Fleetwoods Circumnavigation

The first coat of the new paint went on to-day. I have mixed emotions. The color is called Adobe Tan. It is a two part epoxy paint. To me it looks like baby poop. One of the fellows in the yard suggested I rename “Fleetwood” to “Flying Turt”…
I think it will grow on me and after a couple more coats and wet sanding and buffing there should be a shine to it.

In the previous post I asked for your help to get Jim Thomas out of jail. He made it out Jim and I and the Muscular Dystrophy Association thanks all of you for your help. In case you still had the thought sitting on the table you can go to the link at : https://www.joinmda.org/chesterva09/jthomas

The “Fleetwood”  methamorphosis project is going well. I have the primer and the paint. It is a two part epoxy paint. The color is called Adobe Tan. The transom will stay in the original mahogany clear finish. It has been very hot and gets into the nineties inside the boat at mid afternoon.

Most of the old photo albums are now also coming up on this web site; so, I have taken the “Under Construction” sign down but there are still a few wires to be reconnected. I will do so while the epoxy is curing.

On the 27th of April I became Great Grandfather for the second time, this time from my grandson David Leon and his wife Katie. Madison Amora born at 7 lbs. 4 oz . You will agree that she is a doll  and precious. I hope to get a peek at her before I leave for Europe, in June.

The annual MUG RACE send off party was held yesterday evening here at the marina. The race is supposed to be the longest sailboat race on a river.  A great barbecue dinner and good entertainment. I did a few dances with the ladies here. I took pictures of the event and of a lot of the guests and posted it at : MUG RACE 2009  

I have also dusted off the photo show of last year’s party and posted it at : MUG RACE 2008 and will keep it there for a while. If any one wants to be mailed copies. Let me know. I apologize if I misspelled any one’s names.

I started sanding on the bottom and broke the grinder. This has cost me a day of running around for repairs.

The under the water line looks good. I had feared that the hard hit I took on St.Nicholas eve that slammed me into the bulkhead and bruised ribs might have strained the hull. Not so. But it looks like I’ll have to swallow my vain phobia for a clear finish and paint the hull. After managing to keep it clear for thirty years.

My next door neigbors are Bob and Gail from San Diego on ” Tullum III”. They remember me from Simons Town S.A. in 2007. But I did not recognize them. They described Christian and Mireille of “Memmestra” and George of “Ierges” in perfect detail. (Vin Rouge….)  I know they stayed longer than I did. Luis and Ramona, do you remember them? Am I suffering of amnesia? We three agreed that the Caribbean just does not hold a candle to the Pacific and Westward. If the Panama Canal would not be such a hassle for me I’d be going back in a heart beat. By the time I get back from Europe in 2011 the N.W.Passage will be ice free.

Sunrise in Green Cove Springs Marina on the St.John’s River

Thursday in GCS

Miss Crystal told me this morning that she has me lined up to go on the hard on Tuesday. I have ordered my supplies from Fisheries. I rode the klapfiets to my favorite grocery store. It has been closed. The next one is twice the distance and twice the price. The Mexican restaurant across the road from the Marina has gone South. Will the last Mexican, por favor,  turn the lights off.  Since I do not have a car anylonger or Howard to drive me to mass to the new church, I plan to go to mass within “klapfiets” distance at the old church where my Mexican hermanos y hermanas worship, if they and the padre have not packed up as well. I am trying to get as much fixed on the boat while still in the water. But may end up overindulging on the new blog.

I arrived here at 3 p.m. It was a great trip up the St. John’s River. The wind was mostly from the west and that gave me a chance to sail most of the way. Sometimes I envie my fellow cruisers with their 36 foot and up boats, with refrigeration, hot/cold showers, roller furling and anchor windlasses. But to-day, I was eating my heart out. And I doubt that the 36 foot and bigger boats could have had the fun I had.  “Fleetwood” is just a big dinghy. The gusts would come off the river bank and she just digs in her second chine and accelarates like a bat out of hell.  And I just stand there in the cockpit, raise my arms to the heavens and holler and whoopee.  A kid in a candy store. What a change from yesterday’s tough uphill battle.

I finally managed to talk to Miss Crystal here at the Marina, from Jacksonville. And as it turns out they are full up in the work yard. But she figures they might be able to squeeze me in by the end of the week. Keep my fingers crossed… I have a few things to organize. Order parts/supplies from Fisheries, for the refinishing. Get my auto pilots sent here, etc. If I have time left before the haul out I might go see a dentist.  I am anchored out off the marina, because their docks have been condemned and need to be rebuilt. I blew up the dinghy with the new pump that Greg Clark organized for me in Ft. Lauderdale. Works perfect. I took a shower and then re=acquainted with many familiar Porch People, Sea Jack Ski, One Eyed Jim, Paul, Sandy, Baron, Rene, etc. etc. Heard some nasty accounts of a friend I made here and who I had crowned with sainthood. Proves my judgement is fallible for the second time in the last two months.   This is a special place and I am glad to be back here. Hope the work will go fast and lasts longer than the previous efforts.

The St.John’s River runs from South to North. How many major rivers do you know in the U.S.A. that run North?  This question is mainly directed to my grandchildren. I am listening.

The wind direction and strength flip flopped all over the place. For quite a few hours I was sailing wing on wing with the light 150% genova poled out and the main all the way up. Hitting 7 plus knots of speed.

Tuesday Morning:

This was meant to go out last night but after my phone call to you I found my head on the laptop. Dead tired. Woke up early. The last of the moon was up over the illuminated bridge, here in Jacksonville across the St.John’s River; the picture shall be available.

I am back in that same municipal Marina, where I left from last July. It turns out that this is free moorage for 72 hours. I understood from the previous visit that the Jacksonville city fathers had not quite figure out how to run this marina. There are also some river front docks, down town, that are also free for short stay.

Moon over St.John's River

Sunday evening’s fabulous sail with the full main and poled out big genoa had to come down in stages, with the Southerly building, till I was down to just a double reefed mainsail. I passed St. Augustine in the middle of the night and entered the St. John’s River entrance at 9.30 a.m. Then it was an uphill battle against a strong S.W. and a strong ebb. Just the engine alone I would not have made any progress at all,

I motorsailed with a double reefed main in about 20 knots of wind with heavier gusts off the banks. It tore the two top slugs out of the mast track and that caused a lot of nasty vibration in the rig. The wind was coming nearly straight down the river so I had to keep tacking across the shipping lanes. It took me 7 hours to go the 14 miles to Jacksonville.

I left messages with Green Cove Springs Marina but they never returned my calls. So, I still do not know if I making the trip up river for nothing because if they have no room for me (which I was warned about by another boat there now) I nee to move elsewhere. Though in the last mail I had from Crystal at GCSM, in February, she said they would make room for me. Stay tuned.

Jeannine would have liked me to do the haul out in West Norfolk, Sean is out at sea for the next 6 months and I’d be company. But I like the facilities in Green Cove and I know my way there and the support system in the neighborhood, etc. And living on the boat I’d probably will put in more hours and get it done without losing the weather window across the Atlantic, like what happened to me last year.