SHIP'S LOG:
Today was the day of the "shear pin." Shear pins are these little brass(?) rods, perhaps an inch in length which fit through the drive shaft of the outboard motor and fit into a slot in the back of the prop. They transmit the "drive" from the shaft to the prop. They are made to brake or shear when the prop hits something or becomes entangled or whatever so that the prop will spin freely and not damage the shaft and/or the transmission of the engine. It is a very simple and sensible arrangement.
I was planning to go marketing today in South Beach(Miami Beach) and take a tour of the place, so I loaded the motor on the dinghy, attached the fuel line and the fuel tank, put in my shopping bags and took off. I went perhaps a quarter of a mile when the shear pin broke. I didn't think I hit anything, at least nothing I could see in the water or feel, but it sheared nonetheless. So it was a 1/4 mile row back to the boat. I hauled the engine up onto the boat, undid the nub, removed the prop and out fell the shear pin in three parts. (Perhaps I hit a manatee!) As luck would have it, there was a spare shear pin in a little rubber grommet inside the engine cover and it took just minutes to change it out. I lowered the engine back onto the dinghy and headed off to Miami(South) Beach.
If Miami is a 10 foot town, Miami Beach (South) is a 5 foot town. I couldn't help but notice that all the "beautiful people" looked wrong. They all were too perfect. Teeth too white, tans to even, make- up abit over done - everyone looked plastic. And the town was pretty much a reflection of the people. A little too perfect, a little too too, if you know what I mean. It was a nice bus ride, a mere 25 cents, and I got to see it all. It isn't a place that I would go back to though, except perhaps to find the proper "dives" that I am sure exist there somewhere. But I haven't the time or the inclination or the energy to seek them out. No loss, the world is full of "dives!"
Hit the Publix and loaded up the dinghy and motored back to ABISHAG. I of loaded the food stuffs with the engine in neutral and the throttle at idle. After the unloading, I shifted into reverse and the shear pin went. I could see if perhaps the engine was reving or I shifted hard from forward into reverse, but no! it was just at idle and the then reverse and pop, another shear pin. I was not happy!
After I had stored everything and secured the dinghy and the engine and was enjoying pre-pranduals, I guy came by who had been a live aboard at Fort Rachel in Mystic. we shot the breeze for awhile and I mentioned the shear pin problem. He said he was going to River Marine the next day and would pick me up a bunch. It would sure save me a lot of walking.
The weather today was the same boring weather. The swimming was the same as was the tanning. Well, such is life.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Miami Is A 10 Foot Town
SHIP'S LOG:
Well I certainly got my waling in today, and I've got the blisters to prove it! I joined the Miami Yacht Club ($16.55) so that I could land my dinghy and know that it would be there when I got back. And I began mile two mile walk( seemed longer) from 1001 MacArthur Causeway to 260 SW 6th Street all to get the proper connectors for the fuel line for my outboard engine. The weather was hot(80's) but there were lots of clouds(white fluffy ones) and a good breeze was blowing so it wasn't a trek across a desert. It was during this walk that I discovered that Miami is a 10 foot town. Everything looks great so long as you are at least 10 feet away, but closer than that you see a lot of stuff that needs fixing and cleaning and such. Empty lots with abandoned cars and garbage, lots of cracks in the sidewalks and potholes in the streets. It was rather surprising to see it this way but doing 2 miles down Biscayne Blvd and 2nd Ave, you get a much clearer picture of the way things really are. Horatio Cane and the CSI squad are obviously taking too much for the city treasury.
Amazingly though, they have a rail system called "Metro Rail" that I discovered on my return trip. It covered much the same route as I walked. I hopped aboard and saved myself a 20 block walk. The best thing about it is that it is absolutely free! It is made up of automated rail cars with no seats and incredible air conditioning. It was fast and clean and free. I suppose you could get pretty much anywhere in the downtown area and along the waterway by using it and it's free.
The Miami Yacht Club, "The Home Of Sailing Champions," is a nice spot but not particularly friendly. I can't point to anything specific but it is just the attitude around the place. It was disappointing really. They will take your money but they do not make you feel at home for some reason. Several of the people I've met on the way down are going to gather there later in the week for drinks and dinner and the swapping of tales. It will be a real "gam" and I am looking forward to it.
