Waiting for FedEx

Serenity’s Raymarine ST70+ multifunction display went on the blink giving us vertical lines instead of depth, wind direction/speed, and speed through the water.  The unit was pulled and sent via FedEx back to a Raymarine repair station in Merrimack, NH on Friday, April 8^th.

I was able to configure the autopilot display to provide us with a depth display in the pilothouse, and the displays at the aft steering station were not affected.

So with depth information displayed, and wind information the old fashion way; sticking your head out the pilothouse door, we took off for Hope Town (see previous post) and Man-O-War Cay.  Hope Town and Man-O-War Cay reminded us of Herrington Harbour where we used to keep our boat.  Herrington South was a resort marina while Herrington North was a working marina.  Hope Town was definitely a resort, while Man-O-War is known for quality boat works and not quite as picturesque as Hope Town.

Note Serenity’s canvas work in the above picture of her on a buoy in Man-O-War Harbour.  Below is a better picture of the canvas taken in Hope Town.

We had canvas covers made by Captain Canvas in Deale, Maryland. We had only been using the windshield and skylight covers before, but now that it has gotten warmer, we are using them all. One covers the aft deck and has extensions for the setting sun. It provides us with a covered patio and keeps the sun off our sleeping quarters below. Another piece covers most of the coach roof helping to keep the dinette and galley cool. The air scoop over the front hatch provides us with a lot of air movement through the boat.

We found only two things of interest at Man-O-War. One was the baseball park by the ocean, and the other was the Dock & Dine Restaurant. The Dock & Dine had good food at reasonable prices. No drinks, however Man-O-War is a dry island.

One of our guide books described Man-O-War as an “island where time seems to stand still.”  If you wanted to do any banking, that is certainly true.

But, the tide waits for no man.  The people in the boat next to us with a 6’ draft were rather surprised when the wind shifted and they swung into shallow water before the tide went out.

On Thursday, April 16^th we returned to Marsh Harbour in time for FedEx to bring us a warranty replaced Raymarine ST70+ multifunction display.  Less than a week turn around with shipping, bench testing, and Bahamian customs clearance - not bad.