Mobile

So it looks like we are staying until at least Thursday.  Chris and the captain of Misstickle pried me away from the Belle for a few hours today for sightseeing and a lunch out.  We had a nice time but didn't get a lot done today.  I did do some planning for a crossing to the other side of Mobile Bay and down the ICW and planned tomorrow which is an engine room day.  Change oil in the engine and injection unit plus change out the fuel filters on the engine that I cannot stop from leaking.  The leak is just enough to wet a paper towel on a days run and a lot of people might not even notice but I want zero leaks from anywhere.  These things are a joke and they have been on my list for replacement since we bought the boat.  I'm also getting a handle on the shaft packing that has been either leaking too much or too little. Right now it's too much but a flat or two on the packing bolts and they should be just right. 

Yesterday I spent a third of my social security check at West Marine.  I replaced a cheesy anchor safety line for when we are running and replaced our anchor chain snubber that we use after the anchor is set.  Both of the old ones were capable but a bugger to attach.  ANYTHING that you can do to make anchoring easy both up and down are well worth it as this is where divorce proceedings start.  I also bought Chris a new offshore automatic life jacket with all the bells and buzzers.  Happy birthday Chris at least it's not a toaster.  She would have never bought one herself but her old one was a first generation piece that I would never trust.  Next,  all of our flairs and smoke signal thingies were out of date so had to buy a new kit.  There were also some other safety do-dads like life jacket strobes but if you buy the stuff perhaps you will never need it.

Its only 5:30 now and we both feel like turning in but our friend Bill Collins is showing up at about 7:00.  I don't envy him running down Mobile bay and doing the Dog River channel at night but he got stuck at 14 mile RR bridge which is notorious for long delays.  5' under that baby and busy as hell.  A real CSX highway.