April 2024 FINALLY ready to cruise again.

 April 2024 - Still in Jacksonville, but Finally Ready to Cruise Again.

Our plan was to have the boat at Port 32 in Jacksonville for the month of March while getting a full hull and topsides detailing.  Weather delays pushed it into mid-April, but since we paid for the slip for the full month, we opted to just keep the boat here.  Original plans and schedules never stand a chance when dealing with marine business contractors!  

Detailers hard at work

All cleaned up and ready to cruise

Martha trying out picture taking with her new drone.

Port 32 marina. - one of our favorites. Red arrow is " As You Wish."

We took advantage of our time here for a few chores.  Took off the canvas bimini top and had it professionally cleaned, restitched and re-waterproofed.  Having attempted this ourselves last year with marginal success, it was much easier handing it over to professionals who did an amazing job.  Spent a few days doing a deep dive cleaning and sealing the inflatable tubes on the dinghy.  With help from a marina neighbor, we went through the process of lowering and raising the radar arch and bimini supports.  This will be required several times over the summer to get us under low fixed bridges. Undertook fixing a leak on the sliding doorway/hatch going from the pilothouse to the flybridge. Completely removed the glass, cleaned up and epoxied the recess and then reset the glass.  So far sems to have worked.  Final project was to refinish the inside wood trim of the pilothouse windows.  Condensate forms on the windows in cold weather which eventually drips onto the wood and then degrades the varnish.   So, sand off the old remaining varnish, re-stain to match and then multiple coats of varnish later to seal it all real good. 

Difficult working positions and messy conditions refinishing the trim

Finished result turned out pretty good!

Since we didn't get to execute our cruise plan for 2023 due to our relocation to Savannah, Martha's knee replacement and my eye surgeries we'll pick back up with them.  A trip down the full length of the Erie and exploring New Yorks finger lakes is still planned but we also added "The Triangle Loop".   This is a side trip off The Great Loop.  At the junction of the Hudson River and Erie Canal, you continue northward through Lake Champlain and up to the St. Lawrence. Turn left to Montreal and then on to Ottawa before taking the historic Rideau canal back down to Kingston, across Lake Ontario and through the Oswego canal back to the Erie.  Just learned of the recently damaged bridge in Kingston that may alter those plans as we can't fit under it in the current closed position.  As noted above plans and schedules are just a suggestion when dealing with cruising life.  Stay tuned as we'll be back to posting on a regular basis.

The Triangle Loop route we hope to take.