From Brunswick GA
David Schramm
It has been a while and I’ve been busy. I had three major projects that needed to be completed while in a slip. First, I picked up my motorcycle and drove it down from Detroit to Laura’s home in Florida to register it and also get my residency changed from Tennessee. I stopped to see Derek, Heather and the grandkids in Nashville on the way down and also stopped at Heather’s parents and my Cousin Chris’s home. So, the trip was broken up nicely. It was great to see all of them. When I got back to Jenny, I had to mount it on the roof so I could take it everywhere. But first, I needed to sell the old dinghy and buy a new one. The fabric was coming apart on the old one from severe barnacle damage that happened in Cartagena. And while the motor was going strong, it was unlikely that it would be repairable if anything did. Both are 15 years old. I actually priced it too low and had a bidding war going on! That was a big surprise. West Marine had the dinghy I wanted on sale and Mercury had just come out with a 20 hp outboard that weighed as little as last year’s 15 hp model. So, I ordered them.
Meanwhile, the new NovaKool refrigerator arrived and I installed it. It has been working like a charm in 90+ degree weather for a month now and I have no complaints. I took the original DC wires to a solenoid and then ran a short stretch of 10 gauge wire from big battery leads through the solenoid to the refrigerator. I also ran the old wire to the deep freezer through the solenoid. So, now there is plenty of current going to both. The old run back from the master panel was just too long for the load.
Then the new dinghy came and I had to move the pads to get it mounted on the roof correctly. It is bigger overall than the old one and with a deeper V. With the pads moved just a bit it actually sits better than the old one did. Then the hardware for the motorcycle tie downs came and I installed them. It was a chore because they had to be through bolted. The motorcycle goes up easier than the dinghy and is really secure. I also got a new 4D battery for the bow thruster. The old one got beaten up on the way up from Colombia and shorted out. So all that is done.
Tomorrow Chris and Rene come with their 3 boys for a few days on Jenny. We’re going out to the ocean where we will swim and I’ll dive on the bottom. It is long overdue for a cleaning. Then we will go to Fernandina Beach where we’ll drop the motorcycle and go retrieve their car. I plan on anchoring out there for a while. I’ve been to the town before and it is much nicer and more active than either Brunswick or St. Marys. There are manatees here and lots of yummy crabs, but the town is dead. I’ve already met a really nice guy there and I’m hoping to meet some more people there.
It sure is hot here now. But, since it is almost August already I’m planning on hanging around here until October and then start working down to the keys and up to the Sarasota Tampa area for November and December. No firm plans after that yet.
David A Schramm
M/V Jenny