BOAT= Bring On Another Thousand

entry by cw

Unfortunately we have run into a bit of a snag.

 On Tuesday we took a cab down to Tarpon Springs to pick up the Belle.  The boat yard did a wonderful job on the bottom, the prop and the swim platform.  Pictures show how good she looks now...

Oh so smooth

 

notice the bronze fish brackets holding up the swim platform.  silly but cool!!

new bracing for the swim ladder

We settled up with the yard and took off down the Pithlachascotee River to the Gulf.  Everything was great until we reached the end of the no wake zone.  As we powered up to 1500 rpm we felt a significant vibration.  Dan looked in the engine room and observed obvious shaking of the engine.  We immediately turned around and limped back to the yard. 

The whole boat yard was involved in trying to figure out the problem. After a lengthy diagnostic procedure it was found that a bushing deep in the bowels had worn through a housing and gouged the drive shaft.  Why didn't this show up before, you may ask... It seems that the problem became apparent because we had the prop fixed (one blade was out of alignment) and when we got going the shaft was wiggling back and forth trying to get that gouged spot back into the bushing/housing and it wouldn't go.

Anyway, the bottom line is we have to replace the shaft and bushings and then fiberglass the area that had to be opened up for 'surgery'.  Good thing is that we found this out now rather than in some remote area with no facilities.  Also, we will have a brand  new drive train.  Bad thing is that it won't be done until Tuesday or Wednesday.  We had planned on being underway by then.  We will have to put in some long days to get all the way around to Georgia by March 15th.   Such is the cruising life...problems come up and you have to solve them.  Spirits are high despite the glitch we have encountered. Sky is sunny and weather is warm.

Take care all and I'll update soon.

One boat sold!! and Garage sale underway

Entry by cw

As I write this I am sitting on the driveway, in front of the apartment, conducting a garage sale.  I was out here at 8am and there were lots of customers first thing...now it's a little slower.  We are selling yet more of our stuff, especially lots of Kerm's tools.  Anything that doesn't sell is off to the Good Will.  Pictures of the set up follow-

 
Big News
Yesterday, Dan and I were able to sell the SeaRay 25 ft center console affectionately known as 'Harry'.  We had some wonderful adventures with Harry and he was the first to show us around the Gulf.  But you can only have so many boats especially when you are on the move like we plan to be.  He went to a great family and we wish him well!! 

here are some pictures of the empty cradle on our lot

Bigger news
Dan has been offered and accepted a position at Global Holdings, Inc.  The company is creating a big materials base here in Tampa to service all of their aircraft fleets.  He will be a Materials Rep. and the job entails problem solving and creative thinking in a fast paced environment.  He is looking forward to starting on Feb 28th.  We will not have the pleasure of his company on the first part of our journey but we are extremely happy for him.

Kerm reports that snowmobiling is good in Northern Minnesota and there is abundant snow on all the trails.  The weather down here is starting to warm up and it is supposed to be in the mid 70's today. 

Love to all family and friends
Christie

Update

Enrty by Christie

Dan and I are holding down the fort at the apartment in Hudson while The Belle gets her bottom all painted up nice and pretty.  Kerm, on the other hand, is up in Minnesota on his annual snowmobiling trip.  Silly dude...it's going to be 70 degrees here today!!  But he's been doing this for over 20 years so old habits die hard. 

Preparations for departure are going well and I will be having a garage sale this weekend to get rid of more stuff.  The Belle will probably be ready for pick up by the end of the week so Dan and I will go to Tarpon Springs and bring her back to Port Hudson Marina.  I miss sleeping in my own berth so I must be getting acclimatized to my new home.  I'll be happy to be aboard again.

Hope all is well with friends and family
Take care
Christie

The day we took possession of 'Southern Belle'

Here are three pictures that Joan Partenheimer (previous owner) took on the day we picked up 'Southern Belle' from their home in Clearwater. 

Henry is handing Kerm the key

Kerm and Chris waving goodbye

Belle on her way ...

bye for now
Christie

Report

Things are okay here despite the unexpected repair work referenced in Kerm's recent post.   The Belle is an older boat, after all, and there are no structural problems.  Kerm is racing to get some things done before he leaves for his annual snowmobile trip on Friday.  I am feeling a little helpless because I am not the most technical/mechanically inclined person.  But I am one helluva 'gofer'.  I can chat up hardware store guys with the best of 'em.  I am anxious to get this show 'on the road' and wish we were leaving tomorrow but we'll be gone soon enough.

We've had cool weather and quite a bit of rain.  No snow, tho... so I'm not complaining.

Take care all and keep warm, you northerners.
Christie

Trouble in paradise

Entry By Kerm

OK,  long story short but the boat got damaged.  That's why we haven't updated the blog in a little while.  More money.  Anyway, the helmsman (I'm not saying who) just kissed the dock when we were docking at low tide and the rear euro strut broke.  It was obvious that it had been done before as previous repairs were noted.  The strut was repaired (poorly by my standards) and it was quite rotted under the fiberglass so Dan and I repaired it by the West Systems book.  We cut out the bad areas and replaced with the best plywood we could find and added several layers of fiberglass to strengthen the patch.  The boat yard will finish and paint to match.  More money.  It is interesting that many of the new euro style trawlers do not have the aft struts.. hmmm, I wonder why...   My guess is that it is common to knock them off... so now that we have a strong one will we wreck something else???

And then, and then when Chris and Dan were unhooking the electrical cords to bring the 'Belle" to the boat yard at Tarpon Springs for a new bottom, the 120 volt umbilical cord was difficult to pull off and later they found major burning of wires.  More money!! Today, I went to the yard and replaced all of the bad stuff and found out the the swim platform ladder could not handle my weight as I got on the boat...  all 150 pounds of me.  More money...

Does anyone see a pattern here... 

We are anxious to leave on our adventure but will not compromise our safety just to make a predetermined departure date.
This is a shot of Dan doing fiberglass repair work.  The break was somewhere between all the dots.  The dots were holes to shoot in epoxy into dried but delaminated plywood.  We filled in the areas between the dots with two layers of plywood at different lengths per side to get maximum strength.  In 200 years they will find little of the 'Belle" other than this rear strut.