Book of Days: 07/25/19 thru 08/02/19

Weather forecast for August 03, 2019:

Jacksonville, Florida

Low 78 high 92

East winds, 6 to 10 kts, cloudy

Captain’s Log: July 25, 2019 thru August 02, 2019

On Thursday, July 25th, we rented a car and drove down to Coco Village Marina to retrieve our SUV. We spent some time catching up with our friends at the marina before heading back to St. Augustine. On the drive back we stopped at a road-side park to watch another launch of a Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Complex; always an exciting event.

Our remaining time in St. Augustine was put to good use. We met our new friends Jan and Dennis at Meehan's Irish Pub and then did some additional exploring of some of the off-the-beaten-path areas of town, usually in the early evening once it finally started to cool down. One of our favorite spots was the Memorial Presbyterian Church where Henry Flagler is buried.

For the past few weeks our house battery bank, which was now over eight years old, had been showing increasing signs of giving up the ghost. I knew that the batteries had to be replaced but I was procrastinating because it was going to be expensive and I knew that job was going to be really tough. Nevertheless, it was time to bite the bullet; I didn’t want to get back out on the water until we he had a reliable bank once again. On July 25th I somewhat reluctantly placed an order for six new 6volt AGM batteries.

We had been running our generator twice a day just to keep voltage of the old bank up to acceptable levels. On Tuesday evening, July 30th, while the generator was charging the bank, Shirley and I were sitting on deck enjoying an adult beverage. When it was time to retire we entered the cabin and immediately smelled something burning. I quickly opened the engine room doors and discovered that the lead wire from the generator alternator, which is about 1 inch thick, was sparking and the plastic wrapping around the wire had melted. The voltage on the house bank was so low that the 220amp alternator overheated trying to pump enough of a charge into the bank. I quickly shut off the generator and, after everything cooled down, inspected the damage. Fortunately, only 2 wires needed to be repaired, but there was no more running the generator until the new batteries were installed. Luckily, 36 hours later, the new batteries arrived.

We now had a logistical problem.

The St. Augustine Municipal Marina is situated in the heart of the historic district, just south of the Bridge of Lions; it has no parking lot and no place to deliver anything larger than a business-sized envelope. So, after moving the boat from our mooring ball to a slip, I had to drive about one mile from the marina to an empty parking lot to meet the delivery truck. The six new batteries, weighing 120lbs each, were loaded into the back of our SUV. Thus began the very arduous task of replacing the house battery bank.

Shirley and I had to move each new 120lb battery from our SUV parked in a curb-side space near the marina, down the dock and onto the slip finger (a distance of about 100 yards). We then had to lift each battery onto the deck and then, one-by-one, into the cockpit and down the companionway ladder.

While the old batteries, just barely alive, were still in the battery box and providing DC power to the boat, I arranged the new batteries, as they were going to fit into the battery box, and then built the necessary new wires (the old batteries are 2volt wired in series, the new batteries are 6volt wired in series and parallel).

After the new wires were ready to go, I disconnected the old batteries. Our cabin lights are 12v LED so, once the bank was turned off, we had no internal lighting. Using flashlights to illuminate the interior, we lifted the old batteries, one-by-one, out of the battery box. The new batteries went into the box, one-by-one, and then the wiring was completed. After much testing with the volt meter, I switched the new battery bank on. Success, we now had internal lighting again!

Our next task was to lug the six old, 120lb/each batteries up the companionway ladder, out of the cockpit, onto the dock and then into the back of our SUV. Exhausted, and with the old batteries now loaded into the SUV, we needed to somehow dispose of them.

My ever-resourceful XO did some research online and found two scrap metal yards not far from the marina that would take the batteries. One yard paid $.15/lb but would only take two batteries per person per vehicle per day. After showing her driver’s license and being fingerprinted, we left with $36 in hand. The next scrap yard paid only $.12/lb but the XO convinced them to take all four remaining batteries; we left with another $57 in our pocket. Our battery replacement ordeal was finally over!

We departed St, Augustine for Jacksonville around 10:00am on Friday, August 2nd. Our original intention was to take the outside route and sail up the coast to Jacksonville as we were anxious to fly our new code zero sail. Unfortunately, the weather did not cooperate. With light rain falling, lightning in the distance and a forecast calling for thunderstorms for the next several days, we decided to take the ICW. We put St. Augustine behind us under a very moody sky.

