Pelican One(1) Bob Zero(0)

It wasn't mud!

Monday February 28th


Well, that pelican must be having a good laugh now.... We started out this morning, rather late because of fuel problems (but that's another story), only to find that the prop problem had not disappeared.  Turns out it wasn't mud on the prop like we had hoped. Looks like I am about to be on intimate relations with the marina down the way that hauls out boats.

The fuel issue is more gunk in the fuel.  I bought a boat that had sat for a long while and the cleaning of the tanks was a good and necessary thing to do, however as is often the case with a diesel engine, it takes a little time and some frequent changing of fuel filters to finally get things working smoothly.  However, we have gotten so good at changing 'em out that we can do it now in fairly record time.  These turns of events don't upset me too badly as I anticipated a certain amount of problems.  I think that's why they call 'em shake down cruises.

When we pulled into Pirates Cove, we were met by a covey of beautiful, sparkling white boats.  So now Wayne has the deck hands, Mitchell and Jeff, scrubbing down the Sea Me Smile and muttering something about living in the low rent district.  There goes the bleach out the door and they have taken apart the brooms for scrub brush handles. Well, turns out the boat is white, who'd a thunk it.

Our new temporary home

Yep, now it's Tuesday and we are currently out of the water at the A & J Boat Works, in Stuart, FL which has a very accommodating owner and crew.  There was another "Looper" boat in this yard.  They were here for six days for repairs... we don't think (hope!) it will take us that long.  The prop was indeed bent along with the shaft.  And the bearings were pretty shot in both shafts, however those are only sixteen dollars apiece.

Below are some pictures of the boat out of the water. They were kind enough to let us be yard security and stay in the camper, I mean boat, while it is hauled out.  Later today, I'm taking the rifle that I bought back to Wal-Mart.  It turns out that the damn pelicans are protected... can you believe it?!

Pulling the prop, which in the boat world is called a wheel

This device measures how bad the pelican bent the prop

Home school continues with a life skills lesson

Mitchell checking out the underside of the boat

Yesterday, Wayne and I worked at becoming proficient at putting in way-points and such in the Garmin navigation system.  With just a couple of questions for Gary, we were on track. We continue to scrub and fix and the boat is getting better by the day, that is, for a boat that is sitting "high and dry". 

So the props and the shaft are at the "prop shop" and we are going to spend the day doing some maintenance of our own that can't be done while the boat is in the water.  And we are going to use our land GPS to find a grocery store.

Well, it's still early on Tuesday morning and the yard is coming to life.  Wayne has cooked pancakes, bacon and eggs at Mitchell's request.  Stand by.... It was delicious!

Finally We Are Headed North

Saturday the 26th of February 0857 Hours and 50 Seconds Under Way!

Just when we thought it would never happen, we did it!  We are headed north!

Captain Gary standing at the helm
"¡Ay caramba! You's guys ain't sailors."

Then we got Wayne at the helm.  He did most of the driving the first day because Bob has a little trouble sitting for long periods in the captain's chair. Whoops! I put the wrong picture in.  But this is a good one of the Dynamic Duo.

Wayne and Mitchell

Here's Wayne at the helm

 

Mr. Grumpy makes an appearance on the bridge

Sail boat, Palm Beach

Nice cruiser, notice the big ocean liner in the distance

They were loading this container ship as we cruised by.

In case you wonder where the big yachts live

It's Palm Beach, Florida

So the first day went really great until it was Bob's turn to drive. We were headed for our stop for the night, Pirates Cove Marina, in Stuart, FL.  Well, here is how it happened and don't you believe any other version.  They all told me to turn left at the Pelican.  That's right, there was a pelican perched on top of the navigational aid.  However, they told me too late.  And that's when I discovered that there aren't any brakes on a boat.  But I thought to myself, and there was no alcohol involved in this thought process,  " There is water here and water there so I'll just make a big arching turn and get back on course that way".  Kind of like going around the block or shooting down an alley when you're driving a car.

About one minute and twenty seconds later, we all lurched forward because I had run us aground.  Some other boater saw this big ass boat sitting there and figured, well, I'm a lot smaller than him, so I can make it, and he ran aground.  But he had his wife with him and we could all hear her telling him what a genius he was.  Meanwhile, the pelican just sat there laughing up his sleeve,  probably thinking something like:  "If these boys develop enough technology, they'll kill themselves".  

