To those who gave me some information last year on the Great Loop and the
TomBigBee, thank you again. I joined the boat in Carabelle, FL, home of the
world's smallest police station. My leg took us to Panama City, Sandestin
Resort, Clear Point, Alabama and eventually to Bobby's Fish Camp in
Coffeeville, AL. We journeyed through weather which ranged from delightful
to dreadful. We discovered a ton of rainwater entry points under the canvas
top, but we also had a great deal of fun. The cockpit and canvas has a
design flaw which allowed rain water to bead down onto the instruments. I
came up with a fix which involved plastic tubing and silicone caulking.
Saturday evening in Saraland, AL found me at a Wal-Mart where a very
friendly salesclerk asked me what I was looking for. When I told her I
expected her to shake her head and run off to find security. To her credit,
she understood the concept and pitched in to help. I left Wal-Mart with
silicone sealant, two six foot plastic jump ropes and some very colorful
masking tape. We installed it the next morning and it worked like a charm.
The people we met could not have been more friendlier. One fellow gave up
his pickup truck for the night so we could get to and return from our motel.
I have to admit that one of the reasons that I have always loved both
sailing and motorboating is that you meet strangers that will give you the
shirt of their backs in an instant if you are in need. This trip was no
different.

Tom