her hair.  Price, a bottle of wine.   I rode to the liquor store, the good one out on highway 17 about 5 miles away.  They have a good selection of wine even the Pinot Noir we liked at the Indigo the other night.  But of course they didn’t have any of the Pinot left at the store.  But they did have a nice big bottle of Cabernet which I bought for Robin. 

I stopped at Winn Dixie on the way back and then had to take a convoluted, and long return route to the marina because the roads are still all torn up.  They are actually worse than they were a few weeks ago.  There is heavy sand all over the road which makes riding a bike pretty tough.

Union Street, a tree covered boulevard lined with stately homes 

Walked my usual 3 miles tonight on Union street under cloudy skies and cool temps.  Delightful.

This morning I rode to the NAPA store after trying Autozone near here on Norwich Street.  They didn’t have the air filter I need for Cummins engies.  NAPA has them and all the other fuel and oil filters I need.  But of course none of them are in stock at this store.   So they have to order them and promise they will be there tomorrow morning.  I get to ride 6 miles again to buy them Friday.

One of many similar streets on the way to NAPA

I varnished the swim ladder and the ladder which leads from the sundeck to the swim platform.  Another coat tomorrow.  Mary washed the superstructure.  Weather has been delightfully cool.

I charged the dinghy battery all day.   Then charged the generator battery all tonight.
.

 We went to the cocktail party tonight but didn’t stay long   I dare say we are growing weary of cocktail parties.  I think because we are restless and want to move on.  We’ve been here almost a month now.  And we haven't missed many parties either.

Cutoff Outriggers waiting to be lifted onto the salvage barge

In a remarkable development Mary baked brownies in the oven which now actually stays at 350 degrees for however long we want.  Well, the temperature on the dial reads 350.  The actual temperature of the oven was probably more like 400.  But the brownies came out baked!

Lately I've been taking nightly walks up Union street and I used my phone this time to check the distance.  4 miles.   I didn’t even now.

Floating and ready to be towed somewhere

The shrimp boat that sank, Three Girls, was still sunk when I went by in the morning.  It was floating in the afternoon.  They cut off most of the outriggers I guess to lessen the weight but also to allow it to float more upright.  They must have raised it and pumped the water out in several steps.  Later when I went walking at night it, and the barges, were gone.

Well we varnished again, rented a car in Ortega for next Saturday to take to WI.  We’re still searching for the best place to anchor near Cumberland Island because we have to take the dog to shore and the island is reported to be closed.   Fernandina, the nearby town has no docks we could use for landing a dinghy, at least so we have heard.

Sue and Paul are leaving tomorrow for West Palm beach and then the Bahamas.  Steve, Liz, EM and Bev might get here by the 1^st which means we'll miss them.  There are several other boats leaving on the 1st too.  Everyone is anxious to get south and most of us labor under insurance company rules which prevent travel in Florida before November 1.  Unless you pay an extra few of course.

Rhonda seems to have injured her shoulder while recovering from a bike that was sliding in the sand while shark tooth hunting.  Very odd seeing her walking around with an arm in a sling.   

Helping Steve tomorrow to replace an oil change pump which also acts as pre-lubbing pump.  Neat idea, but not really necessary on these small recreational engines according to most diesel pundits.  But its still pretty cool.  when the ignition is on the pumps run and move oil into the bearings before starting up.

Steven is also taking me to NAPA so I can get my parts tomorrow saving me a 6 mile bike ride.

Short walk tonight and ride to West Marine for a cable reducer so I can solder the two VHF cable connections and get better performance out of the radio.  Of course they didn’t have the reducer I need, so another project on hold.

I called NAPA this morning to verify they had my filters.  They said yes.  Steven is still on to take me along with him since he had to stop at NAPA too.  They had my parts… sort of..

When we got there, the poor lady I had talked with, only ordered 1 of each.  I need two.  She had to re-order another air filter and fuel filter and fervently promised they would there tomorrow morning. At least she did give me a slight discount.

Steven had to stop at Home Depot where I picked up some rosin cored solder just in case I got the chance to solder the radio connections.

After we returned I went over to help Steven install a new oil circ and pre-lube pump.  Simple job.  But as usual it took 4 hours because we had to fabricate another mount for it.  It works except it blew out a 10amp fuse.  With a 30 amp fuse it was fine but the wires were hot so something is amiss.  I suspect the pump is having a hard time pumping cold, 40 weight oil

Later I went to the Friday night cocktail party.  Noted that Paul and Sue on Odyssey had returned because two 8D batteries that power their windlass and bow thrusters.  The batteries were dead.  They were going to be anchoring their way down to Palm Beach but that's not really doable without a working windlass

Good news about Cumberland Island though.  Its now open so we can go ashore which means the dog can poop on land.  At least that's what the National Parks website was proclaiming.