It rained pretty much the entire 36-mile trip up the ICW to Sisters Creek near the mouth of the St. John River. Shirley worked most of the time, either answering e-mails, making adjustments or leading conference calls, while I kept us in the middle of the narrow channel and watched a soggy world pass by. Besides the thunderclaps, occasional lightning and downpours, there were a few diversions along the way; derelict boats (of which there are far too many), dolphins and an occasional fellow boater provided small distractions.

The ICW crosses the St. John River about 4 miles west of the ocean. Here the river is wide, the cross-currents are strong, there is a lot of shoaling and a lot of large ocean-going vessel activity. At one point our keel rubbed the muddy bottom and we almost came to a dead stop. I immediately put the pedal to the metal and our big prop powered us through; I was certain that we were in the center of the ICW channel but, upon further investigation after we were out of the danger zone, I discovered that I was not in the middle of the channel -DUH!

Approaching Sister's Creek on the ICW we passed the BAE Systems repair docks on Fanning Island. There was a very sinister-looking, high-tech US Navy ship under repair and next to it a river boat that looked like it could have been from the 19th century; the juxtaposition was interesting. Shortly after 4:00pm we dropped anchor just north of the Sisters Creek Bridge in 15ft of water.

The rain finally stopped and a magnificent sunset broke through the brooding sky as we enjoyed our SAD (safe arrival drink). A bit later, with the encouragement of few adult beverages, we danced on the bow of our beautiful boat. It was a very nice evening.

We weighed anchor at 11:00am on Saturday, August 3rd, and started our 22-mile trip up the St. John River, heading for the Marina at Ortega Landing. It was a beautiful day and the scenery was fantastic.

At one point the US Coast Guard issued a PAN-PAN warning regarding a small aircraft in the water with a man standing on the wing. According to the announcement, the plane was near the I-295 bridge that crosses the Mill Cove, a body of water just off of the St. John River. Soon a number of rescue and police watercraft went flying past us. They headed up the passage into Mill Cove and we lost sight of them. Another PAN-PAN was issued about one hour later indicating that the man had been rescued and, shortly after that announcement, the rescue boats passed us again heading in the opposite direction.

Jacksonville is a very attractive city from the water. We will find out just how attractive Jacksonville is from terra firma over the next month.

Until next time, may your tomorrow bring fair winds and following seas.

Book of Days: 07/14/19 thru 07/22/19

Weather forecast for July 23, 2019:

St. Augustine, Florida

Low 78 high 92

Southeast winds, 6 to 10 kts

Captain’s Log: July 14, 2019 thru July 22, 2019

07/14/19

We departed Cocoa Village Marina on July 14th at 11:00am. Our friend Doug and his 9-year-old grandson Elliot joined us for the trip from Cocoa to Titusville; Doug’s wife Kae was sick with bronchitis and was home in bed.

It was hot; 90 degrees, sunny and no wind.

We motored at about 6 knots north on the ICW. Elliot was busy scouting for dolphins and we actually had several good encounters; he was a well-behaved knucklehead and we enjoyed having him on board.

By 2:00pm we were tied up at the Titusville fuel dock. I pumped diesel in the sweltering heat while Shirley, Doug and Elliot gathered their belongings and headed for the air conditioned marina lounge. I rejoined the group just in time to bid farewell to Doug and Elliot. After they departed I stood in front of the lounge air conditioning unit for about 15 minutes to cool down.

At 3:15pm we slipped the dock lines at Titusville and continued our cruise north on the ICW. We transited the Haulover Canal, which is beautiful, and worked our way up Mosquito Lagoon. We dropped anchor at 6:00pm just east of the channel at green marker 19.

The temperature began to cool and we had a really nice evening relaxing on deck and talking about how fortunate we are to have this life. However, after the sun went down, the mosquitos came out in force.

07/15/19

It was an uncomfortable night; the boat was hot and the mosquitos were awful. Neither of us slept well and we woke up to a hot, stifling morning on still water with absolutely no wind and plenty of mosquitos. We had to get the boat moving to get some air flowing and to lose the bugs.

