Titusville - Space X launch - finally

 

The Space X launch was supposed to happen on Saturday but it was cancelled with 30 seconds to go in the countdown. It was delayed a day; So last night, we once again lined up at the end of the dock to view the launch. This time is was successful, right on time. The full video is at 

https://youtu.be/f5ioKGMb3QY?si=YrishBvT9uiqN9Re

Titusville Marina is not a bad place for viewing the launches. You have a clear view of the southern sky towards the Kennedy Space Center and last night, we even had a moon with Jupiter off to one side. First you get the light of ignition and a little later, you hear the roar of the engines. 

Up, up and away!

The odd thing is that is climbs as expected but once it gets almost overhead, it starts to dip towards the horizon. It’s actually going down range but it gives the illusion that the rocket is losing altitude. The first time I saw this I wondered what was going on but once you think about it a bit, you realize that it’s just the perspective you have form the ground. The rocket is gaining altitude all the time but also distance away from you, follow the curvature of the Earth’s surface so it appears to de descending. 

We usually keep track of all launches since it’s so convenient to watch from the marina. The view was show from “A dock”, at the end. 

Titusville - Biolab Road

Looking for dinner

 Although we often drive through Black Point, we like to try other roads in the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. One such road is Biolab which borders the Indian River Lagoon. It’s a change of pace from Black Point with views over the water of the Lagoon. There’s not many birds out yet, they will arrive later with the cooler weather.

A black mangrove reaching into the sea. Mangroves can tolerate salt water where 
many other plant species cannot

We did see an osprey out and about looking for its dinner from a perch on the upper-most branch of a dead tree. He was patiently waiting for something to appear, I guess, so I took a photo. I was hoping for an eagle but none were in sight. 

It’s a pretty drive with the beach by the lagoon and mangroves trying to extend the reach of land into the water. With temps in the 70s every day and lows in the 60s, it’s not hard to take down here. 

Titusville - Space X Launch Tonight

Nice picture of the moon and Jupiter tonight - but no Space X launch

 One of the perks of having a dock at the Titusville Marina is the clear view of the southern sky to watch Space X launches. The night launches are the best, they put on a great light show. With the Space X stepped up launch frequency this year, they’ve almost become routine. Everyone used to gather out on the docks to watch but not as much anymore. 

Later this year, a Falcon Heavy is scheduled to launch. That will bring a crowd! The two side boosters will return to the Kennedy Space Center and land in tandem, settling down in sync. A pretty sight at night. So I I’m waiting for the southern sky to light up with a launch - but discover the launch has been scrubbed. It will either go up later tonight or on Monday. 

The Kennedy Space Center offers up close viewing of a scheduled launch but if it’s cancelled, after you’ve been bussed to the viewing site, tough luck. 

Titusville = Easy docking

 

All lined up, the wind is directly behind him

A 60 ft yacht came in today and showed how it’s done when you have all the power and control in the world working for you. He was put on the face dock, a plus right there. Adding to the advantage was an east wind pushing him against the dock. As if that wasn’t enough, he was standing outside the pilothouse next to the rail with what looked like a game controller. As the boat was pushed by the wind towards the dock, he was controlling the forward and aft thrusters to keep the boat parallel to the approaching dock. Gently, he touched and right where his crew had already placed three fenders - matching the three pilings exactly. Must be nice.

Note the game controller the captain is holding, looking intently where his fenders are located

Meanwhile, back at the ranch, we continued our no drama week. Maybe next week I’ll get down in the aft locker and tackle that autopilot that went on strike. I wonder if it will settle for the same terms Ford did? However, it’s got to work seven days a week.

Other than the autopilot, the rest of the electrons are flowing well. 

Titusville - What happened to yesterday’s post?

 

Playalinda beach - a national seashore is nearby - lots of room as you can see

For some unknown reason, the blog post of yesterday did not get published, strange. I’ll see if I can recreate it later. Meanwhile, we continue on our mission of catching up on 6 months of missed resting. We did Black point, went to the seashore, got odds and ends at Home Depot, and mainly just puttered around. 