The Miami Boat show left town and I am not sure how it went. There didn't seem to be a noticeable increase in boats during the show so I don't know how big a crowd they attracted. I how it went well for the sake of the marine industry.
When I got back from my little walk, I finally feel overboard. I was in the dinghy, hoisting some stuff I bought aboard when I ran afoul of Newton's First Law -for every action and there is an opposite and equal reaction. Heaving stuff onto the boat from the dinghy caused me to push the dinghy away from the boat and in I went. Nothing lost, except for my dignity. And as far as I can tell, no loss of Harbor Face as no one was around to see it. SO keep it quiet. SHHHHH!
Well I certainly got my waling in today, and I've got the blisters to prove it! I joined the Miami Yacht Club ($16.55) so that I could land my dinghy and know that it would be there when I got back. And I began mile two mile walk( seemed longer) from 1001 MacArthur Causeway to 260 SW 6th Street all to get the proper connectors for the fuel line for my outboard engine. The weather was hot(80's) but there were lots of clouds(white fluffy ones) and a good breeze was blowing so it wasn't a trek across a desert. It was during this walk that I discovered that Miami is a 10 foot town. Everything looks great so long as you are at least 10 feet away, but closer than that you see a lot of stuff that needs fixing and cleaning and such. Empty lots with abandoned cars and garbage, lots of cracks in the sidewalks and potholes in the streets. It was rather surprising to see it this way but doing 2 miles down Biscayne Blvd and 2nd Ave, you get a much clearer picture of the way things really are. Horatio Cane and the CSI squad are obviously taking too much for the city treasury.
Amazingly though, they have a rail system called "Metro Rail" that I discovered on my return trip. It covered much the same route as I walked. I hopped aboard and saved myself a 20 block walk. The best thing about it is that it is absolutely free! It is made up of automated rail cars with no seats and incredible air conditioning. It was fast and clean and free. I suppose you could get pretty much anywhere in the downtown area and along the waterway by using it and it's free.
The Miami Yacht Club, "The Home Of Sailing Champions," is a nice spot but not particularly friendly. I can't point to anything specific but it is just the attitude around the place. It was disappointing really. They will take your money but they do not make you feel at home for some reason. Several of the people I've met on the way down are going to gather there later in the week for drinks and dinner and the swapping of tales. It will be a real "gam" and I am looking forward to it.
The Miami Boat show left town and I am not sure how it went. There didn't seem to be a noticeable increase in boats during the show so I don't know how big a crowd they attracted. I how it went well for the sake of the marine industry.
When I got back from my little walk, I finally feel overboard. I was in the dinghy, hoisting some stuff I bought aboard when I ran afoul of Newton's First Law -for every action and there is an opposite and equal reaction. Heaving stuff onto the boat from the dinghy caused me to push the dinghy away from the boat and in I went. Nothing lost, except for my dignity. And as far as I can tell, no loss of Harbor Face as no one was around to see it. SO keep it quiet. SHHHHH!
Monday, February 21, 2011
A Day Without Sunshine, 80 Degree Temps, Humidity Means You Are Not In Miami
SHIP'S LOG:
I will be going ashore tomorrow, to make a 2 mile trek to a marine concern to purchase two(2) connectors for the fuel hose for the outboard motor for the dinghy. I have to buy 2 connectors, one that goes on the hose and one that goes on the engine, because the old connectors had two rounded prongs, and they don't make them that way anymore, and the new ones have one rounded and one squared prong, so that they can sell more each time you need one. Hence the two mile walk to the nearest provider of said connectors. And that is after a one mile row and joining the Miami Yacht Club($18) for the day.
The "water Police"(?) have been very active the last couple of days, looking with particular cold and longing eye on the the owners and users of PWC - Personal Water Craft. These are those motorcycle like craft which if you won one are evidently tons of fun - loud, fast, upsetting to others, and if you don't, and you spend any time on or near the water, you grind your teeth and shamefully long for a accident to happen. The Miami Water Police have really been sticking it to anyone who is the slightest bit over the speed limits, especially in the Manatee Zones ( I have still not seen a Manatee) and with great delight have been pulling speeders over and writing out tickets, the fines for which will be hefty as everything else is down here in Florida. I spent an enjoyable afternoon today watching 36 "law breakers" get their comeuppance. I shed not a tear.
You don't want to know what the day was like weather wise, it was just more of the same. Pity.
