Our winter season has started and the really good news is that as of Wednesday Dec. 12 we are now in the water, exactly a month after our departure from home.

It took us a little longer to get R’Liberty ready, as Paul caught an uninvited nasty viral infection, which kept him in bed for 10 days. This gave me ample time to finish all of my chores as well really got into cleaning & polishing everything, even all the brass lamps, which I now realize we have 20 of them.

Must say being back in the water is such a nice feeling, even with last couple of rainy days, sitting here in the cockpit looking out at the ICW and the boats in the mooring field is very relaxing. Our entertainment is watching the Egrets, Herons & Ospreys around us. We have seen Dolphins in the Titusville basin for the first time. The manatees seen to be missing this year so guess we will not see before we get back in the Spring.

Our original plan to depart from here Dec. 23-24 changed. We are still at the dock. Christmas Eve we had our traditional duck, however, this time breast marinated in balsamic then on the pan, served with caramelized potatoes & asparagus. However, I did not make the usual “ris a’lamande”, disappointment for Paul. Yes boat life can be harsh.

This week we are spending relaxing, taking long walks, doing little odds and ends. Our new entertainment is a dolphin 🐬 playing around us here in the boat basin. The Ospreys are also fascinating to watch when they dive for fish 🐠 grabs them in their claws then finds a place to eat, with number of crows flying around in the hope of catching some leftovers. Unfortunately the mess this leave on the boat is a real nuisance and becomes a constant cleanup job.

Plan now is to leave Saturday, after a storm front passes, then down to Palm Beach for couple of days before continuing further down to Miami, then on to Marathon where we will sit and wait for a window to cross to Cuba.

Wishing everyone New Year.

Paul & Helle