After Marc Grove of Wefing's Marine and I completed all the R27 system testing, adjustments and additional learning for me today, I then took TANGENT on her final cruise along the Apalachicola River out to the ICW then into the Apalachicola City Harbor to retrieve the boat and prepare it for trailering to Texas.
Earlier in the day, Karin and I had an opportunity to take a short cruise out in the ICW just beyond the mouth of the Apalachicola River with Karin learning to pilot an R27. We especially enjoyed seeing several pods of dolphins that came right up to the side and bow of the boat. Karin was so concerned about them that she stopped and put the boat in neutral each time they swam across our bow, which they did several times. We've seen dolphins many times before but never before in our own boat. That was a real treat.
Then we ran back up the river for a short time until, looking over Karin's shoulder, I realized that the Yanmar fuel gauge read empty. The day before, the gauge had read 25% full, yet we only ran her for about an hour after that reading. So, I asked Karin to bring her back to the dock at the Water Street Hotel and Marina before we ran out of fuel. Since Karin is recovering from shoulder surgery only 6 weeks ago, I didn't want her to handle the dock lines. So, she brought the boat into the dock mostly using the thrusters while I handled the dock lines. It went really well even with the wind and tidal current. Aren't thrusters nice? After we were tied up, we watched two other boats on each side of us in their docking efforts. We looked at each other and said, "Hey, we did the docking right nicely compared to those apparently well experienced boaters!" Again, use of the thrusters really helps.
After getting back to the dock, the fuel gauge read 11%. So, I'm guessing that the fuel gauge showed a false reading when we were running with the bow up. I assume the fuel gauge float is at the bow end of the tank. I hope that the fuel pickup is at the stern end of the tank. Does anyone know for sure? If we weren't planning to leave for Texas early Saturday morning, I would have fueled up, but I didn't want to haul that fuel weight back to Texas. And, Karin with her shoulder still healing is not quite ready to help me in docking at a strange fuel dock on a river with current, tide, and wind.
Back to the topic of preparing the boat for trailering back to Texas. Marc spent several hours helping and showing me how to retrieve the R27 onto a new Float-On trailer then adjust everything just right for the bumpy ride back to Texas. I say bumpy ride, since we have to travel through Louisiana on I-10. Sections of that highway in Louisiana are in really bad shape. So, Marc adjusted the trailer guides just right after several trial and error attempts of moving the trailer with the boat on it in and out of the water, so that we had the boat perfectly centered on the trailer. Then he adjusted the trailer bow post so that the boat was perfectly adjusted fore and aft on the trailer, again with a couple of trial and error movements in and out of the water. Afterwards, we spent a lot of time deciding the best way to secure the stern of the boat on this particular trailer using the boat's tie-down D-hooks, using a cargo-strap. To be especially secure, we also used a cargo-strap on the bow hook of the boat tied to the trailer.
So after all that, shortly after 9:00pm, we finished up. Marc went off for a Friday night with his wife at the Up the Creek Raw Bar and Restaurant. I went back to the hotel room to crash, shower and get ready to leave very, very early Saturday morning.
We had a great experience in Apalachicola in taking possession of our new R27 and with the whole Apalachicola atmosphere. I can definitely recommend the Water Street Hotel and Marina and lots of restaurants here. What a great place.
Oh, and I can definitely recommend Marc with the way he has treated us.
