Enjoying Port Charles Harbor Marina (and the Duck Club)

Most of this post is written by Sally:

I find myself perched at what I call Bob Mustell corner at the breakfast counter; when Bob was aboard in WI, he found this great spot for computer work. It has been christened!


Monday eve we had a wonderful time with John arriving after work. We trekked to the Duck Club pool and watched the sun set, then headed back to the boat mooring at Port Charles Harbor for a chuck roast crock pot dinner complete with a Trader Joe's rice blend and salad. Nice to find that the crock pot works just fine and is gonna be a wonderful addition to cooking on board! With the grill now positioned on the rail such that it will burn up the adjacent dinghy, looks like it might be a while before we can break in the grill on this voyage.

John departed for home around 9:15 p.m., and I buckled down to hand-washing and -drying the dinner dishes and prep pans. Clay was at the computer, and, as I found out later, decided to post my first email to you as his blog for the day. Oops! I adamantly told him post-posting that I deserved the right to edit before posting to the blog...there are just some things shared with family and close friends that need not be posted for all eyes to see! He agreed--I hope he remembers that he agreed for I fear he will do it again.

Clay and I had spent much of Monday day organizing and finding places for stuff. But there was, and is, still more to put away. Top maker Kate finished the top adjustments on Monday; and much of what needed to be done by Port Charles folks was completed as well.

Sus arrived close to noon from COMO on Tuesday; she and I departed soon afterwards for a day running the oops-we-forgot-to-pack errands. She was sweet to be my wheels for the day, but we had enough fun that she's already 'threatening' to pop up unexpectedly at occasional ports along our route. You go, girl! Anytime! Anyplace! I fear I will most miss family and friends on this journey even though we will be making new friends.

Sus and I managed to grab a leisurely Panera lunch and go on a scavenger hunt for end-of-season hose parts for Clay; found them at Lowes only to be told by Clay that they were just spares anyway. Darn! We coulda been shopping for girl stuff! Sus and I found some self-purchased birthday presents for ourselves on the way back to the boat when we stopped at the Mills. Once back at the boat, John arrived for another home-cooked meal, a swim and an overnight. Sus departed, and Clay, John and I headed back to the Duck Club for another swim with the setting sun.
 
Dinner was salmon grilled on the George Foreman, but we laughingly say that we killed George during dinner. Seems the grill plate got hot enough to melt the high-temp glue which Clay had used to repair it. It's outta here, but it was a wonderful final meal farewell! As John prepped for bed, he realized the SaSea Sally has no iron, so he had to relax his standards for Wed's appearance at work by wearing the not-ironed look. Not room enough on this boat for everything, but we are finding that we do have room for most anything we deem worthy of the voyage! Even my Nordic Track which was repositioned today to the outside...darn, just too cramped inside with it taking up more than its fair share of space.
Clay's tv designs netted us a Sandra Bullock movie Tuesday night in which even I got involved for a while. Fun way to end the day.

Up this morning (it's now Wednesday, but kinda hard for me to keep track of days), I did my morning workout/stretches then made breakfast for John and saw him off. Clay and I walked, breakfasted, then I swam laps at the Duck Club with the water today much cooler and much less salty. Yay! Clay was doing electronics and mechanical work on the boat--both seem to be hot buttons of his with good training by Daddy Dad--while I swam.

I was under the impression we were boating on down to Alton, but unexpecteds got in our way. We found ourselves borrowing the Pt Chas courtesy car--thanks, folks--running yet more errands for things-we-shoulda-had-aboard-but-don't and/or oops-that's-already-needing-replacement! So, it's now 5:30 p.m. and I'm typing what will undoubtedly be Clay's blog post for today while he washes the boat (MUCH NEEDED!)

Dave and Carol, aboard the D Cea from Ft. Myers, FL, have been tied up adjacent to us for a couple of days. Clay had a beer with them last eve, and it looks as though that's on tap for tonight as well. It seems these Great Loopers do happy hour together then go about dinner solo. Thank goodness I came prepared with many menu items...in fact we left TRM with frig and freezer stuffed which is a good thing....no grocery store nearby for last-minute items, and the Duck Club serves only Thurs-Sun. So I have a marinated pork tenderloin thawing which takes only 20 minutes of baking time; guess we'll test the oven performance tonight.
 
