Days 210-212

Sunday Jan 18-Tuesday Jan 20th

Pensacola, FL

SUNDAY

We woke up to a brisk 34 degrees this morning, but the rain had finally moved on and the sun made a welcome appearance. A perfect day to get to work. We spent the day giving the boat a much-needed deep clean, inside and out, including the back deck. The dust from the fiberglass repair had settled everywhere! Add in a parade of mechanics, weeks of rain, and salty air, and the boat was definitely ready for some TLC.

That evening, we met up with Eddie and Karen from Windsor Rose for dinner. It was so great to reconnect with fellow Loopers—it had been way too long!

MONDAY

After running a few errands, we spent several hours at the Pensacola Naval Air Museum—and wow, what an experience! Jeff could have happily stayed all day 😁.

Later, we moved the boat from the transient dock to a T-dock so we’d have easy access to water. Tomorrow’s mission: power washing the boat.

TUESDAY

Jeff tackled the power washing today while I finished sewing zippers onto the replacement cording that slides into the channel for the new isinglass. Once that’s done, we’ll remove the old channel, install the new one, and voilà—new isinglass! Then I’ll move on to the front panels.

The mechanic returned to finish up the turbocharger on the port engine. While I was off returning the rental car, the plan was for them to take the boat out for a sea trial. I came back full of optimism… only to be disappointed. The port engine ran beautifully, but the starboard engine wouldn’t stay running. They suspect it needs a new fuel pump. UGH!

Not sure how long it will take to get the part, so stay tuned. Thankfully, we’re not in a rush—the weather hasn’t been cooperating for a Gulf crossing anyway. One step at a time!