Day #97 - Mobile, AL
November 6th, 2008Historic note to start the day:
We have a new young, black president, Barack Obama. We are all hoping he can do all he promised while campaigning and will move the country forward.
Had a day to catch up and get things done. Andy is working on the holding tanks, lovely job. There is a vibration in the boat that he is concerned about so we are out for a “sea trial” with two mechanics as we speak. Good time for me to blog.
I went to Walmart with Deb and did the usual damage. I am getting so desperate, I even thought about getting my hair cut there, but decided against it.
The sea trial is over, it appears to be a problem with the prop. They are getting an estimate together for us. If we decide to do it, they will have to hoist the boat out of the water, pull the prop and put us back in. That way we can still stay on the boat and have a place to sleep. Deciding whether or not to have them polish and wax the boat at the same time. Update… the decision was made to pull the boat, gotta go.
Well, the news gets tougher. They pulled the boat, pulled the prop and not only was it bent but the shaft is broken. Now the repairs are building. They put us back in water so we can stay on the boat. Tomorrow they will pull us again, pull the shaft, put a plug in and put us back in the water again. That way we can stay on the boat and not have to get a hotel room. Hoping the repairs will be done on Monday and we may be able to get on with the trip on Tuesday. Guess hitting that log or whatever we hit on the river was more serious (expensive) than we had hoped. The joys and expenses of owning a BOAT (Break Out Another Thousand!)
We can’t say enough about Dog River Marina and their service and hospitality. They even gave us a car to go out to dinner last night. We went to a local seafood restaurant and it was great. On the way home we passed this shell station and I had to get a picture. At home you might get a burrito or hot dog at a gas station, but in Mobile you can get catfish while you fill up with gas. Note, the price of fuel keeps dropping for the moment.
Mobile has provided a beautiful day for us 76 and sunny. Doesn’t get much better and we are finally in the ocean.
One Response to “Day #97 - Mobile, AL”
By ted evans on Nov 6, 2008
Sorry to hear about the prop and shaft. What was that insurance guys phone number??!! By the way, that alligator is clearly an Alabama alligator, it’s not dead, it’s just resting! You will likely see another swing bridge down near Boca Grande (between Siesta Key and Ft. Meyers. Put Boca Grande as a must see, along w/ Cabbage Key and the very exclusive Usseppa Island Club (cksp). If you call ahead they accept visitors at Usseppa. My old boss owns property/belongs there.
Sail on!!
Ted