It continues to be hot, here as well as there I'm sure. But the ac works fine as do many of the boat systems. Clay did good prep work, but a shake-down cruise of a week or two might have been a good idea. Guess we're shaking down now!

WE ARE OFF!!!

On Sunday, Sally's XXth birthday, we left Louisiana on the SaSea Sally on our Great Loop adventure.  We took care of a number of "home" tasks, loaded another car load of stuff which we hastily stowed aboard the boat--totes and boxes everywhere!  Cindy and Greg Blaylock were on E-dock as we left and she captured the moment with a picture (yet to be received so we can post it).

Sally's comments can better carry the story:

Hi! Sure is hot!  We launched around 11:12 a.m. Sunday, the 25th, with Cindy Blaylock taking some photos with her tablet. Earlier she had followed us home to 417 to ferry us back to the marina after dropping our car and grabbing some milk at the Quik Shop. I adapted well to the trawler as deck hand, finding it not a lot different from the MAII. We locked thru Clarksville with only a short wait, but had to wait about 2 hrs in Winfield. Lunch was meager with the boat in less-than-ideal position for cookìng or even retrieving food from frig. Actually, lunch was more snack food; so, I now know I need to be better prepared for a quick grab from the frig by positioning lunch food stuffs at the front. Live and learn! We arrived at Port Charles about 6:15 p.m., with John and Kristen arriving simultaneously to help tie up. John, of course, has been on board, but not Kristen. She got the tour by John with a few punctuations by me thrown in for good measure. John had brought a bottle of champagne and also a bottle of wine, the champagne to christen the boat and the zin for all of us to try. I'm not much for champagne, but the zin was really good! After regrouping by allowing time for each of Clay and me to shower, we headed next door to the Duck Club for dinner, open Thurs thru Sun nites. It was, as Susan says, FABULOUS! I splurged on sea bass, having had it at Aaron and Amy Newman's wedding reception many years ago and remembering what a treat it was. Expensive, but it was, I guess, my bday gift to myself. I coerced John into having sea bass also. Today, Kate, the canvas top maker, has been here making some modifications on the top to satisfy Clay that no strong rainstorms will penetrate. Too, some of the Port Chas workmen have been here. I went swimming at the Duck Club pool which was extremely hot and salty (fella said it's salt water; I agreed). John texted us, indicating he'd like to come out when and if it suits. Sure! He threw his swim trunks in his car this morning, so is on his way out now for a swim and home-cooked dinner. I'm breaking in the crock pot, one of my inheritances from Mom. We'll be around here again tomorrow, then will head Wed toward Alton then Thursday to Hoppy's I believe Clay said. It's taking awhile to find places for things as there are lots of places to stash stuff--the hard part is remembering where you stashed it! Hope the brain cells stay engaged! Clay thinks an inventory is in the near future. That's all for now. Was an extremely boring trip from Clarksville down for me, but today has been better. Clay loves his new captain's chair which John tested last eve and agreed wholeheartedly! I think I'm gonna have to find a comfortable support on the fly bridge for me! Love, Sal and Clay Clay here:  We met a Looper couple staying next to us on the dock a couple years older than us from Ft Meyers FL aboard the DCea (his name is Dave and hers is Carol).  Darryln Caudill, is my other "DC" friend, maybe I could introduce you!  All the tasks on the list were completed today but................  We are not getting over the air TV signals, probably a simple wiring connection.  The AIS that locates other large boats and tow boats on our chart plotter screen is receiving some signals, but not as many as it should AND it is not sending the SaSea Sally's location information to other boats as it should.  Called Si-Tex today and will do some diagnostics in the morning. Beautiful sunset while we swam in the Duck Club pool!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

ON A ROLL--MAYBE!

A roll of bad luck that is! 

My electronics installer Cory, who had been coming to do my work since MAY, was to be here over two weeks ago.  The day he was to arrive, he called while driving through Kingdom City from his home in Iberia, MO (near Lake of the Ozarks).  He said his mom was taken to the hospital in AR by Ambulance so he was turning around and going to AR. 

