9 MPH winds, I decided to have a Birthday party for Sugar Bee (Maltese) as he turned one today.
Yanked on the engine a number of times, and she started. With the prop as low as she would go, we ever so slowly backed out of the slip and into a almost non existent current of water made by the mild winds. The current won. We were gently brown across the marina to another dock. I gave my wife a 100 foot of line, and she walked around obstacles, and made it to our slip, where she pulled me back in.
Last fall, I had a sweet MacGregor 25. Everything worked, nothing about it was embarrassing, or redneck. It was all ship shape, and ready to sail.
I get this bone headed idea to trade someone sight unseen, for a 32 foot boat with a kicker engine on it. I take one look at his kicker, and tell him I will keep my kicker, and he can keep his. Error. His was electric start, and his was a deep shaft.
So in a glorious month of sailing weather in Nebraska that has never been seen here before, nor will ever again, I am pulling my pud, traversing all over creation, working deals, and acquiring stuff, that sits, or works as stumbling blocks to keep me off the water.
I refuse to drop three grand on a new deep shaft 15hp kicker engine, my craigslist quest marches on.
My Aft Cabin is in the diesel shop, and I pray it saves my ass from a season of drinking MtDew on the docks.
It must be love, my devotion to these old yachts.
I have this sitting at home, just about ready to switch over to power boating and put this in the slip.