Sea Trial

Mahvelous Marcy at the helm

After a recent repair to the boat transmission, my mechanic Sean Silverman suggested what is called a "sea trial" to check oil pressure and temperature as well as to make sure there are no leaks. I ran into our dear friend Marcy Alvarez a few days ago and asked if she wanted to go with us, as she has always shown an interest in the boat. So yesterday Marcy, Sean and I headed out from The Ford Plantation for the 2 1/4-hour run to McAllister Marina, 17 nautical miles down the winding Ogeechee River. It was a cold wet day, and we felt fortunate to be driving from the pilothouse with our generator and heaters running.  The trip was uneventful, which is exactly what you want after repairs have been made. Sean checked out the transmission the entire way down and everything seems to be working perfectly. Pressure and temperature were perfect, and there were no leaks of transmission oil.

 Marcy, it turns out, simply loves the river, the marshes, and spotting birds, dolphin and other wildlife along the way. I hoped she had enjoyed the brief trip, despite the dreary weather. 

This morning, as I was preparing to drive back to McAllister to bring the boat back alone on another rainy day, I was surprised to get a call at 9 am from Marcy offering to come along again. I was delighted to have her good company and she even took the wheel for awhile. We left McAllister at high tide there at 10:30 and followed the tide up the river to arrive home at 12:45.

There is a long tradition on my boats of giving nicknames to those who crew. There is "The Lovely Laura Lee", for example, along with "Dahling Ashley" and "Bonefish Bob" Spotswood. And Paul Hamilton, who has dubbed himself "The Bosun". Marcy will henceforth be known as "Mahvelous Marcy", and she has earned a Division Belle t-shirt for her efforts.