A Rising Tide? (Jun, 2022)

In which we are still interned in Wisconsin against our will.

Regarding boat status, we are still dead in the water but there have been positive developments. We got hold of Rick on Wednesday. He said to bring the muffler up to Escanaba and he'd be happy to fix it for us. (Besides being a great guy, he's a talented welder and fabricated many parts of the Perseverance.) The marina crew was slammed with boats to put in the water but we finally got our muffler hauled out midday Thursday. We popped it into the car and ran it right up to "Rick's Muffler Shop" in Escanaba, a mere 52 miles away. That's practically next door in the UP. Rick had the muffler patched up and ready to go the next morning. That's some pretty excellent "warranty" service!

The two round-trips to Esky at least got us off the boat to see some different sights. While we were in the neighborhood we stopped to eat a picnic lunch at the Escanaba Municipal Marina where we chatted up the harbor master and gazed forlornly at the empty spot on the wall where there should be a Perseverance. The drive itself is lovely. M-35 hugs the Green Bay shore all the way. Some readers who have been around a while might remember visiting my parents' cottage on Green Bay. It's on M-35 about 8 miles north of Marinette/Menominee. They sold it but it's still there looking pretty much the same.

The marina is quiet this weekend so we are taking the time to properly move on board and wipe off the cobwebs and dust. Jim built covers for the new batteries since they are a bit bulkier than the old ones. He also repainted the muffler so it's just sitting on the dock waiting for a couple guys to reinstall it. I'm pretty sure his favorite job was pulling the aft bilge pump to free up a balky float switch.

We also got to meet a few other boaters who were here working on their boats. A guy named Jeff traded a 1922 fire engine for this pretty sailboat that he's been rehabbing for two years now and finally got it launched this weekend.

I am always telling people "don't make me make a new rule." Well we have a new boat rule and I am the cause of it: No hiking boots on the top decks! I went through two 'magic eraser' sponges scrubbing black bootprints off the (white) top of the pilot house. I had worn my hiking boots while touching up the paint on the mast earlier this week and I must say I took a lot of steps. Jim says he's really glad he wasn't the one who did that.

No news is good news on COVID. Jim had a couple kinda crummy days but he slept well the last couple nights and seems to be pulling out of it. I'm still feeling fine so it seems like red wine helps keep the virus at bay. Hey, it's no wackier than some other claims I've heard.