From out visit yesterday to Black Point drive

We met one guy today that came to Titusville Marina intending to stay a couple of months and now it’s going on five years. There are quite a few like that in the marina. All the regulars know each other and we’re becoming familiar with everyone too. It’s a small community that looks out for each other, especially if a storm comes through and help is needed to tend to a boat that’s not tied down well enough. 

With the marina personnel being on-site from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, it helps to look after things. All the docks have a badge lock for entrance - you just have to remember to bring your badge with you when leaving, and I’ve already forgotten my badge several times. Parking is within 30 feet of our dock entrance, no problem there, and there’s plenty of it. 

I’m looking forward to being here for the winter. We have a long list of places to visit and things to do. 

Titusville - Not a busy day

 

Right next door on a fence by another marina

One wouldn’t want to over extend oneself, so it was a “not do anything” day. Of course, relative to the activity level of those still working, even our high activity day is a rest day for everyone else. Oh well, we enjoyed it.

The flowers are starting to come out, the first ones are peeking out now. It’s nothing like what we’re used to in Key West but it’s a lot closer. The winds are still piping out of the northeast which causes some of the boats on the other dock to bounce some. What an east wind does is pile in water, being pushed northwest along the Indian River. We are steadily gaining water depth in the marina as the winds continue. There’s about a plus or minus of a foot of water difference between a south wind and a north wind, There’re no lunar tides, just the wind tide. 

Boats coming to shore is a regular occurrence, usually due to their own lines parting, not the mooring

There’s a mooring field to the east and an anchorage used for long termers. There always seems to be a boat or two that breaks loose and comes to shore. I took a photo of the latest causality. At one time, it was the pride and joy of some sailor - sad what it has come to - sounds philosophical. We’d better look out for ourselves, better. 

Tisutville - Not really a vacation

 

This boat was also on A dock but on the other side. A boat is not a house (in an east wind)
see the motion.  (This is not us, we’re much calmer)

Some people who ask about being on a boat think the entire trip is like a vacation - with no responsibilities other than eating and having fun. We reply that it’s like having a second house with all the responsibilities that entails. You still have insurance, pay electrical and fuel bills, repair stuff (!), pay for someone else to repair stuff if you can’t do it (!!) and so on. There are renovations, upgrades (things wear out), and maintenance even more so than owning a house - the marine environment is harsh - plus - your house won’t sink but your boat could!

So sure, it’s a lot of fun, but it’s not all a bed of roses. The boat requires constant attention (is that why boats are referred to in the feminine gender?) I don’t generally have to pay this much attention to my house - but the boat is demanding (feminine gender again?) 

You also must learn how to balance lines so your boat can stay off the pilings in high winds.
In the photo above, the wind is coming from the right, the aft port cleat (upper right in photo) is 
secured with a rubber line cushion since it’s so short and the bow is pulled to port by the two lines you 
sec at the right of the photo. If you get it right, the boat rides in the slip with little motion. 

So on a boat you must do laundry, get groceries, etc. just like at home. Tomorrow we plan on taking a day off and actually enjoying the time like we were on vacation. Perhaps take a drive on Black Point to see the wildlife. After all, aren’t we on vacation??

Titusville - Road Trip to Brunswick to get our car

 

Early morning at Titusville. There’s a competition going on for best Halloween decorations with 
prizes awarded of $100 for first place, $50 for second, and $25 for third.

It’s surprising to me how few car rental companies will rent a car one-way. They all used to do it before the pandemic but now few do. In my search for reasonable rates, I found only Avis and their sister company, Budget, willing to rent one from Titusville to Brunswick. It’s a little over 200 miles and it cost $300 after taxes. Other companies wouldn’t rent one-way at any price. 

