Greek's Folly on the Great Loop: Jupiter Cove to Harbortown Marina, Fl May 6-15, 2016

May 2016: The East Coast Trip Begins

3275 n.m. odometer reading

Friday May 6, 2016: Jupiter Cove Marina to Vero Beach

After loading the boat and saying our goodbyes we pulled out of Jupiter Cove at 9:23 heading north. The previous day we had the fuel truck stop and refueled Greek’s Folly with 261 gallons of diesel at $2.15/ gal. This was the first fuel we had taken on since our west coast of Florida trip in March.

During one of my engine room checks I noticed a vibration in the port side alternator which was not there before. I decided to keep an eye on it. Should have investigated further at that time because during my engine check at 1340 I discovered the alternator bracket had completely broken off. By adjusting the alternator mount back and forth I could hold it in place with a “C” clamp that I had on board. Things went well and we made Vero Beach where we anchored out at 1640. It is an anchorage right off the channel that we have used before. Not too many boat wakes and things really calm down after dark. We cooked a nice dinner of scallops on the back deck to keep the salon cool. We covered 46 n.m. today.

Saturday May 7, 2016 Vero Beach anchorage to Cocoa

Anchor up and on our way at 0904. At 0945 an engine alarm went off on the port engine so I shut it down and had Colletta take the helm. We proceeded on one engine while I went down to check on our problem. We had shredded the alternator belt due to high heat of the alternator pulley. I had a spare belt on the engine already so it was a quick install and I played with the “C” clamp to adjust the alternator. By checking the pulley with my infrared thermometer I could adjust the alignment to keep the belt cool. We proceeded on our way with both engines operating and reached Cocoa West anchorage at 1620. We covered 46.7 n.m. today.

Sunday May 8, 2016 Cocoa West anchorage to Harbortown Marina, Merritt island, Fl.

0900 start engines and port engine is showing no rpm on tach or no voltage output on our gauges. I tried to adjust the alternator mounting again but it still was running 300 degrees on the pulley. Way too hot for the belt to take. I give up trying to adjust it and decide we can proceed on one engine. We found out the previous day the boat handles remarkably well on only one engine (not that we want to do this but must in this situation) We only have about 10 miles to go to Harbortown Marina where we plan to meet our sister-in-law Lauren and friends Bill and Connie Bowman on Simpatico. We had cruised with Bill and Connie on and off since Huntsville, Al. on the Tennessee River. I figured we could make any engine repairs there. We had planned on staying for a couple of days but decided with ordering parts and repairs we would stay a week.

As we pulled in the slip Lauren was waiting for us with lunch. A very nice treat. We then spent the afternoon with Lauren at the beach and then dinner at Fish Lips Restaurant as it was Mother’s Day. Colletta and Lauren both got free desserts – chocolate and pineapple surprise. Sweet!

Monday May 9 thru Saturday May 14, 2016 Harbortown Marina

On Monday it was order parts day. Bill came down and looked at the alternator mounting bracket and thought no problem getting it welded. I called American Diesel who are the parts guys for our engines and they said they had the whole front engine mount which the alternator attaches to $ 147.00 + $35.00 shipping and I would have it Wednesday. Beautiful. I also ordered a gasket for the ice machine door to replace that. Bill and I then took both of the alternators to Titusville and Lenz Automotive Electric so they could rebuild and check out both alternators while we were here waiting for parts. We had the alternators back on Tuesday fixed for $83.00. Incredible! Our hopes are high as we wait for parts here at Harbortown marina. A very nice place, only .90 per foot per night for dockage, a swimming pool, and restaurant/bar on premises. You can’t break down in a nicer place plus our friends have a car so transportation is no problem.

Tuesday we joined our friends Bill and Connie and went to Daytona Beach to meet Linda an old sailing friend of theirs for lunch at the Pig Stand BBQ Restaurant. We picked up the alternators on the way thru Titusville. On the way back to the boats we stopped to see Bill and Connie’s daughters’ new house she is building in Cape Canaveral. They are going to be staying there until their daughter retires in a couple of years. Nice deal.

We had all of our parts shipped to the marina. This is a standard practice in the cruising world. They hold the packages when they come in until you stop in and claim them. Lo and behold our gasket for the ice machine had arrived in one day.

The engine mount arrived on Wednesday as promised and I had already done some prep work to get ready to install the new bracket. Removed the old one and the new one fit perfectly, all the bolts aligned and there was no problem with removing the engine mount. Bill could not get over how nicely cast the piece was and how available a part can be for a 30 year old engine. It is great to have the support of the guys at American Diesel. I reinstalled the alternator and adjusted the belt tension and the pulley ran at 115 degrees just like the other engines’ pulley.

This marina is a nice place to hang out, if needed. The weather was warm 85-90 degrees so the pool became a daily stop for a “dip” and a few colds ones for happy hour. By the end of the week, we became some of the regulars at the pool. There are many live aboards here. It seems they go to work, but make it back in time for happy hour, socializing with friends, and a relaxing evening on the boat. Since we are at the end of E dock, we walk past the same boats many times during the day and begin to recognize faces, names, and even their pets. (a lot of dogs and even some cats). This is a comfortable place and I can understand how I could become “home”.