Dead In the Water...Literally (June, 2022)

In which we make plans and God laughs.

Launch day began with promise. I got Wordle in two guesses! (MANOR, for those who care.) That was the high point.

Jim was feeling a bit under the weather so took our time checking out of the hotel. After all, our splash was set for noon and the Perseverance was as ready as we could get her. I gave Davi a call to see when Davi and Lauren would be down. Davi informed me they were pretty booked up so decided to delay until later when they could help us shuttle cars between Marinette and Escanaba. They sounded sad to miss the launch spectacle but they can be more help once we get to Escanaba anyhow. Jim decided to go by Walgreen's and get a COVID test just to be on the safe side.

When we got to the barn, Ron the mechanic was in the engine room working furiously on the final installation of the alternator. Jim decided it was a good time to run some additional air hose for the new compressor since most of the access panels were already off for the wiring project. This involved both of us getting into some pretty tight and awkward spots. The job was a success and no one got hurt though I had a pretty serious laughing attack trying to heave myself posterior-first from the cubby under the dash into the void of the spiral staircase. Sorry, no photos.

The 50-Ton travel lift showed up right on time, driven by Mark who ALWAYS looks very happy with his job. He and his partner got us quickly and expertly down to the water and gave us a chance to do last minute bottom painting before they splashed her into the well.

In she went and there she stayed. The winds were stiff all throughout the upper Great Lakes, so

much so that a long-anticipated cruise ship decided to bypass Houghton-Hancock and head straight to Thunder Bay to avoid having to maneuver in tight spaces. We too made a strategic decision to spend the night (on our boat!) in the launch well and hope the wind died down by morning.

Meanwhile, further shake-out tests could be performed right there. The new Relion LiFePO4 starting batteries got their first test. It had to crank a couple seconds but then the Cummins diesel roared to life...followed quickly by the unearthly screeching of a slipping belt. Still need to make some adjustments to the new alternator,

Men disappeared into the engine room and I got busy on other tasks. Soon I was summoned to a meeting below decks. It was not (mainly) about the alternator. Instead, everyone was staring at the gray steel box in the aft most position of the engine room. This is our water lift exhaust. How it works is, that steel box contains a few inches of lake water through which the diesel exhaust bubbles on its way out the exhaust pipe. It's a common type of system. It seems when Ron returned to the engine room after the start-up test he was greeted by a jet of water shooting out the front of the water lift exhaust all the way to the front of the engine room. For those of you unfamiliar with boats, this is never a good thing.

Ron and Jim poked around, literally, investigating the problem. That's when one of them poked a thumbnail through the front of the steel box making a second hole. It appears that parts of this once sturdy steel box are now made mostly of paint. That is bad.

Everyone agreed to take a break to think about what just happened. The mechanic to consult knowledgeable sources on the internet, the boat owners to sigh a bit and consult our buddy Rick. We reconvened to discuss what everyone had learned and all agreed

to sleep on it and try to make a plan tomorrow. One thing is crystal clear. We won't be starting the engine anytime soon because that would be a good way to sink. But, today wasn't done with us. Just as we were winding down Jim got an email from Walgreen's. He tested positive! That's the cherry on top of a poop sundae.

I have no plan...other than to buy a bottle of wine right away...and hoist the quarantine flag.

At least we launched in May...