Trolleys and motors

Day 29
Jan 30, 2016 Saturday
West Palm Beach, FL
ICW mm1022

We got our early start from last nights anchorage and arrived at the Flagler Memorial Bridge in time for the 9:15 opening.  We anchored , 3 times, in the city anchorage area just off a park area and the arts and entertainment district. I say 3 times because last year we did it 5 times. It is a small area and you need to know when you have out adequate scope you will not swing into someone else. Harder than it sounds. We hailed Windbird and before we could get our dinghy down to take Handleys to shore to meet Mark's brother they had rowed to shore. He has problems with his outboard motor so we were going to play taxi. 

We planned to go to shore to the Saturday Farmers Market but saw when we arrived the area that it is usually held in was full of runners in pink.  It was a race for breast cancer and it was ending about the time we got ready to leave the boat.  We waded through a large crowd of racers and spectators and found a reduce size farmers market was in a nearby park area so we wondered over there. We bought some fresh  baked goods and I got the most beautiful tomatoes. Lee went to the tourist center which was close by and got town maps and trolley information. Then we walked to a trolley stop and made a loop to Publix and back to where we started.  Then headed back to our boats.  

During the afternoon Lee decided he was going to adjust the idle speed on our dinghy outboard motor.  He has it so it won't go out of forward gear. He called the manufacturer and then when he got no where there, he called a repair place that is working on Mark's motor.  They are supposed to come see about it tomorrow morning if we can get it to shore.  In the mean time we are rowing with a damaged oar lock or getting a tow from Stricklands. 

We had planned to eat dinner ashore so Stricklands towed our dinghy to the dinghy dock which is close and we all went to eat a short walk away. Martha and I have bad knees and are not keen on long walks. It was warm until evening and very nice not being cold or wet. 

Speaking of wet.  There is a leak somewhere that is putting water under my mattress making the sheets and sleeping bag wet when it rains or we get in rough water. I finally got Lee to take a serious look this evening and there is clear evidence of water standing in some of the storage areas under the platform the mattress rests on. the sheet was wet too. I dried my sleeping bag on the deck today.  The large mattress is impossible to remove it is bigger than the door and there  is no way to get it completely off the bed or out of the room. Poor planning on Island Packets part. Lee put some plumbers putty here and there but neither of us think that is a serious solution. He is going to look further into it tomorrow. 

Palm Beach

Day 27 & 28

Jan 28 &29 

Thurs. & Fri

Ft Pierce to North Palm Beach

mm965 to 1014

Day 27 Ft Pierce

Little to say. It rained and rained. We had hoped we could travel some today but no luck. There is water leaking several places in the master berth but we can not figure out where or how it is getting in. The rug and mattress both got wet. 

Day 28. Ft Pierce to North Palm Beach

Finally the rain quit. It was overcast a lot of the day but the sun did peek out some. It was not hot but we were not freezing either. We left right at 7 hoping to make it all the way to West Palm Beaches anchorage.  We lost and hour and a half getting our turn at the fuel dock and water. That messed us up with the open on schedule bridges and so we did not get quite to where we wanted to. We will get the last 8 miles to West Palm tomorrow morning. We will give Windbirds owners a lift to shore since their dinghy motor is down and then we will go to shore too to the Farmers Market which is right across the road from the anchorage. 

We made good time and were on schedule with bridges until we stopped to get water, fuel, and a pump out. Most marinas had some but not all of those things. When we got to the one we found that had it all they were fueling up a 65ft boat and we had to wait. By the time they took care of Journey and Sea Turtle we had lost almost 1 1/2 hours. We thought it was too late to go on to the last timed bridge because we would miss it by a few minutes and have to wait almost an hour for the next opening at 6:15. We called it a day and dropped anchor at 4 in North Palm. 

Run Away Boat in Ft Pierce

Day 26
Jan 27, 2016 Wed
Ft. Pierce FL
mm965 ICW

We knew we were in for a couple of rainy days so we slept in. Or at least I did.  I got up and about around 9 and was in the cockpit when I saw a mast moving. At first I thought someone was just leaving the anchorage then the mast started moving fast in our direction.  I stood up so I could see the actual boat and saw it was 
coming straight at us backwards pulling its anchor chain.  We both ran out on the deck and it was just pulling parallel to us about a foot away from the side of our boat. We did not have time to put fenders out or even think really. Lee stuck his foot out like he could stop a sail boat with his foot.  Somebody upstairs must have been looking out for us or the other boat one because as close as he came he never touched us. I screamed but no one responded. The boat passed us and came to a stop beside Journey but far enough away not to be any danger to her. Mitch hailed her by name on the vhf and blew his horn but got no response either.  I thought the boat must have been un occupied but Lee thought not since the dinghy was still on the boat. Eventually a half naked old codger with long gray hair came up on deck and Mitch said your anchor gave way. The guy looked around and said, "Nice Drag".  He had no clue how close he came to other boats. He eventually left the anchorage.  Was glad to see him go. Nothing like a little adrenaline to start your day. 

