MacGregorSailors.com

Hi All!

We got out on the boat Saturday! Hooray!
Left the slip about a little before 2 pm inspite of our efforts to get out earlier… one piddling thing after another

Perfectly CLEAR weather, blue skies and NOTHING on the weather app radar images.

We turned up the Beaufort River towards the downtown waterside park hoping to catch some of this week’s Water Festival music but they must have rescheduled so we continued up River. Caught sight of several Dolphin family pods. The baby calf’s are to beautiful to watch.
Eventually making our way to where the Beaufort and Coosaw Rivers join up.

Then quite suddenly the weather changed dramatically!







Time to turn about and head back!
About halfway there the options were running low and it was time to send the Admiral in to batten down the hatches!
A 30+ mph wall of cold wind hit across the area with a vengeance and then pickup speed.
Soon after the rain wall hit drenching everything. One could see the ‘sandbar’ crowd in disarray as the sudden shift in the weather caught them unawares… coolers, umbrellas and kids being gathered up and dumped back onto the boats but many were high and beached on the bars. Nothing for them to do but ride it out…. Meanwhile we were cruising along at 12 mph headed into the wind grateful for the wraparound sunglasses keeping the rain and spray at bay. Reaching Old Downtown Beaufort and the swinging bridge we noticed there was a break in the weather ahead. We slowed once we made it to the clear space and blue sky above. Looking around we could see that this was just a temporary respite as additional thunder cells were going to quickly encroach again. Judging the wind speed we threaded the needle and made it back to our marina slip, did our quickest ever securement and made a bit of a hurried walk up the pier to our van with maybe 3 minutes to spare before the next thunderstorm cells hit. Glad to be ashore and in the relative comfort of the van while the lightning started up and the torrents fells again.

Once we got back to the house we waited in the van for a break in the rain before dashing in. We were soaked!
So much for clear skies and a low probability of rain…

Glad to be home!

Hope others had a less adventurous day out on the water enjoying the summer!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hi All!

Hope everyone is/has been out having fun with their Macs!

We only had one day out this past weekend which was a bit more adventurous than planned.
We avoided the late afternoon cruises the remainder of the weekend and watched the thunderstorms roll through from shore.
On Sunday we were out headed to the boat just 15 minutes away.
Leaving the house skies were clear and the weather app radar showed the same.
Crossing the bridge over the Beaufort River into Port Royal, (it’s a nice high span bridge that gives a beautiful view from mid span), there was a line of dark clouds forming … hmmm…. That wasn’t there earlier…hmmm….the Admiral checked the weather app radar again and sure enough there were an entire string of green/orange clusters growing as we watched… time for Plan B and take the Admiral out for a late Sunday afternoon lunch at Fish Camp one of the local waterside restaurants.

Just as we arrived it started to sprinkle… after a brief wait we were able to get a nice table outside but by the inner wall windows.
These were PERFECT seats for the lightning and thunderous show that soon unfolded all around us as we ate lunch. Sudden cracks, thunderous booms, pelting rain, gusting winds, light hail surrounded us. The Admiral enjoyed an iced Pina Colada while I tried a Carribean rum punch. Quite the thunderstorm show as multiple cells swept through while we enjoyed our excellent entrees of Mahi Mahi and a short Captains platter. The show was still running so we opted for a desert of a local speciality, Turtle Cheese Cake! A NY style cheese cake on a crumbled Oreo crust topped with just enough toasted crushed glazed pecans, Carmel and dark chocolate drizzle! Coupled with great coffee it was throughly enjoyed! By the time we finished our coffees there was a break in the weather so we headed home just in time for an encore presentation of vigorous thunderstorm. Quite a nice time of it actually being able to be right there in the midst of it all but tucked in under the veranda.

Glad we opted out of going on to the boat. It was quite a nice afternoon out!

Monday we were up and ready to head out to the boat but the heat and humidity were stifling… given our batting average so far this weekend we opted out at the last minute and stayed home indoors with the nice air conditioning. Good call as a couple hours later the pop-up thunderstorms started making their appearances. Not quite the extremes of Sunday but more than we would have wanted to contend with on the boat.

Tuesday I finally got out to run down to the dock supply for some remaining boat trailer hardware and to check on the boat.
Once home I proceeded to drill and counterbore the new bunk boards and install the bunk brackets with the SST carriage bolts I picked up.
Two hours later that was completed and cleaned up.