Well, things weren't quite right once we got free and started toward the marina, something about the prop on the port side cavitating.  When we finally did get to the marina and got tied up, Wayne and I went to the bar and each had one.  The first time we had done that since we left home.  We toasted the fact that we were finally underway and hoped to be that way again tomorrow, with a little luck.   We are hoping that it is just some mud on the prop and it will settle down. We'll try it in the morning.

We're Ready Now

Gosh We Hope So




It's been a mean couple of days, but our excellent crew, both here and at home, have got us ready.  Our plan is to walk a block down the street to "Buggies" for breakfast in the morning.  He opens at seven. By then we will have everything ship shape (even Jeffery)  so that when we return, we will "spin the prop".

Yesterday, we hauled the boat out of the water and put ten or fifteen screws in the trim tabs. 

It was a quick process but very interesting.  As they pulled the boat out of the water, we had to disembark, which gave us some time to snap a few photos of the barge while she was high and dry.  Pretty impressive machine!

Today, Friday, marks our first complete week since leaving home. We worked on the fuel system, GPS installation and putting the name of the boat in place. Below are some pictures of Wayne and Mitchell working on getting it in place.

Mitchell put on his Tacky Jacks shirt as a hint to where he wants to eat when we get to Gulf Shores.  Above you see him balancing on the patio deck and drilling the screws into the new name plate.

After the sign got put on, Wayne and Mitchell started trying to decide how to hang the dinghy on the back of the boat.  After a few minutes, they had it lashed on the back so we can drop it quickly if we need to get to a good watering hole for some grub and grog.

Scrubbers By Any Other Name

Fuel Polishing




Until a short time ago, I didn't know what "fuel polishing" was all about.  When Gary, the mechanic, said we'd better get the fuel polished , I thought to myself,  "Bob, now I know this boat thing has been expensive but this is ridiculous. The next thing you know, he's going to try to sell me a bridge".  Well, it turns out, it is no joke.  Diesel fuel, especially diesel fuel that has sat for a long time in Florida, tends to turn into a science project.

So, the first fuel polisher guy shows up and starts measuring the water in my fuel tanks. (That's what I said, measuring the water in my fuel tanks).  "Eight inches in that one, Bob, I don't think I'm going to be able to help you.  But I'll call in the big boys for ya'. They have a big truck and they'll do you up right."

Remember the part about me and the crew going to Florida, jumping on the boat and sailing it home?  Well, it turns out there is just a tad bit more to this "nightmare" than we thought.

He wasn't kidding... they have a big truck!  Let the polishing begin. However in this case, it turns out that the fuel was so messed up that they pumped it and cleaned the tanks and suggested that we put in clean fresh fuel.  The good news is they run off road (red) fuel in boats in Florida, which computes out to no road tax.  I like that...

Mitchell here, I just thought I'd tell you that I don't think "Bum-bin-bubba", my name for my grandpa, is ever going to sail this boat. 

Some of the cool things are:

Working on the boat with Wayne and fixing everything.  My favorite thing to fix was the depth finder.   It was fun to crawl in the engine room.  And Wayne liked that a lot because I'm the only one small enough to get into some of the tight places.  And then there is fishing. And we spotted our first Manatee!

Well, the pull out for hull repair (remember those missing bolts?) that was scheduled for yesterday didn't happen because when we started the boat to warm it up prior to the move/haul out, it ran like a top for about five minutes and then quit.  That's when we discovered that our fuel was in worse shape than we thought.  Some of the fuel has now been cleaned and the pull out is supposed to happen at eleven o'clock today (Wednesday).  Once the boat is back in the water, the fuel scrubbing will continue at 1 o'clock and we will be closer.  I think we're starting to shy away from saying things like, "We could be ready to go tomorrow", for fear it would be the kiss of death, so to speak.  I know that Mitchell and Jeff are past ready to go. So no time is soon enough to stop all this repair work and get into the business of sight seeing.      

 

   

Here We Go Again?

A Relative Term




It turns out that getting going is a very relative term.  We have worked so hard these past three days that there are two old men on this boat who are sore all over from crawling into engine rooms, walking up and down steps and balancing on the edge of the boat to do this that and the other.

Each evening when we finally sit down, we say, "Well, we're just about there". Yesterday evening we didn't say that.  Mitchell didn't even fish and I think Jeff went and hid in a closet, for fear his name would be called yet one more time.  Now we are making statements like,  "If we get these things done, then we can do these others as we're heading along the water".

