After a month at Marsh Harbor, about to launch
Looking at the other end. We are getting close!
The Salt Shaker was at Marsh Harbor Marina for fixes and updates. She was on the ground there for about a month while I/we were in Georgia tending to tax returns and doing other things necessary to allow us to be away for an extended period.
I am convinced the cabin leak is now fixed, the ham radio stuff is hard wired, working good and best of all convenient to use. We also installed the depth finder that displays information on the GPS/Radar monitor and that works good. The refrigerator circuits are now fixed. The problem had a root cause other than what I was expecting. It turned out to be a corroded ground connection that if not corrected, would have eventually affected many other things beside the refrigerators. They were the most sensitive to the problem and objected first. We had some nice hatches made for the mid cabin berth. These were disireable because we elected to remove the mattress cushions to give us a bit more storage space and with out these new hatches, we had some service openings down into the bilge that without this fix, would have become problematic.
We are able to make the dinette up into a berth by taking a small filler cushion designed for the purpose with us. I do not envision people overnighting with us on the boat but one never knows since this is a trip without an itinerary but instead will be one full of surprises. We will be able to provide bunk space, just in case.
Pat is equipping the boat with every imaginable domestic item, pots, pans, first aid kit, bedding, storage methods, shower stall items, too many things to make a complete list. I am doing my "captain" thing and tuning up the GPS with the new navigation software, getting the porta-bote, which is our dingy, perfected with a couple of improvements, registering us for the rendezvous at North Myrtle Beach, SC in late April and working on the storage methods for the spare parts, navigation aids, safety stuff etc.
The Rendezvous is a special event for all interested loopers. It is a sort of a reunion for many, for me and lots of others it will be a place to learn about the loop, the places to visit and the navigation tips to make it an enjoyable voyage. And meet lots of other "loopers" and be able to learn from their experience and knowledge.
We should have a few pictures of the preparation and the cast off ceremony in a few days. Our departure date was set back one day. It is now set for Sunday, April 4th. We will be leaving the dock and saying hello to the Easter Bunny at the same time.
Tony and Pat