The rest of the day was cool, soggy and rainy.  I read and slept, Lee read. We didn't have enough wind or any sun to charge our batteries so we had to run the motor to charge up for the first time in over a year. We have not had to do that since we got our wind and solar power added to the boat. The weather looks pretty bad tomorrow too. We had hoped we might get some travel time tomorrow but it looks doubtful right now. We shall see. 

Glad it has finally warmed up but sure would like sun and warmth at the same time.  We had almost no rain last winter all winter in FL and Exumas . This year have already had more rain and high wind than all last winter.  Every rose has its thorns. 

Titusville to Melborn

Day 24
Jan 25, 2016 Monday
Melbourn, FL
ICW mm 909

We got a late start today because Lee was waiting for the Napa store to open so he could get new belts for the alternator.  He walked to the store at 7:30 but they did not have what he needed.  They located a store about 20 miles away that did and they told him they could get them to him by 10:30 if he wanted to wait. So wait we did. About 11 the belts were delivered to the marina and we got fuel and were ready to head off.  

We had a sunny warm day and no issues. We got bunched up with several sail boat and Stricklands trawler looked like it was in danger of being seriously outnumbered. We anchored near a bridge north of Melbourn and had a quiet peaceful night. 

Long but warm day

Day 25
Jan 26, 2016 Tues
Ft. Pierce, FL
ICW mm965

We left our anchorage just north of  Melbourne, FL at 7am.  We planned a long day since weather looks as though Wed and even Thurs might be so rainy we will not be moving. We had lots of clouds until late in the afternoon and off and on light rain. Late in the afternoon we finally got some sun and blue sky. Theywinds were nonexistent early and picked up to 10-12 kts by afternoon. The good part was it was warm, even if it was not sunny. We opened the side panels and were comfortable. No one had any problems on either boat and all is well.  It looks like the next day we can move on we should make it to West Palm Beach. Nice public transportation, free anchoring, dinghy dock close to anchorage it is a perfect place to hang out a while.

Sunny and Warm At Last

Day 23
Jan 24, 2016  Sunday
Titusville Municipal Marina
Titusville, FL

We left Daytona at 7:30 under clear blue skies. The cockpit warmed quickly and it was a pleasant trip of about 50 miles. We had gentle winds and water both. There were a lot of sail boats out today. At several bridges 5 sail boats were grouped up to go thru the bridge and Journey was the only power boat.  Must have felt like the Lone Ranger, he was certainly outnumbered.  One sail boat we were in sight of almost all day was acting very erratic.  Then when we came in the marina it was coming in right in front of us. 

Our alternator seemed to charge the batteries fine today but when we hooked up to shore power our other GFI outlet crackled and popped and we lost power on the starboard side of the boat. Just like the other day just the opposite side. We hope we can figure out what the heck is going on with the electrical system.  The one that we replaced the other day has been fine since. We will replace todays casualty when we can get another GRI outlet but without ground transportation that could be a while.

We finally went to a restaurant that was open. It was a couple of miles away and the food was reasonable and good. I had a steak. 
We took a taxi to and from.  

Cold & Windy

Day 21 & 22
Jan 22 & 23, 2016
Fri & Sun
St. Augustine and Daytona, FL

Day 21 St Augustine
The promised rain and high winds showed up as scheduled.  We did not go to shore but holed up in the boat. We put the dinghy up on the swim platform in the cradles. Did some other chores and hoped how soon it would clear up and calm down. 

Day 22 to Daytona
We got up to a cloudy dreary windy day but headed the 50 miles to Daytona about 7:30. It was cold (39) and never got warm even in the sunroom (no sun). We had winds of 25-30 mph all day. When we arrived at Daytona at Halifax Marina we got adjoining slips with Journey. We filled our water tank while spraying my jean, socks and shoes with water. I do prefer to shower with my clothes off! To add to my misery I tripped on a line trying to turn the water off and fell on my knee I had surgery on last spring. Then I did 2 loads of laundry.  

