Wednesday May 25 – forever???
Daytona Beach is a neat place! Connie drove me to her drive in church on our way to Ace Hardware and Publix for groceries. Imagine this….. Everyone pulls up at the appointed time, in their car, with the A/C cranked up, and they tune into the designated radio station. They can run into the fellowship hall for coffee and Krispee Creme donuts, and drop the kids off for Sunday School. The minister steps out on the balcony in front of all the cars, the choir behind him start singing, and the service begins every Sunday! Cool!
After loading up with groceries, Connie drove down the ramp onto the white sands of Daytona Beach. This is not the speedway, 10mph is the limit. Their was not much room between the sunbathers by the water and the cars cruising the beach. Neat to be there. My college roommate and I had driven on the beach during spring break, a long time ago.
After stowing our groceries and supplies, Connie drove us to see the Snow White House near her home. Now run by the Daytona Art Museum, the cottage was built in 1938 as a replica of the 7 dwarfs’ house in the Disney movie. I had read about the cottage, and it was great to see it.
After lunch, it was a go or no go decision. The alternator was charging the batteries while we were tied up at the dock. Go or not? We filled up with diesel and left by 2pm. The long story, short, is that we were back 3 hours later. The alternator stopped charging after a few miles going north. The good news is that We kept the motor running when we got back to the Marina, so Dave had a better idea of what was wrong. There was a burned out insulator in the alternator. Jim called Balmar on the West coast, and the discussion began as to what to do next.
My job during all of this was to go to the Marina office to pay for another night. We were tied up to the high concrete wall at the Marina.
I never made it to the office. I fell backwards, trying to get off the boat. Smashed the back of my head on the cabin, scraped the back of my arm on something, lost my shoe overboard (it was retrieved), and smacked my butt on the combing. I was seeing pink, as I curled up on the cockpit cushion to recover. I tell my kids that I am like a dryer sheet, I bounce. Well padded in places, but not on the back of my head.
Thursday. Spent the day with ice packs in stay still to recover mode.
Dave came to work on the boat. A part has been ordered from Seattle, and it is being overnighted here.
Meanwhile a tropical depression is brewing in the Bahamas.
When will we ever leave? Stay tuned!