Boat back together and Last day with the kids

Day 10:  Wednesday, March 2.

Today is the departure date for Scott and his family.  Claire prepared scrambled eggs and bacon for our final meal together.  We gathered our belongings and got into the car for our last trip back to our truck.

Yesterday, I fretted a bit on how we would get the motor back onto the boat while at the marina.  The motor is way too heavy to carry onto the boat and then hang it on the motor mount. I talked to the marina boat storage foreman about using one of his huge fork lifts to lower the motor but although willing to do so, he advised me that they charged $75.00 to start the lift plus $100.00 hour of operation time. So, we opted out of that plan. We decided to take the boat back to the launch ramp where we started.  There, we could back the boat onto the ramp and hang it in the reverse fashion that we had done two days before.  I felt that Janine and I could handle that but Scott insisted on joining in the fun.

So, Janine drove the truck, Scott drove his rental car, and I drove the boat by water back to the launch ramp.  I had more confidence in the little dinghy motor this time and so I cranked it up and was able to get 4.5 mph over the glassy water. 

The hanging of the motor went off without a hitch and when I hit the starter, the motor fired up as designed.  (The electrical problem was obviously the corroded plug.)  Also, a strong stream of water shot forth from the water pump weep hole.  Problems solved.  While Janine stayed with the boat, Scott and I took the truck to the storage area where it will remain until our return from our adventure.

We said our goodbyes to Scott and shoved off down the canal on our way back to the marina.  Scott headed back to the time share.  At about the same place where the motor quit two days ago, I checked the spray from the pump and could not see any water squirting out.  I immediately shut down the motor again, called Scott and told him to head back to the ramp – we had more problems. 

I started the motor, turned the boat around and using a run the motor, shut it down, and coast technique, we made it back to the ramp where Scott waiting.  While I was motoring down the canal at a low speed, I did notice that there was a fine stream of water coming from the weep hole. This told me that the pump could be working but that a piece of the old impeller had partially plugged the fitting at the end of the water outlet. We raised the motor and Scott took a small drill bit and worked it into the orifice of the outlet and upon firing up the motor, again had a strong stream of water.  Again, a relief.

We again said farewell and made an uneventful trip back to the marina. The remainder of the afternoon was spent straitening up the boat and blowing up Damn Dink Two in preparation for our trip south tomorrow. 

In the middle of the afternoon, Scott, Claire and the boys stopped by for one last goodbye on their way to the airport. 

Earlier, I had bought a bag of ice so for our pre dinner appetizer we enjoyed a cold beer and kipper snacks on crackers.  For our main course this evening, we prepared beef and noodles and peas.

This has been fun week.  We also look forward to the next part of our adventure.