Days 2 and 3 - Daytona Beach

Easy run today through the Cuttover Pass:

This links the waterways just north of Titusville.  Passed through the huge waterlife sancturay that is part of the NASA area of cape Canaveral.  

Safely in Daytona Beach after missing thunder storms.  Nice folks here but on the outside so wakes are likely tomorrow!

Dinner at the on site restaurant tonight.  Tomorrow is a rest day only because it's a second free night under our Loggerhead contract.  Next is St Augustine.

Day 1 - Cocoa

Back in the saddle.  We made a leisurely 50 miles today to Cocoa which is adjacent Cape Canaveral Space station.  Spooky has re-found her fave travelling spot.

One night here and 60 miles to Daytona Beach.

We have two days left on our Loggerhead contract so we will stay two days in Daytona at their most northerly location.

All went well today.  Sciatica continues to irritate but otherwise no issues.  Good to be back on the water.

PS. I forgot to mention that, shortly after we called the marina as we approached, someone came on channel 68 playing Dream Weaver!

Honestly!

I am going to be completely honest.  The trials and tribulations of broken ribs and bad generators have  taken their toll on me.  I was very depressed about the whole thing.  We finally found someone who can fix the generator and he turned out to be one of the best guys we have ever had on the boat.

All Looking Good

...just for a change.  We found a superb guy to fix the generator.  We have run all engines and navigation systems and all seems ok for a departure next Tuesday for Cocoa, Florida.  Jo is putting her list together for provisioning this weekend.  Then we say goodbye to our friends for a while and head out.

I won't lie; the last couple of weeks have been depressing.  Now we can make headway!

Still here!!

It has been one thing after another.  The fall sidelined me for a couple of weeks.  The dinghy would not hold air.  I know where the problem was but repairing it was almost impossible.  I ended up writing it off and trashing it.  I sold the motor on Craigslist.  

With Joe due to arrive we found out the generator was not putting out power.  Not only that but, when we opened up the engine room to check it out, diesel was spraying everywhere.  I fixed the diesel leak by having a fitting made up but the electrical problem persisted.  It took me a week to find someone to come and look at it.  He arrives late today or tomorrow morning.  Joe has cancelled his flight tomorrow until we have a better outlook.  We could travel without the genny and travel marina to marina but going further north did not look any better for generator repair folks.  The offending part that leaked is in the blue circle and it did not look that bad when we left last year:

Just for the sake of a picture, this MonteCarlo Yachts 65 footer spent last night across the dock from us.

So we now wait for the electrical end of the genny to tested to see whether I have to drive to Miami and pick up a rebuilt "new" one.

Quick Update on the Rib

Did you know that, when you turn up late at Emergency, they often send your X-Rays around the world to have them read by a doctor who is working under normal working hours?  They do and they did.  When they checked the reading the next day on my X-Rays they found that 4 ribs were broken and not one which explains why this has been much more painful than the last time I broke a rib.  So we have decided to wait two weeks for some recovery and take Joe up on his kind offer to come crew for a couple of weeks.  Hopefully by then we can manage on our own.

Never Rains but....

Our old dock mates Anna and Frank came to visit!  Frank had a beautiful 55' Viking here and sold it easily last year.  He is renting a place in Cape Coral on the west coast of Florida while he figures out what boat will be next to live aboard.

We continue the work to clean up and now face an approaching weather system that should bring strong winds and much rain.  We are well protected here.

Last night I managed to misjudge my step aboard while carrying a tray full of empty dishes and cutlery.  Five hours in the local emergency room later saw me back on the boat with a broken rib and in a lot of pain.  Good drugs seem to be helping that but it will be a few days before I will be fit to sail.  I was the last of the three of us to fall overboard at dock!  The only one of us uninjured was Spooky.  Last week was not a lucky one for me.

Progress

It's taking a while but Jo is working from stern to bow and is now almost complete with the galley.  Next is the utility room and forward cabin and head.  Then, cleaning wise we will be ready to head out.  

Working outside is hell right now.  At dawn it is almost 80 degs F and humid.  After a few minutes the perspiration is stinging the eyes and the pool beckons!  

While Jo is working through every single draw and cupboard cleaning I have been working the systems and outside.  One water pump has a pressure switch leak meaning it cycles on and off continuously.  I could change the switch but the pump is original from 1996 and noisy.  I have two in series on this boat and I changed the other one for a new one two years ago.  I have bought a new one to replace this faulty original one so both will be quiet and reliable.  Just waiting for a good time to get in the bilge to fit it when Jo is available to pass me tools.  I also replaced our dockside water hose and filter and shocked the water tank prior to departure.

The dinghy has fried in the sun for a long time and my davit system has almost unglued.  I have re-glued both stand-offs and tomorrow, while it is cooler in the morning, I will repair the port tube which has deflated due to a poor design.  Then we can remount the engine and get it running which will likely take a while.

Another thing that fried and has fried repeatedly is the inner tubes on our folding bikes which we store on the aft deck.  This time I have ordered solid inner "tubes" which cannot deflate.  They arrive Monday so we'll see how well they work!

In between times we are meeting our friends in the marina area and in Vero Beach and cooling off in the pool.  A great dinner with Ed and Sandy last night was preceded by lunch at The Riverside with Jenny and Russel, served expertly by Joanne.