Electrical Gremlins Lead at the End of the First Quarter; Admiral Plans Tough Schedule; Captain Mutinies

Well, if that title doesn't grab your attention, I don't know what will.

After a sleepless Friday night at Turner Marine on the Dog River off Mobile Bay, I got busy disconnecting batteries and trying to get the two old ones out.

Right. They each weigh 100 pounds and you have to lie on your stomach across the house batteries and lift them doing a curl with no leverage point because there is zero headroom in the lazarette. I might have been able to do that at 40 but not two months shy of 75.

I enlisted Joey, a friendly liveaboard from the boat behind me--a very nice guy my age. But it turns out that two times not much is still not much. However, Joey knew a guy. . . The guy Joey knew is living on a boat on the hard that he is completely refurbishing--inside and out. And, Chad Bowles, that guy, not only was strong like a bull but also works as a marine engineer for Cummins who manufactured our engine and generator. Small world.

Together, Chad and I got the old batteries out and the new ones in (to say he did more than half of the lifting would be an understatement). He then went topsides and chatted up the Admiral while I connected the cables. By the time I was done she was making him coffee and only later remembered that I might want some too. Charming guy had already worked his spell!

Chad grew up in Mobile, the grandson of a marina owner whom he adored. He flew helicopters in the army, designed engines for the Navy, worked for Cummins, worked for Caterpillar from where he retired and now again for Cummins. We chatted for a long while about Mobile, the Gulf Coast, the boat he's rebuilding (a Manchester Trawler), and the inland rivers. Then he invited us to go with him to downtown Mobile for dinner. We met again at 5:30 and he drove us to Wintzell's Oyster House, a locals' favorite. We started with a sampler of four different kinds of cooked oysters--they were to die for. They were so good, in fact, that both the Admiral and I went on to have fried oysters for dinner. Following that success, Chad drove us around historic Mobile pointing out the sites--a great end to an evening with a brand new friend.

Yesterday morning, we left Turner Marine at a reasonable hour, negotiated the towboat, barge, container ship and tanker traffic in the ship channel, and then at Mobile Light headed off across Mobile Bay about 15 miles to the Gulf ICW and a beautiful ride that included the Gulf Shore National Seashore. That was our kind of cruising. But for---the electrical gremlins. Exiting the Dog River from Turner Marine, Jackie turned off the generator and that tripped the ACR circuit breaker. Until I reset it, no nav equipment, no power steering, no engine data, no lights, really not much of anything. I reset it quickly and off we went with everything working fine. Until. . . we decided to stop for fuel at the Wharf Marina on the ICW. Using the thrusters to dock--you guessed it, tripped the ACR breaker. With the dock to the side, a rip rap wall behind us, a boat in front, and a moderate breeze, you scramble quickly to get down into the lazarette, crawl forward to the bulkhead, reset the breaker, and get back to the helm. After fueling, off we went again, everything working fine, and then Jackie heated soup in the microwave: another ACR breaker incident. Houston, we have a problem.

On top of all that, in order to make a weather window to cross the Gulf, the Admiral had scheduled Monday and Tuesday as hundred+ mile days to get from Pensacola to Panama City to Carabelle and then a nearly 200 mile day from up the Carabelle River to deep inside Clearwater Harbor--across the Gulf. To be fair, that was the best she could do given the weather window for the Gulf and the very limited availability of transient marina slips due to the combination of hurricane damage and much heavier than usual Looper traffic. Leaving aside our electrical problems, I lay awake most of last night worrying about the hundred mile days in the ICW where no wake zones and other traffic can slow your progress dramatically. And, I really worried about the 200 mile day crossing the Gulf because I knew we'd have to leave in the dark and probably arrive in the dark--both in areas brand new to us and the arrival littered with crab pots.

Nonetheless, I pried myself out of bed this morning at 3:45 to prepare for departure. Those who know me well know that that time of day is when I do my best thinking. Not necessarily in order of importance, here's what I concluded:

• Most importantly, this trip was supposed to be fun. We've had some challenges and still had great fun. But it wasn't feeling at all fun right now.

• We have a serious, undiagnosed electrical problem and, I worry, for example, that one of these times the ACR breaker won't reset--potentially leaving us in a dangerous situation.

• Pensacola has a number of good, accessible marinas and boat yards--help is available. Shouldn't we take advantage of it?

• Going east from here, it becomes less developed with fewer marinas. What if?

• Is it really even possible to make the two, one hundred plus mile days on the ICW and, if we did, do we really want a third day with a two hundred mile trip to cross the Gulf?

• Finally, and I hate to admit it, I'm physically, emotionally, and mentally exhausted. That's never stopped me before but there's always a first time.

Conclusion: MUTINY!

I woke the Admiral up, offered my resignation, and prepared to walk the plank.

Seriously, I suggested that we find a yard to get the electrical work and some other boat maintenance done, fly to Maine for an extended holiday season, and return to the boat to pick up our Great Loop the second week of January after the Admiral's long planned round of appointments in Maine. And, when we return, to turn over a new leaf of fewer boat problems, shorter days, time at beautiful anchorages, and minimal schedule.

The Admiral fine tuned these ideas but, as I expected, she totally agreed.

Since the wee hours of the morning, we've moved the boat to Pensacola Marine Services where we've met with the manager and lined up the work. We did encounter more ACR breaker trips along the way. We've made reservations for the Admiral, Bosun and me to fly to Bangor Wednesday evening. And the Admiral has talked our son Sam into going to our house in Maine Wednesday morning to organize Thanksgiving Day Dinner for his family and ours (oh boy says the bosun, beef Wellington).

How this all turns out, of course, remains to be seen but, not so secretly, we're relieved to have stepped off what had become a bit of a treadmill. We have lots to look forward to in the next five weeks: Thanksgiving with Sam and his family, Christmas with the whole tribe, holiday celebrations with old friends and hopefully a bit of skiing.

And, I already can't wait to be back on Katahdin in January!