Yesterday I had a diver clean the bottom of the boat and update the zincs while we waited for the Cummins technician - he works with the electronics on modern engines as opposed to the mechanics that work on the engines. The engine on our boat is electronically controlled ;-( It's great when it works! The tech showed up empty handed up shortly after noon. However, I soon realized that he wanted to go over the history of system failures we experienced and tools or computers were not necessary at this point. He pulled some components apart and checked connections here and there and made some phone calls. Cummins name is on the control levers but the system is actually built by another company. The tech got through to the other company and worked with one of their techs who talked him through diagnostic testing of the controls. It's amazing what can be done by pushing different combinations of buttons to look for faults. Anyhow, between the two of them they said 'they think' the problem is caused by resistors that had to be changed. The problem was the the resistors were in a warehouse in Atlanta had had to be shipped to JAX. The tech and I had a serious discussion about a way to resolved this issue. He gave me a cram course in how to install the parts and made some calls to have the parts sent FEDEX overnight with a Saturday delivery.
This morning FEDEX delivered the parts which were installed without problems. After Sue returned from a quick shopping trip were made ready to get underway by noon. That beats sticking around over the weekend. Besides how else will we know if the parts change will work?
We left the Palm Cove Marina at low tide and churned up mud in the channel getting back out to the ICW. It wasn't long before we were bucking a strong current in incoming tide. Current is one of the major differences in the ICW north of Jacksonville. There are numerous outlets to the Atlantic Ocean and large bodies of open water as opposed to the relative protection provided by the outer islands in Florida. Today we crossed the St John's and Nassau Sound inlets where we got a look at the whitecaps on the Atlantic Ocean. Also, the ICW makes more bends and twists and is shoaled as we move farther north. If fact the guide books suggest going on the outside (the Ocean) to avoid the tedious conditions. We opted to stick with the inside route and made it Fernandia Beach where we picked up a mooring ball for the night. The wind and sea conditions did not seem conducive to taking the dinghy into town so we had dinner on the boat.
Today is the fortieth day of actually moving the boat and we are within a few miles of leaving Florida and entering Georgia on our adventure. So far we have put 1825 miles behind us since leaving Padre Island.
Y'all stay vertical,
Capt John and First Mate Sue
I remember passing the wild horses also and we toured Amelia Island while we were there for the day. It was probably the best weather of our October trip. We passed the Atlantic Ocean a few times on our way down to Florida in the southern states. Hope the rain abates and you can enjoy the sunshine. We are still waiting for warmth up north.
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