Where the heck have we been? Part 2 of 2

Entrance to Marina

While we waited on the fiberglass guys to begin work on the starboard holding tank, we spent a few days compiling a list of the things we needed to get done while tied to shore. Now, anyone with a boat will tell you that the list is a living breathing entity. You add stuff, you check other stuff off, you add more stuff, etc. The list never ends and there is always work to be done. The first task was to clean the ceilings of the boat again (the mildew seems ever present). I decided that it was time to take permanent action and buy paint to remedy the situation. I got a mold killing primer and five year mold/mildew proof paint to repaint the entire interior with. So with cleaning off the list, painting was added to it.

We knew we had some kind of fresh water leak, as the starboard bilge seemed to always have water in it, and the water pressure pump would randomly go off without anyone using it. The bilge's alarm would occasionally go off to remind us that we needed to fix it. It turned out we had multiple leaks. The transom shower dripped out the fitting on the bottom, the hot water line to the starboard head's vanity (previously fixed badly by the previous owner) leaked, and the cold water t-valve under the starboard vanity (for an unnecessary wash out) leaked. Which one to tackle first? We started with the transom shower, as it didn't require squeezing one's self into tiny spaces. We thought we had it fixed, but alas the water pressure pump and bilge alarm disagreed. We ordered parts and properly fixed the hot and cold water lines to the starboard head's vanity. For two whole days we had a dry bilge on that side. Then a leak was discovered in the grey water drain from the same sink. So, with two leaks marked off, one more was added on. At least the bilge alarm was no longer going off (as long as I cleaned the small amount of water out of it everyday). We re-tackled the transom shower and replaced various o-rings. Again we think it might be fixed, but time will tell. The water pressure pump still randomly goes off, but not nearly as often. That could easily be any of the three dripping faucets we have as well (add those to the list).

It was time to defrost the little freezer in the top of the refrigerator again (this is a monthly thing) because the seal to the refrigerator is seriously inadequate. We have searched and searched for a replacement, but can't find one (that remains on the list). We decided to use our microwave (since we were plugged into shore power) to make popcorn for a movie. Alas, the stupid thing died on the second bag. We had a heck of a time removing it, but now I have a bit more space in the galley. We discovered a serious botch job on the wiring when removing the microwave (add re-wiring to the list).

Now, this whole time they have been doing the repair to the starboard holding tank. The tank was in, but the access plate kept leaking. As the days went by, a stench began to grow in the PORT holding tank (the brand new system we had installed when we bought the boat). We searched and searched, and could not come up with a source to the foul odor. The migraines began coming on again in the wife, so we finally had someone come and check out what was going on. This is where being new to this whole lifestyle can really bite you. We had been moved onto the boat for less than two months, so knew very little about the plumbing system of a boat. Apparently, the people we had put in the port holding tank knew about as little as we did. The hose runs to the holding tank were running up instead of down. This means that the 'stuff' that is flushed or pumped out can't really leave the hoses. There was also a loop in the vent line (instead of a straight run). So, we had a perfect recipe for a bad disaster.

The runs in the hoses allowing 'stuff' to stay in them caused the hoses to permeate odor very quickly. Odor in a holding tank is kept in check by aerobic bacteria, which need air to breath. Without them, anaerobic bacteria grow instead. So, with the looped vent, air couldn't get into the tank and the anaerobic bacteria took over, literally making the tank 'septic'. Without air flow, the tank also 'pressurized' causing a fine spray of 'stuff' all over the back wall of the locker. The shelf that was put in to hold the holding tank in place was not sealed in the back, so the ooze was falling down and puddling in the bottom of a locker that had no access. So basically, the whole thing was a terrible install (done apparently by idiots). So, as they were finishing up the starboard holding tank, we got a quote to redo the port holding tank. Did I mention we have zero working heads on board now? They gave us a decent quote, but couldn't start work for another week.

There was no way we could tolerate the smell for yet another week, so we took the entire system out ourselves. So the list got an emergency item added to the very top, and we would obviously be in Fort Pierce for the rest of the month. It took two hours to carefully remove and wrap multiple poo filled hoses to take off the boat. Not to mention, the pick up hoses in the tanks were too short, so we got to remove a sloshing tank (carefully wrapped as well) out the door. It took another two hours to break apart and remove the shelf, not to mention the time then spent cleaning it all up. It was an all day affair, and the worst job that could be had on the boat. At least the smell was gone, and the wife was smiling again. Let us never speak of this day again.

