Hope of a Fix (at the Isle of Hope)

Saturday, November 22nd: The Isle of Hope, GA

Thursday we left Beaufort and the engine started right away. Bob had spent some time tightening up connections and we were hopeful that starting problems were behind us. We spent the day following the ICW as it snaked it's way out of South Carolina into Georgia and at 4:00 p.m., we arrived at a marina on the Isle of Hope - pulled into the gas dock - stopped the engine - filled up with diesel and then attempted to start the engine. Click, click, click. Once again Bob was defeated - time to try another mechanic. At 8:00 the following morning, mechanic # 3 came on board.

Mechanic #3 shall remain nameless. I told him that if he had hit upon the fix for our starting problem, I would put his name in my blog - lots of people would know that he had fixed what others couldn't. He said good but don't mention him otherwise :)

#3 thought the problem was in the start button itself - that it was not always making the connection - and he installed a soleniod between the start button and the start engine. Of course the engine started when he was here. It always behaves for a while after a visit from a mechanic. We'll see how what happens tomorrow - and the next day ---

Today we took an hour long bus ride into Savannah (20 minutes by car) - Bob says "Tell about how you got on the bus and asked if it went to Charleston?" - The bus driver had the strangest look on his face. He didn't answer. I guess he was speechless. Bob told the bus driver that I was in "a time warp".

Anyway -
Savannah is a city that is very serious about preserving it's history. New homes are built to resemble historic homes around them. Old homes cannot be torn down. High rises are not allowed. This is a city of huge "live oaks" (green all year) draped with Spanish moss (an "air fern" - not a parasite) - a city of squares with a monument or fountain in the centre of each - of boulevards with tall wide trees and of period homes carefully preserved. We found it quite beautiful. We took a trolley tour but the best part of the day was walking along the streets and through the squares.

As we toured the city, we were warm but only because we wore fleeces with our long foul weather jackets over them. When asked where we are from, we were accused of bringing cold weather with us - and people said - look at the clothes they have! - the ones they brought from Canada! Nevertheless, the Ho cakes (cornmeal pancakes) and baking powder biscuits at lunch were memorable and our day in Savannah was sunny, fresh, and beautiful.

The Cathedral of John the Baptist.