Final Projects and Cumberland Island
14 January 2019 | Sister's Creek- JAX
Kathy, blustery and cool
Well, that “awhile longer” turned into a month, while we waited for a back-ordered windlass. Then Lewmar didn’t ship during the holidays, then they were closed for inventory… then we ordered a Muir windlass from Sailorman in Ft. Lauderdale and had it within 3 days. So 1 day after receiving it, Earl had it installed and running. So smooth!! (Earl and the windlass) It’s a beauty and for 2 Boat units it should be $$! While we waited on the windlass, we tackled a few other projects, painted the nonskid on the decks with gelcoat and a few smaller things. It looks soooo much better!! Of course, we also went to our moms for the holidays and a wonderful time with both families. It’s always a crazy, chaotic, fun, loving time with our big families.
So, we finally launched at high tide on January 12th and headed straight to Cumberland Island (a whopping 6 miles away) for some decompressing. And Cumberland did not disappoint. The next morning, we were treated to a rainbow after a small front went through. Then we heard and saw a pair of loons calling to each other. We always see them in Canada but this was a first in GA. I guess they’re wintering over here. Because of the shutdown, there was no one on the island- no ferry shuttling tourists. We did see a NPS boat at the dock each day, just checking on things. We had a beautiful sunny afternoon walking the trails and exploring the empty beach. Then happy hour on Seeker with the crew of Autumn Borne. A perfect day. Today we left a little after low tide and headed towards St. Augustine. Passed a bald eagle on the shore in the Amelia River and when we got to Sister’s Creek, there was only 1 boat on the free dock so we pulled in for the evening. It’s always full when we’ve passed before, so it was a treat to see it empty. The nice folks on an American Tug grabbed our lines and helped us dock. Once we got AB secured, we stood in the sun and swapped stories. A great start to the season! Tomorrow St. Augustine and then on to those 70+ temps in Vero!