in a million years did I think I’d say such a thing, but they started the engine today, and it was BEAUTIFUL! Ahh, the dulcet tones of a purring Cummins QSL9 ready for adventure. Sea trial tomorrow!
Or “Dog days of Summer.” It’s been a few weeks (seems like months) since we added a post, and we are starting to receive inquiries. Where are you? How’s the engine replacement coming along? Can you move yet? Etc. So, here’s a quick recap on what we’ve been doing and where we stand.
The sales guy said,”It’s straight-forward, just pop it out and put in another!” The technician said, “It’s a bit more than that; it’s, well, it’s a process!” There wasn’t a salesperson, but you catch the drift.
We’ve been working on so many “little” tasks (too many to list), going to the service yard six days a week (thank goodness they’re closed on Sundays). No picture postcard-worthy photo ops, there – just plenty of sweaty work. Our hard-working mechanic took some well-deserved days off, affording us the opportunity for a few days of R&R, as well. Susie, its R&R! Oh, okay, let’s go visit something!
First stop: the Elliott Museum right here in Stuart, Florida, where Susie picked up a fairly determined hitchhiker.
All fun until someone gets thrown from the running board! No-o-o-o!
The only one of its kind in an American museum, the three-story system holds more than 50 vehicles in climate-controlled storage. Each car can be lowered on a robotic tray to rotate on a turntable for museum guests to view. Pretty cool!
During our short break, we just had to make a very quick road trip a bit north in Florida to meet the newest member of the Olsen clan, great granddaughter Crimson, and to surprise daughter Tracee and granddaughter Kayla. Ladies in the clan, even the brand-new ones, are quite beautiful!
True to form, we always try to stop and look around at the wondrous world. Out behind the condo, this couple showed up one day with at least ten ducklings in tow. Amazingly, they are very noisy, Black-bellied Whistling Ducks. The little gang jumped in, and over the next few days, they slowly disappeared. Mom and Dad, forced to jump in also, spent multiple days gathering the rascals. We choose to believe the little ones figured out how to walk out of the pond…
It was fantastic to see family (and do some nature-watching), but all too soon, our break was over. We needed to return to work on boat projects. After all, we want to get the SaltyMare moving… even galloping (and out of Florida) ASAP.
One of the many steps, but probably the most important: running the new engine wiring harness. Oh, boy, what fun.
On a side note, as we’ve mentioned, Murphy occasionally (often?) comes aboard. Completely unrelated to the engine “process,” our very stout windlass “conveniently” decided to demand some attention. Certainly, better now than later when we’re at anchor. Anchor? We think we remember how! 😊
In order to remove it for servicing, one of the technicians had to go completely INSIDE our anchor chain locker! (Todd claims he won’t fit!)
So that’s what we’ve been up to: a bit of lighthearted pleasure, but mostly scrubbing, wiring, wrenching. You know, boat loads of fun! 😊
After it spent a few days in the shop, next to the old one, being “outfitted” by Ron the “Engine Guy,” it’s finally in the yard. We could not have been more thrilled to see the new engine draped in plastic, poised for the scheduled early morning arrival of the crane. Yeah! Now to the work!
We were told the crane would be there early, so we arrived even earlier to take the dinghy down and open the bimini (roof), so the “soft patch” section could once again open the boat fully to the sky!
With the boat open, cue the flying motor!
Reverse the process – Captain and First Mate (aka camera person) reinstall the bimini, secure the enclosure panels, bring the dinghy back aboard, cover everything up in preparation for the daily summer showers, and wash all those black footprints off the flybridge level!
All wrapped up in two hours, start to finish. Wow.
Time to celebrate with a nice cold… glass of water?? Yep, that’s what’s on board, although a bit of an adventure to get!
Amazing that a chubby man can be so agile while dancing over and around the bright engine room! (Did we mention that we like the new lights? Even though the installation of said bright lights kicked off a flurry of scrubbing and cleaning in obscure corners while the engine was out. Ha!) Anyway, while it’s wonderful to have the engine aboard, that’s just the beginning to the end of our fresh start!
So, the old engine is out. What next? Got a new one ordered? Yep, or so we thought. More on that later, because like most things recently, even receiving an in-stock engine is a story. Until then, we start
What does one do while stranded in hot, sunny south Florida? Besides countless hours of gnashing teeth and yelling, “what the heck?!” (Okay, that’s the clean version of Todd’s exclamations). Well, we wait. That’s all we can do. So, we wait and play games, and Susie, true to her renowned ability to find the goodness in all things, finds some adventure nearby.
Heathcote Botanical Gardens in Fort Pierce is reputably home to the largest public tropical bonsai collection in the United States, featuring 100 bonsai trees on permanent display. Some more than 50 years old! Our chosen mission: select a favorite. After carefully looking over all of them (repeatedly) and much discovery and discussion, the picks are in!
After the Bonsai section, we enjoyed other areas of the garden until being chased onto the mock farmhouse porch to sit in the rockers and wait out a typical Florida afternoon thunderstorm. Oh, well. A wonderful diversion from the waiting game.
There is always something to do somewhere on a boat, even one that’s been taken apart. Example, with the engine out of the way, the guys from the yard started the deep clean in the engine room. Let’s get in there and replace the bilge pump positioned in front of the engine, that was unfortunately overwhelmed by the spewing engine yuck.
The short version of Trials and Tribulations of the 2022 version of the “Supply Chain”
Comparison of the new and old shows some new design aspects (which is good) and some things that have to be changed for our install. Ron, the engine guru, has a plan.
Going to the boat during those weeks offered plenty of mundane moments. Not much to look at but the mess and the local pelicans.
Actually receiving the engine and its accompanying “stuff” kicked off some prep work at the boat because the engine controls on both helms have to be replaced. No biggie, right? Wrong. This requires new cables to be run. OH Lord, not cables! Yep, that means it’s about to get much worse before it can get better!
We’ll keep it short.
A picture is worth a thousand words, right? So, to wrap this up and give you a visual of the aforementioned “state of things” inside the boat, here’s a current look.
Clockwise from top left: Salon, Pilothouse, Office, Head, VIP stateroom, Master stateroom, Engine room
The most normal looking space? The galley. As long as you overlook the fact that there is no floor. Details. Details.
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
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.
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.
The path is clear, now about that hole? That’s right, somehow that big ole engine’s gonna come right on up!
For stability, the crane arms extend, and it’s lifted off the wheels and leveled, before stretching out the very far-reaching boom.
Oh boy, here we go! Twirly finger!
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!
So next, we removed the front mounting bracket, to be carried out by hand.
And this time?
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!
Our Travels 