November 18

This day was one of those days we all have from time to time. I reached for my glasses in the morning and the bow departed the frame in my hand. That wasn't that bad since the lenses were beginning to delaminate for the third time in a year and one half and I had a couple of backups. Then the boat engine would not start. More precisely, the start circuit would not energize at all. I started her by jumping the battery cable directly to the starter motor and that got the engine going. Since it is a diesel, it has no need for electricity once it is going. However, we didn't have a tachometer, the various warning systems were inoperative, and it appeared that we were generating no juice from the alternator. Luckily, those circuits began working about 45 minutes into the trip. The rest of the day was uneventful although I brooded all day about possible solutions. We went offshore out Doboy Sound. We saw these jellyfish and many others along the coast. The wind was not very helpful as it was behind us and not much more than we could make with the engine, so we kept the sails furled. Going outside did have the advantage of missing some sections of the Intracoastal that are too low at low tide for us. The trip of 44.6 miles only took us 6.5 hours, including our time for engine starting, because we had the tidal currents in our favor going out and coming in.

We were at Jekyll Island early in the afternoon. Walt and Pat went in with their bicycles to explore this early twentieth century billionaires' retreat. We elected to remain aboard and explore the starting circuit problem. Walt saved Pat a swim, gallant gentleman that he is, when, upon their return, Pat's knot-tying ability was apparently short of the mark and the dinghy started going south without them. It was that kind of day. Later, Walt and Pat came to Sabbatical and Walt performed a laying-on-of-hands miracle on the starter circuit and it functioned thereafter. It is a good thing to have a technology instructor handy (though we still don't know what was wrong with the circuit). I say it was simply Walter "Miracles" Washer.

There are compensations for the glitches. The evening brought this remarkable sunset which changed in appearance by the minute.