On Monday, March 31, 2014 5:34:06 AM UTC-7, Flying Pig wrote:
Neal will chortle and others will shake their heads...



This isn't a log, just a snippet. I haven't written a log in months, out of

disgust and frustration, not to mention lack of motivation.



This is a reply to friends in Georgetown, who say the bunch there misses us:





I just can't tell you how distressing this past 15 months has been.



Every time we move the boat, some gamestopper breaks.



On the way to our mechanic in Stuart (ICW, yuck, run from Vero), our 4-154

FWater pump gave up the ghost, leaking coolant until it got down to that

level, which resulted in overheating.



Limped in, docked, plugged in, mechanic did his work and broke a line

getting it off; workaround achieved, and 8 days later, we're back in

business. In addition, while we were stuck, I found 3 sources of

NEW-from-Perkins, in stock, no-problem water pumps, where the word on the

street had been that they were unobtainium. All set for when we get back to

Vero.



Not so fast, bucko.



Our 4 L16HC batterie$ gave up the gho$t at the dock, and will no longer hold

a charge overnight. PS our new $ea Fro$t refrigeration is struggling, too,

maybe batteries, maybe the water pump with gunge from our grounding.

Cleaned out the filter, backwashed the line, bled the pump, restart.

Batteries, I sincerely hope, because I don't think I can deal with

refrigeration again so soon (total replacement after 4 months of

troubleshooting, etc. and 10 weeks of fiddling to get this one installed and

set up right, including 2 replacement temp probes, starting over on the

evaporator plates, and a replacement constant pressure valve - the only

significant component not replaced was the compressor, from NEW).



We sailed on staysail alone (did I mention that the furler line failed on

the last trip; new line is waiting for us ashore today) to Ft. Pierce where

we went aground in the channel under Causeway Island. Lots of shifting sand

in there, apparently.



No problem, we were going to get a tow to Vero, anyway; let's just do it

now. TBUS arrives, we're immediately under way (very soft grounding), and

30 minutes into it comes the NOAA 40kt/tornado interruption on the VHF.

Around we turn, and back to the anchorage, scheduling for the next day.



Which went well, until we got to our mooring where we'd left the dinghy to

assure it was available, on the advice of staff, $till paying for it, and

found someone else tied to the mooring with our dink streaming next to it.



No biggie but we had to go forward, secure to an open mooring there, get a

ride to the boat behind us, remove our mooring line from their boat and the

mooring and install theirs, remove our dinghy and returned home. Whether we

can browbeat the staff into abating the rent for that time remains to be

seen; that was a preferable float and a preferable location, so to require

us to pay for the space when we couldn't have it would only add insult to

injury to our gymnastics required.



And that was just yesterday; the entire 15 months has been like that.



See you as soon as we can, but likely not until next season...





This, too will pass, but it's very tire$ome.



L8R



Skip

--



Morgan 461 #2

SV Flying Pig KI4MPC

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When a man comes to like a sea life, he is not fit to live on land.

- Dr. Samuel Johnson

All in a days work. Sorry to year of your problem. it seems they have a way of ganging up on you especially when you least expect them to.

Concerning 'unobtanium' parts. I tell people, "well, somebody's got them" But it still comes down to 'seek and ye shall find' There's no magic wand to wave and have them instantly materialize.

Yes tiresome, but probably worth it in the long run...