Lee was concerned our batteries did not charge and since we motored all day they should have.  He tested the specific gravity in our cells (don't ask) and they were ok. After that he turned on the battery charger to see if shore power would perk them up. Thought they did a little but charger not on  long enough to be sure. We wanted heat and could not do both at same time on 30 amp electric.

The only place in walking distance to eat was closed when we got there after walking in the cold, wind and dark to get there. Mitch has developed a talent for finding places that are not open to try to eat. This is 4 in a row I think. Disgusted we came back to the boats and ate. I started the log and Lee hollered to come help him. Which caused my log to disappear. Lee had decided the problem was the alternator belt.  It was too loose and not turning the alternator.  After a hour and a half struggle, using tools, dental floss and kitchen spoons we finally got a new belt on and tension adjusted. It was way past my bed time and the log I went back to finish had vanished. I said enough is enough, turn on the heat and let's go to bed. 
Definitely not a day I will remember fondly in years to come. 

St Augustine

Day 20
Jan 21, 2016 Thurs
St Augustine Municipal Marina
Mooring field
St Augustine, FL

We had a warm and sunny day.  We got the dinghy down for the first time since the trip. We were a bit rusty on procedure and took longer than usual to get going.  We needed to make a run to Walmart or some similar place that would have hardware, clothes, and groceries.  Transportation was our first problem since it was a long way to Walmart. We first tried Uber but they thought we were in Fernandino Beach. So then we tried a taxi. The first one said 40 minutes, way too long. We tried to flag down a taxi but he had one passenger and we needed room for 4 people.  The man handed me a card with his number.  I called and in about 10 or 15 minutes we got a ride to Walmart. After finding all the stuff we needed we came back and put things away that needed refrigerated or frozen. Then decided to play tourist. 

We wondered around just a little and found a Greek place to eat.  Mitch wanted 3 other places but all were closed.  He had his heart set on a VFW he had eaten before but it was closed. So were the next 2 places he tried. Lee and I really liked the place we ate. We had coconut soup, which was delicious, and feta pie, which is a Greek version of an Italian calzone. Only different crust and a different cheese inside. Very tasty. Stricklands got different food and were not has happy as we were. My feet, legs etc and Martha's were about worn out and it was about to get dark so we headed back to the dinghy dock and returned to the boat. Tomorrow is supposed to be rainy and bad so we expect to stay aboard and read or do cleaning or some of both. On the up side tomorrow is supposed to be 70 degrees which would be our warmest day yet.

Fernandino Beach to Jacksonville to St Auguatine

Day 18 & 19
Tues. Jan 19,  & Wed. Jan 20, 2016
Fernandino Beach to Jacksonville
(Beach Marina)
Jacksonville to St Augustine
(St. Augustine Municipal Marina)


Tuesday, We all took a dockage at Jacksonsonville Beach.  It was predicted to be a cold night and we needed good heat. We had a nice day weather wise, sunny and comfy in the sunroom but had some skinny water. Bumped several times. Always a scary thing. Journey even bumped leaving the marina. We spent 2/3 of our time at low tide.  

We ate at the marina bar and played games a little  and turned on the heat and went to bed. About 12 the power went off and so did the heat of course.  Lee set up the little propane heater and we used it the rest of the night.  Wed morning we found out the whole marina had lost power and after reading reviews we found out this has happened before this winter as well as lousy internet wifi. The gfi outlet kept blowing as soon as you put power on the port side of the boat.  We took it apart and it did not look burned or have any lose wires. Lee called Richard Truett and we let him listen to the weird clicks it made after it blew. It almost sounded like crackling He didn't know either.  We asked for the marinas service person to look and explained it needed to be fixed promptly if we were to meet our time schedule. When they finally came after over an hour waiting they said it was probably a faulty GFI outlet but they did not have any.  We left without it fixed.

Wed we had another nice sunny day and actually got hot a little in the sunroom.  We took a mooring ball at Bridge of Lions in St Augustine around 4.  Is should be moderately cold tonight, 40s but tomorrow is supposed to be sunny and high 60s and tomorrow night mild .  We are hoping to do some sightseeing ashore get some groceries and stay here Thur. night. Predictions for Fri is rain and wind so we may just hole up here again instead of traveling in the rain. Time will tell.