I find it amazing that the big cruise ships, less then half a mile away in Government Cut can come in and go out without making a sound. They come in the cut, go into the turning basin, spin around and go back into the cut and mooring pointing outbound. If they didn't blow the signal whistles and if they didn't have all those bands playing Caribbean Music, you would never notice their arrivals or departures. They all be gone in the morning and a new group will come in, some in the afternoon, so overnight, and I won't hear a thing. It is amazing that something that big is that quiet.
I will be going ashore tomorrow, to make a 2 mile trek to a marine concern to purchase two(2) connectors for the fuel hose for the outboard motor for the dinghy. I have to buy 2 connectors, one that goes on the hose and one that goes on the engine, because the old connectors had two rounded prongs, and they don't make them that way anymore, and the new ones have one rounded and one squared prong, so that they can sell more each time you need one. Hence the two mile walk to the nearest provider of said connectors. And that is after a one mile row and joining the Miami Yacht Club($18) for the day.
The "water Police"(?) have been very active the last couple of days, looking with particular cold and longing eye on the the owners and users of PWC - Personal Water Craft. These are those motorcycle like craft which if you won one are evidently tons of fun - loud, fast, upsetting to others, and if you don't, and you spend any time on or near the water, you grind your teeth and shamefully long for a accident to happen. The Miami Water Police have really been sticking it to anyone who is the slightest bit over the speed limits, especially in the Manatee Zones ( I have still not seen a Manatee) and with great delight have been pulling speeders over and writing out tickets, the fines for which will be hefty as everything else is down here in Florida. I spent an enjoyable afternoon today watching 36 "law breakers" get their comeuppance. I shed not a tear.
You don't want to know what the day was like weather wise, it was just more of the same. Pity.
I find it amazing that the big cruise ships, less then half a mile away in Government Cut can come in and go out without making a sound. They come in the cut, go into the turning basin, spin around and go back into the cut and mooring pointing outbound. If they didn't blow the signal whistles and if they didn't have all those bands playing Caribbean Music, you would never notice their arrivals or departures. They all be gone in the morning and a new group will come in, some in the afternoon, so overnight, and I won't hear a thing. It is amazing that something that big is that quiet.
Sunday, February 20, 2011
I Found the Problem & Am Now Looking for The Answer!
SHIP'S LOG:
It was another case of a doohickey being the wrong doohickey for a particular gadget. I tried once again to coax my dinghy's outboard motor into starting but despite all of my efforts it was still an NF - a Negative Function. So I rowed the dinghy, motor and all, over to a near by boat where they had two dinghies and asked for some help. The two guys were seriously into a couple of cases of beer but talked me through the procedures of checking out the engine. "Always start with the assumption that it is a fuel problem. 90% of the time it is a fuel problem," one burbled. They had me take the top off the engine and find the bowl under the carburetor. This is where the water in the fuel would end up . . if there was any water in the fuel. I opened the tap and nothing came out. That was both good and bad, good because there was no water, bad because there was no fuel either. "Looks like a fuel starvation problem to me," the other burped. They had me disconnect the fuel line from the carburetor and pump the bulb on the fuel line which gets fuel from the tank into the fuel line and so into the carburetor. After a couple of pumps, it was determined that the fuel wasn't getting into the fuel line in t he engine. That meant that a.) the hose was blocked (nope), b.) the bulb pump wasn't working(again nope), or c.) there was a leak some where.
Now the fuel line has two doohickeys( hose connectors) one to connect the hose to the fuel tank and one to connect the hose to the engine. They are made up of a grasping clamp to hold the connector tight in place and receiver that takes a fuel prong through which the fuel is passed. One of these connectors, the one at the engine didn't fit tightly enough and so the fuel was dribbling into the dinghy.(Thank goodness for water in the dinghy). After I rowed back to my boat, I tried the fix the limp clamp so that the connector would fit tight. Instead I broke it. I t was merely plastic and probably had seen to many years of sun and the ethanol in the new gas and just didn't have the strength it once had. Now I have to hunt up a new connector for the Honda engine. And that's not as easy as it sounds.
