I got a call from Jean, at Anchor Marina today.

She has finished her radiation and may have to do some chemo, but she is back at Anchor (actually has been for awhile), and is trying to make a go of it, despite the best efforts of Marks siblings to cause the place to collapse.

Let me 'splain.

Ever since Mark got picked back up, the place has been infested with wharf rats of one sort or another. First wharf rats aboard,  Marks sister and brother-in-law, Rick (See: "Never Moon the Game Warden" entry), and Marks younger brother, who seems to be having a substance problem hisself....and of course to round it off, the antics of...you guessed it....dock-boy.

The other day when I was delivering Sand Shaker along with Sean, we rounded the point by Anchor Marina, and I noticed that Valley Girl, Marks neglected motor yacht, was sitting funny in the water. Like it had a lot of water in the bilges.

It seems that on Saturday, she almost sank. We had a great big deluge of rain on Saturday, adding to the already tipsy hull. Rick and Eric (Heckel and Jeckyl) got it pumped out, but were afraid that the engine had been submerged, and so they were afraid to start it.

That's why Jean called me.

I haven't been back over there since we moved 'Div, but Jean is a friend and so I went at lunchtime and surveyed the situation.

I pulled up some hatch covers, and things looked pretty dry. I could smell fuel (diesel) though, so figured that a tank is probably leaking. As I was checking the exhaust elbow, the oil, injectors and other parts of the engine, Rick showed up and I told him I was down there at Jeans request.

He was hostile at first but I got him calmed down, and together we traced things down. Everything seemed to be in order, so we cranked up the engine, finally getting it to turn over and let it run for awhile. The tanks showed empty though, so I opted to shut it down after about fifteen minutes, not wanting to risk an air lock.

Suggesting that Rick try and find the source of the fuel leak so that we can patch it up, I went up to the office and visited with Jean, telling her what I found, and promised that I'll come by weekly to run the boat.

How quickly I get sucked into doing the right thing. I guess it's one of my biggest character flaws....

Chaos reigns over there, simple anarchy. Dock-boy is still stealing the money from the ramp launch box, Nestor is pocketing the income from family courts, Rick is submitting bogus bills for work performed, Eric is selling off Marks things, and Mark himself thinks he is getting out of jail in 30 days. I guess he thinks GW Bush has finally heard his plea, but I think otherwise.

The marina, along with it's sister property, Family Courts (will Judge Wopner please take the bench?) are both up for sale, and there is an interested buyer. I submit that I would run the marina, and the brokerage for awhile if the powers that be, presently, were not involved. Get the place turned around before sailing off into the sunset.

In its present state though, it will be all I can do to go over there and run Valley Girl weekly.