Day's log for Wednesday, July 25th, 2001 - Isle of Palms, SC

Ships log - to be filled in

This was an interesting day. The plan was to raise anchor and head for Charleston and arrive around 1400.

0730 - I hear people talking. I peak out the window and see a sailboat skipper raising his anchor and preparing to leave. I go back to bed. I then hear shouting. Good, a juicy spectacle! I stuck my head out the hatch and saw the boat over by the bank of Whiteside Creek. This skipper is yelling at his significant other.

"Thats what happens when you get so [drunk]. Please, try to keep it in the middle while I go forward to pull the anchor."

I had a good laugh and was now awake enough to start the day.

Instead, I experience engine overheating just before I get to the Ben Sawyer Bridge. I immediately shut down the engine and drop the anchor along the side of the channel and go below to check it out. The problem turned out to be the freshwater coolant pump. The seals and impeller had worn out. I spent the next three hours next to the hot engine doing repairs to the pump. I had to remove the pump from the back of the engine - the hard part, then replace the impeller and shaft seals - easy, then put the pump back on - hard. I tested it, then got underway. I arrived in The City Marina in Charleston around 1800.