Our rental car for the day. I suppose it would be fun for some of the back roads 
but for the expressway, it was very noisy.

We were supposed to get a Nissan Rogue like our car but wound up with a Jeep truck. It’s one of those trucks that are quite popular where the doors and roof can be removed. I could picture a group of kids at the beach with a cooler of beer in the back. We, of course, kept all the doors and the roof intact. It was the noisiest car I’ve ever been in. It was almost impossible to carry on a conversation. I can only imagine the wind and road noise after a bunch of kids get done with all the removable parts. Are we just old-fashioned?

The trip was uneventful and now we have our Rogue with us for the winter at Titusville. We plan on exploring around Titusville and northern Florida. There’s the Merritt Island Nature Refuge, Kennedy Space Center, dozens of parks, Playalynda Beach, and some interesting places to eat. It’ll be fun.. 

Titusville - Donut Day

 

Oh the selection - all good and fresh

There’s a place in Titusville with the best donuts in the world, Donuts 4 You! We always pay them a visit on Sunday mornings, it’s a tradition. They average about double the size of the typical Dunkin Donuts and taste much better. They are baked fresh every morning, a real treat. If you’re ever in Titusville, be sure to get some donuts from them. 

Ann’s making a happy face, she saw the donuts I got

I washed down the boat today and especially rinsed the chain of salt water. It’s not a good idea to let salt water stay on the chain over the winter, why invite rust. Next it was refilling the tanks and that was enough for today, no use overdoing it… 

The big event is driving a rental car to Brunswick on Monday to pick up our car for a return trip to Titusville. If you’re going to stay for the winter, you really need a car to get around and see the sights. Brunswick is only three hours away so we can do the entire car exchange in one day. 

Titusville - A day of rest

 

Before sunset

We’re big here on resting days. We got the dock we wanted and we’re all set for the long haul - but first a few days of doing nothing. In addition to being a Waterway Guide Contributing Editor and Aqua Map beta tester - I’ve also signed up to beta test the Pitufino gateway. I’m working with a guy in Fiji that designed it. He has a PhD in electrical engineering from a college in Europe and it advertises some unique features. 

A gateway is connected to your instruments through SeaTalk or NMEA and broadcasts the instrument data over WiFi for your tablet to access. Both Aqua Map and Navionics apps work well with that setup. The unique feature of the gateway is two decimal precision in all the data flows. Most gateways only feature one decimal precision which introduces rounding errors. While he was at it, he threw in autopilot control and a few other unique features. If you have SeaTalk1, there’s no need to buy a separate SeaTalk1 to SeaTalkng converter from Raymarine, the Pitufino has a converter built in. I will be testing it over the next few months in preparation for an on the water test when I go north in the spring. 

After sunset

Other than that, it was a quiet day. Hoolie is getting along but he looks more and more like an old man of 100. He’s still walking and doing dog things but not with the spirit he used to have. He’s 14 now. I don’t think he’ll be with us much longer.

Titusville Marina - at a dock, at last

Our home for the winter

 One thing about hauling anchor at Bethune Park is that you have to budget time to get the mud off the chain. I have a wash down pump and it’s pretty effective but it still takes time to get rid of all the gooey stuff. Other than that, it was a very quiet night, good for catching up on sleep. 

This couple was doing some world class paddling. They were keeping up with us at 7.3 kts.
They switched sides in paddling in perfect synchrony. Amazing to watch.

The park has been renovated with new plantings, new sidewalks, and the dinghy dock is in good shape. I made three trips in with Hoolie. The outboard has now been certified to work as expected. The major thing left to be done is to get the autopilot working. I also lost one battery over the summer that needs to be replaced. Everything else is ready for cruising. 

We have the same dock as last year, near the end and on the north side It’s about as protected as you can get in Titusville Marina. We have no plans to move on to Key West this year, it’s getting crazy expensive down there and we just want to enjoy the warm weather - and Titusville is warm enough for us.