The anchor was weighed at 10:00am and with the boat moving it was finally comfortable in the cockpit. It was a lazy day watching the world go by at 6.5 knots (7.5mph); sand bars, mangrove-covered small islands, sea bird, fish camps full of old RVs, beautiful waterfront homes; a typical day motoring on the ICW.

Somewhere between Oak Hill, Florida and Ariel, Florida, two dolphin began to swim in the wake of the boat. They stayed with us for quite some time and Shirley managed to capture some video of our temporary friends. We lost them somewhere before New Smyrna Beach.

(click on the arrow in the picture, it is a video)

We pushed on to Daytona and attempted to anchor on the eastern shore of the ICW just south of the Seabreeze/Oakridge Bridge. We set the anchor three times but, with the wind and the current in opposition the boat would not turn into the wind. This made me nervous as the boat would drift over the anchor chain, getting caught in the dolphin striker. We finally decided to try the anchorage just to the north of the bridge. The anchor set this time with no problem and, with a beautiful full moon rising over the bridge, we settled in for a comfortable night.

07/16/19

Shirley had a 10:00am conference call so we didn’t get underway until around noon. Our destination for the day was the Marineland Marina, about 30 miles north on the ICW. Cruising at 7.5 knots, we anticipated arriving at approximately 3:30. Shirley worked inside the cabin the entire time trip while I watched the world go by and kept our good ship in the middle of the narrow channel. North of Daytona is very pretty and I enjoyed the scenery. We arrived at the marina right on schedule and Eric, the dockmaster, helped us tie up. It was a pretty easy approach, even with a strong cross-current.

After we settled in, I convinced Shirley to put aside her work and join me in the short walk across the street to the beautiful beach.

The Marineland Dolphin Adventure Park sits directly across highway A1A from the marina. It first opened in 1938 and has been in operation for over 80 years, and it shows. The ‘Park’ is run down and not very attractive. That said, it was the precursor to all of the slick new aquarium-related attractions across the country. We did learn that the old TV series 'Sea Hunt' was filmed there and that Clint Eastwood worked there as a technician before becoming a star.

We walked past the park and followed a well-worn path down to the beautiful, wide, deserted beach. Outcroppings of coquina rocks occasionally protrude from the smooth, off-white sand. We strolled through ankle-deep surf for miles and then turned and retraced our step.

At one point a guy suspended form a huge kite and wearing on his back a small motor turning a large fan blade flew by us at very low altitude.

We waited for the full moon to rise out of the haze layer between ocean and clear, black sky before heading back to the boat. It was a beautiful moon rise.

07/17/19

Our plan was to spend one more night at Marineland Marina before heading for St. Augustine. Shirley had work to do and, while she was busy on conference calls, I took another long walk on the beach.

About 2 miles into my walk I came across the very fresh carcass of a shark, it looked to be about 3ft long. It had a large steel hook in its mouth; the hook had about 5ft of monofilament line attached to it. There were no flies buzzing around and the body showed no signs of trauma or decomposition. I wondered when and how it got to where it was.

Later, while walking that same route with Shirley, we discovered that the carcass was no longer there. It was well off of the water’s edge when I first found it and there were signs that somebody had physically removed it. Perhaps someone responsible for keeping the beach clean had taken it away; who knows.

On our walk back to the boat we met David and Kathy. They own a huge beach-front home that we had walked past several times. They also own O. C. White’s restaurant in the St. Augustine historic district. According to the brochure, “O. C. White’s Seafood and Spirits is located in the historic General Worth Mansion, built in 1790, which most say Mrs. Worth still haunts to this day”. We made plans to visit O. C. White’s while in St. Augustine.

Later that evening we met Frank and Debra; a couple living on s/v Janus, the Gulfstar 47 Sailmaster that was in a slip across from us. We gave them a tour of our boat and then they reciprocated. We talked until almost midnight and we hope that our paths cross once again as our mutual but separate adventures continue.

07/18/19

We left the Marineland dock shortly after 11:00am and had the St. Augustine Municipal Marina in sight by 2:15pm. We contacted the marina asking for a mooring ball assignment; they gave us mooring ball #4, close in to the dock and to the historic downtown; it looked to be a great spot.

The marina and mooring field are just south of the Bridge of Lions and the afternoon tourist activities on the water were is full swing. We past a Spanish galleon flying the Jolly Roger and a beautiful steel-hull schooner as we made our approach.