I contacted West Marine and one store had what I needed but it was 12 miles away, one way! That's a hell of a walk. I found a couple of Honda Outboard dealers closer, but none are open until tomorrow and I don't know if they have the part. I 'll call tomorrow and find out but it will still be at least a 2 mile walk one way if the nearest one has the part and 4 miles one way if he doesn't and one of the other two do. Well the weather's nice for walking. It will mean however, that I will also have to join the Miami Yacht Club for the day($18) so I can land my dinghy. At least I'll be able to get a shower and a check out their bar wand restaurant which are supposed to be quite good.
The weather today was disgustingly the same - 80/sunny/humid/light breezes and I spent a lot of time, after the rowing swimming. No sharks down here . . .at least none that I saw, though a large, sofa-cushion-sized Manta Ray launched itself out of the water and belly-flopped back in which served to launch me out of the water as well. Actually I went back in but those things give you one heck of s surprise when they do things like that. Spent the rest of the day enjoying the rest of the day.
It was another case of a doohickey being the wrong doohickey for a particular gadget. I tried once again to coax my dinghy's outboard motor into starting but despite all of my efforts it was still an NF - a Negative Function. So I rowed the dinghy, motor and all, over to a near by boat where they had two dinghies and asked for some help. The two guys were seriously into a couple of cases of beer but talked me through the procedures of checking out the engine. "Always start with the assumption that it is a fuel problem. 90% of the time it is a fuel problem," one burbled. They had me take the top off the engine and find the bowl under the carburetor. This is where the water in the fuel would end up . . if there was any water in the fuel. I opened the tap and nothing came out. That was both good and bad, good because there was no water, bad because there was no fuel either. "Looks like a fuel starvation problem to me," the other burped. They had me disconnect the fuel line from the carburetor and pump the bulb on the fuel line which gets fuel from the tank into the fuel line and so into the carburetor. After a couple of pumps, it was determined that the fuel wasn't getting into the fuel line in t he engine. That meant that a.) the hose was blocked (nope), b.) the bulb pump wasn't working(again nope), or c.) there was a leak some where.
Now the fuel line has two doohickeys( hose connectors) one to connect the hose to the fuel tank and one to connect the hose to the engine. They are made up of a grasping clamp to hold the connector tight in place and receiver that takes a fuel prong through which the fuel is passed. One of these connectors, the one at the engine didn't fit tightly enough and so the fuel was dribbling into the dinghy.(Thank goodness for water in the dinghy). After I rowed back to my boat, I tried the fix the limp clamp so that the connector would fit tight. Instead I broke it. I t was merely plastic and probably had seen to many years of sun and the ethanol in the new gas and just didn't have the strength it once had. Now I have to hunt up a new connector for the Honda engine. And that's not as easy as it sounds.
I contacted West Marine and one store had what I needed but it was 12 miles away, one way! That's a hell of a walk. I found a couple of Honda Outboard dealers closer, but none are open until tomorrow and I don't know if they have the part. I 'll call tomorrow and find out but it will still be at least a 2 mile walk one way if the nearest one has the part and 4 miles one way if he doesn't and one of the other two do. Well the weather's nice for walking. It will mean however, that I will also have to join the Miami Yacht Club for the day($18) so I can land my dinghy. At least I'll be able to get a shower and a check out their bar wand restaurant which are supposed to be quite good.
The weather today was disgustingly the same - 80/sunny/humid/light breezes and I spent a lot of time, after the rowing swimming. No sharks down here . . .at least none that I saw, though a large, sofa-cushion-sized Manta Ray launched itself out of the water and belly-flopped back in which served to launch me out of the water as well. Actually I went back in but those things give you one heck of s surprise when they do things like that. Spent the rest of the day enjoying the rest of the day.
Saturday, February 19, 2011
MIami CSI - Crusing In Style!
SHIP'S LOG:
I was surprised but not really at how stiff I was this morning. Wow, six miles of rowing can sure take it out of you. My shoulders especially were really sore and tight, but after a morning swim, everything felt just fine.
It was another one of those terrible Miami days, high was about 80, no clouds, a little wind and a lot of humidity. This is suffering like I haven't known since last August!
Being Saturday, everyone with a boat was on it. Some working on the boat, some like me just sitting and enjoying the weather, more going out fishing and a lot just rushing up and down burning gas and having a great time. Speaker systems are very big on runabouts down here and for the most part they blare out what is probably Cuban music. It really sounds great except when two or more compete with each other and then the music becomes noise and it is over powering. But since the boats are moving at a high rate of speed, the noise quickly passes. There is a local spot called Belle Island at the head of this "canal" and lots of boats congregate there for picnics and swing and whatever. Today you could barely see the beach for the boats on it or anchored off it.
