November 1 and 2 - Mobile AL

During the past week I noticed a vibration when running at more the 1,600 rpm. The only solution was to lift the boat out of water and manually check the propeller. The prop had some nicks, nothing major, but just enough to create the problems we were having. The drive shaft was also checked and more bad news. The tip was found to be bent by less then a millimeter, but enough so that it had to be corrected. We were fortunate that the shaft could be removed quickly, allowing the work to start that same afternoon.  Even though the boat was out of the water, the boat was hooked up to shore power. Chuck  and I could sleep and shower onboard. The only thing we could not use was the air conditioner. During this time we called Marco Polo our Penthouse in the Sky. How surprised I was to find Jumbo, the German boat, on the blocks near our boat. Its owners had just returned from Germany and were ready to resume their trip. That evening we borrowed the courtesy car and drove to a nearby restaurant for a great meal.

The next morning the shaft was delivered and put in place. During this time we also had someone wash the hull and clean the scum line around the boat. After our new spare prop was attached, the boat was placed in the water and it was followed by a trial run. The boat passed with flying colors. Shortly after having returned to the harbor, Ray Bruinius arrived at the marina. Ray will assist me with bringing the boat to Fort Meyers Beach. After lunch onboard, we said good bye to Chuck Koning. Chuck and I had had lots of time to catch up on the past 50 years. We both agreed that we would not allow another 50 years to go by before again getting together. Afterwards we had a Raymarine technician come onboard. Our autopilot had given us some problems - it turned out to be a loose wire. After a trial run to reset the on-board computer system, our boat was once again 100%. Since it was too late in the afternoon to make the Mobile Bay crossing, we decided to spend the night at Dog River Marina and leave the next morning. That evening we did the shopping for the coming days.