Still getting ready then motoring Friday : )

Thursday  10/9   FIX IT DAY…AGAIN

These fix-it days are not what I signed up for.  But, you don’t always get what you signed up for. 

Bilge pump and pump switch in my hands ready to put below the floor. Not so glamorous.

Fixes again… here are pictures of me helping with the bilge pump problem that ended up being the switch.   We now have a spare pump aboard – always good to have spare parts.  We took the launch back to West Marine to buy a new switch control. 

 

  Up side down in the bilge I replaced it after Drew hooked up the electrical wires. We replaced it with an $80 one when the original one was $165, oh well.  As we were testing the bilge pump the water maker blew and water went everywhere in the cubby.  We turned it off quickly.

  When Drew went to get his electrical tool kit under the NAV station he found quite a bit of water – 3 pails full that I scooped out.  The water was fresh and had to come from somewhere.  The adjacent bin holds the water pump and valves.  We opened that bin up and found it filled.  

  The brown color is the rusty water with the container floating.

 As I bailed again 4 buckets I could see the leak.  Drew took the day until 2:30 am to fix the water leaks and get the boat ready to sail at dawn.  Not a particularly fun day.  When I’m not helping I’m reading or writing or making lists.

Friday  10/10  the same day we left last year.

Waking up with Mazu in our forward berth.  She's a morning snuggler.

I put on my Transderm anti seasickness remedy at 2:30 am when Drew went to bed.  It lasts about 3 days…so I’m good.  At 6 under a full moon I dinghied the dog into the dog park for her last time before the 10 hour trip.

 Mazu on a nice day at the US Marine Air Corps Dog Park that's adjacent to the club and opposite our mooring.

Shawnee at dawn with a full moon to the west.  6 AM.

We motored out of Marblehead Harbor at 6:45 AM under clear skies with the wind almost to our back, temperature about 55. We rounded the turn at Marblehead Light to motor south at 7 knots, a good speed, all sails up.  I slept almost all day until we reached the Cape Cod Canal.  With a 5 knot current we blew through the Canal at 11.4 knots.  I think that’s the fastest we’ve ever gone – no sails up.  Required to motor through the canal. 

Turning from Buzzards Bay past the lighthouse after the Canal.

The motor was on the entire time so we could reach Parker’s Boat Yard before it closed.

   

We got to the Boat Yard at 4:15 and fueled up with diesel at the dock.  I took the dog, who was shaking throughout the entire day – who knows why since it wasn’t particularly rough, for a walk down the nearby Cataumet Trails.  Drew had a business call.   

Bold swans greeted Mazu hissing at her.

We hopped onto a mooring, had dinner, watched HBOgo “VEEP” episode via Verizon MIFI (hysterically funny).  Thanks Dillon for the HBOgo connection through your subscription.  Drew zonked out at 7:30, me at 8:30.  WHEW!