Problem Solving

Mike came aboard to help Christoph figure out why the wifi booster wasn't working. After a lot of trial and error, they were able to isolate the bad connector on the wifi booster cable that connected at the antenna. Problem solved!

But we had a more serious problem to tackle. At slack tide, when the water in the anchorage settled into a transparent Caribbean-looking green, Christoph finally dove to examine the underside of Delfina, to see whether she had sustained any damage as a result of the incident with fishing vessel McKenzie in Town Creek Channel, in Beaufort, NC. He found major cracks in the skeg, where it connects with the rudder.

We had been in regular communication with our insurance company since the incident to determine where to haul out. We had initially hoped to be short-hauled in Charleston, but there had been no room at any boatyards during this busy season, so we proceeded on our route south. We called around to several local boatyards while we were anchored in West Palm, but couldn't be accommodated locally for several weeks. It looked like we'd have to sail down to Fort Lauderdale, which offers more marina services.

So we bid goodbye to the accommodating Palm Beach Sailing Club, its friendly staff and members, and headed back out to sea.

We arrived at the Lauderdale Marine Center on Tuesday afternoon, and were hauled and blocked for evaluation of the damage. The insurance adjustor met us at the yard and determined that we needed to engage a rudder contractor to pull the rudder for assessment of the damage.

Now that we were back "on the hard" we had to pack up all the frozen food again! By now, we had a system. We rented a car and drove the food to my brother Steve's house, in Boca. He and Samantha have an extra freezer, which we filled with our provisions. We are so grateful to have a support system in South Florida.

The rudder contractor examined the rudder from the exterior and interior of the boat, assessed the potential issues and identified various service providers who would be needed to repair the damage. We will have to drop the rudder, determine whether the shaft is bent and whether there is any damage to the bearing; check the bronze shoe for cracks, and repair the fiberglass skeg. It looks like we won't be back in the water until the week of December 17!

Pema Chödron's weekly heart advice arrived by email this morning. It never fails to inspire me. Today's advice is about being there for others, which means, first of all, not shutting down on ourselves. This requires us to allow ourselves to feel what we feel and not push it away. To be open-hearted today, I will allow myself to experience the weight of my disappointment and frustration at being laid up in a boatyard for the next several weeks. Then I will practice patience, and not shut down on myself or anyone else, especially Christoph.