Packing for Charleston

My friend Major and I will haul Ms. Bettencourt tomorrow and trailer her over to his house for loading and final checks before departure. We plan to leave about 0900 Tuesday and to return Saturday.

Notable events since the last post include replacement of both 12V batteries, one of which was 8 years old and the other 7. They still worked, but why take chances?

I also replaced the push-button intermittent switches on the dash that control the engine glow plugs and the horn. And, since I was into the electrical panel, I also replaced skimpy 18 gage wiring in the glow plug circuit with 8 gage wire. That change has made a BIG difference. Before the re-wiring, a cold start might require 30 to 45 seconds of glow plug current. Now, I'm consistently getting strong starts in 15 seconds.

Did I mention the horn? Oh yes, I not only replaced the horn button and the wiring, but also the whole danged under-powered electric squeaker.

I found a neat single-trumpet air horn on Amazon for an irresistible price. It came with a little compressor that  fit nicely under the dash. It is now possible to hear Ms. Bettencourt a mile away.









So here's the plan for this cruise: We will trailer to Beaufort, SC, launch the boat at Lady's Island and spend the night in the Beaufort Downtown Marina.

At Ms. Bettencourt's 6-knot cruise speed, it's an 11-hour run up the ICW from Beaufort to Charleston. So we will be leaving Beaufort before sunup Wednesday, running a few hours in the dark so as to arrive in Charleston Harbor about dusk.

Major will conn the vessel while I start the 1000-watt Honda generator and fire up the microwave for coffee and a power breakfast.

Meanwhile, Ms. B is scrubbed down, fully fueled, ready to haul out and roll. The weather forecast appears to be promising. It should be a good trip.