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| Fall colors are already past prime in NJ |
Heading up the Ashley River, the current remained favorable. PEKABU was doing 8.9 mph! However when he turned in to the Wapoo River, the current was against him. He was actually heading "up hill" in Elliot Cut. The water was about 6 inches higher on the southern entrance than on the northern one. Such a strong current against him made the trip slow. He was actually making way at 2.4 mph against that current!
Docking is always a challenge at St John's due to the strong currents. Today it was about 3+ mph! They put him in a very tight slip, with boats close on both sides. As usual, the crew at St. John's are wonderful and Pete docked like the pro he is! By 12:30 he was secure and waiting for the arrival of the mechanic.
Casey arrived around 1:30. He is a former USCG rescue swimmer. You can guess what they discussed for a short while. Once he began, he found that the alternator/regulator was loose and vibrating, the ground wire had disconnected again. he soldered, crimped and taped the connection after grounding it to the engine, which will move with the alt/reg and not torque. Casey worked for 2 hours and did really good work. The engine was run for another 2 hours with no problems.
Pete then headed to the laundry. He was amazed at the bank of washer and driers and the $1.00/ load pricing! When he returned to the boat, he found the linens from the forward bunk. As he prepared to head back to do the laundry, I told him that we have a second set of linens and not to worry. He was thrilled!Once the laundry was put away, it was time to eat. The meatballs were placed into an aluminum boat and floated in boiling water. Yum.
Pete was glad to say our good-nights early. He is tired and looking forward to sleep.
Tuesday, October 29, 2019 ~ Pete was up early so he could scrub the boat before the heat and humidity increase. Since there was rain approaching, Pete decided to use the scrub brush instead of the power washer. Poor choice as it took longer and created a few more sore muscles, but the boat looks great!
After a quick shower, he picked up the reserved loaner car and headed to Harris Teeter. The one closest to St. John's is small and their bakery is very limited. No Cherry Pie!
Once back and provisions put away, he laid on the bed intending to read for a while, but instead napped for a good 2+ hours. For a guy who doesn't nap, he definitely needed it to recharge his batteries.
Deb had appointments this morning. Deneen, our sister who lives in NJ meet us at the Center. We were able to visit until I had to leave. Deneen will bring Debi home, while I head to DE for a medical appointment with my Doc. I allowed 2 hours for a 1.5 hr trip. Unfortunately, there were a number of construction delays. Though late, I was able to be seen. After picking up my prescriptions, I headed to Chris and Kel's for the night.
Halloween is only 2 days away. Riley had a Trick-or-Trunk parade at school tomorrow. Kelli was drawing and Hadi helped color the characters from Toy Story 4, which will decorate the truck that will have the goodies. Apparently, each class has parents decorating a vehicle and the kids parade past all the vehicles, admiring the decorations in their costumes and collecting their goodies from each vehicle. Apparently many schools have adopted the Trick-or-Trunk for their kids.
The girls also had to show off their costumes. Hadi was a good witch. Kel found the gown at a second had store. That $8.00 purchase was perfect! Riley was thrilled to be Captain America!
Deneen sent photos of Bailey dressed for the occasion, and one of Lizzie and Bailey chillin'. After the girls were tucked into bed, Kel and I enjoyed some time just catching up.
Once again it was an early night for Pete and my "good nights". . . for all of us!
Wednesday, October 30, 2019 ~ While Pete was able to sleep in, he woke around 7:30 while I was awakened by the girls around 7.
The morning was busy getting the girls ready for school. They have to be off before Kel heads to work.
The plans for today were to go to the appointment, then wait around to meet a friend for lunch around 2. My phone rang at 7:20 AM. My 10 AM medical "appointment was cancelled and call later to reschedule." I figured I would just hand out somewhere and work on the blog. Instead. Pete suggested that I check out the stores and see if I can get new area rugs for PEKABU. I was successful in finding not only rugs, but I also found something to make for this year's Christmas ornaments, plus a few other needed items.