I was told by the dock master to stay in the ICW channel until marker ‘red 8’ and then make a hard turn to port. This maneuver would allow me to approach the ball into the wind. I made the turn, evidently too wide, and we ran hard aground; Perfect Love draws 6ft and it was low tide. We were 100 yards from our mooring ball, 50 yards from the dock master’s office and about 200 yards from the downtown sea wall busy with tourists (many of whom were now watching us).

I tried several times to get us off of the bottom but finally had to throw in the towel and call TowBoatUS. Thank the Lord that we are members! TowBoatUS was at our side within 30 minutes and, after three attempts, extricated us from the muddy bottom. On the final, successful attempt, the boat was healed hard to port. We had all of the round portlights open and, if we had healed just a little more, we would have taken on water through those ports. Lesson learned; never leave the dock, anchorage or mooring ball with those portlights open.

Fifteen minutes later we were tied to our mooring ball and ready for our SAD (safe arrival drink).

After relaxing for about one hour I splashed the dinghy and we motored to the dock. We paid the dock master for a week on the ball and then headed for town where we ended up at Prohibition, a bar featuring live blue-grass music and a great atmosphere. After a very good dinner we headed out on our initial exploration of historic St. Augustine. St. A. is a really cool place and we promised ourselves that we will try to hit every bar/restaurant in the historic district before we leave.

As dark was approaching we motored back to the boat; we were exhausted.

07/19/19

Shirley was extremely busy for a Friday; she was on conference calls almost the entire day. While she worked I did miscellaneous boat chores and then relaxed with a good novel.

The temperatures have reached the low-to-mid 90’s each day and the humidity has been high; the heat index has been over 100 and the direct sunlight is brutal. We don’t run our air conditioning when we are not connected to dock power so, when at anchor or on a mooring ball, it can get a little sticky inside the cabin.

As my mind wonders during this hot, lazy day I think about the Spanish conquistadors who founded St. Augustine in 1565. Coping with the heat, the bugs and the hurricanes must have been extremely difficult (not to mention the hostile natives). They were certainly tough people to have survived and flourished down here 450 years ago.

Each afternoon, generally after 3:00pm, thunderheads form farther inland and we can hear the rumble of the distant thunder and see an occasional bolt of lightning. After almost one week without rain the deck is a bit dirty and a good cleansing would be welcomed. We almost got wet today, but the rain stayed just to our west.

After Shirley wraps up her final conference call we jump in the dinghy and motor over to the dock. After long, refreshing showers we head out for another evening of exploration.

Sitting at the bar at Chadworth’s, we meet Dennis and Jan. Dennis is a retired business owner from South Carolina and Jan is a Miami University graduate, class of 1981, from Dayton, Ohio. Colonel Sanders, of Kentucky Fried Chicken fame, was Jan’s great uncle. Her father started the Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken franchise. Like us, they are full-time live-aboards. We have a wonderful evening chatting with our new friends; we will see then again before we leave St. Augustine.

07/20/19.

After sleeping in until about 9:30am, we managed to drag our sorry bottoms ashore to tour the Lightner Museum, which is housed in the old Hotel Alcazar. The hotel was built in 1889 by Henry Flagler, co-founder of Standard Oil, and designed by New York City architects Carrere and Hastings, in the Spanish Renaissance Revival Style. The firm also designed the Ponce de Leon Hotel across the street, which is now part of the campus of Flagler College.

The hotel had a steam room, massage parlor, sulfur baths, gymnasium, a three-story ballroom, and the world's largest indoor swimming pool; however, after years as an elegant winter resort for wealthy patrons, the hotel closed in 1932.

Chicago publisher Otto C. Lightner purchased the building to house his extensive collection of Victorian Era pieces. In 1947 Lightner turned the building over to the city of St. Augustine.

The tour was interesting and it kept us out of the intense heat for several hours.

Following the Lightner Museum tour we walk over to the San Sebastian Winery for a free wine tasting. After sampling at least ten different wines and feeling no pain, we ended up at the San Sebastian roof-top bar where we met Manny and Eva. Over pretzel and beer cheese we had a great conversation with this 40-something couple, mostly about living full-time on a sailboat. They were enthralled by the idea of living on a boat and traveling. Like so many other people that we meet in completely random situations, their response to our life style reminds me of how fortunate we really are.

