Thunderbolt Marina, Savannah, Georgia: October 25, 2020
Marc- Today we almost did not leave port due to mechanical failure. You will recall that yesterday we had an engine shutdown episode while going to our assigned slip at the Beaufort Marina. I made repairs (replacing a fuel filter, a fuel pump and even the electronic ignition module) and the engine restarted. This morning we awoke with 4 knots of current pushing against us at the dock. I tested the engine reverse and it did not make progress. We found that the engine would not work at speed or under load... the moment I accelerated it just shut down unless I closed the manual choke. That was a hint that this was a carburetor issue. Lucy III's engine doctor, Brian, suggested throwing the cleaners at the carburetor (carb cleaner, seafoam gasoline treatment and ether). I called a cab (no Lyft or Uber here) for a round trip to the local auto parts store. They had the cleaners and I returned trying the first two. It was like magic. The engine started and ran smoothly for the next 7 hours without mishap. My apologies for the technical details.
Our 30 mile trip South to Savannah took us inside of beautiful Hilton Head Island and less developed sea islands as well. We set a new record for dolphin sightings - perhaps a dozen overall. We used the genoa for one hour of the trip but mostly it was a hot windless day. No low water issues as we traveled on a rising tide (unfortunately mostly counter current). At some point we crossed the border into Georgia. We arrived at the last remaining drawbridge in Georgia at 18:00 and only only 3 out of 4 sections were able to open. We managed to squeeze through and pushed on to Thunderbolt Marina. This marina is like none we have seen into this trip with mega yachts galore mostly getting work done on them.
Ann was waiting for us at Thunderbolt. She visited Ft. Pulaski, a National Monument, on Cockspur Island between Savannah and Tybee Island. She has been to hundreds of National Parks and National Monuments. She found a number of other pleasant things to do and see in the area while we were 4 hours late arriving. Big thanks to Michael for patiently helping me fix the engine, to Doreen for photos and patience, and to Ann for taking us out to dinner at Tubby's Tank House! Ann told us how she has visited 320 National Parks and the number continues to grow even on this trip.
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