The next week Cory came here and worked a full day Tue. July 30.  He left to pick up some needed parts on Tue. and was to return to work on SaSea Sally Thursday July31.  The parts didn’t come in on Wednesday, so he had to stay there for their delivery on Thursday.  I got a call before 8am that he was in AR with his mother who was taken to the hospital (for the second time in ten days).  She did have some kind of heart procedure he told me today and his aunt was with her.

Cory showed up this Tuesday and worked a full day.  He stayed at the motel here last night hoping to get the job done today.  At 5AM his dad called him saying both their houses were flooded due to the torrential rains around Waynesville, MO.  Cory left around 10AM heading back to Iberia to assess the damage.

Cory offered to come back Saturday and Sunday but we have plans in St Louis Saturday night with Kristen and John so I declined.  We have a date for Cory to return next Monday—maybe.  Cory was able to remove all the older Standard Horizon and Raymarine equipment (radar, two displays, a fish finder, and the GPS.  In its place, two new Garmin 7212s and a Garmin HD radar were installed and after a 25 min call to Garmin tech support all the new equipment is working.  He was also able to get the satellite TV integrated with the new TVs and other audio visual equipment in the entertainment center.  Four of the closed circuit TV cameras are working and he has found the problem with the fifth camera.  There are miscellaneous other installation tasks including teaching me how to operate the new chart plotters and Garmin laptop software.

Sally and I are cleaning the interior for the third time  I’ve been vacuuming, dusting, and scrubbing everything in sight.  We've been busy organizing and stowing items on the boat as well as hauling many things from home that we will be taking along.  Giving the boat exterior a good washing is on tomorrows agenda.  Lots to do!

Cory's dad's home.

Wet carpet for sale!

Slow Progress--but Progress!!!

As I write this blog, I am watching the Two Rivers Marina crane on a barge digging out the entrance to the the harbor!  Quite a change from the flood scenario we've seen for the past 3+ months which made the harbor entrance 15' deep most of the spring!  Now that the river level is back to normal, the silt deposited in the harbor entrance by the flood has reduced the entrance depth so it is now difficult for larger boats to enter or leave the harbor.  Feast of famine???

We find ourselves wondering if "this is our year".  Floods, difficulty getting work done, or done right, seem to plague us week after week.  The latest saga involves the electronics installer who we've been wanting to install the Garmin radar and chart plotters I purchased last Feb. at the Miami Boat Show.  He also needs to get the closed circuit TV system working with the new equipment and complete the hook-up of the satellite TV system and the distribution of broadcast, cable, and satellite signals to the the 3 TVs on the boat.  We tried to get him to come do the installation while we were stuck in Louisiana last May during the floods--no luck. 

After a long string of excuses and no contact, the installer from the Lake of the Ozarks (actually Iberia, MO) showed up Tuesday July 30. He worked very quickly and did a great job removing some old equipment and a bushel basket of older, unneeded wiring but he need some parts that weren't available locally to proceed.  He left Tuesday night and was to return Thursday with the overnight-ed parts.  The parts didn't arrive Wednesday, so he said probably Friday.  Friday at 6:45am I got an email that his mother was back in the hospital in AR (yes, he used that one before when he didn't show 10 days ago) and he was in AR with her.

Why, you ask yourself, don't you get someone else to do the installation?  Surprisingly there is only one guy in the greater St Louis area who installs marine electronics and his work is mostly done on commercial tow boats.  He flatly states, "if a tow boat calls me, I leave your job and go take care of them."  So I wait for the installer from the Lake who has two days to complete the work I want done.

Other work is progressing while we wait for the electronics installer.  Robert Brown installed a couple new 110v AC GFI outlets while Jo Ray Asquith installed decking under the front berth to allow more storage as well as a shelf under the galley sink.  He will finish by adding a stainless brace, fabricated by CMC in Louisiana, to steady the handrail on the steps leading out of the main salon this Saturday.  Nichole, our computer guru, was on board configuring the two laptops to work with the two systems that receive internet signals.  She also got the internet TV configured.

So when the electronics installer leaves, there will be only a couple outstanding projects left on the list for others to do!  Sally and I still have a huge amount of work to do--cleaning, inventorying, sorting, and restocking the boat. We are getting closer....................