April 19

As you can surmise the boat has given up……for now.  I was out in some lovely waters after leaving St. Marks with a beautiful sunrise (See April 18), and  things were going well.   About two hours in the trip, I was able to open both sails and get excellent speed.  I shut the engine off and sailed for about an hour until the wind started to die.  I restarted the engine and it began to cough like it had a bad case of TB.  I tweaked a few things but could not resolved the problem.  I replaced the air filter again, checked the water fuel separator, and looked for other problems.  No luck.  The engine finally died without the ability to restart.  I did everything to troubleshoot so if you are thinking “did you do this”, my answer would be yes.  I was about 28 miles from Steinhatchee.  The weather and water remained perfect, but the wind was diminishing.  On any other day that might be welcome, but I went from 7 knots under sail to 3 in a short period of time, and then nothing.  

The concern I had for the last hour was I had no cell service.  No worries, I had Elon as a plan B (Starlink), and the Coast Guard as plan C on channel 16 of the VHF radio.  I was not alone.

I called BoatUS.  Best insurance I ever had.  So nice and helpful.  The person on the other end asked for my Longitude and Latitude and informed me that they would come get me within 25 miles.  A short pause later she informed me that I was 24.5 miles from Steinhatchee and someone would be out to get me, I was completely covered by my insurance, and wished me luck.  If you have a boat, join BoatUS, it is worth every penny.

About 2 hours later, the radio call from the captain of the TowBOATUS came up and he instructed me how to hook when he arrived in a few minutes.  During the time I waited for him I made phone calls to the marina, talked to a mechanic who felt it was fixable, and decided that I would be delayed an extra day or two but I would continue.  Just then I got a sign from elsewhere which told me “now just a minute”.  All my instruments went black just then.  I had major electrical problems.  Corrosion from all that dunking in the water is the probable cause.  

I honestly think it was Mittie watching over me to tell me that it was time to take a long break, take Gnarly back home, go see mom, and then come back at another time.  I agree Mittie. She was always right about these things.  When I wanted to go until I dropped, she always touched me on the shoulder and told me it was time to stop.  That is exactly what she did this time.

So, I went into my crisis mode which make me put all the pieces together, called the marina back and told them I would be there for a few days longer and wanted to know if that was OK.  I called a trucker friend in Houston and asked if he would consider coming to pick me up with my trailer.  He got right back with me and said he would do it if  I would help him fix his boat.  What a deal!  He will be here Saturday.

I will go back to Galveston, and then go visit my mother for a few days, and then go by car to visit Mittie’s parents.  Both are very important to me.

Also, as I was tying my boat up last night, those nice people from St. Marks showed up.  There one engine still broken, they will be here through the weekend to get it fixed.  I rented a golf cart and I am going to make the best of this stay by exploring Steinhatchee Florida.  Apparently this is the world capital of scallop harvesting.

Don’t be sad for me because this trip will continue at some point down the line.  When it does, I will send emails out to each of you so you can continue to follow.

This is not the end of my celebration of Mittie’s life, but the beginning.  She always wanted me to live large, enjoy, and celebrate.  She will always be with me.  There will never be anyone like her in my life again, and she can never be replaced, but I will always thank her for making me who I am, and supporting my hair-brained adventures.  She would have loved the beauty I saw on this trip, but would have hated the struggles.  She especially would not want her lovely Gnarly to be at risk, and I promised I would not do that.  So the trip ends for now.  But please stay tuned and stay in touch.  You have my card, my email address, and phone number. (picture)

I love you all, and thanks for loving Mittie.  She cherished each and every one of you!

I LOVE YOU MITTIE!!!