Keyswench After BLUE MAX ADVENTURES: 2002 - 4/17 - 4/29

Naples skyline at sunset
The Gulf is always so unpredictable as I’ve experienced its wrath many times in the past. I wasn’t looking forward to cruising it for the next 100 miles or so. Wayne put the booms out (no fish) ‘just in case’. Once past the rain, it became very calm and flat. This is one of those “good news/bad news” deals. Remember the saying “the calm before the storm”? Well, believe it. We had a light supper at 7pm while it was calm and light out. I took the first watch at 10pm. It was a gorgeous night. Stars shining - relatively flat seas - oldies playing on the radio - glass of wine and I wasn’t cold. Ahhhh... I think it was about 10 or 11 when the wind kicked up to 15-20 knots - waves went from a mild chop to 2-4 footers, all on our beam. I started by putting a towel around me but finally had to get my windbreaker with the hood & towel over my legs. The wind was howling which made it even scarier in the dark. No problem, I can do this. From Naples to Marco I must have seen at least 50 fishing boats anchored in a line about 9 miles off to our starboard. I love to fish too, but not that badly. The Ft Myers to Key West Ferryboat was all lit up and passed about a mile on the starboard side, but other than that, it was a quiet watch. I let Wayne sleep past the 4-hour shift time & he woke on his own about 1am. I was really glad to see him but he chastised me saying I'm not supposed to go past the 4 hr shift. (I thought I was being nice) We reviewed the course & way points - chatted a little. I couldn’t wait to crawl under the blanket as I was chilled to the bone, damp & tired. Thursday, April 18th Well, no trip is without a certain amount of problems - and we’ve had our share. Of course, we’ve been luckier than most. First, we didn’t have any major problems like some people we know and, second, “my captain”, can fix almost anything. We were almost to Key West when the engine would occasionally loose RPMs, slow a bit, then speed up. He activated the fuel primer pump. But then the engine slowed down & eventually stopped. We were about 10-12 miles out from Key West in 35 feet of water. We could see land - we were so close & so very tired. Wayne went below then looked up to me with a strange look on his face. He said, “I’m just thinking...& trying not to panic”... Panic !?? I didn’t feel the least bit panicky until he said that! Me panic? Never! Not me, the person with the ever positive attitude. Wayne began his usual mental evaluation of the problem starting with worst case scenario first, as usual. I decided to be brave & offer calming, reassuring statements like “I’m sure it’s something silly & simple”. He put the Danforth anchor down so we wouldn’t get sea sick on top of everything else. He disappeared into the engine room. Could find nothing obvious. Nothing - Nada. Decided it could be a small, 10% chance that the secondary fuel filters were clogged. He changed them with my help, I was the “gofer”. We both smelled of diesel by the time we were done &, miraculously, managed not to make a mess. Started the engine & took a few minutes to work the air out, but she was purring like a kitten again. We were on our way after about two hours. Arrived with anchor down at 2:30. I didn’t know if I should be excited about being home or that we finally stopped! We were exhausted. Napped for an hour. I called Frank & he agreed to drive me home so I could get the VW. Of course, the NY connection (Dick, Tom & Shirley) was still in Summerland so, after checking the house to see how well it held up after our friends were there & see how the cleaning person did, I visited, listen to all the gossip then bid them farewell. It was one long day. I

Peace at last - Key West sunset

arrived back on the boat at 10pm & right to bed! Friday, April 19th . Lazy morning. Ah… the peace and tranquility at anchor. Interrupted by a call from the boat broker in Ft Myers. The owner of the dingy counter offered at $1800. Pretty sure we’ll take it but how the hell will we get it home? Maybe we should have waited in Ft Myers another day? Oh well, we’ll figure it out. About 2:00, I went to Tim’s office to finish up the refinance application for the house. Wayne and Molly went to West Marine - he just can’t stay away, it’s like a candy store for him! Later we rendezvoused at Chili's with the gang from the Hospital - the going-away party for Meredith was well underway already. (for some reason, I can't find the pics of that party ??) Round of Margaritas - quick!.. so we can catch up. (2-4-1 all day. I like this place.) It was a good night and got lots of pictures. Made arrangements for the gang to go on a day cruise on Sunday. We stopped at Capt.’s Run-A-Ground for a bite to eat. It was good to see the restaurant floating

again as it had sunk before we left. Seems like it sinks every couple years – but they were back in business and had even turned the situation into an opportunity - the owner, Captain Harvey, painted it this time. Saturday, April 20th Real lazy this morning…not up until 10! (Boy, will I miss this.) Meredith was sorry, but she had to bow out of Sunday's cruise as she had too much to do for her move. Then everyone cancelled – shame, we were looking forward to showing off BLUE MAX. Wayne waxed the wood…I cleaned Wayne’s ears. Now that’s excitement!! Sunday, April 21st to Sunday April 29th Decided to stay anchored in Key West. I returned to work on the 22nd and I sure had my work cut out for me. What was I thinking when I told them to hold stuff until I got back?!! The indigent care claims alone filled a large box. OK, I can do this but it wasn’t the same or as much fun without Meredith there. Luckily, both my scheduled meetings with the county administrators were cancelled for that week. Got my nails done on Tuesday – I certainly am a challenge for Anah. The plan was to head home the following Friday & I would drive home after work. Wayne always does an engine room inspection before starting the engine. (he calls it “checking the fluids.”) This time he discovered water in the transmission. This was definitely not a good sign! He called me at work with the bad news. He went into a rage thinking the worst as usual, & figured he’d have to replace the entire transmission!! Whoa – wait a minute... how did we get from a teeny bit of water in the transmission to a several thousand dollar transmission job?? He finally calmed down & examined the problem. How long had the condition existed? Did it ingest the water while under way or seep in while anchored in Key West? So many questions…not enough time. Yea…so what do I know… I said, “can’t you just get rid of the bad stuff and replace it?” That got him thinking. The only way the water could get in was from the cooler so he replaced the cooler and flushed the transmission until no water was visible. All told, it took about 9 gallons of oil and all day to perform this onerous task. We had to dispose of the contaminated oil and we only had a 6-gallon container on board. This necessitated multiple trips back and forth in the dinghy to get new oil and get rid of the old. Finally, he was confident (I should say, fairly confident -don’t forget he’s ‘the worst case scenario’ kinda guy) that there was no more water in the transmission fluid but he didn’t know if the transmission had already been damaged before he discovered the problem. He decided to take a chance and head back to Summerland on Monday…”what’s the worst that can happen?” I said. Monday April 29th Thankfully, it was a nice day, hardly any wind. I was relieved to get the call that BLUE MAX was anchored in Niles channel & got there on her own power. Wayne and Molly kept a watchful eye on the transmission temperature since any damage that may have been caused would result in slipping clutches and heat build-up. The temperature gauge remained normal all the way home. Dodged another bullet!! Another problem solved by my clever & ingenious Capitán!! (or so I let him think) He tide her up at the house with the high tide the next morning without a hitch.