Well, it has been a week. Unlike any other we’ve spent aboard, but that is what the cruising life is all about. Hey, you never know!
Our navigation computer was away from the boat for as long as we were. It completed the Loop by getting us to Marathon, and then simply refused to turn on. Fred shipped it to Travis Fickett, he who constructed all it’s innards, in Gainesville, and we picked it up, sporting a new hard drive, on our way home.
Nav computer being removed from the boat, and brought back, translates to a very, very large number of Fred hours re-installing software and re-connecting all the aids to navigation, like the Auto-pilot, radar, GPS, AIS, depth sounder, etc.etc.etc. Also installing charts for everywhere we might plan to go--both vector and rastor. Not to mention locating all of the above parts, ports, discs, instructions, manuals, passwords, keywords, and assorted minutiae that are clearly designed to frustrate. It is, after all, a computer. That is what they do.
Needless to say, Fred has been equal to--and even a cut above--the assignment. Not something he’d choose to do often, but as of today (Monday) everything that needs to light up, flash, beep, scroll and/or indicate seems to be willing and able to do it’s appointed task at the appropriate time, so we’re good to go.
In that department, at least. The damage to the boat (see last week's blog) was a whole ‘nother animal. The number of damage-related visitors has been terrific! Gentlemen have come to scour the bottom and look for any underwater damage (none found, thankfully), survey the damage, and assess for an estimate for repairs--first the general marina fella with his fiberglass guy, and then, another day, the welder came. Additionally, we found an attorney who will be in the area when court time rolls around, so we should be ready to head north.
One big job to make the boat seaworthy was the installation of a new, wooden rail on the port quarter. No, it won’t be painted, stained or varnished. But it will, we believe, keep us on deck when we’re underway. It’s kinda cute, don’t you think?
A Power Squadron member from Vero Beach passed through Banana Bay on his way (with 7-8 other boats) to a vacation in Key West. He had his Vessel Safety Inspection kit with him, and with our new rail, we passed with flying colors.
We did have some good times, too, during the week. One sunny morning we took a bi-plane ride around the area. Whoosh! I got the seat with no door, and the 100+mph winds caught my goggles, elbow, hand--anything that moved more than a few inches from center was in danger of departing! Fred got some nifty photos of Banana Bay and YOUNG AMERICA. Paul the Pilot did a couple of roll-y, “fun” maneuvers--45 degree tilt or more--that had me hanging on for dear life and wondering what I was doing there, but we landed safely after a 1/2 hour ride that was mostly enjoyable. Scratch “ride in a small, private plane” off my ‘things to do before I die’ list. Happily, the two did not coincide.
I’ve been taking advantage of Banana Bay’s beautiful swimming pool and hot tub. The weather has been delicious--in the 80’s and sunny with beautiful blue skies and fluffy clouds. We had one morning of pitter-patter rain, and even that was lovely.
The rest of the country--most notably the area we were considering traveling touring this summer, (the Cumberland, Tennessee, and Ohio Rivers), has had way more than pitter patter rain. Traveling north in the River system can be tricky in the spring, but is usually possible. This year, with flooding and huge amounts of debris heading south, plus the threat of a slippery, slimy oil slick possibly approaching from the west, prudence says, “how about a summer in the Chesapeake?”
So that is the plan. We’ll be underway from Marathon Wed. a.m. and when next we 'speak', YA should be in or near Green Cove Springs, where she’ll be hauled for repairs. And then, well, stay tuned!
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