October - Back in the South

October 5.

Back on the boat in Brunswick.  We figured that we had a short list of must-do projects to complete in October after all the months of work that’s already been done.  But, ye gads, how the small issues that have to be taken care of multiple the closer you get to starting a passage.  For example: Dept of Homeland Security requires that we purchase a $25 decal to say we are leaving the country. No big deal.  Just have to navigate the online system … which leads you to another online system where you are expected to file a float plan so the USA knows where to expect us to be.  No big deal. Just another online system to navigate.  Which reminds us to take our EPIRG (emergency locator beacon) in for service ….

 

By mid-month, the boat had 2 fresh coats of varnish, keeping with our commitment to get two coats down each spring and fall.  The watermaker was reinstalled, oil changed, water lines replaced.   All was looking good except the chartplotter/radar unit quit working with no hope for repair … and the prop alignment was funky.  Yes, this is the same prop alignment issue we faced in Green Cove Springs in April. Changing the motor mounts disrupted the ‘sweet spot’ which Mr. Westerbeke had with our hull.  Ever since, it’s been a constant adjustment to find that spot, to eliminate any vibration, and to have a happily chugging diesel.  But things just don’t quite line up.  Even though 2 mechanics told us in GCS that things looked good, Dan was never happy.  Neither was the mechanic in Brunswick. Things just don’t quite line up.

And the thing is, to do ANYTHING with the prop shaft, you have to haul the boat. And you have to remove, and then redo, several things that we JUST replaced months ago.  To avoid going insane, Dan drove me up to Savannah and I stayed with our daughter.  Not much deters Captain Dan, and he was at the boatyard every day during the 10-day haul out. Working with the mechanic to shim the stern tube so that prop shaft to align better with the engine.  Seriously, just a small stainless steel shim was needed … and $2000 later we are back in the water with a seriously aligned prop shaft (basically the bar that connects the prop to the transmission and engine).  With the budget sorely depleted, we opted to postpone replacing our Raymarine radar/chartplotter, and instead, we are using the tablet we got from our son as a chartplotter (in addition to our Garmin at the helm).  We’ll still miss the radar during our night sails, but we figure the odds of really needing radar in Florida are rare.

The flurry of daily activity before departing is such a rush.  FINAL trips for groceries. FINAL tally of how much beer & wine we can store.  FINAL load of engine supplies.  FINAL trip to West Marine.  Every time a new load of supplies come aboard, we basically have to reorganize everything to make it fit.  Finally, on Saturday, November 7, we were ready to leave our Prius with Michelle in Savannah.  Cutting ties with your car is a big commitment to leave a marina!