We had been told by several people that the Columbia was a great restaurant so, after bidding Manny and Eva a fond fare-thee-well, we headed to the Columbia for an early dinner. As is our custom, we found two places at the bar. We immediately began a conversation with Jim and Donna from Ocala, Florida, who were sitting next to us. As fate would have it, Jim’s father graduated from Elder High School, my alma mater, and his entire family lives in Cincinnati. They too were fascinated by our life-style. We had a wonderful conversation during which Jim actually bought us a round of drinks; we had a great time with them. Shirley gave Jim one or our boat cards; we fully expect to continue an on-line relationship with The Big Dog and his lovely wife.

After dinner we stopped at the Colonial Oak Music Park, a really cool open-air venue in the heart of the historic district, just in time to catch the Saturday night presentation of the 'Sing Out Loud IPA Sessions'. A local band called The Wobbly Toms was featured and the place was packed.

07/21/19

We attended 11:00 mass at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine. The church is stunningly beautiful and the service was poignant. We lingered inside the church for a while after mass and, after admiring the amazing architecture, I light two votive candles; one for my Mother and one for my Father.

At 3:00pm we toured Flagler College, which is housed in the old Ponce de Leon Hotel. The tour guide, a senior at Flagler, was not particularly well informed regarding the history of the building and the symbolism of the beautiful paintings that adorn many of the walls and ceilings. However, the building is simply magnificent! We enjoyed ourselves.

At 5:00pm we met our new friends Dennis and Jan at O. C. White’s restaurant. We had a great time over drinks and appetizers. We then retire to their beautiful 47ft trawler for a night cap before heading back to Perfect Love. It was a great day.

07/22/19

Another hot day here in northern Florida, but I guess that it is hot everywhere. It has been a lazy day. Not much happening and I am getting the urge to start moving again. We should be out of here in a couple of days.

We met our Cincinnati friends Jan and Rich from s/v Slip Away for lunch. They drove down to St. Augustine for the day from Jacksonville, which was the finish line for their 7-year-long circumnavigation. Imagine sailing a small boat around the world; what an accomplishment! It takes a special kind of person; tough, confident, self-reliant, curious and a bit crazy, to accept a challenge like that and to successfully pull it off. They shared with us just a fraction of their many amazing adventures.

Jan and Rich recently turned a new page in life; they sold their boat, a 44ft ketch, after living on it for 17 years. Whatever they decide to do next, we wish them all the best!

Until next time, may your tomorrow bring fair winds and following seas.

Book of Days: 06/11/19 thru 07/13/19

Weather forecast for July 14, 2019:

Cocoa, Florida

Low 79 high 94

Southeast winds, 5 to 9 kts

Captain’s Log: June 11, 2019 thru July 13, 2019

We woke up at 4:00am on Tuesday, June 11th and drove to the Orlando International Airport to catch an 8:00am flight to Cincinnati. Our plan was to spend a week in Cincinnati and a week in Detroit before heading back to Cocoa Village.

Our good friend Robert was waiting for us when we touched down in Cincinnati. He drove us to my Mother’s apartment where we picked up our vehicle for the next two weeks. After a nice visit with Mom we headed to our friend Bebe’s house where we settled in. Bebe and her husband Rick were out of town for the entire month; we had their beautiful place to ourselves. Later that evening we met Robert and Karen for dinner and drinks.

The next morning we picked up our teen-aged grand-daughters Ali and Caroline and then drove to the Kings Island Amusement Part where we met our daughter Jess and her three girls Leah, Anna and Livy. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time with the kids. I even met the challenge by my girls to ride several of the large roller-coasters. My brains were rattled a bit and my back was sore but my manhood remained intact.

That evening, as I was nursing my battered body, Shirley learned that the Cincinnati Art Museum had a special exhibit featuring the ‘art’ of the annual Burning Man Festival. Attending Burning Man has been on our bucket list ever since we found out about it five or six years ago. Even better, admission to the Museum was free on Thursday evening. So, after our daily visit with Mom, we were going to have an afternoon of culture.