Tomorrow I’ll run over to Lowe’s or Home Depot or Grayco Building Supply for SST crown staples. I know I have some here but darned if I can find the buggers! Then I can fit/trim/install the new carpeting to the new bunks! Depending on how fiddly that goes I might even get the carpeted bunks mounted to the trailer! That would be a great relief to be finished with this sorta unplanned project and have the capability to haul out if/when needed. (There has been a sizable tropical depression forming off Florida just as a personal reminder of how fickle our weather can be as of late…). It will also be good to have this out of the way and be able to get back to our home renovations!!! Time sure is flying along now that we are past Mid Summer!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hi All!

Hope everyone is having a great summer!

We got out Saturday to watch the Beaufort Waterfront Festival Airshow from our boat!
It was great!
Several acrobatic routines, a home built flyby and a USCG helicopter demonstration of a rescue swimmer drop-rescue-recovery!
It was a fun! (And a bit hot as temperatures were in the high 90s! )
Here are a few pictures to share:





































There was quite a nice sized crowd out on the water to watch too!












AND WE WERE ABLE TO RESCUE NOT ONE, BUT TWO “MERMAIDS” WHO WERE BEING SWEPT OUT TO SEA!!!











At peak tidal flow they decided to go for a swim off their boat. The tidal flow was going full bore at about 4 knots and they were quickly swept away from their vessel. They were quite surprised and unprepared for the strength and swiftness of the current flow! While several On lookers had attempted to toss them multiple floatation devices as the struggled with the current which overwhelmed them. That is what first alerted me to their plight…the flotation and life jackets drifting past! Serendipity came into play as they drifted by and I asked them if they needed a lift. . We were prepared for such a contingency and able to toss them a rescue line to haul them along side!
While we’ve caught several things over the years including a Sailboat & Bass Boat this is the first time catching a pair of Mermaids!
They had drifted more than 3 football fields (roughly 1000 yards) from their boat and were quite exhausted. It took more than a half hour before their boat unanchored and came to retrieve them. All turned out ok and everyone had a good laugh.

It was a fun and interesting day out on the water!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hi All!

Hope you all had a great weekend!
Boy has it been hot here in South Carolina!
The “Real Feel” temps have been regularly over 100 F this weekend! The high humidity hasn’t help either.

We only actually got out on Saturday for the Beaufort Waterfront Park Festival Airshow. It was fun rescuing the Mermaids though!
It was too hot to do any other activities.
Time to stay indoors as much as possible and take it easy. Don’t need to get heat exhaustion or heat stroke. Got enough going on….

Did do some work on the boat trailer in the afternoons when there was some shade. No change in temp or humidity though and I was soon drenched in sweat for only an hour or so of work. Phbbbtttt!
The new bunks are cut to size, carpeted using SST 1-1/4 crown staples and good indoor/outdoor material, the refurbished & painted pivot brackets were mounted with SST carriage bolts (in counterbored holes to make sure they never can press on the hull). These four bunks were then mounted to the trailer supports with galvanized bolts using double lock nuts so the brackets can freely swivel to conform to the hull. The heat really takes a toll on one though.





Nice to actually see some physical progress!
Just swapping out rusted hardware doesn’t look like much…

Next is to redo the dual leaf spring toggle links on each side.
While I put it back together with new hardware matching the old stuff I pulled off I noticed that the toggle links were really too tightly clamped. They should have the capability to move freely…. So I’ll need to redo them with longer bolts and double lock nut them so they can pivot appropriately. I should have caught that when I was doing it the first time but it is what it is. Serendipitously our area has avoided any significant tropical storms or hurricanes so far this season……

Hope everyone is having a great Summer!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hi All!

So the trailer refurbishment saga continues….

Now that virtually all the bolts have been replaced,
the new springs painted and installed, with free pivoting equalizer shackles,
the bunks stripped out, new ones made, bracketed, padded w/ SST staples,
I looked at the wheels….. the protruding lug studs & nuts were rusted up too…. So what the heck let’s address those too. Better now than later… Right?…. Wrong!

