2020 and Beyond!

"The Past is in your head.  The Future is in your hands."

When I peeked out the hatch this morning this is what I found. "Oh my, for me?! " 

I hear a new decade is on the way. It's peeking around the corner to make it's big entry tonight. 2020.

If this morning's sunrise is any indication of what is to come please count me in.

Still I wonder if the new decade will really be that much different or just a new number to call ourselves. 2020. 2020. 2020. 

When the new year arrives, I have a feeling things will remain pretty much the same.  The world will keep spinning, trees will keep reaching for the sky, trains will keep rolling down the tracks, clouds will come and go, and boats will keep floating as they chase the next sunset.

Seven years ago I started this odyssey on the sea aboard my previous vessel SV/Glory Days.  Seven years of sailing up and down the east coast and three trips to the Bahamas and back has been a Godsend.  Glory Days Sailing Blog

First outing on Glory Days, April 2013

What started out as a distant dream has become an obsession, a genuine lifestyle interspersed with short periods of time back home in Georgia inland.

Nowadays, as I travel the coastline of Florida I create new memories to go along with the old ones about each and every port and anchorage encountered.  I still stick to my cruising mantra of "Sailing to Serve" as explained in a previous blog. What is Sailing To Serve?

Occasionally this lifestyle is like a rerun or an experience in deja va. From previous experience I know where the best anchorages and eateries are located as well as places to avoid and where dragons may be hiding. Sure, I've run aground into shallow mud more times than I care to admit, but that is part of the journey.  It all works out.

Somehow it never gets old, just different.

Sometimes I wonder if the same pelicans see me coming and roll their eyes as if "well, here he comes again."  I like to think so.  Either way there's is a welcoming pause of mutual admiration. Birds, skies, tides, people, ports, new challenges and unplanned mistakes all play a part in an adventure for the soul.

Last February I welcomed Lynn aboard and  now I have a full time first mate to say the least.  For a newbie she took to it naturally and has upgraded my cruising lifestyle in more ways than one.  I knew she was hooked, when on day 2 of the boat, she giggled and said, "This is so me!"

 

This was a bold step for her and I admire her courage to take on a new lifestyle that was totally unfamiliar.  Perhaps she doesn't know enough about it to really be fearful. This was evidenced by the first time we took the boat off shore in what turned out to be 6' seas spraying over the rails.  She thought this was normal and just kept smiling, so anything we encounter less than that seems like a walk in the park.

With Lynn on board, suddenly the boat and all its contents have reached a new level of organization.  If you can't find something, just ask Lynn and she will most likely tell you it's exact location.  I like to call it "Lynn's Locater Service."  Plus Lynn is a photographer extraordinaire as evidenced by these recent photos of Florida's coastal birdlife. 

So let's get this journey moving before the day slips away.  Where are we bound?  We don't really know. As long as the wind fills our sails and the seas are kind we will carry on, fulfilling a dream like none other.

Four months in the boat yard was too long.  What was I thinking?  I always forget how much work is involved to close up and reopen up a boat after extended storage.  
However, August 13 to December 13 proved to be a productive time to make some worthy upgrades to Serenade as she was waiting out the 2019 hurricane season high and dry amongst 150 other boats crowded together in St. Mary's boat yard.

Splash finally!  Dec. 15, 2019. St. Mary's Boatyard

But alas that moment finally came when she was launched into the Georgia brown water on this December high tide. What a relief it was to finally be back on the boat life again as we eased her down the meandering crooked channels of the North River towards the Intracoastal Waterway. 

 As I look back on Serenade's time in the boat yard I am reminded of all the upgrades made to her during the off season.  New bottom paint, a new wax job for the hull, a new canvas bimini top, and my personal favorite, an electric wash down pump for the anchor.  I don't know how many times I've brought up the anchor chain that was covered in the black Georgia mud.  But now I can easily rinse off that mud with a special hose and nozzle that I installed over the summer. Let's not add up the expenses of all these upgrade because please I really don't wanna know. All I can say is it is worth it. 

I won't dwell on the time in the boat yard but moreso on the excitement of getting away and cruising with Lynn.  After 6 years and over 10,000 miles of cruising single handed, suddenly I have a cruising partner in Lynn and suddenly everything is anew, fresh and ready for whatever adventure presents itself. 

 The journey started out with a week of cold grey weather but patience soon won as we anticipated warm sunny skies ahead.

Fernandina Beach is the first stop along the way.  Seas were to too high to dinghy into town but conditions had settled by morning light.

 

Things started out rather damp and chilly but we found ways to keep it all on the up and up.  After all we ARE here... actually doing this.

Yes it was chilly and damp along the way.  Order up Sunshine!

Tis the season as Christmas nears.  This year was a different kind of Christmas for both of us on board. Serenade got a nice set of lights.

Lynn loves the feathered friends.

A Night Heron we think.

Some type of Ibis we think.

Rosette Spoonbills
While still near St. Mary's the first challenge was to repair the Yamaha outboard.  Nothing serious, but I suspect dirt dobbers clogged up the water outlet hole causing the engine to overheat and thus destroying the impeller water pump.  Surgery to remedy the situation ensued. 

Reinstalling sails that had been removed for hurricane season turned out to be an all day job. Some things still need tweaking.

The quaint little Georgia town of St. Mary's has a lovely waterfront with seasonal decoration.  (I won't include the video of dancing in the gazebo during the rain.)

Weather forced us to stay 2 nights at the 
Sisters Creek free dock in Jacksonville.  That's where we met Alan a young Army retiree on board his Tartan 24, Apparition.

We used Uber for a side trip to the ferry at Mayport on Christmas Eve.  They have the most wonderful seafood mart there so naturally we stocked up on fresh food from the sea... shrimp, scallops, and snapper.
 

The dock at Sister's Creek was a welcome refuge from foul weather.  We departed this dock early Christmas morning bound for the Lights on Parade in St. Augustine.

We found some sunshine and lots of Christmas cheer in America's oldest city, St. Augustine, Florida.  We lingered three days here where we met up with old friends, attended a blues concert, stocked up provisions, and made the pilgrimage to the local West Marine store for gadgets we thought we needed.

Here's some scenes from St. Augustine.

Familiar cruising friends from way back, Tommy and Tracy from SV/Sailin' Shoes

Water front Lunch date with Lynn's sister Gayle and Robin

So long St. Augustine.  Foggy conditions met us as we slogged through Daytona and anchored at a favorite spot, Rock House Creek in Ponce Inlet.

Lynn staying dry.

Passing through Daytona on a Sunday is not something I would normally do.  But with this foggy damp weather it seems the crazy motor boaters stayed home watching football instead of darting all over the place like they usually do here.

The command center for Serenade is tidy is efficient. 

At Ponce Inlet we connected with Lynn's nephew Greg and she got a ride on his runabout boat here. We used the hot shower in her sister Sue's condo.  Endless hot water! 

A foggy beach walk is better than no beach walk at all so that's what we did before returning to Serenade to continue our journey south.

It's been a great 2 weeks so far.  As we enter the magic number of 2020 at the stroke of midnight tonight I send well wishes a Happy New Year to all my friends and loved ones.

So long from Titusville, Florida.  Time to pull up anchor and head south!