3/21/16           Monday         Riverside Marina, Ft. Pierce, FL


Closing in on a full moon on this brisk evening. Pizza for dinner and probably in bed before 1130 hours (9:30). Overnight low to be in the mid-40s the radio just said.

Another head down day of work on our hydraulic pump so that we can get our auto pilot working again. Local cruisers, Michel and Lise (not Leigh as I'd thought I heard) gave us a ride to the store to get the parts we needed. David had previously talked with the RayMarine tech support to learn, as he suspected, that their installation instructions were flawed. Good. David could troubleshoot our trouble BUT that meant we'd lost a day of work and now we had to re-do all that work...lowering the placement of the hydraulic pump, refilling and burping the lines, calibrating the auto-pilot AGAIN.

blue hoses lead to the pump at center

This is a complicated perspective. I'm hanging upside down in the lazarette, looking at the grey bottom of the inside of the boats rear end. Rude, I know, looking at the rear end. The lazarette is about 4' deep so laying on my belly and hanging, maybe dangling is better word. The brown surface is the vertical wall that supports our double berth which is, btw, a wreck due to the two days of construction, deconstruction, reconstruction.  The silver arm is the pump that drives the rudder. All you ever wanted to know about autopilot construction. Not. Now consider that David had to hang upside down to install this little item, holding it in place, drilling the holes to mount it, reconnecting the hoses, reconnecting the electricity, worming his way out of the upside down position. He deserves an adult beverage!! We think we've done it, though, and expect to be on our way again tomorrow, late morning. We'll sleep in the pilot house again tonight rather than try to put the bed together tonight.

Tired humans but, again, with some wonderful people experiences here, and the oddity of the place. One the walk to the office we pass an alter to Buddha, and a concrete "playground" and a boat's front yard of concrete slab with lawn furniture. Van and Cathy on the big boat in front of us are, we think, Vietnamese and helpful and delightful. Michel and Lise are too much fun and we hope to keep their address. Michel talks a mile a minute, mostly in French. I remember VERY little of all the French I've studied.

Riverside sunset

 Joy, privilege and opportunity abound. Grace and Grace and GRACE