Bethune Park - at anchor

 

The dredge at Ft Matanzas. Note the diamonds on the right side of the pilot house.

Sunny with light winds and a following tide, what more could you want for traveling the ICW? We came through Ft Matanzas and the least seen was 9.4 MLLW on the Bob423 track. They were dredging the passage but they were out of the channel, off to the west side. The dredge had the diamonds displayed so we just honored the diamonds, no need for using the VHF - the correct side to pass on was obvious. 

Fleetwing was part of the racecourse! They all missed us!

In the past, when they dredged this inlet, they dredged the entire width of the passage which is unlike most areas where they only dredge a channel 75 or 150 feet wide. The sand was being pumped northward to a beach area just south of Marineland Marina. 

The trip took about 6.5 hours to travel the 49 NM but we were still happy to stop. My autopilot is still not working, another to-do later on and certainly before my trip north in the spring. I don’t use the autopilot to automatically follow a route, I just use it with the + and - buttons to manually keep Fleetwing on course for the many straight sections of the ICW.

The youth sailing club was out in force and Fleetwing served as one of the turning points so we saw everyone up close. It’s good to see the young crowd learning to sail. Tomorrow is the last leg of our trip south this fall and we’re looking forward for a relaxing time in Titusville. 

St Augustine - Last day, we stroll down St George Street

Typical powerboat for the area - they docked and took on fuel - I wonder how much?

 It is gradually getting warming down here. After all, it’s supposed to be warm in Florida this time of the year? It barely got over 70 today. There was more entertainment from the Dockmaster crew in placing boats in impossible docks. If you take a look at yesterday’s post, you’ll see that a sailboat could not make the turn with a following tide pushing him away from a bow in starboard to dock. Well, today a 60 ft powerboat was assigned the same slip under the same conditions. Guess what, after three tries he gave up and motored back past the dockhouse and asked for a different slip. 

If you must come in with the tide behind you at St Augustine on the south side of dock B, then you must dock port side to the slip. That way, the current, which comes in at an angle, will push you into your slip. The 60 ft powerboat returned and took a dock on his port side, no problem. If you dock at St Augustine with the tide behind you. Study the chart I published in yesterday’s post and chose the dock yourself. Do not take a dock with the tide behind you that pushes you away from your slip. 

The street turned walkway is a nice touch for St Augustine

Meanwhile, we took a walk down St George street, a pedestrian walkway which is one of the attractions of St Augustine. It’s full of small shops and places to eat. We indulged in a cinnamon bun for breakfast tomorrow morning. 

It’s about a seven hour ride to Bethune Park, our anchorage for Thursday. We’ll see how Ft Matanzas dredging is coming along and report back.  

St Augustine - the repair barge arrives and excitement at the docks

Don’t’ let the Dockmaster assign you a dock with current and wind pushing you away from 
your slip. He put both my boat and the boat coming in a risk when there were plenty of docks 
available across the fairway against the tide with the wind helping instead of hurting. 

 St Augustine can be a challenging place to dock. The current rips through there and it’s not parallel to the docks. It’s at an angle for both ebb and flood tides. The usual practice is to use B dock and assign your slip on the side where you can come in against the current. However, this week they were only using one side of B dock and when we arrived, there was an ebb tide and we were assigned a dock where the current was behind us coming in. Now that’s doable provided it’s on the side of the dock where the current pushes you into the dock as opposed to away from the dock. 

Take a look at the photo. Although the current was behind us coming in, at least we took the side of the dock where the current pushed us into the dock, not away from it. Ann was at the helm and she took it in without incident using the Captain Ron maneuver. 

A boat coming in later was assigned a dock where the current pushed it away from where you wanted to land (see photo). He was single handing the boat and there was only one dock hand to help out. It was a recipe for disaster. I put a fender out, mostly for good luck since it wouldn’t do a lot of good and offered to help in the interest of boat preservation (my boat!). As the boat went sideways in the fairway with current pushing him towards us, I feared the worst. 