Steve, Liz, Bev and Em are due to arrive a few days after the 1^st.  I sort of want to stay but we have a car rented on the 4^th and have to be in Wisconsin by the 12^th with  possible visit to Destin and Dayton squeezed in there.

Tomorrow we try out the dinghy to be sure it's up to taking the dog to shore.

And in a startling revelation, we aren't leaving Monday.  We are leaving Tuesday.  The first is on Tuesday not Monday, an assumption I leaped too earlier in the week.  Sheez ...

Rode to NAPA and got my fuel filter and other air filter.  Installed the air filters and then went over to help Brent with his canvas.

After we took the dinghy down and Sharon and Eli (their dog) rode with us to the fuel dock and out into the main harbor area before turning back,  We stopped to admire a large sailing catamaran and then talked with Ann and Tim on Ivanhoe before heading back to the boat.  We brought the dinghy back aboard and left the davit connected to the lifting harness so its ready to take it down again.

After we had the dinghy board and secured, I biked to JP liquors to fetch some Italian champagne, Prosecco and a few bottles of red wine.

We had dinner with Steven and Sharon on Once Upon a Time, Brent and Suan's boat.  Wonderful time.  Sharon had this liquor, Mackinac Island Fudge Liqueur which was to die for.  I seem to recall Amarula, a liquor we know about, is similar in taste.  So I need to buy some while we are here.

Worked most of the day.  Moved a VHF antenna to the port side so it wouldn’t keep rubbing on one of the fly bridge windows.

Caulked around the last two aft portside cleats.  And caulked around the galley sink.  And since I had to move a lot of things around I just vacuumed and cleaned there too.

We weren’t up in time to join Brent and Susan at the Wicca ceremony this morning.  Would have been fun.

Matt and Karen, two Aussies, had never participated in a Halloween celebration before.  Carving a pumpkin was a new experience for them,  They studied several How-To’s on YouTube, went and bought a nice pumpkin and some pumpkin cutting knives and set to work.  Matt did most of the labor, several hours worth.  Karen got bored after an hour and went to do laundry.  Fun couple!  And a superb pumpkin.  Wish I had a picture of it.  It was the best at the Halloween party by far.

We are leaving Tuesday so tomorrow is the last day to get ready although we are only going 90 some miles and anchoring out for one night.

But we are ready!

Final departure preparations were on the agenda today.  Basically that meant stowing everything we needed to stow and an engine room check.

I hopped on the bike and rode to the liquor store and Winn Dixie for a few items becasue we are throwing a smallish quick party tonight before the main party at the marina lounge which is termed, "the Big House", by most longer term boaters staying here.

When I returned Mary passed along messages from Steven who needed help with his gas tank, and Brent who needed help with his navigation unit.

So I went over to help Steven with his dinghy gas tank.  He was having difficulty getting it to seat correctly in it's spot under a bow cap.  But we got it in!

Brent ran into a roadblock trying to get his navigation screen back on the main unit.  He had to removed the old one which was attached by security screws.  They come in a common star head configuration but also can be hex head.  Eyesight being what it is we thought hex.  Luckily Brent took a picture and the guy at Lowes correctly deduced the screws were star shaped.  Had to buy a special tool to remove them.

 Brent and I returned just in time for me to greet Steven and Sharon at our boat.   Alas Sharon wanted a gin and tonic but we had no limes so she went back to her boat to get some.  Brent and Susan stopped aboard a few minutes later and we enjoyed a drink and then headed to the Big House for the Halloween Chili Potluck.

Minion as a Halloween boat decoration

Quite a crowd.  And lots of food most of which wasn't chili.  And it was all good!  Love these parties!  

We stayed for a few hours and then made it back to the boat.  Tomorrow, Tuesday, is the first of November.  That is the date our insurance company allows its insurees to enter Florida.  It's a hurricane thing.  Hurricane season generally runs from mid June until late October.

We have everything stowed and ready.  High tide isn't until around 11AM at Jekyll Creek which is where we have to go so we don't have to leave very early.

The creek is only 5 miles away and runs along Jekyll Island.  It's one of those shallow areas best done at higher tide levels.

All we really have to do is pay for the slip which I'll do in the morning before Mary gets up.  Then we're off!

October 16-23, 2016 Brunswick

Mary slept in this morning so I added one last dog walk before relinquishing dog duties back to Mary.

We started unpacking and the de-cluttering the forward stateroom which held all the things I had to remove for the hurricane that I hadn’t had time to put back.

Pickling watermaker membranes 

Today we were going to pickle the watermaker membranes and then tinker with the stove and permanently attach the lower helm station overhead brace.  All we got to was some laundry, and the membrane pickling. Sodium Metabisulfite on hand for pickling.  Pickling basically means flushing them out with this chemical which acts as a preservative and disinfectant.

