Titusville - A day where nothing has to get done

The area around the marina is lined with cookouts and picnic tables, a nice touch

Time for a true vacation day. Hopefully the new transmission is winging its way west from Denmark and actually arrives on time Tuesday. We already have the aft oil seal in hand so we're all set provided the transmission arrives. Fleetwing should be in fine shape once both are repaired for our trip to Key West. We've tentatively schedule the repair for Wednesday and to repair the oil seal and transmission at the same time. We plan on leaving for New York on Thursday morning, at least that is the intention.

Easier with the cart

So I thought we had enough excitement for awhile and we took the day off from boat chores. We've had steady stream of people drop by that have been reading the blog or used my cruising guide. It's always fun to meet new cruisers so if you're in the area, please drop by to say hello. We are at slip A43.

The alligator seems to have disappeared so the divers were around the last two days scrubbing boats and replacing zincs. With temperatures in the 70's, the weather is just phenomenal. Matthew was bad but otherwise it's been great. On Friday we pick up another car for the weekend and we'll do some more exploring.

Titusville - we haul Fleetwing

Fleetwing is airborne!

According to the diver we had at Hinckley, the prop shaft wobbled in the cutlass bearing. Therefore, it had to be replaced. So we scheduled a haulout for the purpose of replacing the hard rubber cutlass bearing. I had a replacement from Beneteau so we headed over this morning to the well. The crew at Westland was very efficient and careful with Fleetwing. Their travel lift is much bigger than the one at our club in New York so I didn't have to remove anything off the boat (bimini, dodger, backstay, etc.)

Once it was out of the water, the mechanic looked at the prop and tried to move the shaft from side to side, it didn't bulge, it was tight. The cutlass bearing did not have to be replaced. The diver at Hinckley was wrong. He must have confused the slop in the three blades of the folding prop with a loose shaft in the cutlass bearing.

No problems here, tight cutlass bearing and the prop is fine

We still have the rattling sound to resolve when underway so I enlisted the mechanic to ride with me in Fleetwing for a trial run in the bay. We all hopped aboard and motored out as I gradually increased rpm's. Of course, everything was cool and the rattling sound did not appear at first. Eventually it did start up with the mechanic down in the engine compartment. After about 10 minutes the verdict was in:  the gearbox was slipping under load. You had to be familiar with that sound to know what it was, this is why you need a mechanic. There are lots of sounds in the engine compartment. I now need a new gearbox. There is a possibility of reworking the gearbox with a kit but even the kit cost $1200 and that doesn't include labor and the possibility of more parts needed once everything is opened up.

Given all that and our requirement of being in Key West by the end of January, we decided to buy a new gearbox, they are not cheap! There were none in the US and the dealer had to order one from Denmark! It's supposed to arrive in three days which I hope happens but it would be a miracle if it does based on past experience.

So we are not feeling quite so flush but the boat is 12 years old and has 4400 hours on the engine so things wear out. If all goes according to plan (ha!) we'll have Fleetwing fully operational by Wednesday night. Then we'll leave for New York Thursday morning with the knowledge that Fleetwing is ready for the rest of the trip to Key West.

Ttiusville - Wrong part delivered from Volvo

There's a park that mostly protecting the marina on the way in

I have not had good experiences with the Volvo parts warehouse in Byhalia, Mississippi. While I was in Key West in March of this year, my repairman ordered a new injector pump and received instead a gear of about the same weight. He then reordered it and got another gear! On the third try he asked the warehouse shipping department to look at the part before shipment and they discovered yet another gear in the place of the $3500 injector pump. I think somebody found a quick way to get rich in the shipping department.

The marina has a dinghy dock for those on moorings and at anchor

Yesterday I received my order of a new aft oil seal for my Volvo diesel and once again I got the wrong part. The part number printed on the plastic bag with the part inside did not match the part number on the invoice. Now, I need this part rather quickly, before we leave for home up north. The dealer ordered the part a second time but this time I called the warehouse directly and asked them to look at the part to verify it's the right one before shipping. My friend up north couldn't believe I had actually gotten hold of someone in shipping at this giant facility that's the size of 21 football fields! I even got an email address for shipping to be used to pass the order number so they could do the checking. We will have to wait and see if any of this made any difference. The part is supposed to ship overnight so I should have it Wednesday morning. The oil seal repair is scheduled for Thursday so I really do need the part right away.

A view to the north, a boat launch is to the extreme left

The advertisement for the warehouse states it's a "state of the art" but it's less than that as far as performance for me. Meanwhile, I'll have the cutlass bearing replaced Wednesday at 11:00 am if all goes well. The cutlass bearing will be a separate repair since it can be done with the boat in the water.

With all of that excitement out of the way, today was much calmer and we once again concentrated on boat projects. On Wednesday we will have to unhook from land and mosey over to the haulout well at Westland marina. After the repair we'll take Fleetwing out for a spin and hopefully the vibration problem will have been fixed, stay tuned.

Titusville - More wind, schedule a haulout

Ann' completed a pastel today. The leaves were from trees in our backyard, you don't get these colors down here

There is never a day that when you get up in the morning you say, "Gee, there is nothing to do today on the boat."  It doesn't happen. There is always a list. I think I could spend a full month here and work everyday and still not get all the way through my "to do" list. We are now scheduled for a haulout Wednesday at 11:00 am to replace the cutlass bearing. I got the replacement in the mail today, it's a rubber tube about six inches long that fits into the aft section of the prop housing. We are hoping that the boat can be hauled and worked on while still in the slings and then returned to water. The work on the aft oil seal can be done while the boat is in the water, later.

