That’s an old saying about a boat because they require constant maintenance but sometimes things get old and need more care than usual. Our 24 year old boat has decided that she needs some extra love, all at once.
First was a leaking, slow flushing head (toilet) that required replacing a 10 ft hose and new connecting pieces. But the head smell is still coming from under the settee so the search for other places air can escape but fortunately not liquids continues.
When we left Marathon the boat seemed to be having a great time finally getting to move again. The original plan was to stop and anchor at Rodriquez Key for the first night but the winds were perfect so we decided to keep on sailing. The next morning we turned on the motor and steam or white smoke was coming out of the exhaust. John changed the impeller but only a little improvement. And of course the temperature gauge stopped working. We stopped at North Palm Beach Safe Harbor Marina for a couple of days to catch our breath and have a real bathroom. The next hop was to Ft Pierce, a really nice marina where we had the engine looked at by a Westerbeke expert. The good news was that the white was steam (not good) but not smoke (really bad). He told us the engine needed a new water pump. Hmmm the current one wasn’t that old but a new pump was put on. Then we left taking the ICW for 3 days to St Augustine. Mischief had more steam coming out than before. Huh? In St Augustine another Westerbeke expert came scratched his head because the now working temperature gauge did not show overheating, but there was not enough water cooling the engine. He flushed the heat exchanger, which looked clear but obviously wasn’t because a lot of gunk came out. The engine is working well but the temperature gauge has stopped working again, It’s always something and at least we have a spare water pump now. Oh yeah we also lost the upper batten for our mainsail. The velcro wore out and it went flying. Another something to repair/replace.
In St Augustine Mischief had new windless installed. The old one worked but sometimes acted up. Since we’re planning on anchoring out a lot it was a worthy upgrade for the peace of mind.
The expenses added up fast in a short period of time. They say to budget at least 10% a year for maintenance/repairs/upgrades. We were lucky for a 1 1/2 years with hardly any cost. Well we are back on track plus some. But it’s all worth it.
In St Augustine the old town was an easy walk across the bridge from our marina. The St Augustine Distillery and San Sebastián Winery had fun tours and tastings. Better yet they didn’t care if you showed up more than once!
Adventures of Mischief 