By Thursday it was time for some boat work again so Scott started removing all the parts of the old autopilot to get ready for the new install, and Freddi went back to her mom's to help her pack up for the trip back to Pennsylvania (good timing--off the boat when Scott's making a mess). Packages (including autopilot parts) started arriving Friday, but first we spent a wonderful afternoon with our friends Jackie Hathaway and Garry Johnson who drove down from Sarasota to visit. Both sailors, Jackie and Garry joined Scott on CHARDONNAY's maiden voyage in 2004 so it was fun to show them the progress we'd made in 8 years.... In fact, long before Scott, it was Jackie who got Freddi into sailing on the Chesapeake, the BVIs and the Sea of Cortez.

On Saturday we entertained Freddi's law school friend Sarah Jones Fuller and her sister Flory. It was pure serendipity that they were in Florida (they live in California) and nearby at the same time.

On Sunday we got down to the real work of installing our newest crewmember. We literally tore the boat apart from one end to the other in order to run all the necessary wires for the autopilot. The job took a full day and a half, but we got it done, including the successful calibration and testing at the dock that made Scott very happy.

After getting the boat shipshape for a Tuesday departure, we headed to The Dock restaurant for a celebratory toast to our new crew with a lovely bottle of Kistler Chardonnay (2007 Dutton Vineyards if you're drinking along at home!). We named it Sir Robin after Sir William Robert Patrick "Robin" Knox-Johnston, an English sailor and the first man to perform a single-handed non-stop circumnavigation of the globe. We also met a delightful young woman named Dia, who had recently moved to Naples. We hit it off immediately, and she ended up joining us on the boat for dinner and a little more wine. We end this chapter with the comforting text that Dia made it home safely.