I get by with a Little Help from my FRIENDS
For those of you who still look at my blog posts I'd like you to hum the old Beatles tune - 'I Get by with a Little Help from my Friends'. You'll see why as you read on... Really - just keep humming the song...
A quick recap. I left the boat in Hilton Head, SC over the holidays. I returned and cruised to Savannah where Janet joined me for a great time together.
When she left I headed south from Savannah and lo and behold - I broke down again!!!
Remember this guy...
That's my transmission which broke down back in late October. I was on the Chesapeake Bay at the time and it took about a week and a half of down time to get repairs made and get up and running again.
Well I guess if lightning can strike twice in the same place - a transmission can fail twice within 100 hours of use... It shouldn't happen - I don't know why it happened - but it did happen.
Luckily for me I was heading in at the end of the day when this happened and was able to get in to my planned destination - Brunswick Landing marina in Brunswick, Georgia. Not just any marina mind you. This particular marina is a cruisers paradise. The marina is reasonably priced and includes... complimentary coffee daily!!! free beer and wine (really)!!! free laundry!!! and free bicycles!!! They have a happy hour every Monday/Wednesday/Friday where everyone brings a dish to share and drinks the free beer and wine!!! The marina even hosted an outing where they served smoked oysters, smoked pork and smoked chicken. Everyone was there including the free beer and wine!!! There's a nice town within walking distance with lots of restaurants, a grocery store, and a marine supply store. What more could a cruiser want???
The cruisers who spend time at this marina have said that the docks are lined with Velcro and boats stick to the dock and never leave...
Did I mention there's one thing the marina doesn't have??? They don't have anyone who can fix my transmission!!! I was told it would be at least 2 weeks before they could even think about my problem...
So - back to the Beatles song. I was on the precipice of sinking in to a deep depression or taking matters into my own hands and trying to get things straightened out. I pride myself on being independent and self-sufficient but sometimes it works better if you 'Get by with a 'Little Help from your Friends'. So that's what I did. are u still humming?
I decided to tackle the transmission repair myself but called on several friends for advice and guidance.
I talked to my friends Chris and Chris - a cruising couple that I have gotten to know during this cruise who basically do everything on their boat themselves. We discussed over the phone what needed to be done and how to tackle the job. Chris gave me a big dose of encouragement so I decided to go for it.
When the transmission was removed and repaired in the fall I became friends with Brian, the mechanic who removed it from the boat. He's up in Maryland but I called him and we reviewed step-by-step what needed to be done. I was also feeling I could handle the job cause I watched him when he did the work on the boat at that time. Also - one of the toughest things about this type of work is to undo screws, nuts, and bolts that have been corroded in place over the 25 years they've been in service on the boat. Since all those screws, nuts, and bolts were just removed in October I knew it wouldn't be quite as tough as it was then.
Another cruising couple I befriended recently - Dobbs and Suzanne - had just done their own transmission replacement when I met them in Hilton Head. Their experience gave me added confidence that I could tackle this job.
Another friend who helped out with the transmission repair was Dana from Maryland Transmission. He's the guy who rebuilt the trans in the fall after Brian removed it. I say Dana is a friend because he said he'd repair the transmission again under warranty if I shipped it to him in Maryland. I'm glad Dana offered that - or he would have heard from one of my lawyer friends. But truly, Dana was good about backing up the rebuild he did in the fall. The trans should not have failed.
So with the support of these friends I decided to remove the transmission on my own - but first I had to get all the required tools - many of which I did not have. I even had to borrow a hoist from a friend at the marina to lift up the engine in order to get the trans out of the boat. It took me about 5 hours but I got it done. I then shipped it to Dana in Maryland and decided to go home and hang out with Janet and Penny til the trans was ready to be shipped back to me.
After about a week and a half I came back to the boat and arrived at the marina just as FedX was pulling in with the delivery of the re-re-built transmission. I began the process of reinstalling the unit and it really went very smoothly. I was not quite finished at the end of the day so I called it quits and opted to put the finishing touches on the job the next day. On that next morning everything went well and I even went out for a test run, took on fuel, and went and got groceries all in preparation for resuming my cruise the next day. I decided to hang around for one more happy hour cause I knew after I left I'd miss the free beer and wine!!! Before heading to happy hour I decided to make a couple minor adjustments on the transmission and test it one more time when SNAP!!! - the cable that attaches the shift lever to the transmission broke. DANG!! - another major problem. If you can't shift in and out of gear - you're not going anywhere.
The busted cable...
