Block Island - A detour south

Always good sunsets at  Block Island

We had intended to sail to Stonington but there was no wind and the seas were lumpy, even more so around Point Judith. With that and the promise of better weather on Monday, we headed for Block Island, figuring the place would empty out after a July weekend. As we approached Block, we were passed by a steady stream of boats pointed for home. However, Block is Block so there were plenty of boats left but we did find a good anchoring spot within a couple hundred feet of a small, deserted  beach for Hoolie relief.

We took advantage of the Oar House and their chicken wings, a specialty of theirs. On the way in we looked for open rental mooning - not a one. The dinghy dock was as crowded as ever but we didn't have to do the usual "climb over other dinks" routine to reach the dinghy dock so I guess it wasn't quite as bad as in years past.

Last night I thought I would check the genset one last time after it had run for about an hour just to be sure all was well. I knew Hinckley had installed new copper washers in the fuel line and I wanted to check for leaks. The washers were fine but much to my surprise I found the rubber fuel line severely abraded by the pulley that turns the water pump. The mechanic had routed the fuel line over the top of the turning pulley and the fuel line was about 1/2 way worn through. I checked it carefully and only the outer rubber coating was worn, the fabric reinforcement and inner rubber coating were intact. Not having a spare set of copper washers, I left it there but put on a tie to space it away from the pulley to prevent any future wear. I would hate to think of what would have happened if I hadn't checked the genset (after all, it had just been put back on-line by a qualified mechanic and electrician). Fuel spewing into the genset case could be dangerous to say the least. However, all is well now. The genset starts right up, is at the right voltage and rpm and otherwise runs fine. It's another lesson in  boat maintenance - no matter what the reputation of the marine service area, be sure to check over things yourself - it's your --- on the line.