We
awakened this Monday morning, deciding that yesterday's disrupted early morning
routine worked pretty well for us, so we did a repeat performance pulling
anchor shortly after 8 a.m. When anticipating a long travel day, we realized an
early departure certainly helps avoid travel under darkening skies. And, today's day of travel was anticipated to be about
nine hours to Jacksonville Metropolitan Marina (stadium in downtown
Jacksonville, home to the JAX Jaguars). Clay meticulously checked tides and
thus currents after remembering our previous experience at this location which
wasn't pretty (SaSea Sally had been caught in a compromising
position--crossways to the slip--when the current grabbed us); we were both
anxious to avoid a repeat performance.
We
arrived at slack tide, eased into the slip with little effort and secured our
lines shortly before 5 p.m. We then welcomed and tied a companion traveler
(sailboat Sea Change), after which the four of us walked the length of the dock
to swipe our plastic for 24-hour electricity at the pedestal kiosk. The price
is right at this location known to many of us boaters, but the current does
present a particular challenge.
Tuesday
morning we departed JAX Metro with only a short travel day ahead through
downtown Jacksonville and under numerous bridges, with construction notated at
our final bridge (the Ortega River Bridge). Two hours advanced notice
guaranteed a double opening at the Ortega River Bridge, with single openings
(26' width) at all other times. First Mate Robin (Sea Change) had called ahead
to request the double opening, but miscommunication reared its ugly head and
forced Captain Clay to ease our 16' width thru the max 26' single bridge
opening. Way to go, Captain Clay! Five feet clearance on either side made for a
breath-holding experience for me (especially when, upon approach, the bridge
tender made comment, "How big are you? The closer you get, the bigger you
look!") The bridge tender complimented Clay's driving skills, telling Clay
that SaSea Sally was perfectly centered.
Having
stayed at the Marina at Ortega Landing previously, Clay and I reacquainted
quickly and made ourselves at home. Three leisurely laundry loads, lunch, a
boat wash by Clay and some pool time for Sal made for a delightful afternoon. A
nursery acquaintance Gretchen (Wight) McKenzie and hubby Tom dropped by for a
short chat, issuing a dinner invitation for the following evening. The
highlight of our day was the 5:30 p.m.
telephone call from son John with news of his passing his Series 7 test (a
biggie!). Sus' text to John after receiving the good news: "Hooray!
Congrats! Way to go! You ROCK! You did good! Interpretation....proud of
you...you smart nephew!" My congrats had been just as heartfelt, but my
sister does have a creative and expressive way with words! I had earlier
contributed numerous minutes of a pep talk over John's lunch break when he
called sweating the test outcome. I shared with him my morning's God Wink when,
upon opening the linen cabinet to see a rolled sweat towel's imprint 'Champion'
staring at me, I was reassured of John's passing the test.
Clay
and I welcomed Wednesday by walking our favorite circular route between the two
bridges at this stretch of the Ortega River. When Marine Solutions' Ralph and
Que arrived to do routine maintenance on the two Yanmar engines, they only
contributed to the already chaotic environment Clay had created as he cleaned,
rearranged and reorganized in anticpation of friend Joe Weston's arrival the
following day. The impact of chaos in a small area is considerable, and Ralph
and Que's arrival only intensified my need to escape...which I did (my excuse
to put in a few laps at the pool!) For those of you who think Clay did all the
prep work...ha ha ha! But he did do his share. Kudos to the captain...he does
do housework (especially when I remind him that it's 'his' boat!)
Early
eve we made our way to Tom and Gretchen's nearby (literally) waterside home
where we enjoyed a delicious dinner and conversation covering a range of topics
from nurseries to boating, living our husbands' dreams to lives of our own, and
more. With a heartfelt thank you to the McKenzies, Clay and I departed with
promises to stay in touch.
Thursday
morning, in McKenzies' borrowed car, we made our way to JAX airport to pick up
friend Joe. We traveled pretty much the length of the city from Ortega Landing
in the south of the city to the airport in the north. Clay had mapped the route
and coordinated stops at Panera for lunch and Wal-Mart for provisioning
following Joe's pick-up. We three ended the day with 'fine dining' in the SaSea
Sally 'dining room,' eating a healthy meal of grilled chipotle lime chicken
breasts, grilled asparagus and jasmine rice. Yum!
With
plans to depart this Friday morning by 9:30 a.m.,
I bid you a fond farewell on behalf of Captain Clay and the crew (Sally and
Joe), noting that heavy, dense fog looks to be a deterrent to our timely
departure from the Marina at Ortega Landing.
No comments:
Post a Comment