First full day in Florida!
23 December 2009 • Fernandina Beach, Florida
Yesterday's post was quite short by my blabbermouth standards but my excuse is that I was somewhat bagged after the trip down from Charleston. No matter how much I try, I am still captured by the fact that the first day on any overnight passage is a bit system wrenching. It usually takes me at least two and sometimes three days to get my body into the rhythm of the sleep schedule so with a simple overnighter I am usually just bagged at the end of it and yesterday was no exception.
I didn't mention that Further arrived yesterday in fine fettle with the crew very tired but happy and justifiably proud of their achievement. This was the first time that they took their boat offshore and at night and by my reckoning they did everything right. They made the decisions that made them comfortable regardless of what their buddy boat (us) was going to do and learned and experienced throughout. Bravo Zulu to Further and her crew! Like us after the first act of having a shower and getting clean, the second was to get their heads down for some kip.
The weather forecast is for some nice weather today and then yet another storm system is coming in (sigh) but at least we are sitting in the sunshine state where we had planned to be. It's time to get festive and string lights etc.
Last night the temperatures dipped to the point where we we happy to be plugged in and could run the heater but once the sun came up it warmed up quite nicely. Please forgive my emphasis on the warm but after the last week or two of cold this is sooooo nice!
Barb and I got up and after breakfast went for a walk in town to check out the places that we knew of from the spring. The gent in the Boat Shop has agreed to order a new 24/12 converter for us as well as a 6" turnbuckle. They won't be delivered until after New Years, but what the hey, this is a nice place to wait. We did get some potentially bad news though. The marina that we are waxing so eloquent about how wonderful it is? Well, in a couple of months it will be privatized so I can't imagine that the prices will be the same the next time we come by here. Typical politics; let the public purse pay for all the improvements and then let one of your cronies take over and start to make money from it. I am underwhelmed!
One of the marina staff has kindly offered to drive Barb over for groceries and he is also going to the ABC Store and will be picking up the hard cider for our Yule wassail bowl that I will be making tomorrow. They have been so nice that we have invited the staff over after work for a tot or two of it and we will be checking out for an Anglican/Episcopalian church to go to Christmas Eve service. Her shopping trip will also give me a chance to wrap her presents without her having the slightest chance of seeing what I am buying.
Our neighbour and friend Eric has jolted me into a brain wave. Instead of getting the local Boat Shop to order me in one of the higher amperage voltage converters why didn't I simply go on line and order one and have them ship it to me? Duh-oh! It would be cheaper and actually get here more quickly so that's exactly what I have done. I went the whole hog and ordered the largest one that they have to eliminate the possibility of it overheating or not having enough to provide for all the demand that we can put on it. It'll be here between Christmas and New Years.
We have decorated the boats with lights and switched the head output lines over to the holding tank. This has produced a problem in that when I installed the sensor for the tank I believe that I must not have made the fitting completely air tight or should I say odour tight? Another boat project and one that I'll need to do soon.
Looks like there will be a storm tonight and tomorrow. Coises!
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