According to Wikipedia:

“Burning Man is an annual event held in the western United States at Black Rock City – a temporary city erected in the Black rock Desert of northwest Nevada, approximately 100 miles northeast of Reno. The late summer event is an experiment in community and art, influenced by ten main principles: radical inclusion, radical self-reliance, radical self-expression, communal effort, civic responsibility, gifting, decommodification, participation, immediacy and leave no trace. The event takes its name from its culmination, the symbolic ritual burning of a large wooden effigy ("The Man") that traditionally occurs on the Saturday evening of the event.

Participation is a key precept for the community – selfless giving of one's unique talents for the enjoyment of all is encouraged and actively reinforced. Some of these generous outpourings of creativity include experimental and interactive sculptures, buildings, performances and 'art cars', among other media. These contributions are inspired by the yearly theme, which is chosen by the organizers”.

We found the exhibit interesting and enjoyable but limited in the number of sculptures, 'art cars' and other related media. That said, it was well worth the price of admission.

We departed the museum and drove down to The Banks of downtown Cincinnati where we met our friends Robert and Karen; it was “Rockin’ the Roebling” night at Smale Riverfront Park. It was a very cold night for mid-June in Cincinnati; with the wind blowing and the temperature in the mid-50s, we had to wrap ourselves in a blanket that Robert had brought along.

To our great surprise and delight, the Marty Conner Band was the opening group. Marty played at our wedding reception and it was really nice to catch up with him once again after his gig was up.

The next band up was Buffalo Wabs & the Price Hill Hustle; a local favorite. This band had a very interesting opening monologue: before their first song the drummer thanked one of the band’s very loyal female fans. Then, acting as the proxy for that fan, the drummer made a marriage proposal to another one of their very loyal female fans. She accepted, the two women joyfully embraced, kissed passionately, and every body cheered and clapped. It was very nice; strange, but nice.

The next morning, Friday, June 14th, I dragged Bebe’s lawn mower out from under the deck, filled the gas tank and then cut grass for the first time in a very long time. Years ago, after I sold my house, I promised myself that I would never cut another blade of grass for as long as I lived; so much for promises to myself. Actually, I enjoyed it.

While I was cutting the grass, Shirley was conducting conference calls and working on her laptop. Later in the day we visited our friends Shawn and Kimberly and then ate an early dinner at Wabi Sabi, our favorite sushi bar just down the street from our old condo in Covington. After dinner we spent about one hour at the Italian Festival at Newport On the Levy and then walked over to Mansion Hill, our very favorite dive blues bar.

We love Mansion Hill! It had been over one year since our last visit but the same familiar faces greeted us as we walked in. A terrific three-piece blues band started playing at 9:00pm and we stayed for three sets. Shirley spent a lot of time on the tiny and crowded dance floor shaking her stuff; I got onto the act a time or two myself. At 11:30 we headed for the Palm Court Bar in the classy art-deco Netherland Plaza Hotel in downtown Cincinnati, another one of our favorite places, for a nightcap.

On Saturday, June 15th, five of my seven siblings converged on Mom’s tiny apartment for several hours. It was really nice to see two of my four sisters and all three of my brothers in one place with Mom again. The night that my Father died was the last time that we were all together.

Mom expressed her concern that the siblings would lose touch with each other once she was gone. We promised her that we would not let that happen. We all agreed to set aside the third weekend in April (Mom & Dad’s wedding anniversary) every year for a family reunion in Cincinnati.

After our little gathering at Mom’s place it was time to have some fun; we were about to celebrate Shirley’s 60th birthday at the Ludlow-Bromley Yacht Club (the LBYC)!

The LBYC is a very large, canopied barge moored on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River about 5 miles downstream of downtown Cincinnati. It is a happening place during the summer months and we had a wonderful time! Family, many friends and a few total strangers wished my bride a Happy Birthday while enjoying strong waters and good conversation. It was a late night.

On Father’s Day Shirley and I took Mom to the cemetery to visit Dad’s grave. It was the first time that she had actually walked up to the stone and, standing in the light rain, it was heartbreaking to hear her talk to Dad and tell him that she would be joining him soon; we fought back the tears.

After leaving the cemetery we drove Mom around the old neighborhood that she and Dad grew up in; we drove past their childhood homes and other memorable spots; we even drove past Seton High School and Elder High School, Mom and Dad’s respective alma-maters. She really enjoyed this trip down memory lane.

We took Mom home, met our daughter Jamie for a short Father’s Day gathering and then later that evening headed for Marysville, Ohio and our daughter Erica’s place.

