After we left to try and make it to Perdido Pass we encountered strong currents and winds from the West, the direction we wanted to go. We pressed on hoping the forecast sourtherlies would arrive but we were pounding the boat and ourselves and only making 2.8 kts even with power so we turned around. Then the winds started to shift ever so slightly for the south and we decided to turn around to the west again. Sadly, the 2 degree shift still wasn't enough to overcome the other forces and we turned once again to head back into St. Andrew's Bay. We did at least see a gorgeous sunset and the stars were bright since the moon hadn't risen yet. We made it back to the club and simply tied up, had a drink and went to bed. The "Incident" that occurred in the morning involved our wanting to fill the water tanks and rinse the boat. The dock we were on had no water so we planned to move it to another dock that did. In the process of backing out, things went fine but as we approached the dock, I had no response to the helm when I shifted to neutral to slow the boat down. I assumed it was something I was doing and tried to control the crash by hard reverse. Turns out neutral and reverse only work if the cable is still connected. The bump was so embarrassing but at least that one wasn't my fault. Turns our the linkage failed but genius David found the problem, The problem that caused the problem and had parts on board to fix it. All good, until we once again tried to get back to the dock with water. I was again at the helm so he could jump off and use the lines to stop us. I completely misjudged the approach and hit a corner that had no padding. and it crunched fiberglass. My only defense was that I couldn't see the dock as it was below my sightline and I was worried about the wind blowing us off before David could make the leap. Excuses aren't good enough, though and the damage will require a lot of sanding and varnishing penance on my part! The next day we knew the weather wasn't in our favor so we decided to explore some other bayous across from Pearl. Once thing about change of plans forced on you, you might as enjoy the journey! We explored a larger bayou, Watson, that was a contrast writ large. On one side are the typical, gorgeous waterfront homes and less than a mile across, is heavy industry. Fun to explore. Next was our intended stopping point for the night, the much smaller Pitt's Bayou. Dennis, from the Irwin 52 had told us about a steak house that was worth visiting. Steak sounded good so that's what we did although reaching it was a bit of an adventure. A great day even if it wasn't what was in the original plan.
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The broken link was easy to see. He also identified that another part
was loose causing it to bump against the link and break it loose. |
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The culprit of our woes!
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2 new hose clamps, chafe gear and newly attached linkage
on the transmission got us back in the motoring business.
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The break in the fiberglass. It will have to be repaired when we get back
We both worked so hard to get the hull beautiful it really makes me sad. |
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