The after wire brushing the exposed lug threads the first nut came off somewhat easily. Ditto for the second one!
False hope… it suckered me in.. the third stripped the press-in feature of the stud before the nut would rotate on the threads. Opps!
Ok… not to panic… I’ll just put the two lug nuts I removed back on with new lug nuts so that I can still at least move the boat should I need to while I prepare to disconnect the brakes and pull the hub at a later date..( it’s running nearly 100 F here in SC so I was hoping to hold off till cooler weather) …. should be no problem right? Wrong! One of the new nuts galled the threads of the stud. Tried to back it off only to have that stud spin! Criminy Not catching a break here am I?

So for the moment it looks like I have a pair of spun studs and a partially clamped stud location all on one wheel.
Ok, not to panic… 4 ‘effective lugs out of five isn’t great but for a quick haul out and slow transit back to the house should a Hurricane pop up isn’t the end of the world. It’s a dual axle trailer so there are some redundancy to address this. Not prefect but still safe and roadworthy for at least local low speed transit to/from the house.
Fribble! This project just took a big hit on the “To-Do-List” schedule plans. Fribble!

Now to figure out a reasonable way to get the wheel off the hub…. Probably good to anticipate now the worst case scenario that each of the other three wheels will have similar issues to contend with. Probably just as well to deal with this on a more in-depth basis anyway… that way I can plan on it being a bigger project than planned, I can clean inspect and relube each hub’s bearings and races and inspect/replace the disc brake rotors and/or pads if they need it. Probably serendipity…. Better to be dealing with this in this manner rather than when attempting to change a flat tire in transit on the side of the interstate in a construction zone with commute traffic in a rain storm… Yup, probably just serendipitous…. The glass is always half full

Now how the heck do I remove a spun stud…. … I guess I could cut the exposed stud threads off flush with the outer face of the nut then drill out the stud from the center of the nut… that would free up those spun studs and let the wheel off the hub… that should work… time consuming but should be doable… then once the wheels are off the hubs I can then punch out all of the studs and install new ones… given that they have spun in the hubs I’d best get the new studs tack welded to the back side of the hubs this next time around.

Any other suggestions? Process? Critique? Alternatives?
I’m open minded as to be honest this is the first time that I’ve had to personally contend with this issue. Always open to suggestions!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

They do make a “nut splitter” that will go around the lug nut and has a hardened sharp wedge that will cut the nut with the application of a very large wrench or socket. Don’t know if it would fit in there or not. Should be available at a good hardware shop or NAPA type auto parts house.
When I was young, any big city had multiple gangs of kids that knew just how to hit the studs and break them off. They could steal expensive custom wheels without even jacking the car. They are probably still out there if you can find them!

That nut splitter idea seems like a good idea. I learned something. Never knew about them.

Maraquita wrote: ↑Sat Jul 26, 2025 4:53 pm They do make a “nut splitter” that will go around the lug nut and has a hardened sharp wedge that will cut the nut with the application of a very large wrench or socket. Don’t know if it would fit in there or not. Should be available at a good hardware shop or NAPA type auto parts house.
When I was young, any big city had multiple gangs of kids that knew just how to hit the studs and break them off. They could steal expensive custom wheels without even jacking the car. They are probably still out there if you can find them!

Hi Maraquita!
Good idea if I can get those kids to come by the house…one whack per stud and half the work is done! … but I suspect that would just cause more complications down the road…

The nut splitter might work but I’ve only used them on regular nuts but not conical lug nuts. While I’m concerned about access and that that the conical portion of the nut would remain intact it’s worth my doing a ‘bench test’ to see what happens at least out in the open.
Good suggestion! Worth a try! Thanks!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hi All!

Took a break and got out on the boat yesterday for about 6 hours!
Had this idea we could beat the afternoon heat and get out on the boat earlier in the morning….

Original plan:
07:00 - Get up
07:10 - Make coffee and walk the dogs. Leave the big dog out on the run for a bit after playing ‘run’ with him
07:30 - Make fresh chicken salad from leftover KFC and put in tortilla roll ups for lunch later.
08:00 - Pack shoulder cooler.
08:15 - Wake up Admiral with a cup of hot fresh coffee
09:00 - Make fried egg breakfast sandwiches on fresh sourdough with shredded Mexican cheeses
09:30 - Retrieve the big dog and feed both dogs and the cat
10:00 - Walk the dogs again.
10:30 - Pack up and go to the boat
11:00 - Launch boat

Actual:
Same as planned but started at 8:30 and left house at 11:30… a bit later and a bit more rushed
12:15 - Launched boat but needed to stop and get gas at the fuel dock
12:30 - Finally on our way

Not to plan but we got out!