Now this occurred late on a Friday afternoon so I was looking at being down again all weekend... But - then I remembered a friend in Chicago - where it was an hour earlier... Nick at Crowley's Boat Yard in Chicago had the part in stock and got it shipped out to me on his own time for Saturday delivery!!! I had the new cable the very next day...
Little did I know that the cable replacement project would turn out to be as much and in some ways more difficult than the transmission job. The cable runs through the steering column on the boat. In order to remove and replace the cable the steering chain has to be removed.
It has to come out of here??? But it's held in place by a clamp, and the steering chain is in the way...
Access to the steering gear on the boat is nearly impossible. I phoned another friend (Bill) with the identical boat as mine who told me how to cut - yes cut - an access hole near the back of the boat to allow me to reach the steering cables to release the steering chain.
Scary cutting a hole in a boat!!!
Cover it back up when done...
This job took a day and a half to complete! and I couldn't have done it without help from a couple friends who I met here at the marina while drinking free beer and wine.
Kenny and Bob are cruisers hanging out here in Brunswick and were tremendously helpful in getting the cable replacement done. I get very nervous when cutting in to the boat and couldn't have done it without these guys. Plus a cable replacement kind of requires someone at both ends of the cable to get the job done.
So -- now do you know why this post is titled 'I Get by with a Little Help from my Friends!...
I have many other friends who have continued to support me on this awesome journey that I have now been on for over 8 months! In particular I want to thank them again - as I have many times - Janet, Mom, Grammy Katzenberger, Rich/Kendra, Carolyn/Phil, Megan/Mike and Penny - who - if you ask her she'll tell you - "Pop-Pop is on da boat!!!"
I have some sailing friends back in Chicago who have supported me and have been trying to find a way to coordinate their busy schedules with my crazy/unpredictable schedule to come and sail with me... Thanks to Rich Z., Mitch, and Erik...
With all the repairs done I now leave Georgia behind.
Leaving Georgia...
I crossed the state line in to Florida today and have all of the northern coastal states in my rear view mirror. Wait - the boat doesn't have a rear view mirror... If it did it might be another thing that could break - and if it broke I'd figure it out and 'Get by with a Little Help from my Friends.'
A quick recap. I left the boat in Hilton Head, SC over the holidays. I returned and cruised to Savannah where Janet joined me for a great time together.
When she left I headed south from Savannah and lo and behold - I broke down again!!!
Remember this guy...
That's my transmission which broke down back in late October. I was on the Chesapeake Bay at the time and it took about a week and a half of down time to get repairs made and get up and running again.
Well I guess if lightning can strike twice in the same place - a transmission can fail twice within 100 hours of use... It shouldn't happen - I don't know why it happened - but it did happen.
Luckily for me I was heading in at the end of the day when this happened and was able to get in to my planned destination - Brunswick Landing marina in Brunswick, Georgia. Not just any marina mind you. This particular marina is a cruisers paradise. The marina is reasonably priced and includes... complimentary coffee daily!!! free beer and wine (really)!!! free laundry!!! and free bicycles!!! They have a happy hour every Monday/Wednesday/Friday where everyone brings a dish to share and drinks the free beer and wine!!! The marina even hosted an outing where they served smoked oysters, smoked pork and smoked chicken. Everyone was there including the free beer and wine!!! There's a nice town within walking distance with lots of restaurants, a grocery store, and a marine supply store. What more could a cruiser want???
The cruisers who spend time at this marina have said that the docks are lined with Velcro and boats stick to the dock and never leave...
Did I mention there's one thing the marina doesn't have??? They don't have anyone who can fix my transmission!!! I was told it would be at least 2 weeks before they could even think about my problem...
So - back to the Beatles song. I was on the precipice of sinking in to a deep depression or taking matters into my own hands and trying to get things straightened out. I pride myself on being independent and self-sufficient but sometimes it works better if you 'Get by with a 'Little Help from your Friends'. So that's what I did. are u still humming?
I decided to tackle the transmission repair myself but called on several friends for advice and guidance.
I talked to my friends Chris and Chris - a cruising couple that I have gotten to know during this cruise who basically do everything on their boat themselves. We discussed over the phone what needed to be done and how to tackle the job. Chris gave me a big dose of encouragement so I decided to go for it.
When the transmission was removed and repaired in the fall I became friends with Brian, the mechanic who removed it from the boat. He's up in Maryland but I called him and we reviewed step-by-step what needed to be done. I was also feeling I could handle the job cause I watched him when he did the work on the boat at that time. Also - one of the toughest things about this type of work is to undo screws, nuts, and bolts that have been corroded in place over the 25 years they've been in service on the boat. Since all those screws, nuts, and bolts were just removed in October I knew it wouldn't be quite as tough as it was then.
