Still in Georgetown, SC waiting on parts for repair... have the parts lined up and being shipped on Thursday and to us on Friday... :)

I decided to get a jump on the repairs and things disassembled and ready for the new coupling to be installed... I was worried about tow things... how easy the shaft would be to slide backwards in order to get the coupling off and also if I was going to need a gear puller to remove the coupling from the prop shaft... I found the prop shaft moved easily back with the help a small crowbar... very little effort required. I loosened the two bolts securing the shaft and the coupling and used a small tack hammer to tap on it... surprisingly it moved back with very easily and slipped right off the shaft.... less than an hour and I had everything apart and ready for the new coupling to be installed... fingers crossed that it goes back together as easily... :)

Just need to located a place to buy some wire to use to tie/lock the bolts after I put them back in... should be a hardware store someplace here in Georgetown.

Trip totals to date:

Distance: 946.11 nautical miles
Hours: 151 hours 26 minutes
Avg Spd: 6.25 knots
Days not moving:6

Not moving today... we did have a visitor knock on the boat this morning... Georgetown City Police visited... asked how long we had been at the dock and explained we were not suppose to be staying here for extended period... I explained the situation and that we were disabled and unable to move. I told him that we had the required part ordered and waiting for it to arrive... he said I should visit City Hall and explain our situation and that he was sure they city would work something out with us.

After breakfast I headed to City Hall... was told it was two blocks away... two blocks was more like 10 blocks but an easy walk... :) I explained our situation to a lady in the administration office and she left and talked to someone... not sure who but came back with... No problem for us to stay at the dock until we could get the boat fixed... and that they would let the Police department know it was ok... also that we could stay on the dock at no charge... FREE!

We made arrangements with a bar and grill... Buzz' Roost to have our part shipped to them... they were more than happy to do this for us... even gave us a 10% discount for eating there... they were super nice!

So we have the part ordered and being shipped overnight to us on Thursday... it should arrive to us on Friday and depending on the time it arrives Friday... we'll be back underway Saturday or Sunday.

Trip totals to date:

Distance: 946.11 nautical miles
Hours: 151 hours 26 minutes
Avg Spd: 6.25 knots
Days not moving: 5

Not moving today... sitting in Georgetown, SC due to the shaft coupling issue that we discovered yesterday... update on this issue is... the company that makes the couplings makes them per order... so you place and order they make and ship it... soonest one will be available to ship will be Thursday the 17th... hopefully it can be shipped overnight to our location so it will arrive to us on Friday and repaired on Saturday and be back underway on Sunday... kills our goals of making it back to Florida for Thanksgiving but it is what it is.

Option 2... continue ahead on one engine... slower and tougher to maneuver the boat but we would be making progress... still would not make it back to Florida by Thanksgiving as it would take us longer due to the slower speed and traveling with one engine does pose a safety issue... a lot of places ahead of that have some strong currents... Georgia has water depth issues and take the chance of damaging our one good engine's running gear... actually the port engine has a bad wheel (propeller) from the steel rebar that we picked up in the Delaware Bay... weighing al of these issues makes option 2 not a real good choice.

So, for now we are sitting in Georgetown. SC till we can get the new coupling and installed.

Trip totals to date:

Distance: 946.11 nautical miles
Hours: 151 hours 26 minutes
Avg Spd: 6.25 knots
Days not moving: 4