Fernandino Beach

Day 17
Jan 18, 2016
Fernandino Harbor Marina
Florida

We had a windy cold night. It got to 51 in the cabin of the boat.  The sun came out bright in the morning and the sunroom warmed up comfortably. We took off from Cumberand Island around 11 and had an unevent trip to Fernandino Habor Marina arriving at 12;30.  We took a face dock spot and hit the shower and the laundromat at the marina. Just as we were finishing the clothes and were heading back to the boat the Stricklands came walking up.  They had decided to take a dock instead of a mooring ball because of the cold, wind and distance from shore the mooring field was.  

We did a little sight seeing in town and went to a Italian place to eat. We had a small breakfast and were starved.  The portions were huge and the food good. We played some cards and called it a day. 
Tomorrow we are heading to Jacksonville and St Augustine the day after that.  Hope we eventually get to warm weather. 

Staying Put

Day 16
Jan 17, 2016 Sunday
Cumberland Island
ICW FL/GA border

We had winds up to 40mph during the night and that continued during the day.  We think our anchor came up and reset during the night.  It was a rocky and cool night and day today. The weather looks like we will continue to have several nights of sub-freezing temps.  Our friends who had planned to arrive Sunday stayed put today and think tomorrow might be their day to move on.  We think that as well. We would like to have access to laundry facilities and dump trash, take on water etc. 

It is sunny and windy so our free energy should be doing great guns. It is warming the cockpit/sunroom up too.  We sat up there and read and actually got hot. this afternoon. Thermometer said 78. The cabin never got above the mid 60s all day and we had to use the Little Buddy heater in the evening. 

If all goes as we hope tomorrow we will go on to Fernandino FL and go in a slip and use their heat and facilities and maybe even a trip to the grocery store.  

Cumberland Island

Day 14
Jan 15, 2016 Saturday
Cumberland Island
FL

We came to the anchorage at Cumberland Island and anchored around 2pm. It was overcast by the time we anchored so not so cozy in the sunroom.  Earlier it was sunny and warm in and out of the sun room.  Lovely morning weatherwise. We had misadventure.  We had hardly been going a half an hour when our hot engine alarm squalled.  We immediately dropped anchor.  We looked at strainers and they were not clogged so Lee called Richard Truett.  He suggested a few things and Lee soon found the belt that turns the water pump that runs water thru the engine to cool it had snapped in two. Luckily we had an extra on board and he replaced the belt and let the engine cool a while and we were underway again. Shortly after that our bilge pump kept running and running.  This happened last winter also. Lee turned it off and we are running it periodically manually. It continued to get cooler in the afternoon and during the night we should see the last of the 60s for over a week.
High wind predictions and morning rain are keeping Journey at the dock in Jekeyll Island Saturday and Sunday.  We will decide tomorrow when rain is over what we will do. We are only 6 miles or so from Fernandino FL where we can dock or pick up a mooring ball. We really have some rocking and rolling this evening. 

A Day Staying Put

Day 14
Jan 15, 2016
Fri
ICW 698mm

We woke up to rain but never heard the thundershowers called for. 
The rain stopped about noon and the sky got blue. We thought about going on to Cumberland Island but the wind was really kicking up and there was no hurry to get there anyway. We slept late ate a big breakfast and jumped into some chores on the boat.

The wind would go from 0 to 30+ mph every 10 minutes. Could not decide if it was going to blow or not. The clear blue sky got the solar cells going and the wind had the wind generator wound up charging everything nicely. The sunroom got almost hot and the cabin in the high 60s. Tonight should be mild and tomorrow sunny and good day to travel the remaining 15 miles to our destination. We expect  Journey to show up late Sat or Sunday for sure. Next stop FL.    

Moving On

Day 13
Jan 14, 2016 Thursday
ICW MM 698

We traveled about 55 miles and had friendly tides. We were moving at 8 & 9 mph at times.  It was overcast so not so warm but not uncomfortably cold either.  We found an anchorage right off the waterway to spend the night and weather the heavy rain predicted for the predawn and morning hours on Fri. 

Lee thinks we have a leak somewhere in the fresh water system. Tomorrow if we decide to stay put we may do maintenance stuff and cleaning up.  We hope to go on in the afternoon but time will tell.  We are about 15 miles from Cumberland Is and the FL/GA border and where we plan to meet Stricklands on Journey. 