We went up the Beaufort River just near/after high tide.
Explored an estuary that we not been in previously called Brookfield Creek.
Quite a nice and beautiful area.
We’d been hesitant to explore this before due to concerns about how shallow it appeared on the charts.
But as this was a high tide felt it was worth a try. Glad we did!
Spent more than a hour slowly working our way in dodging sandbars and shallow waters.
We pursued our explorations until it was approaching the point where the ebbing tide starts to pick up speed.
The tide had dropped about two feet from when we entered when we decided to turn about and retrace our steps.
It was a fun bit of exploration.

Once back on the Beaufort River we headed further North to the Coosaw River and on out to Sam’s Point.
It was now about 16:00 and the tide was quite low by now.
I believe the creek we turn in is called Lucy Creek.
It was really interesting to see the extensive tidal oyster beds all exposed.
Definitely will need to come back here with a smaller boat, a friend and a couple of buckets in the right season!
An Oyster Roast needs to happen!

We eventually turned around and headed back to our slip.
While it was only above 95F since we had departed our slip it did feel cooler being out on the water which was averaging 91+F.
The radio said the “real feel” temp was over 110F.
(Sorta like being in a lobster steamer given the humidity.
It was a hot day even by South Carolina expectations!

We got back to our slip around 06:15 with a cruising speed of only 10 to 12 mph (per GPS).
(Aside:Seems that the warm weather is giving the marine growth on the hull a leg up as of late.
Need to figure out a way to scrape/brush off the hull while still afloat.
Maybe get to one of the local pier boat ramps at high slack tide and get in the water?
Long handled stiff broom? A hoe fitted with a plastic scraper edge? Goggles and a wide putty knife?
(Probably skip the goggles and putty knife.. I not anywhere near my twenty something years any more… ) )

After a nice smooth landing in our slip and tying up I plugged in the shore power to fire up the A/C for the Admiral to cool off while I took care of chores. Glad I made that A/C mod! Makes the Admiral happy too!

Gave the engine a good long flush with fresh water to rinse out the salt. Then rinsed off the hull.
Checked fuel consumption… for 6 hours out on the water with a good portion at 4500-to-5000 rpm our Suzuki DF60AV consumed about 12 gallons. Not bad actually. With a cleaner hull we have done better but still not bad!

It’s also time to due an oil change. It’s already been just over 200 hours of engine run time since we launched.
So far this season our utilization of our boat has been lower than expected due to weather and schedules and other commitments.
Gotta hope the temperature and humidity give us a break in August so we can get out more often.

Current plans have us scheduled to haul out at the end of August to head north but I’m inclined to possibly delay that a month or two if I can get the Admiral to agree. She has some prior commitments up there in November and there are several important tasks on the ‘Northern-To-Do-List’ that need to be accomplished before winter freezes things up and snow falls.
(Funny it’s 96F outside right now like a sweat box sauna and I’m talking about things going to freeze up )

Well today turned out to be a stay home day as it’s hotter out now than yesterday.
Best to stay indoors. Fribble.

Progress on the ‘Southern-To-Do-List’ has been delayed by the unplanned trailer bolt and bunks refurbishment efforts.
The unpredictable weather and heat hasn’t helped any either on that account.
Now the wheel lug issue…
Fortunately it’s at a stage where I can legitimately kick that can down the road to a time with cooler weather for now.
I really need to get back into gear with the house refurbishment/remodeling down here.
Even I’m tied of how long things has lacked progress and that’s sayin’ something!

So the next step there is to get back onto solving the inslab floor electrical receptacles aspect.
After that, now that the carpet has been removed) is patching a zillion little nail pops from where the carpet tack strips came up and the process of filling/ leveling of the slab.
After that then comes the installation of the new vinyl plank flooring in the main portion of the house, new kitchen area and hallway. About 1000 square feet…..
Really want to get these completed before the end of August….( That may be my residual twenty something brain talking … but it’s making sense right now… ).

Things are what they are and they’re not gonna get done by themselves.
(:D And I was afraid I’d be bored in retirement )

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hi All!