In the week we waited to begin work on the port holding tank, we installed cabin fans in all four cabins. We moved the port side electrical going to the port side head (to accommodate a new built in holding tank). We corrected the wiring left by the discarded microwave. We began to learn a whole lot about the entire electrical system on the boat. It was a good thing too, as it made it easier to understand things when the starboard side starter battery quit working. Apparently the previous owners had wired several things directly to the starter battery, and it finally bit the dust. So we re-wired that entire side to be on the proper circuits, and then bought and installed a new starter battery (another emergency item that went to the top of the list).

As worked progressed on the port side holding tank, the coast guard paperwork finally arrived for the boat (yes, we were there long enough to have some mail sent). So we made the required hull id number plate to permanently attach to the interior of the boat. It's a pretty wooden plaque with the required three inch tall numbers engraved in it, and then permanently attached with 5200 (permanent adhesive). We began work on some shelves in the salon to help deal with the clutter. We finally got around to cleaning up the two folding bikes that came with the boat. Turns out the derailleurs on both of them are bad, so they went back inside to deal with later (add that to the list). An entire day was spent washing and waxing the boat. We waited till the end of our stay to clean her due to the footprints from the workers and the other goo left by the pelicans.

Pelicans? Yes, brown pelicans. The area is riddled with them. As we were parked at the end of the dock, we got a great view of the mangroves and the entrance to the Intracoastal. The pelicans sit around on the nearby posts and rocks looking for a meal. Sometimes they could be found first thing in the morning casually parked in their own filth on our sugar scoops. I should also mention the jacks. The entire time we had been there, you sporadically heard something bang into your hull (very disconcerting). We were finally clued in that it was a predatory fish called a crevalle jack. It hunts it's prey by chasing them into the boats. It's quite a sight to see the chase. The little fish will zig zag as it runs and even fly out of the water sporadically to evade capture. The jack chases it while the brown pelicans zoom in to try to steal the meal. We enjoyed watching the show multiple times a day, and if you didn't see it, you certainly heard it! There were also manatees nearby. It's a protected manatee area. You could often see or hear the manatees come up for air. If you were lucky, you got a quick sight of the mother and baby living there. We also saw dolphins on several occasions, and even a shark. The single shark siting caused an absence in the jacks for almost a week (it was really quiet)!

Being tied to the dock, down from the restaurant, allowed many people to wander up and look at our boat. We met and talked with so many people. Almost every time we came or went on the dock, we got stopped to talk to other people along the way. A trip to the bathroom could easily end up an hour long trip. We helped a German couple tie up their boat after they grounded it in the shallows nearby. It took them hours to get their boat off the bottom. We helped a women get out to her sailboat as she had come up in her row boat without a motor. The wind wouldn't let her row back out, so we dropped our dinghy and towed her out. We saw lots of boats come in to escape the churning seas. The weather for the month of April was crazy, so many boats got stuck waiting to go on to their destinations. We met a couple who had accidentally torn off their bridge deck when they hit something at full speed (using your smartphone and driving a boat doesn't work any better than a car). We were in Harbortown Marina for so long, we became 'regulars'. The dock hands and restaurant staff knew us by sight. The trip up and down the dock to the bathrooms and showers became routine. The trip walking to the grocery store hauling a wagon seemed normal. We could see how people ended up living in a marina. We had met several people that did just that nearby. We became the people telling others about the facilities nearby and the sea life in the vicinity. In other words, it was way past time to move on.

They finished the port holding tank on Wednesday, April 27th. After haggling over the bill the following morning, we finally left before lunch. We had spent so much time in one place, we were suddenly nervous. The port engine balked at the idea of being started up, but was finally persuaded (add that to the list). We began moving north again. There are several projects not yet done, and lots of work to get accomplished. But, with any luck, we'll see Daytona Beach soon! For now, at least, everything is working and we are feeding our wanderlust!


Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/driftingfree/

Where the heck have we been? Part 1 of 2

I know what you're thinking: Where the heck have you been? I can't believe it's been over a month since I updated everyone on how the journey is progressing. The last you heard we were headed north from Tarpon Basin in Key Largo. I would like to say little has happened (which would be why you've not heard anything), but actually so much has happened that we've been crazy busy and time has just flown by! So, allow me to feed your curiosity and let you peek into our journey for the last month.

As you recall we were headed north to Key Biscayne with a somewhat repaired starboard holding tank. We were under the impression that as long as we didn't fill the tank up, all would be okay until we could have it properly repaired. We forgot to take into consideration the bouncing a boat can take from sailing (or wakes from other boats). By the time we reached Key Biscayne, it was obvious that the 'sloshing' in the holding tank (with very little in it, mind you) still caused the boat to smell like an outhouse. So while we were stuck in Key Biscayne for three days with rough weather, we were forced to completely clean out the starboard holding tank and only use the port head. For those of you with any holding tank experience, the problem was that they didn't fix the lid to the tank when they repaired it. They fixed the cracked bottom, but managed to separate the lid from the built in tank when they filled it with water to test it. They refused to remove the lid to fix the tank (because it was too much work). So, as things sloshed around in the tank, it allowed 'stuff' to escape over the wall and into the bilge (bringing massive stench with it).