A popular fishing spot, and also an alligator hangout

The wind is still blowing like stink down here. Unfortunately, it's right out of the northeast which is right into the marina. It's not bad but there is a bit of rocking. The wind is due to die off over the next few days and switch to the south and west, a protected direction for the marina.

We haven't seen the alligator for a few days now but we still haven't heard from our diver, he doesn't like alligators around for some reason... At this point we don't need him since we're going to have Fleetwing hauled anyway.

You can't have too many lines out when you leave a boat for 2 months

We no longer have a car, the $10/day rental fee was only for the weekend. We'll rent another car for the drive home for the holidays. It's a break even proposition on whether you rent the car one way twice or just keep it for the full 1.5 months. With that we might as well just keep the car.

Titusville - a day off with a visit to Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge

Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge is one of our favorite spots

Enough of all this stuff of working on the boat, there will be enough of that next week. So with that we started out with donuts from the best donut shop in Titusville, Donuts for U. It looks like nothing special from the outside and even inside it doesn't look like anything to set it apart from hundreds of other donut shops. However, once you taste the donuts they make, it's another story. They are the best we've ever had. I would have a major crew revolt if I didn't buy donuts here on Sunday mornings.

Lots of interesting birds

Well, with that requirement out of the way, we spent a leisurely morning and then headed out to the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, one of our favorite spots and a must see for us every time we visit Titusville.  This time of the year the birds are still in migration and most have not arrived yet. Their high season for bird population is January and February, not November. Still, it's an interesting tour and it's free if you have a Golden Age Passport which is also free to anyone over 65.

And, of course, there are the ever present alligators all around

The refuge has wooden walkways through a forested area and a drive through area where the birds spend the winter months. We did both. The refuge is part of the Kennedy Space Center which let the refuge be formed from land they did not need. It's been a boon to the birds and bird watchers.

I have replacement parts for the cutlass bearing and the oil seal due to arrive on Monday and if all goes according to plan, we'll haul Fleetwing on Wednesday and repair the cutlass bearing. We will wait to hear from Brian in Connecticut, a Volvo dealer,  before deciding what to do with the aft oil leak but at least I'll have the parts. Replacing the cutlass bearing requires a haulout but repairing the aft oil seal does not. So the plan is to get the cutlass bearing replaced first and then schedule the oil seal repaired later, but not too later!

Titusville - High winds and no diver

Glorious Flowers in full bloom around here

We waited for our diver this morning but it was a no show. When I called he relayed that there was still a sighting of the alligator I took a picture of yesterday and he didn't want to be in the same water as the alligator. So now we're waiting for an "alligator free day" before the diver will show up. In the meantime we'll go ahead and schedule a haulout for Wednesday to replace the cutlass bearing. In the Beneteau it's an all rubber fitting to cushion the shaft and with grooves to let cooling water through.

No visit to Titusville is complete without fudge at Harvey's - and also fresh grapefruit

Replacing the aft oil seal on the Volvo will be a separate event. That repair can be done in the water unlike the cutlass bearing replacement which requires a haulout. That procedure should be completed within a day so we'll still have the use of Fleetwing for overnight sleeping.

Our next door neighbor with a sunset - lots of friendly people here

It's been a busy fall for us, not like previous trips down the ICW. Hurricane Matthew really through a monkey wrench into the whole affair and we're still recovering from it. Everywhere down the ICW we see boats up on shore, even down by Titusville. It will take awhile to clean things up. In fact, we're still recovering from our own disaster with the dinghy line.

Sunday is a day off for us. We'll visit Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge, one of our favorite places and generally take it easy.

Titusville - Order parts and we see an alligator in the marina

Must be in a Florida marina, I see an alligator in the fairway

We took advantage of the usual $10/day weekend offer from Enterprise and picked up the car around noon. It's due back Monday at noon for a total cost with tax of about $40. Not all Enterprise offices have this offer but Titusville does. So we are now provisioned and did a wash in Titusville's new commercial grade washers and dryers ($1.50 for a wash and $0.75 for use of a dryer).

He's not all that big but big enough for Hoolie

Sitting on the back of the boat during lunch we saw a familiar sight in the water, an alligator. It wasn't a particularly big one, maybe 6 ft? Any size alligator is a threat to Hoolie so we keep him tight in the cockpit or below in the cabin. The alligator was moving very slowly through the fairway. Now we have a diver coming Saturday morning and I wonder what he thinks about being in the water with an alligator nearby.

The marina manager converted his office into an air conditioned Captain's Room for customers, great!

Meanwhile, we talked to the mechanic at the marina next door and  they have a travel-lift that easily handles Fleetwing. With that I ordered a new cutlass bearing to address the noise while rev'ing the engine in forward and I also ordered a new rear oil seal. The parts cost is modest, it's the labor and cost of hauling the boat that will be the major factor. We'll know more Saturday after the diver inspected the prop and shaft but I suspect we'll need to replace the cutlass bearing, it has 4400 hours on it anyway and suffered stress from the wrapped rope which had pits of cutlass bearing melted into the rope.

Another view of the Captain's Room

This will be the fourth time we've replaced the aft oil seal. They seem to last 1000 to 1500 hours at best before going bad. It seems to be a weak point with Volvo D2-55 engines. If all goes as expected, we'll haul the boat Wednesday and get the repairs done the same day (I even said that will a straight face...)