I wanted to add a bit of recognition to all the people who made this unbelievable trip come to fruition. First Tony, Ron and Bruce it wouldn't have been possible without them, even though Ron needed a full harness to bring in his "Sea Monster" and Tony kept running with the gaff like a six year old. Thanks again for coming along nothing but good times as always. Bruce, get well soon Bro (he just had shoulder surgery and this was his last trip for about six months).
Roy at Teach's Lair hooked us up big time in the wake of an incident which occurred last year when my truck and trailer got towed while we were fishing... it really sux to come back to the marina and not have your truck there let alone not knowing where it is and not having a ride to go get it. That is all over and in the past and Roy made good on his promise to hook us up this year, we really appreciated that.
Buddy Foster (the fella that towed my truck) came by and drank a few beers and extended future hospitality to my crews and I in so far as providing a place to park my boat/truck/RV whatever, whenever we come down. Buddy owns the boat building facility directly across the street from Teach's!!! Thanks again Buddy!!!
Finally I must give a huge thanks to the staff at Browining's marine especially T.J. who puts up with my constant phone calls trying to minimize the amount of time my boat spends in his shop. A bit of history here; my boat has visited Browning's many times in an effort to locate a minor oil leak that only surfaced once the motor was shut off and tilted up. We all... myself, Browning's and Mercury all were scratching our heads regarding this problem. Turns out I had several chipped or broken reed valves causing oil to back up in the intake plenum and leak out only when the engine was shut down and tilted up. Now, the pieces got sucked through the engine and slightly damaged two cylinders requiring the replacement of the entire powerhead. The effort that went into figuring this all out was substantial however, when you add in the fact that T.J. and Browning's Marine's entire service department ensured I never missed a day of fishing makes it virtually unbelievable. When I say I didn't miss any time on the water I mean Browning's Marine, throughout this entire endeavor (at least six different trips to Browning's) always kept my boat in an operational status. They managed to make the final diagnosis the week before Memorial Day weekend, recommended the powerhead replacement to Mercury and get my boat back together so we could fish Memorial Day weekend in Hatteras. This was not all that was accomplished during that last visit to Browning's they replaced my engine cowl decals, troubleshot and fixed my oil tank level sensor and assessed and recommended to Mercury replacement of my speed, oil and fuel six pin wiring harness due to sever corrosion causing a lack of conductivity. On top of all that everyone there always greeted me with a smile and when I picked up my boat it was without exception cleaner that when I dropped it off. Truly amazing!!! The boat is now back at Browning's for the new powerhead and I suspect it will be back before next weekend.