Ted655 – Coming down the Mississippi.

[BananaTom]

[SIZE=3]It might seem this was the trip from hell. I have had better weekends with fewer issues I must say. Our journey was not a day tour, a Disney adventure ride or a weekend outing. It was a 1,000 miles of challenges, hilarity, boredom, beauty and education. There were NO guarantees or time outs. The "possibility s" of danger and failure heightened the experience and gave the effort a strange sort of value to us. Even in a "groundhog" sort of way, we would do the same trip again in a heartbeat. There was so much more to this adventure that I did not or could not write about here. Those that can should make a similar trip, but do try to take willing people.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3] The Gibson was great. My main complaint with her was the way the cables & wires are "built into" the boat @ time of construction. Including the way the helm is constructed, it is almost impossible to find, trace, repair or replace anything concerning cables, or wires. The steps I made and the equipment I bought were good & performed well. The boat was comfortable above but not in the cuddy. Once in the lower 1/2 of the trip, our friends slept on the salon floor just to get some breeze. Those better financed may run the Genset & ACs all night I suppose. I found that redundancy wherever possible is best. I am going to install a set of engine gauges IN the engine compartment, a gas AND hand water pump & a solar battery charger.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3] The computer-based navigational/GPS was great. The 20" monitor however was over kill, hot & a power pig. A laptop screen will do better. I was VERY glad I had installed a separate battery bank just for the navigational system. The sonar should be wired there also. We had 2 VHF radios, 1 was hand held, "The best" item we bought was the portable icemaker! It worked best when the ACs had the cabin temps down but even in the Deltas ambient heat, it made ice. We just had to tend it after each batch. No other single thing was better than ice in your drink while fixing another issue. It kept moral up & was responsible for letting cooler heads prevail. Buy one.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3] WE were a motley group! Various afflictions & disease spread between us. We filled in each other’s gaps & made a slightly dysfunctional team. We did it! There were no real “Lower Mississippi” dangers. Luck played some small role (as it does in anything), but mostly we were cautious, alert (3 of us), & used common sense. No big deal really.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=3] Thank you all for wanting to hear our story!![/SIZE]