When we left the boat last month it was still mostly cool to cold in SE coastal Georgia, but we returned five weeks later to much warmer weather, which also meant the bugs were again out in force. Within the first day or two we got et.
We had left the boat a mess. The engine had been in pieces because the heat exchanger and exhaust manifold had both been removed for inspection, but not yet replaced. Large parts of what we stored in the back cabin were redistributed everywhere else to provide better access to the engine while we were gone, when it apparently became an even bigger mess. Multiple flushes of the coolant were needed to get all the salt out of the freshwater side of the cooling system. So for our first full day back, which is usually pretty non-productive, we had to be a little better just to have a place to sit, much less lie down.
We paid up for the engine work (ouch) and also the month's dockage. We're paid up now through the end of month, but really don't want to be here that long (ha!). We went back to Porch for hot chicken, appreciating it a little more now that we knew just how closely it followed the Hattie B's in Nashville. I put the back cabin back together, with better inventory marking of the bin contents this time.
The new dodger was already on the boat when we returned and it looked good, so we paid the canvas folks at Topstitch. The picture below of it is problematic since the dodger is mostly clear plastic, but we like it for just that reason. I'm wearing the shirt Madi gave me for Christmas.
The sail bag still on the side of boat confused us, but it had been repaired and returned. We got the guys to come back to help us reinstall it. They determined that cleats for the sail bag lines would keep the rain collection in the bag from happening again. Also, while we were drilling holes in the mast, a second mast step, on the right slightly higher than the one on the left, would make managing the top of the main sail area much more pleasant. They left to order some parts.
After a couple days, when the boat was largely sorted out, we went to the yard to get some more details on the engine work that had been done. We wanted to confirm that the engine was ready to start up, the number of coolant flushes done, and the best way to flush it in the future (and now annually). Also how to change the zincs in the new heat exchanger. They noted on the engine work ticket that apparently now the engine alarms weren't working. Since the alarms had saved our engine at least once, I kinda wanted them to continue doing their thing. We got a follow up visit arranged, and after some quick diagnostics, ordered a new ignition switch, since it had been a little twitchy since we first bought the boat.
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