Snake Island, with decoys set out on a calm morning. |
| Warm weather seemed to delay fall colors. Only after examining this photo more closely did I see many birds, possibly ducks, circling over Detroit Harbor. Not far away, in the top photo taken only seconds earlier, is Snake Island with decoys, and hunters in a duck blind. |
Washington Island -
After one of the busiest, best traffic seasons ever, the Island is finally slowing down a bit.
The Karfi's last day of operation was Columbus Day, Oct. 10th, and Jeff Cornell brought it around to Detroit Harbor that same afternoon. Benches were removed and oil was changed the following day,
and early Wednesday it was hauled and pressure washed at the Shipyard Island Marina, prior to being placed on blocks for the winter.
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| Jeff Cornell cleaned the Karfi hull at the Shipyard. |
The Karfi began in its 49th season with a new pair of main engines, John Deere motors that replaced fairly young Perkins Sabre engines. The Perkins had many hours remaining, potentially, but with concern for replacement parts coming from England, a move to new propulsion of nearly the same horsepower was made. Along with new engines, new pilot house controls were also installed with a single lever per engine for both shifting and throttle (instead of a separate lever for each, as original). The new engines and controls worked flawlessly all season.
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| New starboard engine on Karfi. A new fuel tank was fabricated and replaced the original. Otherwise, the engine room looks much as it did 49 years ago, clean as a whistle in the bilges. |
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| New controls and new engine gauges also required a new and deeper console. |
We'll be heading south in two days, to the tip of South America, via Buenos Aires. Chances are, internet communications will be spotty, or expensive, or both, but if I can get a few photos published here, then I will.
We'll be enjoying the early days of spring in the southern hemisphere, with temperatures expected to be 20-30s F on South Georgia.
Hasta luego - Dick Purinton
