Despite all our problems (including one teensy little almost engine fire) we made it in time for my regatta in Key Largo and got to race:)
We also had a chance to get a proper mechanic to look at this mess:
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| The engine with the alternator and some other things removed. See the dark crack to the right of the belt? That is a crack in the gear case that leaks oil. |
The good news is that the crack is stable (there is a steel plate bolted behind it) and the oil that leaks isn't pressurized (just oil spraying off the gears). The bad news is that we will eventually have to replace the gear case. In the meantime we can keep our eye on it and it should hold up fine so long as we keep the oil level up. I include this link for my friends Ed, Shannon, and Ben: Captain Ron
While getting the engine looked at and waiting for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas we had some time to kill in Key Largo. Sam got the most out of the time by learning to sail a Moth. For the uninitiated, this is a moth:
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| No, this isn't Sam |
Unfortunately for Sam I could only spare one morning to go out and take pictures and there wasn't enough wind to get the boat out of the water so I got lots of photos like this:
He assures me that he did get the boat out of the water on the second day so I think we can just Photoshop him in to the first picture!
I've been keeping myself busy with plotting our course across the Gulf Stream, provisioning the boat, and watching the traffic go back and forth in the canal we are tied up in.
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| It was certainly difficult finding space for this lot: |
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| We have to aim 30 degrees east of our destination to make up for the push north from the Gulf Stream. |
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| The African Queen goes by with tourists several times a day. Yes, that is the one from the movie. |
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| I found this on my camera roll. I don't recall where I took it. Wish I'd stopped - who doesn't love monkeys? |
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