Time to Catch Up

 I am writing this entry on April 6th. My last entry was March 2nd. Normally when I don't make an entry in a long time it is because I feel that the life that we are living is boring and there is not much to write about. That is not the case in this situation. We have had a lot going on and not all of it has been positive. The result of that, is that our plans have had to change, and I have had a hard time getting motivated to write about it. 

Let's go back to where we were when I made my last entry. We have been enjoying our time in Boot Key Harbor. We have had a very active social calendar. We have been able to spend some quality time with some old friends and made many new ones. We just love this community. We were looking forward to our Daughter Shannon and SIL Brian along with three of their kids (Isabella, Will and Amelia) coming for a visit. It would be Will's first time seeing the boat. 

As with most visits, it was way too short. The weather turned out to be very windy, which made for some wet dinghy rides to the marina and back. Kim went with Brian, Shannon and Amelia to Key West, while I played Pickleball and Bocce ball with Will and Isabella. We had a great time while they were here, but really wanted to go to the beach and enjoy the warm water, but it was just too windy. 

Kim and Amelia in Key West at the most southern point in the US.

Brian, Shannon and Amelia at a beachside restaurant in Key West

Brian enjoying a quiet morning in the cockpit with his coffee. It was the day they were leaving. (I can tell because the water is smooth)

Shannon, Isabella and Amelia relaxing in the cabin. We all slept in the boat comfortably. 

Will in the captains chair. I sure do miss these guys. 

After they left, we had a full schedule getting ready to depart for the Bahamas. Or, so we thought. We had not had the boat in motion for a while so we made an overnight trip out to Looe Reef and Newfound Harbor. The reef was spectacular and the crystal blue water had us very excited to get more of it in the Bahamas. After the day on the reef, we had a calm night in Newfound Harbor and a great sail back to the harbor. 

Kim swimming in 40 feet of water. You can see the bottom like it is glass.

Kim after a good swim. Check out the color of that water.

A shot of the sunset in Newfound Harbor over the top of a neighboring boat.

I had a long list of things to do before we left. After our trip to Looe reef, I was doing engine checks when I noticed that the transmission fluid was darker than it should have been. I started looking for a problem and found that the shift linkage was not allowing the transmission to move all the way into forward gear. I spent about 4 hours adjusting and readjusting until I got it just right. I also replaced a bolt and nylock nut that was in the shift linkage with the correct clevis pin. 

Some of this problem was caused by the installing dealer in Mississippi. I then changed the fluid. I have consulted with the local Beta dealer that is located right here in the harbor and he is very concerned that the transmission has been damaged and may not be reliable. I have also talked to Beta US in North Carolina. They are confident in these transmissions, but told me there is not a sure way, other than removing it and disassembling it, to determine if it is damaged. One suggestion from the local Beta dealer was to get a laser tachometer and measure the RPM at the flywheel on the engine and compare it to the RPM of the output shaft. The gear ratio is 2.5 to 1, so the math should be simple. I completed that test and the outcome was excellent. There is no slip in the transmission, even under heavy load.  I checked the transmission fluid and it looked clean. 

Now the problem is we don't know if it will be reliable. If we went to the Bahamas and had a problem, we would have no help. We have made the tough decision to not go to the Bahamas this year. We are instead going to head up the east coast and see how it does. If it does fail, we could get help from North Carolina or many other service locations along the east coast. 

This whole situation is very frustrating. We made the engine and transmission change last year to reduce the possibility of engine problems, now we are back to worrying. The good news is that we are first a sailboat and the engine is our second mode of power. We do need it to come into most harbors and to dock, but if we are at sea, we can certainly sail back to land. 

This past weekend, us and two other boats left the harbor and went 15 miles to Bahia Honda State Park. It is a beautiful place and we had fun snorkeling, fishing and relaxing. That is until Saturday night, when we got hit with an unexpected thunderstorm at 1:30 am. We did not get much sleep, but our anchor held well and all was good. 

We enjoyed a cookout on a small beach at low tide.

Our three boats at anchor. It was this calm until it was blowing 30 knots. We all made it safely.

SHIFT at anchor

The following day we had more storm warnings. While we were preparing the boat I looked up and saw a waterspout (Tornado on the water) to our north. 

A waterspout and our friends MAC and Kim on "Kim's Crossing". The storm stayed north of us.

I let out more chain and put on our storm bridle. We were ready for whatever came our way. Just like bringing an umbrella to a baseball game. The wind dropped off to 5 knots and stayed that way all night. We had an excellent sail back to Boot Key harbor the next day.

The transmission worked perfectly and the fluid stayed clean. We are now preparing for our departure. We are expecting to leave the keys in later April when the weather looks right. As we get closer, I will try to stay motivated to write in this journal. Thanks for reading!,