Let’s go to the Bahamas!

We got all of our work done on the boat (or so we thought), so we untied and started our winter adventures.

Our boat work consisted of clearing remaining unneeded items from the boat (too much stuff from three years of sailing) updating the chart plotters, having a brand new dodger and bimini made, and getting the engine some overdue maintenance.  Between the boat and hurricane Helene, it was an expensive and boating-free summer.

We left Brunswick on November 30 with the intent of spending a night anchored at Jekyll Island.  We ended up going another 15 miles to the south end of Cumberland Island instead.  All night, the cold wind howled and made annoying waves in the anchorage.

It’s cold!  Mary dug around in a couple of our cubbie holes and found our foul weather gear.  It had been vacuum packed since San Diego.  It kind of helped.  We so miss the hot weather in Mexico and Central America.

We booked a couple days at the Fernandina Beach Marina to make up for the couple of days we had anchored in the cold.  When Mary did an engine check, she found the source of bilge water we had been accumulating – our engine water thru-hull was dripping.  Mary wrapped it up while underway with “Rescue Tape” – good stuff.  We waited to hear from a local mechanic if he can fix it at the marina, or if we get to pay for another haul-out…  He arrived.  He Fixed!  No haul-out needed!

At the marina, eagle-eyed Mary found a gallon of coolant in the engine well.  We’d been topping off since our engine service, but not a gallon’s worth.  A call to our engine mechanic got her to drive down to Fernandina to help us find the issue.

She tightened a few hose clamps, adjusted a couple hoses, and is replacing the defective heat exchanger cap assembly.  None of which really explained the gallon of coolant.  We are going to keep an eye out…