Delilah's Meanderings

Just like that we're floating again. Doesn't seem possible. Last season we came home four weeks early due to the pandemic. Things were closing fast behind us as we were racing to get back to the boatyard and eventually home to be safe. After nine months of uncertainty and a lot of isolation, we decided to practice social distancing while cruising on Delilah!

This season we tried out a new pre-launch schedule. Mark spent two weeks in the boatyard during November. I joined him for one week along with our daughter and granddaughter visiting from London. We had made the decision not to gather with all of our daughters and their families for Thanksgiving. Therefore, I had a great need to get out of town. We completed as much boat prep as possible with plans to return after Christmas and do a quick finish to be ready to launch. This was a great success! Delilah was the first boat to go into the water Monday morning when Charlotte Harbor Boat Storage staff returned from holiday break!

Our experience through the self-operated lock into Charlotte Harbor was easy breezy. Whew! Always a bit nerve racking. The anticipation is much worse than the execution. Speaking of anticipation, Mark was so excited to get out into the "big" water that we blew right past the step to close the lock on the harbor side. Going through the lock, Mark is at the helm and I operate the gate controls at the lock. So after many hand motions and much yelling on my part, Mark finally realized what I was saying and we backed up. Off to a great start!!

We had a favorable wind and sailed for a bit heading to Pelican Bay. Lunch was kale slaw and leftover pizza. This is actually the first time I have ever eaten cold pizza. I'm a late bloomer when it comes to dining outside of my comfort zone. haha
It was a truly beautiful day - we took advantage of our auto pilot and ate out on the front deck. Just about anything would have tasted good. We arrived mid-afternoon, anchored, and took a big, relaxing breath. It's so quiet and peaceful here. Not as many boats anchored as we usually see. Maybe because this is about two weeks earlier than our typical schedule. Mark took a test drive in the dinghy while I prepared spaghetti and salad for dinner. After playing a few rounds of rummy, we were asleep shortly after 9 pm. The first day is exhausting.


The air this morning was crisp and clear. I baked cinnamon rolls. Very yummy. Then we rushed around to dinghy in to shore and walk to the beach off of Cayo Costa State Park. When we first arrived at the beach, not another person to be found. I can't really describe how calming it is for us to see the vast gulf off an island that has no vehicle access and few inhabitants. We are blessed and grateful for these opportunities. We walked about a mile south down the beach to a pretty inlet. I'm sure Mark will post photos showing the inlet and our treasures found along the way. We initially agreed that on this walk gathering shells was not necessary. Easier said than done. Besides, a perfectly good white bucket washed ashore right in front of us. Serendipitous. We used the bucket to carry our priceless treasures (shells, coral, smooth sand dollars). The return walk was peppered with fellow beach worshipers who got a later start than us. Once back on Delilah, we shared a smorgasbord lunch consisting of apples with peanut butter, cottage cheese and tomato, broccoli and carrots with hummus, and also avocado with chips.

Now Mark is catching up on computer work for his day job (he usually averages 10 hours of work a week while cruising). And I am recording our very first blog post for 2021! More to come as we venture along.

Stay healthy, friends.