Not Sinking

The Sunrise has a leak due to a loose or damaged cutlass bearing, the stuffing that surrounds the propeller shaft. If I do not pump the bilge daily, water accumulates under the salon floor to a depth of about 2 inches, when a little electric bilge pump kicks in; thus, as long as the pump works and the batteries have charge, the boat will not sink. During Christmas at my daughter Lisa's, I was away from the boat for several days, all the time worrying about finding Sunrise on the bottom when I returned from West Palm Beach. But, the little electric bilge pump did not fail. Thank you, Rule!
To fix this leak, I have to either tighten or replace the bearing. Here is what it looks like:

Realize that I took this photo holding my camera with one hand at absolute arm's length, my head hanging completely inside the portside lazarette, and my other hand barely supporting myself to keep from falling headfirst into the lowest innards of the boat's engine compartment. The bearing is the green assembly around the bright metal propeller shaft. If you look closely, you should see that there are two nuts immediately in front. Somehow, I must loosen the first nut and then tighten the second; finally, I must hold the second nut and tighten the first. If this mostly impossible task is correctly accomplished, the leak will stop and the propeller shaft will still turn. If the leak does not stop or the propeller does not turn, then I will have to pull the boat.

Here is another photo from Saint Petersburg where the lack of a mainsail on the boom is clearly visible, although how one sees something that is not there is a philosophical conundrum!

Once I replace the mainsail, then cleaning the boat's fuel tank so the engine works reliably will be the last task keeping the boat in port. Until then, I guess I remain a Fort Myers man, but since I promised the local Democratic Party in Apalachicola I would help elect Steve Southerland to an open Dog Catcher position, I want to speed the day Sunrise can return to sea.