Speaking of boats, I notice the boats around me since I have been here and as I was looking them over again today I spotted one that didn't look quite right. Actually it was the mast I saw, the boat itself blocked from view by other boats or so I thought. When the wind shift, I happened to look toward that mast and that is all that it was. Evidently, the boat had sunk on its mooring or at anchor. How long ago this happened, I have no way of knowing but it must have been a while at least for there was a red flag on one of the shrouds so people would avoid it. It is tough to estimate how big it is so maybe I will go over tomorrow to check it out. This makes two anchorages where there have been sunken boats down here in Florida.
Four huge ocean liners came in yesterday and loaded up and went out again today. I don't know how many people were on them but together they could have populated a small town if they were all filled. They all started playing Caribbean music when they unloaded and kept it up all day until they reloaded and all departed around 4:30pm, music still playing. I am not sure where they are bound but it ain't New York!
This anchorage that i am in off the Miami Yacht Club turns out to be the only free, no time limit anchorage in all of Miami. Every place else you get approached and told to move on after 7 days. I didn't realize it when I dropped my hook last week but I made a good choice nonetheless. Sometime next week though I will have to go to a marina for a"pump & dump" and perhaps I will use that as an excuse to move to a different location or head further south. This warm, sultry weather makes it so hard to get energized about moving.
I was surprised but not really at how stiff I was this morning. Wow, six miles of rowing can sure take it out of you. My shoulders especially were really sore and tight, but after a morning swim, everything felt just fine.
It was another one of those terrible Miami days, high was about 80, no clouds, a little wind and a lot of humidity. This is suffering like I haven't known since last August!
Being Saturday, everyone with a boat was on it. Some working on the boat, some like me just sitting and enjoying the weather, more going out fishing and a lot just rushing up and down burning gas and having a great time. Speaker systems are very big on runabouts down here and for the most part they blare out what is probably Cuban music. It really sounds great except when two or more compete with each other and then the music becomes noise and it is over powering. But since the boats are moving at a high rate of speed, the noise quickly passes. There is a local spot called Belle Island at the head of this "canal" and lots of boats congregate there for picnics and swing and whatever. Today you could barely see the beach for the boats on it or anchored off it.
Speaking of boats, I notice the boats around me since I have been here and as I was looking them over again today I spotted one that didn't look quite right. Actually it was the mast I saw, the boat itself blocked from view by other boats or so I thought. When the wind shift, I happened to look toward that mast and that is all that it was. Evidently, the boat had sunk on its mooring or at anchor. How long ago this happened, I have no way of knowing but it must have been a while at least for there was a red flag on one of the shrouds so people would avoid it. It is tough to estimate how big it is so maybe I will go over tomorrow to check it out. This makes two anchorages where there have been sunken boats down here in Florida.
Four huge ocean liners came in yesterday and loaded up and went out again today. I don't know how many people were on them but together they could have populated a small town if they were all filled. They all started playing Caribbean music when they unloaded and kept it up all day until they reloaded and all departed around 4:30pm, music still playing. I am not sure where they are bound but it ain't New York!
This anchorage that i am in off the Miami Yacht Club turns out to be the only free, no time limit anchorage in all of Miami. Every place else you get approached and told to move on after 7 days. I didn't realize it when I dropped my hook last week but I made a good choice nonetheless. Sometime next week though I will have to go to a marina for a"pump & dump" and perhaps I will use that as an excuse to move to a different location or head further south. This warm, sultry weather makes it so hard to get energized about moving.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Row, Row, Row Your Boat!
SHIP'S LOG:
Sorry about missing yesterday's entry, but there was a Happy Hour at the Miami Yacht Club, which you can become a member for a mere $18 a day, and things got a little happy shall we say. At least I was able to row back to my boat and get on and hoist the dinghy and not fall in. I consider those great accomplishments considering.....
