Phase 3: Complete

I successfully dragged the trailer home! I was pretty worried the whole time I was on the road.  I almost got stuck in a motel parking lot. A little extra gas got the trailer to jump the curb. The lane was really narrow. I've never towed anything that big or that heavy before, but my little CR-V rose to the task. Even making it the last two miles to the house in the middle of a snow storm (with lots of thanks to my neighbor, Doug). 
I'm home for about 2 weeks. Getting my taxes done tomorrow (3/20/2017). That's always fun. I've got several doctors appointments to attend to. But, the boat is never far from my mind. While I'm here, the same guy that installed the GPS antenna and the auxiliary bilge pump will be installing a Garmin radar set and a board on which I can mount my little outboard motor. I want to mount the outboard on the big boat so that I won't have to tow the dinghy with the motor clamped on.
I've been trying to get this update posted since yesterday. But, I keep getting interrupted. This last interruption was good news. The radar is on-board as is the motor mount for my little outboard. Progress!

On left: Radome on mast  Center: Outboard on swim rails  Right Outboard from above

Click for bigger pictures.

I'm still on schedule to fly to Pensacola on Tuesday (3/28/2017).

Wrapping Up Phase 3

As I said in a recent post, some ups and some downs. This past week has been mostly up. Several loads have been taken off my mind.
One "load off" was getting the trailer registered so that I could tow it back to WV. Paperwork back and forth, long waits between communication, and a request for even more paperwork had me pretty nervous. But, the plate finally arrived. Whew!
Another "load off" involved getting the dinghy registered. I called the DMV and asked what would be required. They said, "Driver's license, Bill of Sale, and Manufacturer's Statement of Origin." Contacted the business that I bought it from, they had been really nice resolving an issue with a broken part, and requested the BoS and the MSO. They emailed it to me and I went to the DMV. They have an automated queueing system that sends text alerts, first approximate wait time 2.5 hours. I went and did some shopping and returned after several text alerts. Finally got to talk to the DMV agent and after nearly an hour and several visits by her to her boss, my application was rejected. The BoS needs to be on business letterhead and they didn't like the MSO that I had presented. Multiple hours-long phone calls and multiple emails (one email included the advice that I should go back to the agent and "be more assertive"), I got a BoS on letterhead and an official MSO from the manufacturer. I went back through all the DMV hassle and finally got the dinghy registered. Whew!
One of my early concerns with the boat is that it only came with one bilge pump. The way that the cockpit is engineered, any water that comes in the boat (rain, spray, wash down) goes directly to the bilge. In a severe rain, water pours into the cockpit. I found a marine electrician and he was here yesterday. So, now I have a second bilge pump. Should the first one fail, I, hopefully, won't sink! He also mounted my new little GPS antenna on the roof of the cabin. Good times! He is also going to send me an estimate for installing a radar system. That's going to be expensive!
A couple of days ago, the weather was really nice and the kids next door were on their boat. I invited them out for a little cruise. We spent a pleasant hour or so out. We cruised by the Oyster Bar, where my friend Kasia works. I texted her and she came out and snapped some pictures as we cruised by.

Cruising on a sunny afternoon

Still More Phase 3

Sunday (2/26/2017) was a really good day. Aside from being sunny, warm, and windless, I got lots done on the boat. I spent some time on general housecleaning. I also drove the spikes into the pilings near the boat so that I could re-tie all the lines. I was not able to easily cast off and tie back up. So, the spikes and some new dock lines got me squared away on that. My neighbor, Jackson Jr., came over and helped me with the mast. The halyard on the mast was wrapped in electrical tape to keep it from flapping around. I took the mast down, unwrapped the tape and attached the AGLCA burgee.

Now, I'm letting everybody who knows what it means what my intent is. I also took down the canvas covers on the windows.
It took some doing, but I made ready for a short cruise. One of the RVers here asked if I would mind taking him out for a short spin. I asked him if he would mind giving me a hand on getting a couple of things done. We agreed to the spin and the assist. We untied and headed out on the intra-coastal. I needed to fuel up and empty the waste tank. I hadn't done either. Holiday Harbor Marina is just a half mile away, so that's where we headed. They provide both fuel and pump out services.
Mission accomplished, we headed out for a cruise. My new friend, Dennis, is a retired Sheriff. We chatted and took in the sights along the waterway. After an hour or so, we headed back. I was able to pull into the slip without too much problem, Dennis manned the lines and my neighbor, Amy, Jackson's mom, threw lines for the bow. Pretty cool.
Unfortunately, during our brief cruise, I found that the GPS couldn't locate any navigation satellites. I spent a good part of the day yesterday on the phone with Garmin and with downloading and uploading the latest software updates. All to no avail.
Today, I went to register the dinghy thinking that I had all the right paperwork. After several hours of waiting and another hour with a DMV clerk, it was determined that I didn't have the right paperwork. So, I just got finished writing to the distributor of the dinghy. We'll see how that turns out. On the bright side, while I was on that side of town I went to West Marine and bought an external antenna for the GPS. When I got back to the boat a hooked it up the GPS was suddenly able to find a dozen satellites. I'm not sure why it quit finding satellites, but I guess if the antenna solves the problem...
Now I need to mount it permanently to the boat.
Some ups, some downs, but still on track for an April 1 departure.