Another cruising couple I befriended recently - Dobbs and Suzanne - had just done their own transmission replacement when I met them in Hilton Head. Their experience gave me added confidence that I could tackle this job.
Another friend who helped out with the transmission repair was Dana from Maryland Transmission. He's the guy who rebuilt the trans in the fall after Brian removed it. I say Dana is a friend because he said he'd repair the transmission again under warranty if I shipped it to him in Maryland. I'm glad Dana offered that - or he would have heard from one of my lawyer friends. But truly, Dana was good about backing up the rebuild he did in the fall. The trans should not have failed.
So with the support of these friends I decided to remove the transmission on my own - but first I had to get all the required tools - many of which I did not have. I even had to borrow a hoist from a friend at the marina to lift up the engine in order to get the trans out of the boat. It took me about 5 hours but I got it done. I then shipped it to Dana in Maryland and decided to go home and hang out with Janet and Penny til the trans was ready to be shipped back to me.
After about a week and a half I came back to the boat and arrived at the marina just as FedX was pulling in with the delivery of the re-re-built transmission. I began the process of reinstalling the unit and it really went very smoothly. I was not quite finished at the end of the day so I called it quits and opted to put the finishing touches on the job the next day. On that next morning everything went well and I even went out for a test run, took on fuel, and went and got groceries all in preparation for resuming my cruise the next day. I decided to hang around for one more happy hour cause I knew after I left I'd miss the free beer and wine!!! Before heading to happy hour I decided to make a couple minor adjustments on the transmission and test it one more time when SNAP!!! - the cable that attaches the shift lever to the transmission broke. DANG!! - another major problem. If you can't shift in and out of gear - you're not going anywhere.
The busted cable...
Now this occurred late on a Friday afternoon so I was looking at being down again all weekend... But - then I remembered a friend in Chicago - where it was an hour earlier... Nick at Crowley's Boat Yard in Chicago had the part in stock and got it shipped out to me on his own time for Saturday delivery!!! I had the new cable the very next day...
Little did I know that the cable replacement project would turn out to be as much and in some ways more difficult than the transmission job. The cable runs through the steering column on the boat. In order to remove and replace the cable the steering chain has to be removed.
It has to come out of here??? But it's held in place by a clamp, and the steering chain is in the way...
Access to the steering gear on the boat is nearly impossible. I phoned another friend (Bill) with the identical boat as mine who told me how to cut - yes cut - an access hole near the back of the boat to allow me to reach the steering cables to release the steering chain.
Scary cutting a hole in a boat!!!
Cover it back up when done...
This job took a day and a half to complete! and I couldn't have done it without help from a couple friends who I met here at the marina while drinking free beer and wine.
Kenny and Bob are cruisers hanging out here in Brunswick and were tremendously helpful in getting the cable replacement done. I get very nervous when cutting in to the boat and couldn't have done it without these guys. Plus a cable replacement kind of requires someone at both ends of the cable to get the job done.
So -- now do you know why this post is titled 'I Get by with a Little Help from my Friends!...
I have many other friends who have continued to support me on this awesome journey that I have now been on for over 8 months! In particular I want to thank them again - as I have many times - Janet, Mom, Grammy Katzenberger, Rich/Kendra, Carolyn/Phil, Megan/Mike and Penny - who - if you ask her she'll tell you - "Pop-Pop is on da boat!!!"
I have some sailing friends back in Chicago who have supported me and have been trying to find a way to coordinate their busy schedules with my crazy/unpredictable schedule to come and sail with me... Thanks to Rich Z., Mitch, and Erik...
With all the repairs done I now leave Georgia behind.
Leaving Georgia...
I crossed the state line in to Florida today and have all of the northern coastal states in my rear view mirror. Wait - the boat doesn't have a rear view mirror... If it did it might be another thing that could break - and if it broke I'd figure it out and 'Get by with a Little Help from my Friends.'
I know someone who would be so proud of you!!!! The Apple, they say, doesn't fall far from the tree.
ReplyDeleteBeing the nayor has it's benefits!
ReplyDeleteOh, what a bummer. But you ate so clever and hardworking to get so much accomplished— with a little help from your friends. And you have so many.
ReplyDeleteAnd then taking time to do such enjoyable writing! Enjoy Florida and any guests that may st by.