Earlier, I did some more work on courses south. The real problem is not so much going outside as getting back in. To the unenlightened and inexperienced, Florida's coast looks like one big anchorage and the inside even more so but it ain't so. Some of the "cuts" are rather thin in the water department, usually at the entrance and the exit while the length between the two is often quite deep. You just never know what is really under your keel, depth-wise, and since there is so much coral down here, as opposed to the mud and sand of the ICW northward, it is not something that you wish to hit. If you do, odds are that it will be a "hard grounding" and the unlimited Towboat/US insurance doesn't cover hard groundings. And hard groundings are expensive. I can tell you that from previous experiences. We are talking thousands of dollars and that doesn't even begin to take into account the damage that one does running one's keel onto coral. It is not forgiving and it doesn't give and it is very often sharp. It can do a nasty, nasty job on your bottom. All the more reason to stay put. Still . . . .
I did some more work on my tan and did a little swimming and all those wonderful things one does by the beach in the summer. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Today was a day of frustration. being almost out of food, at least the fresh kind, I had to make a run to Publix Market in Miami Beach. It is about a three mile run in the dinghy, as one must go up the Collins Canal and its 5foot tall bridges. I put the motor on the dinghy, no small feet in itself and then put the fuel tank in the dinghy and then, and then, and then I couldn't find the hose line that runs from the fuel tank to the engine. It wasn't where I thought I had put it and I went through the boat, from stem to stern, opening every locker, every draw, every cabinet but no hose. I went and emptied the "In-Law Apartment Locker" but still nothing. I sat down and had a good think and then did it all over again. No joy the second time around either. Nor for that matter on the third time around. It was irritating, frustrating and a little maddening. So since it was noon( it was a three hour search), I had lunch(last of the fresh stuff) and forgot about it. After lunch, I went to the locker where it was supposed to be and there it was! Well , not quite where it was supposed to be but on the shelf below, covered with some stuff.
Well, I had it and went out and got into the dinghy and started the engine. Actually, no! I tried to start the engine. For a good hour I tried to start the engine. It steadfastly refused to start. So I disconnected the hose and hoist the fuel tank back a boarded and secured it. I hoisted the engine back aboard and secured it. And I then rowed off to Collins Canal and Publix Market three Miles away. It was a nice day for a row and it only took a couple of hours. I did my shopping d rowed the three miles back. I off-loaded the dinghy, hoisted it back onto the davits, put away the provender, had a glass of wine and collapsed. I am going to be sore tomorrow and I am going to have to find what gives with the outboard motor.
Sorry about missing yesterday's entry, but there was a Happy Hour at the Miami Yacht Club, which you can become a member for a mere $18 a day, and things got a little happy shall we say. At least I was able to row back to my boat and get on and hoist the dinghy and not fall in. I consider those great accomplishments considering.....
Earlier, I did some more work on courses south. The real problem is not so much going outside as getting back in. To the unenlightened and inexperienced, Florida's coast looks like one big anchorage and the inside even more so but it ain't so. Some of the "cuts" are rather thin in the water department, usually at the entrance and the exit while the length between the two is often quite deep. You just never know what is really under your keel, depth-wise, and since there is so much coral down here, as opposed to the mud and sand of the ICW northward, it is not something that you wish to hit. If you do, odds are that it will be a "hard grounding" and the unlimited Towboat/US insurance doesn't cover hard groundings. And hard groundings are expensive. I can tell you that from previous experiences. We are talking thousands of dollars and that doesn't even begin to take into account the damage that one does running one's keel onto coral. It is not forgiving and it doesn't give and it is very often sharp. It can do a nasty, nasty job on your bottom. All the more reason to stay put. Still . . . .
I did some more work on my tan and did a little swimming and all those wonderful things one does by the beach in the summer. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
Today was a day of frustration. being almost out of food, at least the fresh kind, I had to make a run to Publix Market in Miami Beach. It is about a three mile run in the dinghy, as one must go up the Collins Canal and its 5foot tall bridges. I put the motor on the dinghy, no small feet in itself and then put the fuel tank in the dinghy and then, and then, and then I couldn't find the hose line that runs from the fuel tank to the engine. It wasn't where I thought I had put it and I went through the boat, from stem to stern, opening every locker, every draw, every cabinet but no hose. I went and emptied the "In-Law Apartment Locker" but still nothing. I sat down and had a good think and then did it all over again. No joy the second time around either. Nor for that matter on the third time around. It was irritating, frustrating and a little maddening. So since it was noon( it was a three hour search), I had lunch(last of the fresh stuff) and forgot about it. After lunch, I went to the locker where it was supposed to be and there it was! Well , not quite where it was supposed to be but on the shelf below, covered with some stuff.