Hope all goes well for everyone and that you are all getting to enjoy this scorcher of a Summer while enjoying your boats out on the water!
It peaked around 95F today with a heat index of 106F! But ya’ll know it’s always cooler when one is out on the water!

We went down the Beaufort River past the entrance to the Broad River through Port Royal Sound then on to Markers 25 where the ICW opens out to the Atlantic. We then wandered back home along the shores of old Fort Fremont then turned in Cowen Creek to Distant Island Creek for a bit before heading back to our slip.


It was an ‘early’ start for us with a wake up at 07:30 to take care of the household chores and taking the dogs out while it was still a relatively cool 85F but we finally got to the boat around 11:00. We got back to the slip around 03:00 just before the real heat of the day.
The Admiral enjoyed the cabin A/C while I rinsed things down and chatted with a new slip holder to our pier. Nice couple with a pretty ‘new to them’ 30 foot Nordic Tug they recently purchased. They were laying in new anchor chain and refurbishing various things as they settle in with their new vessel. They also plan on several trips along the ICW, which in their case, is up to the Chesapeake Bay! That sounds like a VERY nice trip!

As we will not get to get to take this year’s trip that might be on the consideration list for next year….

Made some minor progress on the kitchen/family renovations. Finished cutting three floor openings in the slab for the floor receptacles.
Now to cut the trenches to route the conduits…..
Inch by inch we make progress

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hi All!

So today was a wonderful 20 degrees cooler!
What a break being at 77F vs. 97F!
Too bad the forecast for rain and thunderstorms was accurate.

Still, the cooler weather is nice for a change.

Hope some of you all were out on the water!

Has anyone noticed the price of tool rentals having gone up since the beginning of the year?
The Home Depot rental of a concrete saw and blade is now up to about $150 when my notes from January had the same setup for $125!
A $25 increase in 6 months seems steep to me.
At that price it would pay to buy a saw from Harbor Freight and save the gas and travel time for the return to Home Depot!
It used to be that one rented specialty tools for one off needs to save money… apparently nobody told the Home Depot Management…
Fribble!

Oh well, I guess I’ll be the proud owner of a little used concrete saw tomorrow ….

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Hi All!

Regarding the use of a nut splitter to ‘crack’ the boat trailer rust frozen lug nuts….
It’s not gonna work…
=> the thing can’t get close enough due to the shape of the rim to get a good bite on the nut
=> the bench test of the splitter on what can be gripped by the splitter did one of two things … slipped off the nut (most of the time) or only split a fraction of the nut and left the remainder of the now mangled nut on the stud… neither result is of benefit to getting the wheels off the hubs

Toyed with the idea of welding a secondary nut onto the exposed stud end of the studs that are spinning in the hub. The thought was I could hold the stud with the welded on nut and back off the primary nut… but then I can get a socket onto the secondary nut I can’t get an open box wrench onto the primary nut as it won’t fit due to the rim shape… so that wasn’t worth pursuing.

Looks like I’m back to the idea of trimming off the exposed spinning stud portion and drilling it out of the nut to free the wheel from the hub. Fribble! Definitely a job that’s gonna have to be done in cooler and better weather. That also most likely means with the boat on the trailer during the off season. Fribble! Fortunately I have a paved driveway and space to do the work along with the tools (proper rated Jack and stands and related stuff) when that time comes.

This coming Spring (2026) it’s gonna be time to reapply the bottom ablative paint again so I’ll just have to work this new project into the schedule….

Oh well…..

Best Regards,
Over Easy

Overeasy,
Can you get the hub off with the wheel still attached and immobilize the stud from the back? (Spot weld, vice grips, chisel, anything that would increase the grip enough to get the nut off).

Can you finish splitting the nut with a cold chisel, a small cutting wheel, or a metal cutting blade on an oscillating multi-tool? You will obviously be replacing the studs so maybe saw a groove through stud and nut then split it off by driving a chisel down into it?

Do you have access to a torch? Heat is often effective in loosening rusty connectors. I've also had luck heating the stud and applying wax to the threads (a crayon has even worked in a pinch).

Commercial or DIY penetrating oils are usually quite effective given enough time. A 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid and acetone makes a very good DIY penetrating oil.

Sometimes the key to getting a nut or bolt off is to tighten it slightly before you try to loosen it. Always a good idea when you have a steel bolt going into an aluminum part but still useful when both parts are steel.

