Apalach and back at Anchor

Things are going well and lots of repairs are finalized, so I left the marina today and went back to my anchor spot.  Now i'm going to start planning my next journey south.  It's looking like an overnight trip to the Tampa area is where i'm headed.  More on that later.

Today i had the marina supply store in Eastport deliver me a new site glass for the raw water strainer. (what i broke yesterday)  So things are coming along.  Before departing the Scipio Creek Marina today i got the aft holding tanked pumped out.  (the holding tank holds the black water.  not the grey water like from washing dishes, black water is the stuff from the toilet.)  This makes the list of completes:  Packing replaced on the rudder, hydraulic leak fixed in steering, replaced all 4 fuel lines.  This is a great list of stuff done.  Now add holding tank to that.  Next i want to do an oil change on the Genset and fix the strainer and install it.  

While ashore tonight receiving my part from the supply store, i had some food at the restaurant, "Up the stairs."  Crab Brochette and Carrot cake.  Then i motored back to the boat.  

note:  i was just typing and fell asleep right here.  so i'm going to sign off and go to bed.
Even a Pirate needs his beauty rest!       -Capn Skip

TGIF - Apalachicola / week2

I dropped anchor here last Friday about 4pm.  How did a week fly by so quickly?  I have heard it said that 'time flies and as you get older it seems to pick up speed.'  Well i must be caught in the Apalach effect?  It seems as if i need to begin planning my 70th birthday so that i'll be ready when it arrives - in what will seem like a week around here!

As with any great epic drama there are good and evil and they battle constantly to see who will win. Yesterday evil kicked my butt.  Really i guess, evil and i joined forces? While rushing to get off the dock here at Scipio Creek Marina, and stop paying $1.50 per foot per day fees, i blew out my raw water strainer to the forward AC.  (idiot!)  i wanted to utilize the high pressure city water at the dock to 'purge my AC' of built up silt and "gunk" that gets into the coils.  So i hook up the city water through the AC hose and blow thick brown mud out of it.  (i was on deck looking at the discharge line thinking to myself, "that looks like chocolate milk coming out.")  The last part of this scenario is to next, last, attach the same high pressure water hose to the ENTRANCE line from overboard and blow out that direction to insure that no "gunk" is blocking your intake.  BUT i forgot to open the overboard through hull.  (i closed it so water would not flood me while i attached the hoses)  I am squatting down below the floorboards with my little happy face a foot from all this just knowing that i am one minute from being done with this project and can depart.  Just turn on the high pressure water..... BOOM i explode the plastic housing on the strainer.  (darn it!)  I'm sitting there, water spraying me in the face - thick with gunk - and looking at that closed valve, knowing that evil just kicked my butt.  *I have a replacement on order because "there's nothing like that in this town."  (duhh)  It's supposed to be here by 1p today.

So, Happy Friday, I'm up with coffee and going to try, again, to depart the dock this morning back to anchor out across from town.

Now the ying to the yang.  Good did battle yesterday and replaced fuel lines 2-4, so that task is taken off the to-do list.  All four fuel lines are now new and not dripping diesel fuel.  (yes, the bicycle mechanic was the Good in that.)  Also i got invited over to St. George Island for a 'gathering' they have on Thursdays with the locals.  A wine and cheese thing with a vocalist.  It was fun.

*A SPECIAL NOTE and SHOUT OUT:  Jay Reese, dentist to the stars, in Boonville, MO. contributed via Pay Pal to my very shallow retirement fund.  That's my first dollar and a very big victory for Good today!

I hope everyone is a dollar richer by the end of the day!  

I've gotta run now and see what else i can mess up.

Being a Pirate aint always easy.    - Capn Skip