Solo Travel

Day 12
Jan 13, 2016
Wednesday
Isle of Hope to MM

The decision was made that we would travel on and wait down the ICW for Journey. She needed some more work before she moved on. We made about 53 miles today. It was a cold morning and will be a cold night but the day is sunny and warm in our cockpit. 

We passed across Moon River and I could not resist singing, we passed in style today.  It was made famous by Andy Williams. And yes it was this Moon River the song was about. We are seeing lots of beautiful scenery and birds galore and found a lovely protected anchorage with lots of room and good depth.  We were joined by several boats but plenty of room for all.  It was a calm windless night. Our plan is Jekeyll Is. for Thur night. 

Isle of Hope

Day 10 & 11
Jan 11 & 12, 2016
Monday & Tues
ICW Georgia

Day 10 & 11  We came to Thunderbolt GA and found both the marinas full and unable to take us. Since Stricklands were very uncomfortable Sunday night from the cold and wind on the hook we continued on hoping to find another marina. We found the one at Isle of Hope was officially closed Mondays but you could leave a call back number and dock yourself.  Mitch took the lead and we tied up on a face dock there.  It was a nice marina with laundry and showers etc. 

Journey needed some repairs and a competent mechanic looked at it and found a part that was causing generator problems. The issue was getting one or fixing the existing one. After a search the decision was made to fix the old part. That fixed the generator and we planned to be off Tues morning but then another issue was found by the mechanic that dealt with the exhaust. That would require staying another couple of days. 2 nights in a marina are high dollar items and a 3rd or 4th was a budget breaker so the decision was made for us to travel on Wed. and stop when  we reached the GA/FL border at Cumberland Island and wait on the hook for the Stricklands. They are faster so they can catch up after their repairs were completed. 

Days have been sunny, warm and beautiful. Nights cold but tolerable inside a heavy sleeping bag. Stricklands got some bad news while at Isle of Hope.  Their garage/storage building flooded AGAIN. It had a ft and a half of water in Octs flood and now had a foot of water. What a dilemma should they go home to deal with the mess or what? Thanks to good friends that are going to handle it for them and they can continue on to FL.  Good friends who you can count on are worth a pot of gold. I treasure the ones we have who are always there in a pinch. Feeling blessed Life is Good. 

Cold and Windy

Day 9
Jan 10, 2016 Sunday
Mile 573 ICW

We unhooked from the mooring ball in Beaufort, SC after a quick dinghy trip to Bi Lo for a few things.  We got off around 9:15 to a partly overcast sky and temps in the 40s. We were in everything from shallow narrow streams to broad wide sounds.  For a while we were able to put up our main and sail a bit.  The winds were variable going from 8 to 24 kts and back. We had current with us and against us.  It was a day of some of everything. 

We anchored around 4 at mile post 573 just 3 miles from the GA line.  We will travel through some skinny water in Georgia tomorrow. Stricklands are having refrigerator and generator problems so we will make a marina stop for gas and see if someone can fix their problems.  Since tonight will be in the low 30s we will wait to see how comfortable we are or are not tonight before we decide if we will anchor or stay in a marina tomorrow night.  If we are going to have cold we at least should have sunshine.  

Beaufort, SC

Days 7 & 8
Jan. 8 & 9, 2016
Charleston to Beaufort, SC

Day 7
We left Charleston ahead of the Strickland's since we are slower and he was waiting for the mechanic to fix his oil leak. We had mild temps and partial sun so was not unpleasant travel. We got to Church Creek where we anchored before Journey but she came along. It was a nice quiet but popular anchorage.

Day 8
Today was supposed to be a sunny day with highs in the mid 60s and it was dreary, overcast and sprinkled. NO sun.  We arrived in Beaufort about 3:40 and it never warmed up in the cockpit/sunroom all day, We had fog until nearly noon making reading markers and buoys difficult. We took off around 8 this morning but Journey waited til after 10. Mitch was uncomfortably with the fog and knew his faster speed would let him catch us before the day ended. We both grabbed mooring balls in Beaufort Town Marina.  A quick trip to Walmart is planned in the morning with the courtesy car to get some milk and engine oil.

Sure looking forward to some warm temps south!

Charleston SC

Days 4-5-6
Jan 5,6,&7, 2016
Tues -Wed- Thurs
City Marina
Charleston, SC

We came into the marina in the blowing cold Tues afternoon.  
We took the shuttle to the grocery store and walked to the market district. It was cold and the market area was almost empty.  We then went to a greek restaurant Martha and Mitch like and stuffed ourselves.  My knees were killing me I could hardly walk.  

