Show up at the taxi dock about 15 minutes prior to departure. We're the only ones going to Peanut Island on this trip.
There are hundreds of boats anchored around the island and lots of people on the beach. VERY crowded. It is a Sunday and we were warned that this might be the case. Our goal is to see the Kennedy bunker and Coast Guard Museum.
Upon arriving at the entrance it seems to be closed but a Scout leader thinks they open at noon. We express obvious distress so he suggest we might be able to convince the care taker to let us in early. We walk around trying to find someone and fortunately, we do. The guide says she will give us a tour just as soon as she changes into her uniform (she is wearing civilian clothes).
We are joined on the tour by two Coast Guard guys. First a tour of the museum then on to the bunker.
Pretty interesting. David got to chat with the CG guys about some boat trip issues. The Peanut Island excursion was fun and worth the time. We catch the water taxi back to Sailfish Marina and get ready to head out.
The Delray Harbor Club Marina was the right place at the right time. The day before, we realized that the toilet was not flushing. David checked the switch and it seemed to be working so our fear was that the pump was bad. Upon reading the manual, it stated that the pump would go off if the holding tank got full so as not to over-flow. This seemed like good news because all we had to do was empty the tank, which we plan on doing in the morning when we get gas. Easier said than done.
The Sailfish Marina does not have a pump out so we are directed to a facility about a thousand feet away located on what appears to be the busiest water way in the state. We ask the kid working the gas area about a tank pump out. He states that their pump has taken a crap (I know, but he REALLY did say that) and that he can't do it. He suggests the place we just came from plus another. I call the second place and they suggest we come in tomorrow as today, they are too busy. When I inform the person on the other end that we can't possibly wait until tomorrow, she suggests another place. I call them and they can accommodate us for a small fee of $5. To have a working toilet again, priceless, so off we go.
Well not quite. David is pumping the gas for about ten minutes and is thinking that we used more that he calculated. Upon looking at the numbers on the pump, they read 52.5, or at least that was David thinks. He asked the kid what the gage reads and the kid says, "five point two five". After all that time, only five and a quarter gallons have been pumped. David tells the kid that at this rate, it will take all afternoon to fill the tanks. The kid replies, "Sorry, man. I forgot to turn on the pump." So back to the office to do that, which is a bit of a hike so he takes his bike along with David's credit card so he doesn't have to make two trips.
The pump goes on and now the gas is flowing. The tanks are filled and David is waiting for the kid to come back with the receipt. Twenty minutes later, David walks up to the office and there stands the kid waiting for someone to bring him a key because he's locked the credit card in the office. We're now being held hostage by Clueless Dude. The kicker is that the gas from this place is more expensive than the marina we were staying at AND we can't get the potty tank pumped out. The place that DOES have a pump out is about four miles away. After getting our card back, we proceed onward.
Arriving at the next marina, we report in and a kid is sent out with the pump out cart. He forgets something and has to go back up to the office. Upon his return everything seems to go well and we are optimistic that this procedure will take care of the broken toilet.
It does not. Now what? David decides he needs a voltage meter to test the power going to the pump so while enroute to our next destination, I work the web to locate the devise. There is a marina AND a Radio Shack in Delray Beach so that's where we are headed.
It's about 3:30 when we arrive at the Delray Harbor Club Marina. The Radio Shack closes at 5:00 so we quick tie up and hustle over to get the meter. The marina office closes at 6:00 so I take care of checking us in while David works on the biff pump. The meter says the pump is getting power so we think the pump is bad, which distresses us both.
David calls our boat mechanic, Roger. Roger says he thinks the wire might just be loose so try jiggling it. David thinks he hears the pump working. The liquid in the toilet goes down but the paper is still there so David removes the paper by hand and Hallelujah!, the toilet is fixed. Just a paper jam.
The toilet is working so we get cleaned up and head off to dinner. A web search reveals that there is a well reviewed restaurant, called the 5th Avenue Grill, about a half a mile from the marina so we decide to go there. We both had the salmon special, which was topped with artichokes, mushrooms, olives & tomatoes could not have tasted more wonderful. The ambiance reminded me of a supper club my parents took me to when I was a kid but it doesn't feel dated. The whole evening was a lovely experience. The walk back was lighted by the "pink" or Paschal moon and the breeze & temp couldn't have been more perfect. A pleasant ending to a roller coaster of a day.
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