Pause, then Removal Day!

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First, the pause

With the boat ready and waiting for the next step, we decided to make a quick dash to the Keys to meet our friends Louis and Lisa. What? Yup, blast off for a play day!

Ragged Edge Resort, Islamorada

We crashed their celebration, and the famous Betsy the Lobster joined us in congratulating them on 40 years of wedded bliss, not to mention Lisa’s special birthday (that she’d prefer we not mention)! Ha!
The detail on this behemoth was impressive
Betsy makes a nicely shaded lookout post… if you’re an iguana

Then back to work!

Break time over, we returned to the task at hand. “Removal Day” had finally arrived! And it was a perfect day for it.

The captain and crew (i.e., yours truly) handled removal of the bimini and enclosure side windows.

Or is he doing the Robot?
And she the Funky Chicken?
Stuck the landing?
There were actual moments of sanity, as well –
for instance, tucking the dinghy safely alongside
Hey, it’s now officially summer in Florida. Perhaps the sun went to our heads??

Actually, this temporary open-air concept is the path for the crane to remove the engine through the top of the boat.

Tada!

The caulk and adhesive were painstakingly removed last week, so it just took some muscle to remove the large chunk of flybridge deck/galley roof (the “soft patch”) and carefully set it aside on the empty dinghy cradle.

Many hands make light work.
Watch out, Twinkle Toes…
There’s a gaping hole behind you!
Ahem – flip flops, dude?

The path is clear, now about that hole? That’s right, somehow that big ole engine’s gonna come right on up!

The crane’s ball hook will be lowered through the roof
to raise the engine through the galley and out the top
I can’t watch. I am removing myself from the scene.
I’ll be outside with my strange hand? (It’s just a photo thing. Don’t worry, Mom.)

The crane is here!

For stability, the crane arms extend, and it’s lifted off the wheels and leveled, before stretching out the very far-reaching boom.

Here, catch!

Oh boy, here we go! Twirly finger!

READY.
SET.

HOLD IT! Let’s pause for a bit of important communication.

We have the twirly finger down well, but let’s make sure we agree on the others, especially the most important one – STOP! It’s about 3000 pounds, so no ooppsies! Everybody good? Alright, let’s continue!

GO! Slow but cautious progress
Careful, guys!
Oops! Good thing the crew was going slow because at this point, it was clear Object A was not going through Slot B. Much like the captain, it needed to lose some weight! So, behind the scenes, we first removed a hose from the rear (transmission) and tried again. Nope, not quite.

So next, we removed the front mounting bracket, to be carried out by hand.

And this time?

SUCCESS! It was a bit contradictory. On one hand, that’s our ‘Mare’s heart leaving. But on the other, it’s broken and she’s getting a brand new one.
Who would have thought we’d ever see a flying engine? Jeez, it looks so much smaller out of the boat!
Ah, it looks bigger now! Front bracket back on and lowered onto a pallet for the forklift
And, done.

It was a long, emotional journey from May 13 to this, with a lot of stress eating! Captain gained about 10 pounds! So, we are definitely looking forward from here! The new engine is on the way, and diet plus Shoe Leather Express, here we come!

A very special thank you and shout out to the collaborative team from A&J Boat Works, East Coast Marine Services, Derek Lynds Custom Yacht Works, and A+Crane. They’re doing a phenomenal job!

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