Well, the maiden voyage had to be postponed. We ran into some last minute scheduling issues and on top of that, the weather wasn't going to cooperate. I have heard that one thing that cruisers do not do is maintain a schedule. As the operation is at the mercy of mother nature, those who choose to tempt fate often find themselves in trouble. As they say in the flying business, it is better to exercise your superior judgement than to demonstrate your superior airmanship.

We were able to get down to MAYA for a few days. My dad accompanied me for a short two day affair. We were able to knock out a few of the more pressing projects and I am happy to report success on all fronts. It is fun to have dad come down and help out. He is so interested in all the machinery down in the engine room and is a big help. He changed out some water lines for me and helped while I installed a new fuel transfer pump.

We decided to start up the engines and let them run for awhile. The port engine (left side) came right to life however the starboard engine (right side) was dead as a doornail. At first glance, it appeared to be a dead battery. The boat has been idle since last November and its not out of the realm of possibility that it gave up the ghost during that time. It is a big battery and I couldn't understand how it could have just died like that. In my mind, there had to be some other reason that we were not getting it to start. So, like the newbie that I am, I got on the internet and starting phoning the experts. Turns out that there is a 'secret' kill switch down in the engine room that would prevent an engine start if it was left in the 'off' position. My guess is the boat yard mechanics that helped winterize MAYA last November left it in the off position by mistake, as I have never heard of nor seen this switch. Unfortunately, I will have to wait until the next trip down to reset it. If not, I think we might be into spending some serious Boat Units before we head for the Carolinas.

Some congratulations are in order for Kim, hereafter known as Admiral Kim. She completed her training classes with the Coast Guard and passed her tests. This boat is definitely a two person operation and I am glad that one of us has official credentials. I am going to have to sharpen up my salute as she is now the superior officer on deck.