The view from the end of my driveway, photo at right, was anything but tropical a couple of weeks ago.
(Click the picture to see ice everywhere).
But today's high will be in the 50s and we had two days in the 70s last week.
So we are setting plans in motion. My brother Paul, from Memphis, and I will leave here about the middle of next month, bound for Beaufort, SC, by way of the Savannah River. We'll spend two nights at anchorages on the river then overnight in a marina at Thunderbolt, GA, near Savannah. The next day we'll go to Beaufort and overnight there, then trailer the boat back to Augusta. It should be a good trip.
Ms. Bettencourt has been getting a lot of attention in mechanical areas. The oil, oil filter and fuel filters have been changed. I have also gone over the battery charging and starting circuits, and have removed, cleaned and tightened connections from the alternator through the starter motor to the batteries. Dielectric grease was applied at all connections. One failing battery post connection was discovered and replaced.
My friend Major and I hauled her out of the water on the trailer a few days ago, marking the first time the boat has been out of the river since June. A thorough check of the underwater gear showed the prop, shaft, cutless bearing, zincs and rudder bearings are OK. The hull looked pretty good after a scrub down. Unfortunately, the topside area is not so good.
The boat is sitting on its trailer at the Ports Authority now, awaiting its turn for a slot under the shed, where there is sufficient shade to allow more cleaning, paint touch-up and some tedious work masking, sanding and re-varnishing cabin top grab rails.
If we can't get a commitment from the Ports Authority for a covered work space by Saturday, I think we'll re-launch and try to rig a canopy over the boat at my dock.
That could be a spectacle.
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