 Luckily I had just enough

The stuff in the pickling solution

The procedure is pretty simple.  Circulate a solution of sodium metabisulphite (1 cup per gallon) through the membrane for 30 minutes. This pretty much prevents any fungi or bacterial growth which can clog them when left sitting for long periods of time.

Only issue was an old filter.  I had to remove the original canister type filter because it was so corroded.  It took a quick trip to Home Depot for another one.  Then I had to install it and rig up the plumbing, turn on the pump and wait 30 minutes, then clean everything up and reassemble the water maker plumbing with new Teflon cups in the high pressure fittings.

Done.

Tomorrow we do the other things we were supposed to do today.  And I may have to extend the car rental for another day because we have to go shopping too.

The Packers lost so I was told.  I'm living with a disgruntled stockholder.

We took the car and went shopping for a few things and then helped Brent and Susan move some chairs into their salon.

Installed the depth sounder screen and it works wonderfully except I’ll have to go through and re-configure everything again.

Ready for hanging

We hung the rest of the fly bridge windows.  It was warm enough so that they weren't too terribly tight and we could zipper them and anchor the bottoms on the anchoring studs.

Top zipper was missing its little zipper doodad which I found

We also, thanks to my idea, fixed the port side window zipper.  I had all the zipper pieces and we just sort of put it together on the fly and it worked much to the amazement of certain nay sayers.

We went to the nightly cocktail party.  And Rhonda once again texted me a reminder for the Net which I once again slept through.  The Net, a gathering of people on VHF channel 69, is sort of a chat room (the verbal kind) where announcements are made and things can be bought and sold.

This morning we went to Home Depot to buy carpet cement and a few other hardware things.  While I was waiting at Home Dept to talk with the floor experts I chatted with a retired Salvation Army lady who lives on St. Simons Island.  Interesting tales.  She ended up in Waycross,Georgia at a shelter where she sort of volunteered working during the hurricane.  She was at Home Depot getting a few things becasue they were just beginning to let people back on the island.

Crisp newly cleaned curtains

We hung the newly cleaned and pressed curtains I had picked up earlier.  I'm told they a crisp and look much better than before when they were evidently crumpled and lifeless.

Back on the boat I took several hours to scrape off  the old cement on the stairs so we can adhere the new carpet.  I ended up having to dig out an old shop vac we brought from our house in Green Bay to suck up all the dust and debris.

New carpeting!

We ran off to the carpet store to retrieve the two missing squares of carpet they forgot to cut.  Then a quick stop at Walmart before we started on the carpet installation.

We did the steps to our stateroom first.  It went pretty smoothly.  The carpet cement was similar to wallpaper paste.  We laid on the carpet piece and I stapled it in place.  After a few hours it was pretty solidly attached.  Don’t want to think about having to pull it up though.

Cocktail party tonight.  Again.  Guess its becoming a habit.

In  big picture window was this diorama in a big house on a dark street

Walked around Union street after and caught this window display in a large house which made me laugh because it's hard to discern exactly what it is for a few seconds.  Then it hits you.  Quite funny.

Tomorrow we do the rest of the carpets, and more shopping since the car has to go back at 3PM Friday.

Mary was up before me today but kind soul that she is, waited until I was up and ready before taking the dog for a walk.  I ended up talking to Gelbert on a catamaran here who just sold his house and stuff and had his kids enrolled in school here for a bit before they take off for points south.  He’s pretty young too.

Mary put the new carpet pieces out on the bow so they could warm up and be pliable when we install them, but one square blew off into the water.

Fierce garter snake 

So it was back to the carpet store.  As we walked up the path to the front door Mary let out an "Eeeek...", becasue there was a tiny garter snake guarding the door.  We were delayed a few minutes while I urged the snake off to safer ground.  Mary wouldn’t walk across it.

The nice carpet folks cut a new piece and didn’t even charge us. 

We installed the carpet pieces after we returned from the store.   They look fine except for the staircase leading up to the sundeck from the salon.  I stuck it in on upside down so there is a small notch cut out where there shouldn’t be one.  Oh well,  The stuff isn’t coming off anytime soon so we have a spurious notch in our stairway carpet.

We went to Subway to eat so we wouldn’t have to use the stairs.  A convenient excuse with little merit.  The real reason was no one wanted to cook.

Packers seem to be winning, giving a disgruntled stockholder, hope.   And I voted and mailed in the ballot tonight.

I pulled the large salon rug out and washed it with Dawn (per the instructions), using a brush and the hose.  Then sucked most of the water out with a Green Machine.  It was pretty dirty.   I left it up on the fly bridge to dry.

Mary was up by then, so after a dog walk we drove to the CVS located within a Target store and discovered they wouldn’t accept Mary’s CVS coupons.   After several discussions she admitted defeat so made me drive to a stand-alone CVS store near downtown.  There she got most of the stuff she wanted.  It did take several attempts to get our CVS discount number correct but we managed.  Mary was not going to be denied her discounts regardless if we needed the items or not.

