Manatee Pocket – At Hinckley’s docks

Just a nice, flowing shape - the wheel is varnished wood

Today was “take apart the motor and see where the leak is” day. The source was not obvious so Hinckley removed the bell housing, transmission and dampener – wiped the motor free of all oil and then let it sit for a couple of hours. Upon the mechanic’s return and inspection, he found a small seepage from around the shaft seal that had been replaced by the Hinckley shop in Savannah. With that evidence, he ordered a new seal and it’s due to be installed Saturday (overnight shipment). It will be interesting to see if any damage of the old seal can be seen that led to the leak.

Notice the curved windows in back

During the day we just admired more of the Hinckley boats in the marina and yard, there are dozens here. Many of the boats do not have lifelines. Many owners think they spoil the lines of the boat and leave them off. We also found out that a fairway through the center of the harbor is being dredged to 10 ft deep and should be completed by the middle of next year. Now all they have to do is dredge the marinas too.

Joe Mastri and a friend from the Catskill YC came by this afternoon and took us out for dinner. Joe’s friend, Jim Hatch, picked us up at Hinckley’s and off we went to their favorite restaurant in the area, a Chinese all-you-can-eat place. I think Ann and I lowered the average age of the clientele.

Hopefully, all will go well on Saturday and we’ll head north again on Sunday for Vero Beach (leaving at high tide!!) where we have a dock reserved for a week.