Sure enough, there was no way he was going to make that turn given the wind was broadside from out of the east. After four tries, he gave up and went into a slip that should have been assigned by the Dockmaster at first go. In the slip he finally landed in, he went in against the current and with the current pushing him into the dock, easy peasy. The Dockmaster should have been ashamed of himself for putting not only the boat coming in at risk but also for putting other boats in the marina at risk (mine!!). There were plenty of empty slips on C dock but I guess it involved a longer walk by the dockhands!? I don’t know. I’ll see what he says tomorrow when I talk to him. 

The captain of the tug moving the barge certainly knew his business. He made it look easy (it’s not!)

Meanwhile, the work barge came in and was maneuvered masterly by two small tugs. It’s huge but it was piloted by an expert captain. It’s replacing the damaged part of the breakwater docks north of B dock - which is why there’s no boats on the north side of B dock.

We ate lunch at Harry’s which was good but we had a long wait even at 2:00 pm for lunch. We would have  had to wait even longer for an outside table downstairs. The food was good but the wait does not sit with us well, we hate to wait for a table. As we left, there were empty table at 3:00 pm for lunch which is served until 4:00 pm when the dinner menu takes over (at a higher price for many of the same items). 

One more day and we’re off. 

St Augustine - at a dock

 

There’s a section missing  next to the bridge and all the docks are empty awaiting the repair barge

The current at the Sister’s Creek anchorage was really ripping. We backed out into it and proceed south. The current was foul until we crossed the St Johns River after which we topped 9.4 kts! However, the event of the morning was that I finally got the Genset to run. The secret, I found, was to put the battery closer to the Genset with thick cables and not twenty feet away on smaller than spec cables. The original installation left many things to be desired. My first Genset only needed 100 amps to start, this one needs. 220 amps and the starting battery wiring was sized for the old Genset. Live and learn, I guess. 

Always, there’s wildlife around in Florida

The St Augustine Marina is undergoing major repairs to its docks. A long section is missing on the side towards the bridge. A barge is due tomorrow to start the process. To allow room for that, there are no boats docked on the northern side of the docks. Even with those docks missing, there are still open docks. We remain far ahead of the migration crowd. 

We’ll be here until Thursday morning when we move on to the Bethune Park anchorage. The weather is unseasonably cool. It’s not forecast to even reach 70 tomorrow. I can’t remember a past trip down with such cool weather! Hopefully, it’s not a sign of a cool winter in Florida. We were expecting temps in the 70s during January and Febuary. 

Jacksonville Free Dock - At Sisters Creek

 

We got the catbird seat - the end dock. There were only two boats tonight

Nothing unexpected along the way as far as depths are concerned. The Bob423 track was fine. However, when we were approaching Fernandina, we heard a Coast Guard announcement about a railroad bridge that was inoperable in the down position. It was located at “static, static” and would be closed until further notice. We listened again 15 minutes later with the same “located at ‘static, static’!” Since we were approaching the railroad bridge just south of Fernandina, we were concerned. So I asked Ann, “what were the Lat/Long coordinates they announced (along with the name of the bridge)? (The Coast Guard always gives the Lat/Long). I got a scowl for that question and a suggestion that I listen to the next broadcast and write down the Lat/Long myself. “But you already heard the Lat/Long, just tell me what they were” - I could see this was going nowhere and shut up (best move I made all day). 

This is the bridge we thought might be closed - but it was open as usual.
We ate at the Down Under restaurant right by the bridge

As we rounded the curve in the channel, we peered ahead through the gloom and could see the bridge was not closed. Upon that observation, the third Coast Guard announcement was crystal clear - the bridge in question was on the St Johns River. Oh well, the Coast Guard had us going for a while. 

