He discovered that during the cold front squall a few nights ago, it filled with water and the bilge pump malfunctioned, so it ended up flipping upside down. It was towed over 5 miles from a small island off Tilloo Cay, and awaited haul out and possible repair at our boatyard. Dave's mind immediately went to work as to how to right the boat, which of course entailed him getting in the water to help. Late yesterday morning our marina manager Craig, along with two yard workers Brandon and Charles, and Dave got the job done. First Craig and Dave pulled the boat from the end of the dock into the well, which was not an easy task since the bimini top kept getting stuck on the bottom.
Then Dave got in the water to attach the lines and straps from the forklift to a cleat on one side of the boat.
It took quite a while to get everything adjusted properly, but then Brandon lifted the forks up very slowly (BTW, Brandon is our new neighbor living in the back apartment that is attached to ours. He is "quiet as a church mouse" and great to have living back there. He's worked here for 3 years now and it has been fun to watch him go from a shy, unsure kid to the take charge, confident lead mechanic with tons of responsibility, especially when hauling out very expensive boats).
The poor outboard motor!
Once the suction of the water was broken, it came up a bit faster but care had to be taken so it wouldn't flip over the other way.
Lots of water had to be drained as the guys helped hold up the stern with lines.
The low transom was probably what caused all the water to come in to start with.
After the boat was righted, they hauled it out and started flushing everything thoroughly with fresh water. After 48 hours underwater, corrosion had already started to set in. Even if by some slight chance it does run again, I am sure it will be plagued with all sorts of issues now and in the future. Poor Capt. Whit isn't so witty anymore.
No comments:
Post a Comment