While in Key Biscayne, we did get to enjoy the spring breaker's parties that happened nightly. The kids did some swimming, and we enjoyed watching the other boaters and the swimming/diving black scoters (a kind of duck). Our cat Tiger informed us, on the second day we were there, that something was not right up on the tramps near the bow of the boat. As I followed him forward (he had come to get me, meowing at me to follow him), I discovered what had caused him to get upset. Apparently the supposedly cute black scoters had decided to spend the night sleeping and enjoying their dinner on our tramps. All I can say is that ducks are really rather nasty! There were feathers, poo, and blood from their feast all over the bow and tramps. Needless to say, a lot of clean-up was needed every morning we were there.

From there we went north to Lake Sylvia in Fort Lauderdale for a night. Arriving to anchor there on the last weekend of Spring Break (the busiest weekend of the year) was rather interesting. I think all of the boats there could actually touch one another all evening. The crowding was worse than anything I had ever seen! There was a section on the intercostal that had dozens upon dozens of boats all tied together in a huge bunch. We were happy to be on our way after only one night.

From there we travelled quickly up to anchor in Foster Park in Palm Beach/Riviera. We were only there for dinner and a night's sleep before we were back on our way north again. The last few days we had traveled on the outside rather than going up the Intracoastal because it's faster. Unfortunately the ocean was a bit bumpy and I had to medicate poor Tiger both days. Even our daughter needed some Bonine along the way. So we decided to continue our travel up inside on the Intracoastal to give everyone a break. It had been impossible for the kids to do any schoolwork, when they're sitting in the cockpit watching the coast line (because it was too lumpy to stay inside).

Tiger in charge!

So, we traveled up the Intracoastal to Fort Pierce. We had planned on only anchoring for the night and moving on, however we were set back a bit. Along the Intracoastal, in addition to many drawbridges that have to be navigated, there are crab pots everywhere. You see them in clusters (various colored styrofoam balls floating on the surface - informing you of a basket trap underneath), and you have to navigate around them if one breaks free and ends up in the channel. Along the way, we had moved over to let a larger sailboat by, and didn't see the lonely crab pot floating in our path till it was too late. We hit it dead on with our starboard prop. We smelled some burning plastic and thought, "Great, we just lost an engine." We stopped in Peck Lake to dive under and see what damage might have been done. But the water was too murky and dark to see anything. So we limped along on to Fort Pierce on one engine (port side).

We got caught in a nasty thunderstorm on the outskirts of Fort Pierce. There was zero visibility and lightening cracks happening very close by. We were driving blind by gps and radar. Why should we worry? After all, it's not like we were the only boat around with a huge aluminum stick reaching over 60 feet in the air! We unplugged everything and turned off every switch/breaker we could on the boat. Then we waited. As we were going through the last bridge to get to Fort Pierce, we heard a women on the VHF key up to say she was going southbound under that same bridge and couldn't see anything (basically a watch out if you're on the other side). We keyed up and said we were going northbound under the same bridge at that moment. Visibility was so bad, that we went under that bridge, to the other side, and never saw the other boat coming the other way. We made it safe and sound though. We were all standing in the rain getting sopping wet as we tied her up to the dock in Harbortown Marina. We dried off and went to their restaurant for dinner. Afterwards the wife and daughter went and did several loads of laundry, the son stayed on board to watch the cat, and the captain went to the bar and had several beers before collapsing into clean sheets to sleep.

We knew that Harbortown Marina would have people who could do repairs. So we had called them up and gotten a slip along our way through the thunderstorm. We also found a diver that could come out and check the prop the next day. Divers are way cheaper than having your boat hauled out! We figured while we were there, that we should have them give us an estimate on completing the repair to the starboard holding tank. The diver reported that the crab pot must have fallen away as there was no line in the prop, nor any damage to anything under the boat. The fiberglass guys said they could repair the holding tank the next week. Since paying for two weeks in a marina costs more money than staying for the month, we decided to pay the monthly rate and stay. We figured we could get some projects done around the boat while they repaired the holding tank. The marina had free wifi, great showers, a restaurant on site, and a heated pool. The grocery store was only a few blocks away along with a few more restaurants nearby.  So we settled in at the end of the dock for a planned few weeks of stay. That was Tuesday, March 29th......

Check out our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/driftingfree/