While shopping, my friend, Pat called to say she could go to lunch earlier; closer to noon. So I picked her up and we went to Cafe Gelato's on Main Street in Newark, Neither of us knew that the were laying new curbs and resurfacing Main Street. Parking was a challenge, but we were able to get kinda close to the restaurant. Due to the disruption, Cafe Gelato was among a number of places offering great coupons for coming in. It was definitely worth it. Pat has a grilled chicken, cheese tomato, and lettuce on a panini. I had a very unusual salad comprised of spring greens, feta cheese, black berries, figs, orange slices and pan seared scallops with a blood orange vinaigrette. Both were scrumptious!Afterwards, we checked the old 5 &10 next door, then headed back to Pat's. Quick hugs to her and Joe, her husband, and I was on my way north. Even with traffic I was back by 6:30.
Pete said that Paul's 9:30 AM flight was delayed due to mechanical problems, than canceled. He was able to get a later flight and arrived at the marina around 5 P.M After dinner, the plan was to watch the 6th game of the World Series between the Houston Astros and the Washington Nationals. The guys got comfortable on board and turned onto the Fox station to find it not receiving a signal. The rest of the channels were working, so Pete called DISH. There was a recording stating that DISH could not broadcast the World Series due to a dispute between Fox and DISH. Bah humbug! Being an avid fan, Paul followed it on his phone. The are now in a 3-3 game tie so there will be a game tomorrow night. Hopefully, they will be able to catch it at a bar.
Pete called B & B Shrimp for dockage for tomorrow night. Apparently the owner is being more hands on and handling the desk and phone. He said that he doesn't have room. "Well, I have a 45' boat coming in." Obviously, he doesn't want us, so Pete will have to look elsewhere. We will miss the Elijah and the wonderful fresh shrimp, but the dock, the area, and the owner leave a lot to be desired. The new plan is to head straight to Beauford, SC. It will be a considerably longer day, about 10 hours.
Thursday, October 31, 2019 ~ The air was crisp, the skies clear and the current strong as the guys left the dock at 6:45 AM. Once on the Sono River heading south, the currents were strong and with PEKABU's clean bottom, they were cruising at 8.5-9 mph. These great currents should be with them most of the day.
Things looked really good . . . well, for 60 minutes. That is when the alt/reg problems resurfaced. The RPM and charging meter were non-functioning, again. Pete immediately, texted Casey, who will meet them back at St. John's. He also arranged for a different slip at the marina so he could safely dock in the strong current.
Pete waited for Casey's re-evaluation. Casey replaced the grounding wire with heavy, coated wire; scrimped, soldered and taped it, then placed it into a protected, corrugated, plastic tube. They should be good to go!
Pete needed to reassess plans. After checking Passage Weather, winds are predicted to be 20-25 from the NE, so jumping form Charleston to Fernandina, FL is a no go. They will travel the ICW and be protected from the stronger winds. There is only a short window on Saturday before winds return early Sunday morning. To say that Pete is frustrated is an understatement! He will monitor the battery discharge as today's discharge was not as complete as in the past. There is some charging when underway. He will ask for a mechanic referral from Belmar, maker of the alt/reg in Ft. Pierce.
Pete took advantage of being at the dock to do work on an existing project. Paul was able to borrow the loaner car to head to Harris Teeter for additional goodies to eat.
Since the marina no longer allows the loaner out after 6 PM, the guys Uber-ed to a local pub for drinks, dinner and the game. They only stayed an hour, then headed back to the boat. They listened to the game using my bottle speaker. Game 7 of the World Series was won by the Washington Nationals, the underdogs. They haven't won a World Series since 1924 -- 95 years ago!
The winds that accompanied the thunderstorms and the front at night were 35-40 mph with stronger gusts. Somehow the storm split around the marina, but the winds and rains continued through the night.
Since it is Halloween, these wonderful relative attended parties. My nieces and their date: Jess and Asa are a luffa and her soap, Chelsea and Matt are nerdy students, while Heather was the magnificent Maleficent!
As we said our good-nights, Pete's frustration was palatable. It is frustrating when you have had so many mechanics work on the problem, it is still not fixed, and I am too far away for hugs.
~ ~ ~ /) ~ ~ P & K
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