Wed. the guys and Martha went to West Marine for odds and ends of things.  I stayed on the boat because my knees had not recovered from the day before.  We put some of Lee's purchases to work on the boat. Martha and I did a little laundry at the marina laundromat.  Our new water pump started making loud pulsing noises like it was having trouble drawing water. Lee was inclined to ignore it and figured it did not matter. We filled the jerry jugs with water and got things ready to go in the morning.

Thurs morning changed our plans. Stricklands boat was leaking oil and we tore up the bed to look at the offending water pump in our boat.  After a mechanic looked at Stricklands motor he thought a part would fix their troubles but it would take til Fri to get the part. After a call to Richard Truett our boat guy in Little River, we decided that a filter might be our issue. So off the guys went to West Marine again. We all stayed another day at City Marina in Charleston. 

We will see Fri if everyones problems are solved and hopefully we will leave here Fri. It is a bit warmer today and less windy and bright sunshine so we are all more comfortable. We should be able to spend Fri night on the hook if all the repairs go as planned. 

Sunshine Yea

Day 3
Jan 4, 2016  Monday
Lelands Oil, McCellanville, SC

Left Georgetown in bright sunshine but cold temps.  The sun soon caused the canvased-in cockpit to heat like a greenhouse.  It was nice not to be cold.  The trip was uneventful except for a little skinny water as we approached our dock at the end of the day. We tied up about 1:20 and bask in the warmth and sun. (as long as you stayed inside the canvas)

Today was Mitch's 68 th birthday.  We had made brownies on Wed night and we put a 6 & 8 candle on them for him to blow out.  Lee is dyslexic so the candles got put on 8 & 6 but Mitch never said any thing so pictures will attest to his 86th birthday.  Considering the age of the brownies by Mon they were not too bad. They say it is the thought that counts right? 

A friendly dock dog named Boone met us. That made Martha miss Teddy who got left behind this trip. Cold night and day ahead for tomorrow. We are shooting for Charleston so will be a long day. 

Chillly Trip

Day 

Jan. 3, 2016

Hazard Marina, Georgetown, SC

We traveled about 28 miles on the ICW in cold cloudy weather.  We had 2 1/2 knots of current going with us so we made good time.  We arrived at Hazzard tMarina in Georgetown to find the marina closed so we pulled in and tied up.  Got the electric hooked up and turned on the heat.  It was a cold trip.  

We arrived at Georgetown around 2 so we had time to loaf, clean, nap and what ever.  We had a good dinner mostly of Christmas left overs.  After dinner Martha and Mitch came over and we played cards.  We gals have not beaten the guys in a while but we took them to the cleaners tonight. 

Stricklands had some problems with their fresh water tanks.  One of them is leaking. They have two so it is not the crisis it would be if they only had one tank like we do.  

Tomorrow is supposed to be another cold day and night so we are planning on staying in McClellanville, SC. and hooking up to electric for heat again.  

Third Times a Charm

Day 1

Jan 2, 2016

Osprey Marina, Socastee, SC

Today we left Lightkeepers Marina in Little River, SC. We planned to leave Dec. 31. We were 10 min from departure when we discovered our fresh water pump was not functioning. It had worked fine the day before. We filled and drained our fresh water tank 3 times the day before. It took until 4 in the afternoon to get a new pump installed and working properly. 

Jan 1 we made our second attempt to start. We departed Lightkeepers Marina at 10 and as soon as we pulled into the ICW a cold breeze hit us. I turned to put down the canvas behind me and only the screen was there. The solid panel was still at the canvas makers and had never been put back on the boat after we had him make screen panels. Being New Years Day the business was closed so we had to wait until Jan 2nd to get the missing canvas piece. 

Having had 2 false starts the 3rd time was a charm. We got off about 9:30 Saturday. We traveled about 6 hrs to Osprey Marina in Socastee, where we met up with Martha and Mitch who will be traveling with us in their trawler. When we were almost to the marina we decided to roll up the front panel to get clearer vision. As soon as I started to roll it the plastic window broke and cracked. I stopped and I taped the cracked part with packing tape. It was so cold it lost its flexibility. We cleaned the front "windows" after that but do not know if it helped much. 

Some of Mitch's friends were taking him out for dinner as he has a birthday coming up Jan 4. We were invited to join them. There were 10 of us altogether.  After wishing the old guy a happy birthday and eating we returned to our boat and everybody went home.