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American Spirit II - Day 6; The Big Crab Trap Wrap; Thursday, January 9, 2014



Must have miss-labeled yesterday's log day and date. Oops.

The day was spent purchasing and installing 2 new 8D House Batteries for the boat. The 2 AGM's got fried. Not sure how. We replaced them with 8 D Flooded batteries. A new roller furling line which had developed a soon to be fatal problem was replaced, also.

Departed Key West at 7:50 PM. At 11:40 PM while motor sailing in light air just south of the Marquesas Islands and 25 miles west of Key West, the prop got the mother of all crab trap wraps! We anchored in 42 feet of water and in went Joel Heyne. Forty-five minutes later, and after breaking one (very expensive) filet knife; dulling 2 other seriated knives; and finally ending with a 6 inch hack saw blade (not the hack saw, just the blade), the prop was freed. The water temperature was a pleasant 79; and the 'shark watch' saw none of the bothersome creatures during Joel's "swim." There is a reason its a good idea to keep a face mask, knife, underwater flashlight and hack saw blade handy!

Brian Fox

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