Greetings from Key West. As you probably know things are quiet here. Too quiet for my liking at this point. The first week this shutdown was kinda of a novelty to me. I can admit now I was very cavalier about about the whole situation in the beginning. Now starting our 4th week of this shutdown its obvious to me the serious of the situation in the country. That being said we’re lucky here in the Key West. Being at the end of the world has its advantages. This is one of those times.

I’ve been getting a fair amount of questions on social media. People want to know what we are doing to keep busy and our minds occupied. I have compiled a list to share-

  • Installed a new Simrad Autopilot. I have keep the old unit also. So now we have two. Hydraulic and electrical. Eventually I will remove the old unit when I have full confidence in this new system.
  • Installed a jog lever for the steering system. I have the option now to use the wheel or the lever. It also serves as a back up the steering system.
  • New 12 volt solenoid valves for the steering system.
  • Removed and replaced all the hydraulic hoses in the steering system. So were as old as 12 years. They looked fine but I figured why not? Plus a oil and filter change.
  • Rebuilt the anchor hauler. Machined the windless head to remove the grooves. New hoses, motor, load bearing assembly, chain coupling, flange bearings and load binder. I’ve done this countless times before. It’s not hard as long as you have everything you need to finish in one session. We don’t do it as often anymore, drifting trips see to that.
  • A closed circuit camera system in the engine room and main cabin.
  • Yearly service of the MDE transmissions.
  • Designed and installed a new ducting for the forward bunk room. With our new a/c system it should be cold in that compartment.
  • Installed a GPS gyro compass for the NEMA 2000 network.
  • Installed a hard wired fire/smoke alarm system. Each compartment has its own sensors. The control panels, one in the wheelhouse and one in the main cabin, tells you which compartment  to head for. Seconds count when you have a fire on a boat.
  •  I had Key West Engine Service do a work through in the engine room. They spent half a day in the engine room keeping busy. They mostly addressed minor leaks and a valve adjustment. When I got the bill I thought it was fair. That says to me we are where we should be keeping things running smoothly.

I am sure I am missing somethings but the are the highlights. It took three weeks of doing things a a very slow pace. Little to no urgency given the present situation. Usually we never get everything done I want to. That’s not a issue these days.

The obvious question when will be running again? As of today I’m thinking soon as they allow non residents back into Monroe County we will start back up. When? Your crystal ball is as good as mine. Best I can say at this point.

If you have any boat or fishing questions please email at greg@yankeecapts.com, I am quick to respond. Office matters can be addressed at alana@yankeecapts.com. The office can get bogged down so email is the best way to communicate. Please be patient. My office staff will be in touch.

We have had about a 90% of our customers rebook on future trips since our cancelations. Summer time looks busy and even into the fall. If your looking for dates during the nice weather its time to think about a trip. Please start here for availability.

So in the interim we wait, better days are closer than you think.

Regards,

Greg