Just A Repositioning Cruise
07 May 2015 | Green Cove Springs Marina, Florida
Marg
Dockside ... we spent 5 days at Reynolds Park Marina, Green Cove Springs. It cost us only $67/5 days (not the advertised $1/foot/day). They charged us by a monthly charge and then pro-rated it to 5 days. Steve was happy.
Parking our car ... we left our car there in January. It was Friday, May 1st. It cost us $20/mo. = $60. Steve was happy.
Our car ... Steve hooked up the batteries and it started! Steve was happy. The car looked great. The brakes were a little rusty but we had no liquor on board and needed some cleaning supplies so we headed down the road to the nearest West Marine Store (13 miles away). It had closed it's doors and was relocated somewhere near Jacksonville. Steve was not happy.
As we headed back to Reynolds Park, our dashboard went blank. We pulled off the road at an RV repair place. Steve tried a few things and determined that our battery was dead... suspect the alternator was kaput (hey I knew that too). Steve was momentarily at a loss.
However, we were lucky to have pulled off the road when we did. The driveway just before we pulled of the road, was Ronny Robinson's Automotive Repair (just missed it by one driveway!) and the guys working in the RV yard told us that we'd be smart to go to Ronny's. They gave him two thumbs up for being known as a reputable and honest shop. So, I stayed with the car and Steve took the hike.
Steve liked them (gut feeling) and so, on our first day on land, with a car!! we abandoned it, to be towed to the driveway next door...to be looked at on Monday. Ronny himself drove us back to Reynolds with our beer and liquor and a little bit of food (nothing like first impressions) and continued to prepare the boat for storage. The car was repaired, new alternator, new battery and new brakes and rotors.. all good and very reasonable. $35 for the tow, 2 hours labour @ $80 and the total ~$600 (money we saved not clearing in and out of Mexico.. just kidding)
Haul-out ... On Tuesday night we made a skype call to follow up on Steve's dad who was in hospital again. We were told he was not very well so the push was on to get home. On Wednesday we left Reynolds and hauled out at Green Cove Springs. We went right into the storage yard, mostly because they had no room for us in the work yard. Under the circumstances, we were allowed to clean off the ICW smile in the slings (note.. you can't get anywhere near the slings to cause damage). Once in storage, Steve had to clean the rest of the hull with a bucket of water and ladder. Steve and I were both very tired but were on the road by 6:30pm.
It was a very long and tiring 6 days. We also had so much stuff to take off the boat that we no longer needed on board (the car is packet to the brim) because next season we are only going to the Bahamas.
I don't know how we feel about this. We really haven't had much time to think about next season. This season we just had to get the boat from Guatemala to the States and we have done that. Fortunately we took the window to leave Mexico when we did. We would have been stuck in paradise. I don't know how we feel about that either.
For us, it was more like a repositioning cruise. For us, it was a tough go but for us, a wonderful accomplishment.
Tonight we are in Morgantown, WV. We should be in Bobcaygeon by Friday.