Well, I had it and went out and got into the dinghy and started the engine. Actually, no! I tried to start the engine. For a good hour I tried to start the engine. It steadfastly refused to start. So I disconnected the hose and hoist the fuel tank back a boarded and secured it. I hoisted the engine back aboard and secured it. And I then rowed off to Collins Canal and Publix Market three Miles away. It was a nice day for a row and it only took a couple of hours. I did my shopping d rowed the three miles back. I off-loaded the dinghy, hoisted it back onto the davits, put away the provender, had a glass of wine and collapsed. I am going to be sore tomorrow and I am going to have to find what gives with the outboard motor.
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Swimming In February
SHIP'S LOG:
Another beautiful day! I won't bore you with the details, suffice it to say that it was sunny and hot enough to go swimming. The water temp is 71 degrees. 'nough said.
I ran into the owner of another Camper Nicholson. He is an economist from Michigan who now lives in Oriental, NC. He and his wife are waiting for the proper weather window to make the dash across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas which is a trip of but 90 miles. They do this every year and wanted to know if I wanted to "buddy boat" with them on the trip over. I was tempted but I would be very hesitant considering I have no crew and I would hate to make the effort alone. Add to that the horrible state of my finances and it appears that while I may continue South, East is definitely out . . . at least this time.
I found out that the Miami Boat Show is this weekend and I have no desire to drop in and look around. The boat show would have little or nothing I could afford in the way of boats and I wouldn't want to become dissatisfied with ABISHAG. She has all that I need and almost everything works and what doesn't I have been able to live without. I get the impression that the marine industry is really hurting. I am sure that there will be a great winnowing in the near future. To many people are walking away from boats and I don't see how some of the builders and suppliers will be able to survive another year. It has been a real lean couple of years for them.
I laid out the courses today that I need to get down to Key West. It would take five days if all goes well. Now all I need is the "inspiration" to go. Right now the weather is perfect and my location is perfect and it is hard to come up with reasons to pull up and move south. Maybe if it snowed? Truth be told, what more do I need than I already have? I now have 28 days until turn around time, so I suppose, though, that I will probably make a dash into "the Keys" so that I can say that I made it that far. Maybe as far as Key Largo or Boot Key. Of Course, Biscayne Key is but 7 miles away!
The thing I always keep in mind is that wherever I go, no matter if I stay here or go further south, I will only be reaching the half way point. I will have to turn around one of these days and do it all over again in reverse. I think I need some rum and lime!
Another beautiful day! I won't bore you with the details, suffice it to say that it was sunny and hot enough to go swimming. The water temp is 71 degrees. 'nough said.
I ran into the owner of another Camper Nicholson. He is an economist from Michigan who now lives in Oriental, NC. He and his wife are waiting for the proper weather window to make the dash across the Gulf Stream to the Bahamas which is a trip of but 90 miles. They do this every year and wanted to know if I wanted to "buddy boat" with them on the trip over. I was tempted but I would be very hesitant considering I have no crew and I would hate to make the effort alone. Add to that the horrible state of my finances and it appears that while I may continue South, East is definitely out . . . at least this time.
I found out that the Miami Boat Show is this weekend and I have no desire to drop in and look around. The boat show would have little or nothing I could afford in the way of boats and I wouldn't want to become dissatisfied with ABISHAG. She has all that I need and almost everything works and what doesn't I have been able to live without. I get the impression that the marine industry is really hurting. I am sure that there will be a great winnowing in the near future. To many people are walking away from boats and I don't see how some of the builders and suppliers will be able to survive another year. It has been a real lean couple of years for them.
I laid out the courses today that I need to get down to Key West. It would take five days if all goes well. Now all I need is the "inspiration" to go. Right now the weather is perfect and my location is perfect and it is hard to come up with reasons to pull up and move south. Maybe if it snowed? Truth be told, what more do I need than I already have? I now have 28 days until turn around time, so I suppose, though, that I will probably make a dash into "the Keys" so that I can say that I made it that far. Maybe as far as Key Largo or Boot Key. Of Course, Biscayne Key is but 7 miles away!
The thing I always keep in mind is that wherever I go, no matter if I stay here or go further south, I will only be reaching the half way point. I will have to turn around one of these days and do it all over again in reverse. I think I need some rum and lime!
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