Splashing January 2016

Wednesday the 13th, Karen and I arrived in warm and somewhat sunny Florida looking forward to being back onboard Last Mango. We spent a few days with Carol and Al while checking and spending time prepping the Mango for her splash date on the 18th. Karen and I missed Mango since we haven’t been aboard her since last May. She definitely needs a bit of TLC, the summer sun was harsh on her exterior and we found a small amount of white mold on the teak down below.


Monday, it’s splash day, the temperature is in the low 60’s, it’s windy and sunny. We chatted with the crew of a large motor yacht that came in from the Bahamas for work after being damaged in a crash. The crew sat near the launch well and drank Mimosa’s and enjoyed the cool sunshine. Last Mango went in the water after a 91 footer and just before the 78 foot motor yacht Beba. She looked so tiny compared to the other yachts but we love her and all went well. No water problems and all systems worked per normal. I was able to install the autopilot drive unit that Garmin replaced under warranty, it also seems to function properly. We’ll know more about the pilot in the fullness of time. As Karen cleaned and oiled down below I washed the cockpit and installed the canvas prepping for the “Florida cold” 39 degree night. Luckily the hard work last summer waxing the topsides seems to have paid off as what I washed seemed to clean up well. I’ll know about the rest of the topsides tomorrow. So far the only casualty is the exhaust fan for the composting head, it corroded in the summer humidity. Fortunately I have an extra, I just need to find it. 

We hope to finish cleaning down below and possibly hang some sails tomorrow. We’ll see if the winds calms down. So far we have become re-acquainted with some friends we met last year from Minnesota and  Nova Scotia. We’ve also had several members of E-Dock come to greet us, looks like more wonderful cruisers. 

It is great to be back aboard !




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