In the morning we took an extended walk on the trails on Cumberland Island and saw the remains of a grand lifestyle of the late 1800's and early 1900's. Some of the buildings were in ruins, while some of them continued to be occupied by the descendents of the original owners.
Rusty called the repair shop throughout the morning. It was a little disconcerting when the receptionist didn't know anything about the motor, Eric was not to be found, and the only repair person qualified to do the repairs also did not know about it. But she sure was going to find out for us. A few calls later and it came out that Eric was out of town. Hmmn. Early afternoon Eric returned our calls and said the motor would be done in a couple of hours and he would call us. Hurray.
We packed up and headed back to Fernandino Beach about one hour away. We called at about the two hour mark (per Eric) and there was no answer. We called again and again and still no answer. If we knew that the dinghy motor would be delivered before dark, we could moor or anchor out. Otherwise we needed to dock. Finally we resigned ourselves to spending the bucks to dock.
Eric delivered the motor about 7:30 that evening. His bill - $318 and no charge for the excellent customer service. His only qualified mechanic handles both large and small motors so we paid $90 per hour to have an overqualified person pour oil through the transmission until it was clear.
Lesson learned: Don't leave the dinghy motor on the dinghy.
Rusty added one quart of anti-freeze to the engine cooling system More to follow on this one.
Tuesday, April 19
We had arranged to travel with two sailboats from Canada today and make an outside run in the Atlantic Ocean. It started out fine but the water got increasingly bouncy in the afternoon. We stayed with the sailboats (Ootpik and El Solaz) until noon and then found ourselves gaining on them. They were unsure whether they were going to stay out overnight and we definitely wanted to seek calmer waters.
We found a secure anchorage (MM630) that night in spite of the 9 ft. tide change. We noticed that the inverter interface indicated that the house batteries were low. The batteries should have charged while we cruised. We ran the generator and found that the batteries began to charge up.
Gigi peed in her box for the first time.This is a major step forward.
Rusty added some distilled water to the engine cooling system.
Wednesday, April 20
Rusty took a look under the engine and discovered leaking antifreeze. What a disappointment. It was a dark day: malfunctioning batteries and a leaking engine cooling system. After the fiasco with the dinghy motor we shuddered at what we might be looking at. Early afternoon it looked like it might rain so we decided to dock at the Isle of Hope Marina., MM590. The marina has courtesy cars and bikes, free wifi, and a knowledgeable dockmaster. They were running a promotion offering the 2nd night at 50% and as it turned out we needed it.
Thursday, April 21
The dockmaster and a young man showed up at the boat mid-day to assess the battery problem. Under the guidance of the dockmaster the young man performed a few tests with a voltmeter and it was determined that the alternator was faulty and needed to be repaired at an electrical shop. The young man would take care of it.
We took advantage of the courtesy car to do some grocery shopping and get some take-out at a recommended BBQ place in town.
In the meantime we waited for another mechanic to look at the engine cooling system. We had received some feedback from other Monk36 owners via the forum and contacted a Perkins 135 engine supplier for advice. One of the AGLCA harbor hosts offered the use of his dock should we need it and made some calls to mechanics he knew. The deal is that the mani-cooler cannot be repaired but a refit kit can be purchased for $3,500 and a good mechanic can installed it within a day.
Okay. Can the days get darker?
Friday, April 22
The young man reinstalled the alternator mid-morning and then presented us with a bill for $567, 4 hours labor at $95, plus outside repair of $175. Gulp. He explained that two of those hours were for delivery and pickup of the alternator at the repair shop. Short version of what happened next is that he knocked one hour off the bill. Even so, it was over the top. The marina has a set charge of $95 per hour for labor regardless of the qualifications or expertise.
A few minutes later the mechanic for the engine cooling system approached the boat. With my hand on my hip I asked him what and how he charged for his time. He was a bit taken back but when we explained what had just happened, he nodded and said, "Yup, that's our boy".
He did a pressure test of the system and found it to be ok. Then he traced the source of the leak to the old section of the overflow hose at the radiator cap (the mechanic who installed the overflow tank had spliced the old hose to the new hose.) What should have happened is for a completely new hose to go from overflow tank. It required an adapter as the two ends of the hose fit into different size holes. He did not have an adapter on him so he replaced the old section of hose and super glued the two section of hoses together. It worked. He was on the boat for less than an hour. $50. An honest, fair, and knowledgeable mechanic.
To say that we were relieved is an understatement.
We headed out and anchored at MM 570. Bach piano concerto. Manhattans & Brunswick Stew. Dinghy ramp available at an abandoned looking marina for Gigi.
Saturday, April 23
It was a short day on the water. We docked at Beaufort, SC, another marina with a courtesy car. Beaufort has beautiful old homes, and a wonderful waterfront park. We took a walk and found a church to attend for Easter.
Sunday, April 24
A beautiful Easter service at the 1719 Episcopal church this morning. The church was decorated with an abundance of flowers. Music was great. Priest spoke on the proof of the resurrection, citing various facts. It was well thought out and presented, and could have rivalled any Christian Reformed sermon.
We treated ourselves to bagels and the NY Times. Off we went early afternoon to an anchorage MM509, ducking in between the crab pots and shore.
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