Miami again

Just like last season, we found ourselves doing some repairs in Miami, last season it was autopilot and fuel Injection Pump, this year we have a small leak we are fighting at the stern tube, the motor was out of alignment when we purchased the boat and it had apparently cracked the tube where it meets the hull, the leak is minor and providing it doesn’t get any worse we are going to live with it until we haul out.

Once again our Vacu-Flush system required repairs when the bellows in the pump failed – what a mess, new duck bills and bellows installed – videos coming soon!

Michelle has been up to the top of the mast twice already, once to fix the windex (wind vane) and another to fix a snagging problem just above our radar, we also discover a seized winch, which will need replacing eventually, I have a line on a used one.

We did break down and buy a new dinghy for D2, the old one was fine, but it didn’t plane well and was really only good for two people, we needed something larger as we have guests arriving next week and will be staying out in a mooring field in Key West which is notorious for choppier seas.
The new larger dinghy (which we got a great deal on) has provided some challenges as the davits strained under is size and weight, so today was spent at a rigging shop, having some supports made, we were able to sell our old dinghy in Coconut Grove.

Last year from this location, I single handed to the Island of Bimini, this season we are going to explore the Florida Keys, Dry Tortugas and then Cuba or Exumas. Tomorrow we are sailing 7 hours; (there is a cold front moving in, but still expecting highs of 28 degrees), we will be anchoring in Crocodile Lake National Wildlife Refuge, where we hope to explore the mangroves in our new dinghy and get a glimpse of a rare crocodile unique to this area.