Murphy's Law is toying with us! We had planned to cruise a month along the Gulf Coast, including MS, AL and the FL Panhandle. Friday the outboard motor for our dinghy gave trouble. It was finally cleaned out and purring smoothly, but we would have to wait for Saturday morning to depart. Saturday, as I was filling the fridge with perishable goods, I realized that the fridge was not cooling. After changing out the wiring to the DC panel, the fridge began cooling again, and we sighed in relief. But too late to set sail. So we decided to leave everything ready for departure on the next day. That meant dry and refrigerated foods/drinks, bedding, clothes, bathroom goods, and so forth.
Sunday morning, we cast off from the dock and feeling great, anticipating a wonderful trip/adventure. Just as we were ready to come around the bend where the marina connects to Pontchartrain Lake, Talisman's engine let out a series of strange, screeching sounds. Not a lament but rather an obstinate I-won't-go-anywhere type of sound. Capt. Mike decided it was no good trying to fix it or get help on a Sunday. We headed back to the slip, tied up our beloved Talisman.
A bit frustrated, we decided it was time to take a breather and think things through. But away from our boat and from New Orleans. So we decided to take a few days off, drive over to Pensacola, FL and back through Fairhope, AL, get the cobwebs out of our brain, and tackle the problem with a fresh mind and will upon our return.
That is the situation, my friends and followers. If anybody has some ideas about the noise, please speak up. Otherwise, I will post an update in a few days. We're optomistic that whatever the problem, there will be a solution and that we'll still take some sort of trip, though shortened.
Chalk it up to experience. Hasta luego!
