The unforeseeable

On Tuesday the heater and fuel pump came in. We installed the fuel pump, did the final fuel system work, cleaned and prepped the decks, cleaned and did the majority of the organization below decks. Late in the afternoon we got off the dock and headed toward the fuel dock. We took on 104 gallons of fuel to go with the 15 gallons we already had aboard. After talking with two of the local captains we decided we needed to wait for a high tide during daylight to run the cut to the Atlantic. Hence, we decided to wait until the Wednesday morning tide.

Wednesday morning we were up at 6:00, cut some boards for the engine compartment, cut out the bulkhead mounting hole for the heater, put the numbers and registration sticker on the boat, unclogged the port deck drain and replaced a faulty hose on the water coolant system on the engine. It was then 10:10 and we cast our lines and headed for open water.

The boat was running well, doing 6 knots. We fired up the nav gear and all was going well. There were some various rattles on board that we set about to quiet down. We managed to find every rattly pipe, anchor, and such except for one. After quite a bit of searching by both Aaron and I we discovered this last rattle was coming from the stern bearing. We attempted to ascertain the severity of the problem when Aaron noticed that the stern bearing drip seal was smoking.

For those of you who dont know, the stern bearing is where the prop shaft penetrates the hull, the prop shaft of course connects the engine to the propellor. If the stern bearing lets loose not only do we lose the ability to use the engine, but we also would begin taking on more water than we could handle. Knowing this and with more than 600 miles of open water ahead of us, we decided to turn back.

With the Atlantic in sight, not more than a quarter of a mile off our bow, I turned the helm hard a'port and we came about.

Crawling back in against the tide took the rest of the morning. Upon returning to the dock we made a picture perfect landing. I then headed up to the marina office and rented a slip. For the rest of the day Aaron and I relaxed and took a much needed break.

We will spend the next few days finishing final projects to keep the boat high and dry while we are away. Given that the stern bearing, including haul-out, etc. will cost several thousand dollars it will be some time before the repairs are made. If all goes well we will be taking the boat out into the bay for a day sail prior to our departure from South Carolina.

Our intentions are to return in May or June and if all goes well we will commence the voyage at that time. We have done incredible amounts of work in the last 10 days and with the exception of the stern bearing the boat is ready to go. My thanks to Aaron for all of his hard work, he put in many long days without complaint and with generally substandard food and accomodations. Thanks to everyone who gave us thier best wishes and support, I hope to see all of you right here on our next voyage.

Best wishes and fair winds,

-JD