Friday, May 12, 2000

Chapter 39: Heading North

Log 39
Heading North
5:08 am
Friday, May 12, 2000
Pier 66 Marina

Day 40
I’ve been looking forward to writing this log for some time now. The reason is, I knew when I wrote it, I would be on the boat, and getting ready to head north. I also knew that when I wrote this, Deb, and I would be on the boat for 5 weeks (although 2 of those weeks, I’ll be commuting from the boat in Norfolk to Richmond) The will be the longest time we have ever spent on the boat at once. This is an exciting time, and we have so many adventures ahead of us.

Side note: Writing this log, and this entire day will be much better now because I just checked my voice mail, and I got an update from our new distribution center we are operating for Perdue Farms (the east coast poultry company) in Richmond VA, and the night went very well. We are finishing our second week of production, and this is great news. I’ll try not to bore anyone with too much information from this new operation, but I will tell you it is a huge part of my life now, and these daily updates from Richmond will have a lot to do with my ability to enjoy this adventure.

Yesterday…
All in all, the day was pretty smooth. Deb and I flew out of Midway Airport on ATA Airlines, directly into FT. Lauderdale. We arrived to perfect weather. Hot, and sunny. We had an interesting cab driver, who was telling us OJ Simpson jokes before the car was barely moving. Each time there was a new subject, he had the answers. When he heard we were boaters he told us he had a 39 foot Sea Ray when he lived in New Jersey, but he had to sell it because his partner went to prison. (Get the picture?)
It was great to see the boat again. I had the marina pull it out from under cover, and wash it up, so it looked good. They had also started the A/C so it was cool inside. In fact the only surprise was the fact that our holding tank was full, and we had just emptied it before we left for home the last trip. How could this happen? ( I’ll try to quickly explain this) Our holding tank holds our waste from the toilets. We normally have it pumped out at marinas, but we also have the ability to pump it overboard if we are over three miles from shore. Anyway, the pump is located below the water line, and evidently, the river water backed up through the pump, and filled up the holding tank. There is a shut-off valve at the thru-hull fitting that will keep this from happening, but it was open. I always keep this closed, but maybe I forgot. Anyway, we pumped out the water, and we were on our way.

The trip from Jackson Marine to Pier 66 is very special. It takes about an hour, and you must idle all the way, but you go by some of the biggest boats, and prettiest homes you will ever see. As you know by now Pier 66 is one of my favorite marinas. I guess the reason is, the average boat is probably about 80 feet long. Also, it has a neat bar overlooking the Intracoastal waterway where you can watch all the boat traffic heading to, and coming from, the Atlantic. Deb and I went there for dinner, and watched the sun go down. And yes, Deb had one of her favorite Pina Colatas. Great end to a great day.

Today….

Perfect weather.
I have a lot to do today. The boat needs to be ready to roll. We didn’t do a great job of putting stuff away yesterday, because we were too excited. Today I need to organize the charts, and get everything put where it belongs. Now that we are here, and I can see what the weather will be, I need to plan where we will spend the next few nights, and make some marina reservations.
Darrell and Donna arrive at about 2 PM today. Once settled, Deb and Donna need to get the weeks groceries. (Oh, and maybe a case of beer) Bottom line is we need to get set to cruise.

So that’s it for now. It is about 6:00, and the sky is just starting to brighten up, so I think I’ll take a cup of coffee, and walk the dock. (One of my favorite things in the whole world to do) This morning I’ll be paying special attention to the sunrise, to tell me when I can plan on leaving the marina each morning, and get underway. My plan, starting tomorrow, is to leave just after first light, so we can get the most miles in, yet be at our slip by late afternoon each day.

I wish everyone of you could feel the way I do now……..

BK.

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