Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there!

Since the last post I feel like we are stuck in Ground Hog Day. We get up every day, wait to hear about the progress on the transmission, try to relax, wash the boat down, relax at the pool to cool down in the afternoon, go to bed, and wake up and do it all over again.

The transmission was taken out of the boat on May 2nd and picked up on May 3rd. The shop is located in St Petersburg, FL, yes, I know, on the other coast of FL. I finally heard back from the shop on May 8th, and they are able to get all the parts quickly to repair the transmission. Quickly means that we might have the transmission back the week of May 20th. This was great news, as we were told it could take 6-8 weeks for some of the parts. If we had to wait that long for parts, it would have meant we would not finish the loop this year and would have to leave the boat somewhere on the East Coast.

On the bench and all apart.

The stack, we only have a couple that are bad, but just one can cause the problem. I did catch it early, but still a problem.

The problem child!

Having the transmission back by May 22nd is critical for our timing, as the yard here sends their boom truck in for repair on May 29th and it will be gone for a month. We need the boom truck to put the transmission back in our boat. The logistics fun continues for us.

We are still trying to make the best of St Augustine and exploring the area by dinghy when the winds allow, as well as enjoying the wild animals in the area.

The manatees really enjoy drinking fresh water from anywhere.

There were several manatees playing around in the harbor. This was the most active we have seen them.

We have continued to try to keep the boat clean from the salt water and sun. It is very hard on the boats down here. Amy and I can’t wait to get the boat back into fresh water again. We had to get a diver again to change the zincs and clean the bottom. We have to do this at least once a month since we are not moving the boat to keep the bottom clean.

These are two zincs off the bow thruster. You can see how they are eaten away. Good news is they protect the boat from damage. These are the only two that needed to be replaced at this time, but all the rest of them will need to be replaced on the next dive before we head into fresh water. There are a total of 12 zincs on the boat and you have to use different materials in salt water than in fresh water to protect the boat. Then we should be good until the boat comes out of the water at the end of this season, we hope that is in WI!

The highlight of last week was a visit from great WI friends. They flew down for a quick 3-day visit and it really helped Amy and I take our minds off the waiting game. We did the tourist thing one day, and then the next day storms rolled in, so we relaxed while eating and drinking all day. We truly felt like we just planned meal to meal! It was great and they also helped to celebrate my 60th birthday.

It is a very small airport here in St Augustine.

They even let you onto the tarmac area to pick them up from the plane. This was a first for Amy and me.

A little champagne toast to me joining the 60 club.

The weather broke Saturday morning and we were able to take a short walk to The Fountain of Youth before they had to catch a flight home. It was really great to see them.

We love the moss-covered trees down some of the streets. Truly feels like the old south.

It was great to see them and can’t thank them enough for coming down to visit.

Amy and I continue to enjoy the area as much as we can. There was a fishing tournament held at the harbor this weekend, so we joined them for the weigh in and a relaxing evening. Live music and other festivities. It was fun to watch and be part of. (We almost feel like locals.)

Waiting and enjoying music while the boats are returning to the harbor.

We did have to move slips last week, so this is a shot of our new home for the next couple weeks. Well protected still, but a long way from everything. We actually use the dinghy to get to the restaurant and to the marina office.

That is our dinghy on this side of the canal about 40 yards from our boat. Otherwise, it is just over a 1/4 mile walk around. Yes, they are building a house right in front of the boat, but they only work from 7am-7pm. This house went up in under two weeks to this point.

I will post again the end of the week when I hope we have news that the transmission is rebuilt and, on its way, back to St Augustine.

I hope you all had a great weekend, and again Happy Mother’s Day to all.