Stone
Contributor
Date: 30 Jul 05
Wx: Overcast, winds E 10 - 15 kts, 74 F
Seas: Not too bad in the Bay, but 2 ft and more in the Gulf
Temp: Mid 80s on the surface and mid 70s F on the bottom
Prologue: I replaced the engine water pump on 28 Jul and tested it on 29 Jul. I got a little nervous when the engine started overheating, but after letting it cool and starting it again (twice), there was finally enough water flowing to get a normal temperature. My 26 Jul 05 dive report said that replacing the fuel/water separator resolved a rough running engine problem. Apparently it did not. I had to empty the fuel/water separator twice before the first dive. We now believe that we got some bad gas.
ECRA Reef Clean-up Dives. Buddies were Candy and Ed.
Dive One: Reefex Tank. Vis was less than 10 ft. We retrieved anchor rope, fishing line, and lead. I took a speargun just because I know that if I didnt, I would see a 30 lb grouper.
Dive Two: Another Reefex Tank. Before Hurricane Dennis, we saw a broken mast with sail attached near this tank. It may still be there, but the vis was so bad we couldnt find it. We retrieved more anchor rope, fishing line, and lead.
Dive Three: Barrel Barge. Vis was a little better (15 ft). More lead and fishing line. There seems to be a Jewfish on every barge within 6 miles of the pass.
Epilogue: The crappy weather finally closed in on us after the third dive. Actually, my Radar showed that we were surrounded by very heavy rain, but we were able to make it to the Destin Bridge without running into a real squall. We pulled into the beach on the west side of the bridge (where the Reef Clean-up Party was to be held) and retrieved what was left of Candys tent canopy. God bless my son, Stone, for setting everything up in the morning, then trying to save the tent when the storms blew through.
From the bridge to the marina, I could only make about 6 kts due to the fouled carburetor problem (although the engine did run smoothly twice which let me get up to normal speed for about 10 minutes). I guess Ill be working on the fuel system this week.
Wx: Overcast, winds E 10 - 15 kts, 74 F
Seas: Not too bad in the Bay, but 2 ft and more in the Gulf
Temp: Mid 80s on the surface and mid 70s F on the bottom
Prologue: I replaced the engine water pump on 28 Jul and tested it on 29 Jul. I got a little nervous when the engine started overheating, but after letting it cool and starting it again (twice), there was finally enough water flowing to get a normal temperature. My 26 Jul 05 dive report said that replacing the fuel/water separator resolved a rough running engine problem. Apparently it did not. I had to empty the fuel/water separator twice before the first dive. We now believe that we got some bad gas.
ECRA Reef Clean-up Dives. Buddies were Candy and Ed.
Dive One: Reefex Tank. Vis was less than 10 ft. We retrieved anchor rope, fishing line, and lead. I took a speargun just because I know that if I didnt, I would see a 30 lb grouper.
Dive Two: Another Reefex Tank. Before Hurricane Dennis, we saw a broken mast with sail attached near this tank. It may still be there, but the vis was so bad we couldnt find it. We retrieved more anchor rope, fishing line, and lead.
Dive Three: Barrel Barge. Vis was a little better (15 ft). More lead and fishing line. There seems to be a Jewfish on every barge within 6 miles of the pass.
Epilogue: The crappy weather finally closed in on us after the third dive. Actually, my Radar showed that we were surrounded by very heavy rain, but we were able to make it to the Destin Bridge without running into a real squall. We pulled into the beach on the west side of the bridge (where the Reef Clean-up Party was to be held) and retrieved what was left of Candys tent canopy. God bless my son, Stone, for setting everything up in the morning, then trying to save the tent when the storms blew through.
From the bridge to the marina, I could only make about 6 kts due to the fouled carburetor problem (although the engine did run smoothly twice which let me get up to normal speed for about 10 minutes). I guess Ill be working on the fuel system this week.
. I am going to have to do some welding to salvage the metal frame.
