decision done and belly rubs

This morning started out rather auspiciously.  The weather channel said, "Sunny to partly cloudy today.  Chance of rain 10%."

Did the weatherman even bother to look outside?!  It flat poured all morning!

The sun, salt water, and salty air is hard on a head of long hair.  The perfect conditioner is a rainwater rinse, compliments of the several gallons that had puddled in our bimini :)

Kenny came by after his workout to assist Donnie with cranking the motor.  Willis was on standby ready to hand Cap'n the proper sized wrenches.  He literally had his paw on the needed 12mm one; though he looks rather hungover here.

Alas, Bessie would NOT turn over, and she clearly was not EVER going to turn over, no matter whatever magic concoction we tried, no matter how much we bled her, no matter how much we cajoled her, or flat out cursed her and beat her with a wrench.  The stubborn old cuss was not going to fire.  This meant another trip back to Loius to get some answers to some final questions and have a consultation.  We need to be making some decisions here.

He explained the compression test that Joel performed last week.  If it had been a valve problem the needle would have 'danced' its way up.  If it was a piston ring problem the needle shoots straight up, which is what it did.  At this point, there really is no other option but to pull the engine for a rebuild.  She has 2715 hours on it, and by the shape of the fuel injector pump that was pulled last week (it was completely sludged over and nasty) we clearly have issues.  A head job alone will not suffice, and Louis was not comfortable hanging his good name on what appeared to be a bandaid fix.  I can appreciate that.  He really was very kind in taking the time to explain all of this technical jargon to us.  When we asked about cost, (we were expecting 3-4k given what others were telling us), Louis also offered some suggestions for saving money.  #1.  We can pull the engine ourselves using some straps, a come-along, and the boom of our mainsail to swing it onto the dock.  Bessie weighs about 350-400 lbs.  #2.  Once Louis breaks down the engine, he suggested that we drive it to the machine shop he uses in Miami at his cost.  That saves him charging for a driver or using Fed Ex.  We'll just spend the day on South Beach while they do the work that day.  In Miami, they will do a vacuum check on the block for cracks, mill the head, and do a valve job.  # 3.  Louis will then reassemble Bessie, reinstall her, and then align the engine with the shaft so there's no vibration. 

And the best news of all?  The man stands behind his work, and he believes it could be done in about a week's time, for about $1500 give or take.  I actually teared up when he said this, and asked if I could hug him....and he said yes :)  In that moment, I felt the frustration and burden of stress physically leave me.  We've been in over our heads here, and not having much fun.  And in the end, we had decided that whatever the cost may be, it was worth it. You CANNOT put a price tag on piece of mind if you are going to be sailing on the open ocean to other countries.  There are so many potential things that could go wrong out there, it just feels 'safer' (for lack of a better word) to know you can count on your engine.  Louis assured us that when all is said and done, we will have a new engine- that this is what he does, and he will stand by it.  I teared up again...a brand new Bessie!  Louis then walked Donnie through what he would need, and how to properly disconnect everything, to then unbolt her and pull her.  We left his shop feeling giddy and ready to tackle it ourselves.  A quick stop at West Marine for some stuff, and we were on our way!

My job was to unload the sea berth yet again of our life raft, ditch bag, the 'serious' life vests, our dive gear, etc. We need to be able to get to Bessie from all sides.  I loaded up the Jeep, and thankfully Mamaw and Paps let us claim a corner of their guest bedroom for the next week or two.  Meanwhile, Donnie disconnected cables, hoses, and what not to get ready for tomorrow.  All that is left is to remove the four bolts, take down part of the bimini, and lay down the dodger to bring Bessie up and out. 