More Phase 3

I just realized that after I got the cockpit enclosed, I didn't post any pictures of what it looks like. So, here it is.

I may have mentioned that it is not completely weather-proof. But, when there is a breeze it is calm inside. When there is a bit of rain, it stays dry. And, when it is cold, my little heater warms the space up quite nicely.

Phase 3 Continues to Continue

This time last year, I didn't own any boats. Now, I own two! I finally got the seat installed correctly. It took a couple of tries. Each try required deflating one of the cells and then re-inflating it. Not an easy task. At any rate, I carried it off of the finger dock and down on to the sandy beach. That's 55 pounds of awkwardness. But, I got it in the water and rowed it around a bit. Yay, it floats.
I had the motor unboxed and mostly put together the other day. There were still a couple of prep items that needed to be done. And yesterday, I went out and got a gas can, some 2 cycle oil, and gas. I did the final prep and mounted the motor on the back of the dinghy. It only took a few pulls and it started right up. I ran it up and down the little channel between the beach and the pilings that make up the docks. It doesn't have a keel, so it is a little difficult to control.  But, as I said the dinghy floats and the motor pushes. It was a good day!

Phase 3 Continues

Oh my! I've been here a month already. Sorry for not posting and not keeping you up-to-date. I'll try to do better in the future.
I've been keeping pretty busy, but there is still so much to do. It's been a bit of a roller coaster ride with a bunch of ups and downs.
I bought the dinghy that I'd been looking at on Amazon. It arrived, but had a broken piece on the seat board. I contacted the manufacturer through Amazon and, after sending them pictures of the broken part, they replaced the part.
Back in October, I bought a battery operated lantern. It uses rechargeable batteries that are recharged through a USB port. It was great, lots of light, easy to recharge. That is until the USB connection melted. I gave the lantern a 2 star review on Amazon. A couple of days later I get an email from the manufacturer telling me that the lantern has a 5 year warranty and asking if I'd like a replacement. It should be here today.
Also arriving today, a 2.5 HP outboard for the dinghy. I haven't had the dinghy in the water, yet. So, I'm looking forward to getting the outboard and doing a little "sea trial".
I'll need to get the dinghy registered. I also need to figure out how to mount the outboard on my boat while we're under way. I need to change the oil on the boat's diesel. Much to do before I head back to West Virginia in mid-March.
Other than that, I've been subbing in the Escambia County schools. That gets me up and out every once in awhile. The park that I'm in is kind of fun, too. On Saturday mornings, there is breakfast in the park's recreation room, 3 pancakes, 3 sausages, 3 dollars. Thursday evening happy hours are followed by bingo. Party on!
I've also made a friend here. We went out to Brother's BBQ the other night. On Fridays, the special is fried catfish. It's a favorite of mine and Kasia (new friend) had never had catfish. I'm proud to say that I made a fan. We also went out to brunch and a local farmer's market/street fair in downtown Pensacola. Fun times!
The slip that my boat is tied into is right on the Intra-Coastal Waterway. There is a lot of barge traffic going by just yards away. Fortunately, I'm in a "No Wake Zone". Below is an example. It's a tug towing a construction crane and another barge. It also has a tug tied onto the stern of the second barge. The second tug is staffed and ready to help steer around some of the more difficult turns.

Phase 3 In Progress

I got the house closed up on Thursday. I needed to winter-proof it, that is clear the refrigerator, freezer, wine cooler, and secure the water pipes. Draining the hot water tank proved to be a real trial. That delayed the start of the road trip to Pensacola by nearly three hours.
After the late start and nine hours on the road, I stopped for the night at a Days Inn. I had a good night's sleep and a shower and it was on the road again. Another six hours got me Pensacola and Jolly Rogers Marine Services. They are the folks that painted the bottom and also created the enclosure for the stern section of the boat. They offered to trailer the boat over to Galvez Landing (a local launch spot) and get me going.
Of course, we got the boat in the water and it wouldn't start. It took some doing, but we got it jump started. A quick jaunt across the Intracoastal Waterway and I was in my temporary home. It took a massive effort to get tied in, but fortunately the guy who owns the sailboat next to me rose to the task. Secure!
Not long after tying in, I discovered the the dock is a bit too high for my little boat. Ever seen a walrus beach itself? That's what I had to do to get on the dock from the boat. Belly flop? Fortunately, no pictures or videos are known to exist.
Friday was a long day! But, I got a lot accomplished. Last week, long before leaving Mathias, I went to Walmart and bought a foam mattress pad, some new sheets, and clips to hold the sheets in place. I deployed said pad and sheets and slept quite comfortably. When last I was here, the nights were a little uncomfortable.
This morning, after sleeping late, I went and had a shower. On the way over to the bathhouse, I stopped to chat with one of the RVers living here at the resort. He said that we were about to get hit with some really bad weather. We chatted for another moment and I went on for my shower. By the time I showered and dressed, the storm had started. I was soaked all over again on the walk to the boat.
Once the rain let up a little bit, I had a visitor.