Shirley and I always look forward to spending time with Erica and her husband Shawn at their beautiful place outside of Marysville. Relaxed life in the country is similar to being on the water and, with their 37ft Island Trader sailing ketch high and dry in their back yard, it almost felt like we were sitting in a secluded anchorage.

We sat around the fire pit and talked until close to midnight. Shirley had to go to her Kellogg plant in Zanesville, Ohio, the next day while I got to hang out with Erica for the day. A wonderful meal, drinks and more conversation followed on Monday evening. The next morning we were on the road to Detroit by 5:00am.

We had to be at Josh & Lisa's place in Oxford, Michigan by 10:00am to relieve Lisa's mom, who was babysitting their three girls while Josh & Lisa enjoyed a much needed getaway to New Orleans. We were on duty for the next three days and two nights.

With three little girls and two large dogs running around the house, we had our hands full (at least Shirley did). When not on conference calls or working on her laptop, Shirley spent her free time doing girly things with Ashlyn, Sophie and Sara while I played with the dogs, played a few card games with Ashlyn (the oldest), watched a movie or two and grabbed a couple of naps.

Our grand daughter Carlee’s high school graduation party was scheduled for Saturday, June 22nd. We had committed to helping prepare for the big party and we were excited to be at Rachel’s house (Carlee’s mom) on June 20th to begin preparations.

My job was to keep our four-year-old grandson Paxton occupied while Shirley worked on party-related tasks. Rising to my assignment, I quickly got a flat tire and then locked the only set of keys that we had in the car. Fortunately for me, Paxton was fascinated by the police officer who used his special tools to unlock the car. Paxton later enjoyed watching the car being lifted into the air while a mechanic removed, plugged and remounted the tire.

Carlee’s graduation party was a big hit with over 75 adults and about 25 high-schoolers coming and going throughout the day. The party went well into the late evening; everybody had a great time.

We spent Sunday cleaning up the party residue and relaxing. On Monday we headed back to Cincinnati for doctor and dentist appointments. On the morning of Thursday, June 27th, we took Mom down to Smale Park where we met our daughters Jess and Jamie and five of our six granddaughters. It was a beautiful day and Mom had a great time; she even road the giant SkyStar Ferris Wheel.

That afternoon we said our good-byes to everyone and headed for the airport. We made it back on our boat in Cocoa Village just before midnight.

The following week was spent preparing the boat for our departure from Cocoa Village Marina. On July 4th we joined our friends Doug and Kae for a beach party outside of their condo near Port Canaveral and then returned to Cocoa Village for a symphony concert in the park and then a huge fireworks display. It really felt like the 4th of July!

On Saturday, July 6th, we drove to Playalinda Beach at Canaveral National Seashore where we walked the beach all the way to the barrier that NASA had erected to keep people away from the launch pad areas. On our treck back up the beach we watch a guy fight a huge stingray for about 30 minutes before he finally landed it. After pictures, he released his fascinating catch.

A gentlemen from Mack Sails finally showed up on Friday, July 12th, to install our new sail. I used our electric winch to hoist him 63 feet to the top of the main mast to install the masthead fitting. It took us about six hours to complete the installation and rig the sail.

Our big, beautiful, bright red head sail will make Perfect Love look even more stunning than she already is. We can’t wait to fly our new ‘Big Red’ for the first time.

We did our provisioning on Saturday afternoon and then, later in the evening, walked over to Cocoa Riverfront Park for the big Apollo 11 Moon Landing 50th Anniversary Party. We saw Rick Armstrong, son of the first man to walk on the moon, and several other Apollo and Space Shuttle astronauts. The Alan Parsons Project put on a great concert to wrap up the evening. It was a really cool.

As Alan sings

"Where do we go from here now that all of the children have gown up

And how do we spend our lives knowing nobody gives us a damn"

..... well, we go sailing.

Looking back over the past two months, we spent about 75 days at Cocoa Village Marina; much longer than either of us had originally anticipated. But no worries, we saw some amazing spectacles, visited some beautiful places, made some great new friendships that will last a lifetime, and had a lot of fun. These things are what this cruising adventure is all about. New adventures await as tomorrow we set sail for New Smyrna Beach and points beyond!

Until next time, may your tomorrow bring fair winds and following seas.

(click on the picture below, it is a video)