Mitchell and Wayne have become "Tool Buddies"  as they seem to work well together and Wayne even thinks Mitchell is polite.  Did you hear that sisters at home?  Someone thinks Mitchell is polite.  Big kudos for Mom & Dad!

Mitchell being coached on how the swab the deck

Meanwhile you folks probably know who my "Tool Buddy" is... yep, you guessed it, "Mr Grumpy".  Actually Jeff has done very well. I don't know what I would have done without him or the entire crew for that matter.

 Yesterday the diver came and cleaned the bottom of the boat.  He made a few repairs and noticed that we have several bolts missing from our trim tab.  Either they fell out (vibration) or broke off (hitting something).  At any rate the boat comes out of the water on Wednesday for about an hour and a half's worth of maintenance.

Twenty years a navy diver

The air supply

 Until yesterday we were eating out.  Ronnie and Lizzy will remember this place.  It's walking distance from the boat, and man, do they have good Italian food!  But on our last visit there was a snafu in the kitchen though and by the time everyone else had been served, I was still sitting there looking real hungry.  So when it finally came to the table,  I just took mine back to the boat in a box and still enjoyed it later on.  For a few moments I thought maybe the kitchen was in contact with Marci, who would have told them that Italian is not on Bob's diet.

Well, I hear Wayne working away with Mitchell already.  So I had better get to working or this boat will never get out of Florida.

Here We Go

If the Creek Don't Rise


Well, finally the big day has come. We will get away about one o'clock in the afternoon and hopefully make it as far as St. Mary's, Georgia. I do hope they have a minivan when I get to the car rental place, because despite my earlier posts of having taken everything conceivable down to Florida already, it turns out I have more!

The weather is co-operating for the time being and the temperatures in the Tennessee region have been like spring time. So keep your fingers crossed for some more of the same when we bring the boat north.

It turns out the VFW is running a "Time and Minute of Arrival" board. There were some outlandish suggestions for squares (paying big money) like "Lost at Sea". Very funny stuff! The winner is: Al Whelock, oh ye of little faith.

 

We were finally off and running at one o'clock in the afternoon and by one-o-five Wayne had us lost.  We are in our home town and he missed the darn turn for Highway Twenty-six.  But that's O.K. 'cus we tag team drove for the next twelve hours and forty-five minutes all the way to Pompano Beach, skipping our stop in St. Mary's altogether. Reaching the Pompano city limits in such record time was a good thing, however with Bob at the steering wheel and the GPS forgotten at home, we got lost and it was three o'clock in the morning before we set foot on the boat.  Boy, does time fly when you're having fun.  Mitchell and Jeff were in the back seat just busting up.  They even had a dollar bet going that it would be five before the "Old Man finally got us to the boat".  Wayne was very patient with me... but finally made some smart ass comment like:  "What say we stop and purchase a map......Bob?"

Now in my defense, every time the story gets told, it is enhanced upon.  First, Mitchell called home and burned me to the ground like a dry grass shack.  Then Wayne put in a call to Connie and he made the arrival time even later than Mitchell did, just an hour before.  So you can imagine how the story will sound in a few weeks... "Oh, remember when we were all lost for a whole day because dumb Dad wouldn't buy a map?"

The Crew of "Sea Me Smile" 

                                                              Wayne, Jeff, Mitchell, Bob

So, after minimal sleep, for the rest of the day we are just fishing and puttering around.  A good day of travel recuperation in eighty degree sunshine. Ahhh!

The Canvas is Finished

Rocco's My Hero




The Canvas Man, Rocco, has finished. Lots of delays because it has been cold even in Florida and that stuff is hard to work with when it's cold. We have had our share of delays but maybe it has all been for the best... because maybe, just maybe, we'll have an early burst of spring type weather for our trip to the frozen north. I'm a realist so I'm not hoping for an early spring, just a couple of nice weeks of say "sixty something".





The picture above shows the new canvas on the Patio Deck of the Sea Me Smile. This newly enclosed space should give us a little more room to move about during the cruise while still being out of the wind.



This shot shows the new canvas around the cockpit. This may be the best side view photo that I have of the boat. We are still working on having the name for the boat applied to the hull which we will have to have prior to taking off. The sign lady down the street, Fernanda Naves, www.cybersignsonline.com, assures me she is working on it. This is the same lady who is supposed to be throwing a nautical theme on the Ol' Buckaroo, the logo I used in my horse shoeing business. I hope it turns out cute because in addition to putting his mug on the back of the boat, I would like to put him on some business cards dedicated to the proposition of being retired and on the lam.