Back to the Boat - Boat yard Demopolis, AL

Sunset in the boatyard

Travel day!

We finally made back to the boat last week after spending over two months at home (with familly and friends).  The trip back started by getting to our local airport at 04:30 AM to catch the early bird flight to Toronto. That flight went without any issues, however things got a bit more complicated at the Toronto airport. Even though we had cleared security before our first flight (which was a Domestic flight), we had to go thru security again (International) before we got to clear customs and get to our gate to catch our 2nd flight.  (The US gov. is currently on "shutdown" and the whole process took a lot longer then usual...) We were very worried we would miss our connection, but we were lucky, we made it with a couple minutes to spare! But... you knew there had to be a "but" our flight was delayed...

Waiting on the plane

It seems our plane was late leaving Atlanta, thus... it delayed our flight.  We flew with Delta - and I have to say, they were excellent in keeping passengers informed on what was happening.  Once our plane landed, got unboarded and we all boarded, we where advised we would need to get "de'iced" before we could leave. That morning, Toronto only had half the runways open/cleared, and every plane had to get de'iced. We ended up waiting over two hours before we finally got all de'iced and it was our turn to get to the runway and take off.  So, of course, we missed our connection flight in Atlanta, but we were lucky and we were rebooked on a flight one hour later.

Our flight (the 3rd for the day) from Atlanta to Birmingham was a short one, and went without a glitch... until we landed and realized our checked bag did not make the connection!  Delta was able to track it and advise us that our bag was coming in on the next flight (due to land in another hour and a half). We had the choice to wait or get it shipped to Demopolis. We decided to wait and went to get our rental car while we waited. We got a brand new car... doesn't even have it's tag yet.

We finally got our bag and hit the road, much later than planed, but we made it to Demopolis.  By the time we swung by and looked at the boat (we did not check inside as we had no ladder) and checked into our hotel room, our travel day totaled over 18 hours - and three time zones: Atlantic, Eastern and Central Standard time. We were just really glad we made it in one day, even if it was a long one.

Back home, they were expecting more snow... and they've been getting beaten up by it! These pictures were taken just before we left.

     

We spent the next day reorganize the boat. We were pleasantly surprised at how well the boat had fared during our absence. We washed everything down again before putting items and cloths back in their place - but we probably didn't have to. We only had a bit of dust inside. Once the cabin was good and livable again (heated and groceries done), Papi was ready to address the boat and his "to do" list: change oil in lower units, change anodes, inflate dinghy, clear hole in anchor locker, install faucet water filter, re-install props, wash boat, etc... I got to do other stuff :) like, descale coffee maker, clean/descale ice maker, update budget spreadsheets, re-organize galley (try to remember where & how we had everything before), wash windows, cook a whole chicken in the insta-pot...

One day was really nice

I can cook a whole chicken in my insta-pot! 

The other days, we had to layer up - notice that Papi is wearing his tuque!!

 

The Plan

The weather is playing a major role in when we can be put back in the water. They will need to lift the boat and keep it in the "slings" overnight to give the paint a chance to dry (they have to finish the bottom paint where the "stands" where holding the boat). Rain and cold = not good. (It's even too cold for Papi to wax the boat...) The plan is for the boat yard to lift us Thurs (today!!!!) right after lunch (it should be warm enough...) and then launch us back in the water first thing Friday morning!

We plan on spending the weekend making sure all our systems work properly (as there are some things we cannot check while on the hard/on land). If everything is good, we will leave Demopolis Monday morning, anchor out one night, make it to Bobbie's Fish Camp dock the next night, anchor out once more, then arrive in Mobile Bay by Thursday (not sure of where we want to go yet).  In theory, the trip could be done in two days (we have the speed), but since we will be travelling without a buddy boat, we are going to take our time and ere on the side of caution. (They are still predicting flood stage for the river, but if we are lucky, most of the debris will already have been swept away with the current.)

The wall is not usually under water!

We are getting a bit restless here in the boat yard - we feel the need to get moving again!

Our Part 2 of the Loop has started and we're looking forward to what's up ahead and around the next bend. (We're hoping to catch up to warmer weather too!)

Tina & Papi

"In life, it's not where you go, it's who you travel with" 

– Charles Schultz