Lightly tapping the fastener (but not enough to deform it) can also help. I've had bolts stuck that would not move and were already as tight as they could be without breaking that released after a good smack on the head.

If the fastener starts to move and then jams, add penetrating oil, screw it back in and try again. Penetrating oil and patience are two of the most effective tools.

Good luck!

Bill

Hi Be Free!

All excellent suggestions!

Be Free wrote: ↑Sun Aug 03, 2025 9:51 am Overeasy,
Can you get the hub off with the wheel still attached and immobilize the stud from the back? (Spot weld, vice grips, chisel, anything that would increase the grip enough to get the nut off).
Yes, It is possible to undo the hubs via the bearing nut with the wheel still attached. It would be a gawd awful greasy mess, but yes, do able

Can you finish splitting the nut with a cold chisel, a small cutting wheel, or a metal cutting blade on an oscillating multi-tool? You will obviously be replacing the studs so maybe saw a groove through stud and nut then split it off by driving a chisel down into it?
Nope, doing that would risk notching the wheel rim at the stud holes which in use are highly stressed locations during transit. It would involve multiple locations on each of the 4 wheels. I’m not up to dressing back the conical nut holes or replacing the rims if I can avoid it

Do you have access to a torch? Heat is often effective in loosening rusty connectors. I've also had luck heating the stud and applying wax to the threads (a crayon has even worked in a pinch).
I sorta like the heat approach and yes that could work though I’m a bit concerned about affecting the rim galvanizing as eac wheel assembly ha multiple studs affected. I’ll be cleaning and re-greasing the hubs so I’m not concerned about the small amount of conducted heat getting back to the hubs

Commercial or DIY penetrating oils are usually quite effective given enough time. A 50/50 mix of automatic transmission fluid and acetone makes a very good DIY penetrating oil.
That was my initial go-to option. Tried a couple different rust penetrating oils like 3-in-1 , WD40 Rust Release, PB Blaster and engine oil. They have not been particularly effective but I’m in the process of doing repeat applications. I haven’t used the ATF and Acetone yet but definitely will. Given I have 20 studs to work on it’s a great opportunity to do a little pseudo-experimentation to see what happens.

Sometimes the key to getting a nut or bolt off is to tighten it slightly before you try to loosen it. Always a good idea when you have a steel bolt going into an aluminum part but still useful when both parts are steel.
Yup, tried that and it worked on one but not the next. After the repetitive oil applications I’ll try that again.

Lightly tapping the fastener (but not enough to deform it) can also help. I've had bolts stuck that would not move and were already as tight as they could be without breaking that released after a good smack on the head.
Excellent suggestion. I’ve tried that via a pin drift and via an impact wrench. Didn’t seem to help much. The impact spun the stud in the hub.

If the fastener starts to move and then jams, add penetrating oil, screw it back in and try again. Penetrating oil and patience are two of the most effective tools.
Yes, good suggestion on gradually working the nut free. Yes, the oil, wire brushing, oil and gradual progressive patience are gonna be key to minimizing having to drill out the spinning studs from the nuts till they can be broken off to free the wheels from the hubs.
Good luck!

Bill

I appreciate you well thought out suggestions. All of them are really good! Thank you!

I’m sorta resigned to the fact that this is gonna have to wait till cooler weather as I’m not handling the heat (90+F and high humidity) like I did in my younger days . Even under a bit a shade from the popup awning doesn’t help much when on black asphalt. Guess I’m just turning into an ol’ wuss…

The Admiral feels better about me not working outside in the heat we’ve been having here lately. She’s happy for me to be getting back to the house remodeling projects in where it’s air conditioned. (To be honest I feel better about working in air conditioning too! .)
Makes me want to figure out how to make the two car garage/workshop air conditioned (and heated in the winter)!! Wouldn’t that be nice!

Again, Thanks!

Best Regards,
Over Easy

If you have the time and nothing is broken or stripped then penetrating oil and mechanical manipulation will usually get it done. The ones that are spinning may have to wait until you get back to cooler weather. Take it slow and easy. Soak, apply pressure, repeat. It doesn't sound like this is an emergency so there is no reason to take chances in this heat.

This time of year my first bit of reading every morning is the NHC web page. From the looks of it you are going to be going outside any time soon anyway. Stay dry!