Darn Dirty Dinghy Bottom

Another week, another chore. Aint life grand!

This week i did some bike riding.  Watched afternoon storms pile up and shower for our daily cooling in the late part of the day.  I ran across - again - the crew of the Treasure Hunters celebrating finding an old bronze canon.  (John Brandon)  I asked them if I could take their picture, that i wanted to show my friends 'the Treasure Hunters.'  John Brandon spoke up, "we are NOT treasure hunters.  We are Treasure Finders!"  So, it was a typical week here.  Then i finally pulled the dinghy back out of the water and found my menagerie of sea life.  I worked all day out in the sun to get it cleaned.  #Hot.

 Afternoon rain clouds rolling in daily

 Treasure Finders at the Tiki

Florida Girl FJ cruiser

CONCH ala pressure cooker

Conch pounded flat on one side (before / after)

A bowl of Conch

________________________________

DIRTY DINGHY BOTTOM - operation forest clear cut.

I dropped the dinghy down into the water on July 10th, so 'if a storm hit' while i was out of town the dinghy and arch would not get damaged.  Then i left it in the water.  (mistake)  This growth is from 7/10-8/15th.  About a month and i grew an entire new aquatic system.  Shrimp, minnows, crabs along with lots of plants and slimy colored goo all together in a Sea Condo under my dinghy.  Yuck!

The SMELL was pungent and unpleasant.  (imagine week old shrimp tail trash)

I hope your bottom is clean!

-Peg Leg Pirate Skip

Bilge and Float

First it was one thing and then the other...

I cant believe time has flown by and I have nothing exciting to show for my week.  Today i pulled out my number 1 bilge pump and replaced it and the float switch.  Turns out that my most recent float switch died this week.  I have two separate bilge pumps and two separate float switches to activate them.  One sits further aft, slightly lower down, and does all the work.  The second, secondary bilge pump sits about 3 feet forward, about 2 inches higher and never goes off.  So i attached an alarm to the forward bilge to 'let me know via an audio horn' should water reach that second bilge.  Well you guessed it, the alarm went off late Thursday night about bedtime.  Beep beep beep beep beep beep (imagine very loud and like an alarm.)  I turned everything off down below and realized the crazy sound was coming from the cockpit - where the alarm sits.  So good news, the alarm works.  Bad news, your aft bilge pump and switch need to be replaced.

The old replaced pump was installed 4/2015.  So i hope to not do this again soon.  This 3' long stick has the bilge pump and float switch attached to it.  i lay down into the engine room door and reach way over and way down into the bilge.  The stick is 3 feet long to set the float switch down in the bottom of the bilge.

Imagine one pump behind the engine and the 2nd one in front of it.  

Both on long sticks to set them way down in the bottom of the bilge.

Plus i played two rounds of golf and did a couple of monster bike rides.  That's about it for a week.

Here's to hoping this calm flat summer continues on the coast!           -Pirate Skip