Strange sunset tonight. It was like a fire on the horizon illuminating the clouds

Terri and Larry met us at the Jacksonville free dock and we all went out for dinner. They are a great couple and fun to visit. Of  course, we talked boating for several hours over dinner topped off ny a treat at Dairy Queen, I hadn’t been to one in years for a cone. I related that if I divided the cost of my Genset by the number of times I used it, I’d be lucky if I got the cost down to less than $500 per use. 

We’ll leave for St Augustine in the morning for a three day stay. It’s always a fun place to explore before moving on to the Bethune Park anchaorage before reaching Titusville. 

Jekyll Island - Last day

 

Any time there’s a body of water, there’s a threat of alligators - so signs are always posted

On the last day at a marina, we do “last day” things. First, there’s laundry - it’s always nice to leave a marina with clean clothes. Second, it’s good to have empty holding tanks. Third, we do last minute provisioning for things like milk, OJ, bananas, etc. We are now ready for our last leg to Titusville. 

I used three sunglasses together as a filter. This was late during the eclipse, just a chunk taken out

It’s an early start on Sunday so we can reach the Jacksonville free dock in the early afternoon to be sure we get a spot - although we’re so far ahead of the migration that I’m sure there won’t be a problem. We will meet up with Terri and Larry at the dock for dinner and trade boating stories. 

Yeah, fireworks 

It was mostly cloudy today and so we seldom saw the sun which was going through a partial eclipse in our area. It peeked through a couple of times and I took photos as best I could. It did grow dark in the early afternoon with the reduced sunlight that was compounded by the dense cloud cover. 

Then the sun set whole - the sun devoured was driven back

When I took Hoolie ashore, someone was setting off fireworks even though it was not dark enough for a good display. We wondered what the occasion was and why when it was still light out? We’ve been here a week, good rest, for now it’s time to move.

The peaceful end to a busy day

Jekyll Island - the rains finally stop

 

Zachry’s Riverhouse Restaurant has a swimming pool right off the porch - free for those docked

We saw the sun this afternoon for the first time in three days. It was not a good time to head south but since we don’t plan on leaving until Sunday with full sunshine, that’s fine with us. So what do you do when it’s raining outside - clean house of course, ugh. It wasn’t on my list of things I wanted to do but it needed doing, oh well. 

We are far, far ahead of the fall migration. Jekyll Island Marina is mostly empty of transients

With all the rain, I didn’t get to further debug the SeaTalk1 network, maybe tomorrow. It involves making yourself small and getting down into the aft starboard locker where the autopilot is located. I’ll have to practice my yoga to curl up small enough. I’ll jiggle a few wires with calls of “is it working yet?” to Ann in the cockpit. Wish me luck, I’ll need it.

What blog would be complete without a photo of my boat?! They have nice slips here.

I updated a survey of dockage prices that I had done for 2022 and, guess what, almost every marina raised prices over the summer with the average price increase being 19%. They are not falling behind in keep ahead of inflation. Our slip in Titusville for the winter is looking more and more attractive! Key West is out of sight. Just getting there is much more expensive than last year. However, I can imagine every boater of the last 50 years must have made the same complaint at one time or another, inflation never rests. If you can afford it, you do it, otherwise, sit in a rocking chair and watch the world go by - it’s much cheaper but has certain drawbacks. 

Jekyll Island - Rain and wind all night and morning

Another look at Driftwood Beach, huge trees scattered across the beach. 

It’s good to be tied up at a dock with electricity when the wind is howling 25 to 30 kts with a driving rain! There have been times when were hit with stormy weather when at anchor. Hoolie and I would jump in the dinghy (Hoolie never minded, I had on full rain gear) and motor into shore, usually a sandy beach, sometimes mud. I’m not quite as adventurous now as in the past, I prefer a dock in bad weather. 

We have more of the same Friday and some on Saturday before we leave for Jacksonville on Sunday morning for the Sister’s Creek free dock. Meanwhile, I’l still trying to get the SeaTalk1 network to fire up but so far to no avail. Tomorrow I’ll check the autopilot where the power for the SeaTalk1 buss is supposed to come from. Maybe it’s a loose connection?

