Odd plant. Likes living in water. Has a triangular stem and a little growth about a third of the way down from the tip which is the flower/seed apparatus. Thrives along our shore. — Odd plant. Likes living in water. Has a triangular stem and a little growth about a third of the way down from the tip which is the flower/seed apparatus. Thrives along our shore.

Met Norm at the dock at 8:30 for the installation of the new water heater. It only took a few minutes to determine that the new heater was half an inch too big in every direction to fit down the hatch, or into its assigned space under the cockpit. Once that factoid was absorbed I traded the brand new heater to Norm—for a discount, in the future, on something that might fit, if there is something.

Norm, while squatting down in the port hatch, connected the hoses which had been unconnected from the previous heater—and that gave us a functioning engine and running water at both sinks (though cold only). Anxious to get Heliotrope back sailing, Sue and I decided on an afternoon (shakedown) cruise, and one of the first things we always do when we clear harbor and are out on the bounding main is to blow the bilge. True to form this year, however, no blow—a hum from the pump but no discharge from the drain.

At this point I was about ready to throw in the towel. But, thinking some some fun might be kinda fun, we re-docked the big boat and took the Windrider out for a perfectly enjoyable, brisk-wind kind of a sail...and nothing went wrong! So, getting back to the marina somewhat later on, and with no casualties and all equipment functioning properly, and feeling slightly empowered and minutely invincible, I enlisted Andrew's help in attacking the Heliotrope bilge pump problem. It turns out that a big-old oil rag got into the bilge somehow and wrapped itself around the pump. Once Andrew pulled the oily scumbag out, the pump worked perfectly. There is a mural: one must not throw in the towel.

And, I think, it might finally be time to go sailing.