Four work days are done and we’re getting things accomplished. Mark’s first big job, removing the propeller shaft and the cutlass bearing, went really well. Turns out if you lubricate bolts in the spring and leave them for 6 months, they turn quite easily. That work was done by mid morning and at the end of the day, Kyle (the go to guy at Holland Marine) came over to remove the propeller. The bad news from this job is that we need a new propeller shaft on top of the cutlass bearing. The shaft has to be sent to a company on the west coast of Florida who will make a new one for the boat but that job will take 7-10 business days. Earliest the new shaft will be here is Thursday, November 7th – our scheduled launch date. So if all goes well, the shaft will arrive and it plus the cutlass bearing will be reinstalled on Nov. 7th and we can be launched on Friday, November 8th. We’re super hopeful this will happen because we have to check out of our Airbnb on Nov 8th and we can’t stay in the boat in the yard.
Other jobs are being completed too. The deck and cockpit were washed. The enclosure has been put up. Sails were moved from the inside of the boat and the interior has been washed and is being organized for moving aboard. Mark has started polishing the hull and working on his newly built emergency rudder.
We’ve been making daily runs to the office to pick up all the parcels that have been arriving. It’s like Christmas down here!! Our Airbnb unit is filling up with boxes. Next week we’ll start bringing all these new items back to the boat. Right now there’s not really room for all the stuff because our normal storage area – the V-berth – needs to be washed and sorted. That’s my job for Friday (Nov. 1).
Tonight, Halloween, we’re going out for dinner with Julia and Brad. Thought we’d take a break and see what St. Augustine is like on Halloween. Should be fun!!
Crimson Kathryn and her crew 