Chapter 2

I guess it's time for an update.  Many of our readers have stated that our last blog post read like a first chapter of a book. So for those readers here is chapter 2.  Let’s see, we last left off anchored in New Smyrna Beach awaiting the water level to drop for an increased bridge clearance.  That anchoring lasted about 3 days with high winds and rain, which of course brought more water and raised levels more.  During our time anchored we did get the refrigerator running and filled the water tanks with the new water maker.  After three days of working on the shaft leak, Kevin decided to place a call to Scorpion Marine in Port Canaveral.  This marina is where we had the boat hauled twice and their mechanic had installed the last primary and secondary shaft seal.  The results of this conversation ended with us scheduling to have the boat hauled out in 4 days, due to a possible bad cutlass bearing.  Friday morning we started heading back south down the ICW and 3 days later arrived in Port Canaveral to be hauled out the next morning.  Serena Rose was hauled Tuesday morning.  By 3:00 we received a call from the mechanic.  The bad news is we not only need new motor mounts, shafts seals and the cutlass bearing.  Now we need a new shaft, which consist of sending the old shaft off to have the new one made.  This will have her on the hard for almost 2 weeks.  We have two problems with this; a place to stay for that period of time and second issues is a freezer stocked for about 2 months worth of food that would not keep during this time.
With all this Kevin and I have decided to put the shaft back together, go back in the water tomorrow, have the four motor mounts replace and then go to St. Augustine.  We will stay there for three weeks, then back down to Port Canaveral and haul out again for two weeks.
I am inviting anyone who wants to come visit in St. Augustine to come for dinner.  We need to eat 2 months worth of food in a 3 week time period.
So Serena Rose and her crew will be departing Port Canaveral by this Friday and making our way to St. Augustine again. Fingers crossed for a safe journey.   Updates will come after we make St. Augustine, until then. Fair winds and happy sailing my friends.

We are attempting to make it to St. Augustine.

On September 30 Serena Rose and her crew left the safety of Waterline Marina.  It was late afternoon, so we planned to just go north of Pineda Causeway and anchor for the night, then venture on toward St. Augustine over the next 2-3 days.  Well that’s not happening.  Our first of many issues, is the high water in the ICW.  We have a mast height clearance of 64’ , if the bridge clearance is 63.5 we will scrap and bend out lightning rod, 63’ will break our anchor light off and 62.5’ will hit the top of the mast and we don’t wont to go there.  So! We bent our lighting rod over about 60 degree under Pineda Causeway and every bridge in Brevard county did not have any clearance markers on the south side of the bridges.  This was a nail biting experience.  We made it all the way to Daytona and stopped.  Since the hurricane, moon phase and high wind, the bridge clearance at low tide is 62.5’.  So now we are anchored in New Smyrna on the back side of the ICW across from the cut.  Our second problem is the main system for the refrigerator is not running and we have use a good amount of fresh drinking water to run it. Now if that’s not enough excitement for you.  On Sunday morning we pulled anchor around 7:30 and by 8:30 our bilge pump had gone off about 8 times.  So upon inspecting the engine room for leaks.  Kevin notice that two motor mount were broke and the engine is out of alignment, causing a steady leak off the shaft seal.  After stopping and anchoring twice to check it, we made it passed all the bridges and anchored north of the 528 causeway.  We debated turning around the next morning, but received a text and call from Melbourne stating with all the rain the night before the water level was up 2’.  So now we can’t go south either, until the water levels drop.  All and all this has probably been the worst four days of bad luck.   As I was typing this blog, Kevin called St. Augustine Marina to let them know we will be a few days late.  Now they state if we don’t make it by Sunday, then we can only stay a week and not the whole month.  This just can’t get any worse.  So here we sitting in New Smyrna inlet for the next three days to see if the water level goes down and then we will decided if we go North or South.

Summer Projects 2017

Summer 2017 Update
Since returning to Melbourne, Florida at the end of April, Kevin and I have been very busy.  Our main project for the summer was to redo the whole pilot house.  As most of you know, from visiting our boat.  She has a lot of wood and character.  The one aspect that is not appealing to Kevin and I is the steel frame and the ceiling material for the pilot house.  Over the years we have been constantly chasing small rust spots on the frame, well no more, we are tackling the whole frame, inside and out.  I can say that once we are finished, the pilot house will be 75% west system fill and 25% steel.  There are so many area’s where the rust was so bad that it was pushing the ceiling material up and out.   So after 3 months of working every day on her, we our proud to say she is done.  The only thing left to do is replace the cushions.  That will be on the list for next summer.  Since we spend so much time up there while cruising, the cushions need to be more comfortable.  The original seats were made with the idea of an open cockpit, exposed to the weather.  With the pilot house sealed in and waterproof, we can have nice comfy seats.  The first set of photos is the old rusted out frame work and rotted wood trim. The second set is the new nice rust and root free pilot house.
For a cruising update.  We will be leaving Melbourne at the end of September, heading to St. Augustine for the holidays.  Our son David and his family are planning a trip to come visit and let the boys hang with us for a few days.  We are very excited about that.  Some time in December we will start making our way to the Bahamas.  I would like to make it to Juganu in Green Turtle on New Years, then just keep heading south.
Once we head out, I will start posting weekly updates.  Fair winds and Happy sailing my friends.