So, We Paid This Diver $20……..

 The Gulf of Mexico.  Yes!

A major milestone on our Great Loop adventure.  A place of respite after two months of shallow rivers and crowded locks and rafts of barges the size of battleships.  Our plan was to spend November dawdling along the Gulf Coast before making our “crossing “ to winter moorage in Florida.  

And God said, “HA!

”
We had scheduled an underwater inspection  (along with some other maintenance) for Panama City later in November.  But while we were relaxing at Orange Beach Marina in Orange Beach , AL, a neighboring Looper told us there was a diver on the dock offering to do inspections for $20.    After all the shallow, muddy water of the rivers, we were anxious to know the status of our props, zincs, and bottom paint.  We knew we had bumped the bottom or a piece of driftwood a time or two.  So, we slipped the guy a Jackson and down he went.

He came to the surface shortly to report that we had  damage to one propeller. And both shafts and  struts.  And that the nuts securing both props were loose!  (Thank heaven for those cotter pins!).  And our anti-fouling bottom paint was beginning to flake and fail.  And we have an 18^” crack in the starboard side of our swim step hidden just below the rub rail. And there is some other damage to the fiberglass below the waterline.  His pictures told the sad story. 

Oh, shit (in spades!)

Loose prop nuts

Underwater fiberglass damage

More underwater fiberglass damage

Crack in swim step

Loose prop buts

Bent strut

port prop damage

To our endless good fortune, we were right next door to the Orange Beach boatyard of Saunders Yachtworks, one of the top-rated boatyard on the Gulf coast.  Within a few hours we had them engaged to haul the boat and help us assess the damage.   With the proviso that we would have to wait several days before that could work us into their haul out schedule and make space for Irish Lass in their yard.

So, the questions REALLY began to accumulate……

1. How long to repair the port prop?  Is the starboard prop OK?
2. Are the struts repairable or must they be replaced?  Is the latter, where are they available for a 20 year-old boat.
3. Are the shafts bent or just temporarily bowed by the damaged struts?  If bent, can they be straightened or must they be replaced?  And if replaced, can new ones be located?
4. Is the damage to the swim step cosmetic or structural?   Is it  repairable or do we need to replace it? 
5. What is the extent of the bottom paint failure?
6. How long to complete all this work?
7. How much will it all cost? 
8. How much, if any,  will insurance cover?
9. When can we get back underway?
10. And, last but certainly not least, how the heck  did all this happen?

The haul out was finally accomplished for November 15^th .  Scott, the manager at Orange Beach Marina proved to be a godsend, extending our stay and offering wise counsel about repairs and the boat yard.  Obviously, our plans for a leisurely  November cruise east along the Gulf coast were now up in the sir. Certainly, Thanksgiving in Panama City was questionable.  We picked up a rental car at Hertz and moved ashore to a  pet-friendly Airbnb property a few minutes from the boatyard and began to work with the crew at Saunders to assess the damage.

Stay tuned, ya all……….

Thanks for following our journey

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