Boy!  Have you guys been out of it or what?  All sorts of news to report! 

Firstly, there’s the ‘story’ of Sal’s outboard motor: As you know, I need a new motor so I’ve been looking.  ‘Course, when you look, you sometimes see other things.  And I saw a small 15hp Suzuki motor on Craigslist that was on the way to my brother’s Boxing Day dinner.  Sal’s current motor is a 1980’s 9.9hp longshaft on an 11 foot Whaler.  Which means that she is adequately powered but with too much ‘shaft’ in the water which slows her down (and makes the lower-hung engine more vulnerable to debris).  Plus it is old.  Plus it is a two-stroke.  So, on a whim, we went to see the Suzi. 

Aannnnndddd……………we bought it! “Merry Christmas, Sal.  Surprise!”  She was stunned. 

Anyway, we get home over the next few days and the next day I stay back at the house getting the systems up and running while Sal goes over in her boat to start unloading the 700 or so pounds of luggage and food to bring over.  She does it all in one trip except for her new motor which she leaves in the truck. 

And she then heads out.  Then I get a call on the walki-talkie; “Something went clunk and when I looked over the side, I saw half the engine hanging loose in the water.”  I took John’s boat (mine is on the hard and dry without an engine) and went to get her.  She had hit a deadhead and tore her motor in half.  So we went back to the truck and swapped engines.  She buzzed home all nonchalant-like with her new Suzi doing the work. 

Moral of the story: timing is everything.

Second moral: try not to be reduced to one old motor when it is -5 outside and you are working on the water.

Third moral: God watches out for the fools.  And we give thanks for that.