A 20 year old cat finds a sunbeam (yesterday)

The marina cat that was featured in a previous post is 20 years old. He’s doesn’t move much anymore but he’s aging like the rest of us. He’s provided for, hopefully us too in the future. 

Jekyll Island - Rainy Weather on the Way

 

For such a small store, they have some high-end offerings. Chocolates anyone?

Three days of rain is predicted, starting this evening but we’re holed up here, no worries. I’m currently deep into debugging my SeaTalk1 network. It’s not working and that’s a problem since I use Aqua Map’s ability to embed depths into my track. No SeaTalk1 network, no embedding depth data. When we came through Jekyll Creek on Sunday, it was back with Ann recording depths as I called them out - effective but time consuming. 

Pick up a “Happy Bag”! A good selection of happiness. 

The local market is like one you might find in a small town where there’s no Walmart or large supermarket. It was a little of everything. It seems we go by there almost every day to pick up something we forgot. The golf carts are just the thing for short trips around town. 

Golf carts are a popular mode of transportation on the island - even on T-shirts

The marina is mostly empty on the long dock, the one used for transients. Starting out from Brunswick, we are far, far ahead of the migration south. Next year will be more normal with us leaving from Beaufort, NC. For now, we’ll let the rain pass and then head out again Sunday. Hopefully, I’ll get SeaTalk1 working again. 

Jekyll Island - The Live Oaks

 

The live oaks sort of bend over the roadway

There was a time, early in our ICW adventures when we were docked at Vero Beach when Ann had an asthma attack requiring an emergency trip to the hospital. It was caused by live oak pollen which is plentiful in Vero Beach. Ever since then, we’ve been leary of live oaks. They are prized for the strength of their wood which was used extensively in wooden war ships in the early years.  

Looking at live oaks in marina grounds, Ann is no longer affected. The trees are noted for their long, horizontal limbs that seem to defy gravity. They can be  quite pretty as along as you’re not affected by the pollen. 

Even the parking lot is well represented with live oaks

We are due for four days of rain, starting Wednesday afternoon so I spent the day getting ready. The bimini  received a coat of water repellent and I repaired the forward hatch where the handle decided it had enough and departed from its station attached to the hatch.  Hopefully, regluing fixed that. 

With the rain, all the inside chores are now waiting for attention. A woman’s work may never be done but having a boat is pretty similar. 

We Explore Jekyll Island - Ecologically Sound in an Electric Car

 Our transportation didn’t compare to the Tesla we rented from Hertz earlier this year (it was a replacement for the el cheapo car we reserved but they didn’t have). It was only a golf cart but it’s free to patrons of the marina and it has enough range to explore the entire island - and it automatically obeys all speed limits! (Can’t go any faster…) 

Wide open beaches - free for public access

We had visited St Simons earlier when we were at Brunswick and found the beach access rather limited, confined to only a few places. Jekyll Island is much different. They have  a perimeter road that runs along the beach with many stopping off places with ample parking for beach access. The beaches are huge and unbroken - no intervening fences or such, very nice. 

The Driftwood Beach at Jekyll Island

We also heard of an area at the end of the beaches where driftwood collects so we investigated with thoughts of a painting project for Ann but it wasn’t to her liking. It did look strange with lots of weathered wood. We topped off the day with lunch at our favorite restaurant on the island, Zachry’s Riverhouse. A nice day for an outing. 

Returning to the marina, the cat was once again “resting”
with food and water nearby. We’ve never seen the cat do anything
But sleep in all the years we’ve been coming here.

Back on Fleetwing, it was hatch repair time. Beneteau installed the smaller hatches with handles that were glued on. After 20 years, one came off and I’m attempting to reglue it. We’ll see how it goes. It’s nice to settle into our usual boat routine.