There's something else I want to share with you about the boating community....On dry land we often say to one another, "If ever you need anything, just call."  It's perfunctory.  A platitude.  How many times does a person simply show up to help without being asked?  It seldom happens, except among boaters- cruisers especially.  We have had so many offers of tools, help, suggestions, advice, etc.  Today when word got out that we need to pull our engine, several people asked what time do you plan to start?  Another guy offered his straps and come-along- even his electric hoist should the boom idea not work out.  It's been kind of overwhelming really.  I find myself a weepy mess at the kindness of others.  If someone needs a tool, an odd shaped bracket, whatever, there is another boater showing up at your boat to give you a spare of his.  I look around Marquesa and I see our ditch bag was a gift.  Instrument covers in the cockpit were a gift.  My dish drainer was a gift.  A useful kitchen utensil was a gift.  Hell, our LIFERAFT was a tremendous gift, and it had just been serviced and repacked by the USCG (thank you again, Kenny & Fran). It's truly amazing, and humbling.  We all support each other in living the dream, because we all know that we will 'take our turn' in having a need, and it's the unwritten captain's code that you just do what you can to help another boater out.  The pay it forward concept is just a way of life out here.  This is not just the kindness of people in the Keys; we experienced it cruising in the Bahamas.  Something as simple as a call on the radio for a can of black beans to make your favorite recipe, and suddenly three different dinghies with black beans show up!  I just think this is the way the world is supposed to work.  Can I get an amen?!

So with the weight of the Bessie trouble off our shoulders, we were invited late in the afternoon to go to a birthday party and for Donnie to bring his guitar to play music with some friends.  This party was taking place at a boat on the canals over on the Atlantic side, near Donnie's sister's place.  When we left at about 6pm, the word in the marina was that a blow was coming in from the NW this evening.  It was supposed to bring in 20-30mph winds.  However, when we left, it was blue sky and nearly flat calm, so we left the boat open. When we got to the party, it had already started.  Not the birthday party, but the MANATEE PARTY!!!!

There was a momma and her half grown baby in the canal begging for a snack....

So I gave her some lettuce!!!

God love it.  Yes, I was THAT close to her!

Such a sweet face.  My friend Stephanie would have gone crazy!

Then Donnie discovered she was not skittish about getting a back rub, as they often are.

She then barrel rolled over for a belly rub, too.

Oh yeah, that's the good spot :) lol

Then the juvenile had to come over for a piece of the action...

And I had to get in on the action, too.  Sorry the video is a bit jerky...I was excited, lol

Another girl, Amber, came down the dock and joined me on the boat's transom.  She was scratching the juvenile's belly with her fingernails, and she rolled over and over and over again.  She would even let her us turn her around to scratch her some more.  It was too cool for words.

Each flipper has four stubby fingernails...I didn't know that.

She even lifted her flipper so you could scratch up under her armpit! This is an animal that is HUGE- acting like a puppy.

We must have played with those two manatees for over an hour. It was getting dark outside, at least I thought it was.  Actually, when I looked up, big black clouds were rolling in on the Gulf side.  We couldn't feel any wind on the Atlantic side, but I high-tailed it back to the boat to close things up.  I didn't want to sleep on a soggy bed tonight.  Marquesa was like a bucking bronco while I was trying to batten down the hatches.  The wind was blowing a steady 20 with even higher gusts, and the wind had kicked up the waves on the Gulf; they were spraying up over the peninsula where we hang out.  I knew we needed more lines out, and the fenders were not in the right position as we were really banging the dock.  I tried to move them, but the NW wind was blowing us into the dock.  I couldn't push Marquesa off by myself, and I really felt like Cap'n needed to be here to assess things.  So I jumped in the Jeep and hightailed it back to the party, and brought him home.  After about 30 minutes of putting out more lines and moving the fenders around, he declared it all good and went back to fetch his guitar.  I started supper (remember, I'm still riding a bucking bronco as I have myself sandwiched in the galley).  It was nothing fancy tonight....red beans, rice and turkey sausage all in one pot!  The wind continued to build and we were banging HARD, so I called Cap'n to come back home again to help tend to the boat.  Danny, Ray, and Biddi all joined in on this next round.  It was now blowing a steady 30 with gusts even higher.  We all helped each other to get our boats secured, then we retreated down below for some supper.  After I cleaned up, we went to check on Dan and Biddi, and she fed us banana splits for dessert....about that P90x....not today.

Amidst all the commotion, Willis went into hiding behind a pillow with his eyes squeezed shut.  He does not like bucking broncos, either. 

I hear the fenders squeaking again, and the wind is whistling in the rigging.  That's a sign we're steady over 30mph.  I'm going to see if there's anything I can do to stop the squeak, then I'm going to join Cap'n and Willis in bed.  They turned in over an hour ago.  G'nite y'all.  Wish us luck pulling Bessie tomorrow!