 The clerk said we saved $25!

Back at the marina we unloaded the car and then I took it back to Enterprise.  The guy who took me back to the boat was a nice young man intent on discussing politics.  I listened politely and offered a comment or two but what was amazing to me is how he recited “facts” that are known to be fictitious.

Weird.  It points out an emerging idea about "facts" and confirmation bias.  A fact is a fact if it fits your worldview which is confirmed by accessing information from sources which confirm your worldview.  And this phenomenon seems to be observable in most everyone, liberal, conservative, centrist, extremist.  And even Mary and I!!

My driver friend suggested I read the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, and Breitbart News, before taking on the Drudge Report, World News Daily and Rachel Maddow.   His favorite though is The Guardian.  I check these outlets every day or so but heck.  I'm retired and I wouldn't have time to read all these every day.  He must be a really fast reader.

Back on board again, we moved the couches away from the wall and I cleaned the floors and walls and took a few extra watermaker filters from their storage bags in the cabinets behind the couch.  Then I took the rugs out of our stateroom and cleaned those and while they dried I cleaned the floors in our stateroom and the bed pedestal.  

While Mary was doing laundry I went over to help Brent with his flybridge canvas enclosure.  It’s vinyl and, being only in the low 70’s, made getting it zipped and snapped pretty tough.  Steven came over to help too but we ended up only getting about half of it on.  He discovered some pulled out zippers that need to be repaired too.

We three couples, Steven and Sharon, Brent and Susan, and Mary and I went to Indigos, a funky little restaurant that was to die for, foodwise.  Yummy stuff.  Mary drove over with Steven and Sharon because she had to pick up her laundry while Brent, Susan and I walked the ¾ of a mile to the place.  It was really good.

We declined the invitation to play Farkle afterward and went to bed.  The temps are plummeting into the high 50’s for a few days now meaning I don’t need to run the AC!

Rob texted me saying he and Sue were stopping in tomorrow afternoon and staying the night!  

Mary went off shark tooth hunting at 9 this morning.  I took the opportunity to lay down the salon rug after I cleaned the floor and the walls. Lots of dust!  How can a boat get so dusty?

Mary returned and then Rob called saying he couldn’t contact the marina so I walked down to  see Chris at the office but she was tied up with a boat that was just arriving so I had to wait for a few minutes.

She finally talked with Rob on my cell phone and got everything straightened out.  Meanwhile I told her about the water leak and lack of water pressure on our dock but she knew about those issues already.  It’ll get fixed tomorrow,  so we’re using water in our onboard tanks which is probably a good thing.  It's better to keep water moving a little instead of letting it sit in a tank for weeks.

Later I cleaned out the aft shower sump then dusted off the lower helm station.  So now we have a sparkling interior.  The exterior, not so much.

Rob and Sue talking to Mary and Bubbie

Rob called again and was coming in to dock 10 and the T-head.  So Steven, Sharon and I along with Pete from the marina helped them dock.

Steven and Sharon know Rob and Sue so I invited them along with us to Foxes pizza.  Good stuff.

We had a great time there. 

We tackled a number of boat projects today.  But first we took the dog for her morning walk and went to see Rob and Sue off at the fuel dock.   I had discovered the water appeared to be back on just before.  A few hours later it was off again so we are using what's left in our water tanks

I got the high NIT monitor we use for navigation re-installed up on the flybridge and the nav computer updated.

Then I spent awhile adjusting the oven.  It was always dying when it reaches a certain temperature and the fix was to increase the lowest flame height by adjusting the low flame adjusting screw.  But first I had to drill a hole on the faceplate of stove guessing it would line up with the tiny screw.

Seems I got that part right.  So in theory when I adjust the screw the burner will be lit enough so when the thermostat opens the gas valve the flame will just get higher.   Before it would simply go out and the thermocouple would close the gas valve.  In any case it seems to be working now so we’ll see.

The front face didn't seem to fit too well before adjusting the support

I re-adjusted the lower helm station overhead support column which I had put in about a ¼ inch too high.  Now everything fits much batter.

Next was the Glendinning engine synchronizer power light which burnt out several months ago.  But it turned out to be a fitting with an unreplaceable bulb.  So I had to order a whole new bulb and fitting.

Mary, Steven, Sharon on their boats back deck

A few hours later we went over to Steven and Sharon’s boat for dinner.  Superb soup.  Yummy stuff.  They are fun, both from Michigan.  She's a farmgirl.  And Steven used to sell universities physics lab equipment.  They traded their Krogen42 in for a go fast Dettling 51.

Then it was back to laundry and then bed.  Its dropping down to almost below 60 tonight!  Great sleeping.