Tuesday May 31 – Score: Brian and My Diva 32, Gremlins 18

Maybe that’s not the actual score, but every day you can overhear “we’re gaining.” Light fixtures have been rewired, light bulbs have been replaced, the interior is being wiped down and the outside is getting a buffing. She’s starting to come around.

All you seafaring souls out there, be jealous. We could not have asked for better weather or calmer seas – thank you Mother Nature and King Neptune! Don says the seas are one step above glass. Currently we are dodging crab pots in Pamlico Sound off North Carolina.

We’re running on the outside to gain some time. Running inside the intracoastal waterway is more interesting but extremely hot and sometimes very slow. If you’ve been following our location on the “Where the heck are we?” page, the signal drops off when we’re out of cell tower range (but texts seem to get through if you’re overly concerned about our welfare. We have not sailed off the end of the earth.) I try to refresh it when I notice we have coverage again. If you want to be included in the “Gylmpse” email I send out instead of waiting for the blog post, send me a note with your email address by making a comment on this page.

Best estimate is that we’re halfway home.

Two nights ago when we stopped in Charleston, we dashed to West Marine for a supply run. Since then, Brian has replaced bilge pumps and fixed the back generator by replacing battery and purging fuel system. Our Charleston cabbie was a crusty fellow, telling Brian, Bruce and me all about the highlights of Charleston; 172 churches and 384 bars in the city. The business card tucked in the glovebox door for the front-seat passenger to see offered “scantily clad ladies for private parties.” If we were looking for some debauchery, he would have been happy to make some arrangements.

Also in Charleston, we encountered the Silver Lining She, too, is new to her captain and she, too, is headed to Massachusetts from Fort Lauderdale. She, too, is a Hatteras but a younger one by 8 or 9 years. Warts and all, Brian got the nicer boat. The “real estate” above the part that touches the water seems more functional with My Diva. Around the outside of her salon, the Silver Lining has a 1.5' gunnel which effectively narrows the room by 3 feet. My Diva’s salon is a full living room because she has narrow gunnels around her outside, which is really nice from a passenger's point of view. Silver Lining’s captain had an eye on My Diva earlier this spring but when he called on her, he was told she was taken. We saw her again last night, docked at the same marina in Oriental, NC. It’s kind of nice to be running in tandem with her.

We developed a tachometer problem two mornings ago and we lost the engine synchronizer. Technical point for those who don’t know: big boats like this have two engines, port and starboard, that can run at independent speeds and directions. A synchronizer brings both engines into sync so each operates at the same RPM. When both engines push at the same speed, fuel is consumed equally and the helmsman doesn’t fight an unnecessary battle to keep her on course.

After our patriotic hamburger, hot dog, and corn on the cob meal for Memorial Day last night, the boys worked until 21:20. Brian and Don did some experimenting and narrowed down the problem, and now Brian just needs some parts. The adapter for the tachometer cable has a broken shaft. Update: I’ve just been informed that we’ve now lost the second tachometer. Like tonsils, they are good to have but not mission-critical to the functioning body. Bruce tells me that to the trained ear they can be manually synchronized, just like strings on a guitar. And after 7 days at the helm, Don now knows that we can go 12 knots at about 1500 RPM. So the process now is a bit more intuitive. I just think My Diva just missed being touched and loved. Oh, she's getting some attention now!.