Our time in St. Augustine has come to an end. North Carolina is calling us home for the holidays. After two weeks at River’s Edge Marina, FNR is back on a ball in St. Augustine’s Municipal Marina’s mooring field. It took me two passes to grab the ball this time. PLUS…I got a line through the pennant and I cleated the line off without smashing my fingers. Proud moment, but short-lived.
Short-lived because I am a little worried about leaving FNR alone on a mooring ball for a month. It’s strangely reminiscent of how it felt to send the kids to kindergarten or to their first sleepover or to a week of summer camp or off to college or another one of those “firsts”. Oh, well…you know what they say. Once a mother, always a mother.
Anyway…we spend the last few days fussing over FNR. She’s clean. Her water tanks are full. Her holding tank is empty and deodorized. Her batteries are being charged by a small solar panel just in case she needs the bilge pump. I even bought two of those renewable dehumidifiers hoping to to keep her dry, at least dry enough to win the mildew war. I am optimistic. Steve is not.
St. Augustine was a good stop. We survived me being tied to a mooring ball on two separate occasions and we experienced several other “cruiser” firsts.
Going to the grocery store
When you’re on a mooring ball, grocery shopping consists of a dinghy ride to the dinghy dock, a bus ride to and an Uber ride from Walmart, and a grocery-laden dinghy ride back to FNR.
Staying informed
Want to know where to go to have fun? Tune into the daily St. Augustine Cruiser Net on VHF channel 72.
Measuring your mast
That 28-volt right angle Milwaukee drill sure is coming in handy.
Using high level mathematics
Yep, just heel FNR a mere 20° and her 51’2” mast should clear that pesky 49’ fixed railroad bridge on Lake Okeechobee. BTW, if there are any mathematicians out there willing to check the Captain’s math, the First Mate will be forever grateful.
St. Augustine Nights of Lights
The city and its boats all-a-glitter!
I even found a yoga studio and experienced another first – doing Sun Salutations to Josh Groban singing “It Came Upon a Midnight Clear”. If that doesn’t put you in the holiday spirit, nothing will.
I can’t imagine not being home for the holidays. But this year? This year feels a little different. Maybe it’s because home won’t be home.
Zen In A Camper 
Have a great Christmas holiday! When are you going through Lake Okeechobee? I’ll be in Fort Myers Jan 18-19 for a Greatloop.org seminar. 🙂 Never too early to start planning. Re: the bridge on Lake O, isn’t there a guy that will attach water filled barrels to the side of the boat to heel it just right and get you under?
LikeLike
Kitty: Right now,we plan to stay in Stuart for a couple of months so we won’t be cutting across until mid to late March. Hate we’ll miss you. We do know about the guy that heels your boat but the Captain is not willing to pay him….yet. The plan is to attach the dinghy to the boom, swing the boom to the side and fill it with water. I will probably be on the other side of the bridge if that’s what he ends up doing!!
Merry Christmas!!
Marci
LikeLike
Sounds like a good plan. I spoke to Vicki over the holidays. Sending you and Steve best wishes! Also, I thought of you both when I read about the sailboat that broke free of its mooring and ran into the Bridge of Lions a few days ago. Can I ‘assume’ that was not the two of you? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Kitty: Thanks for the well wishes. Will be posting an update soon. That was not us who ran into the bridge but we are heading down there now to get FNR off that ball & into a marina for a little TLC!!
LikeLike
Wishing you both a Merry Christmas and safe travels!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Have enjoyed following you guys. Look forward to future adventures! Safe travels, and Happy Hoiidays. See you in 2016!
LikeLiked by 1 person
really enjoy your blog, you look the same as you did when you worked for us .
LikeLiked by 1 person