Every day is “special” on the good ship Liberty, just that some days are more special than others. Take for instance a maintenance day; it could be a job as simple as doing some more varnishing on the boats trim, like we did the other day. When we luck out and get a day with fairly low humidity (you can tell when you get up in the morning and it doesn’t look like somebody has taken a hose to the boat) out comes the tape, sandpaper and varnish. We have been thinking that we keep 3M’s stock price up as we go though a lot of their blue painters tape. Other cut rate brands just don’t make the grade as they always seem to leave some sticky residue behind so we use the real deal. Lately we have realized that if we bought the 3M cream colored general masking tape we could save $1/roll. We almost always mask with tape, sand, varnish and remove the tape in the same day. Spending more for tape that can remain on the surface for a week when we take it off the same day doesn’t make sense (100 cents in this case). While we we varnishing some guy stopped by to chat and asked if we owned the boat. I thought it to be a strange question but he turned out to be the guy who does most people’s bright work in the marina and might have been concerned about having new competition.
Another guy stopped me and asked if I was the guy that once was in the sail making business. How he knew that it beyond me but he was looking to get a sail repaired. Fortunately we do not have a sewing machine on the boat and he didn’t have one either so I dodged that job. All the fuel issues concerning the Pilgrim Destiny’s starboard fuel tank have been resolved. The main engine and generator are happily drinking from the new tank now.
The fun project for the week was installing a new faucet in the galley. Last fall we replaced the cartridge in the old faucet because it squealed like a stuck pig after a few minutes of running hot water through it. Replacing the cartridge didn’t help. Of course we were reluctant to give up on it as it took more than a few trips to different hardware stores to find the right part, which in the end had to be ordered. Finally we decided enough was enough and just replaced the silly thing. How long can that possibly take? Well, 1) it was a plumbing job and 2) it was on a boat.
Our new faucet after four trips to the hardware store (1/2 hour each way). We finally gave up and only went part shopping when we were out doing other things. Actually there were five trips made, the first trip just to buy the faucet, three more because it was a plumbing job and one more because it was a plumbing job on a boat.
On our daily walks around the marina, we have been watching the building of a new home across the channel to the north basin.
Zillow says this lot sold for $600k. Houses in this neighborhood are about 3800 square feet so that explains all the block work being done.
We finally got out of the marina and anchored over night in Pelican Bay at Cayo Costa, about 12 miles away.
Happily at anchor
We violated one of our rules, and that is to stay at the dock on weekends as places get crowded. Yesterday was no exception as we counted 47 boats in the anchorage. After we anchored we got a call on the VHF radio from the guy who was directly astern of us. He started by informing us that he was lying on 7 to 1 scope. I replied that he must have about 70′ of chain out and he said it was closer to 100′. Assuming that he was worried that we were sitting over the top of his anchor I replied that we were further ahead than that. Actually, our radar showed us to be 300′ in front of him. He then started to tell me that he was fending his dinghy off a sailboat close by him. When I asked if he wanted to move up he replied that he had been anchored there for three days. Still not sure why he was telling us this he then mentioned that this was a big anchorage from which we inferred that he thought we anchored too close to him so we moved another 150 feet which seemed to make him happy. Obviously this guy has never anchored too often in south Florida where we have had to deploy fenders as the boats were so close together.
Playing with the RC sailboat while anchored. We keep the dinghy hooked to the davit with a light load on the hoist wire. With the dinghy tied fore and aft and having fenders over the side it will act as a roll dampening device.
The mate searching for shells on the Gulf side of the island. It is about a one mile walk across the state park to get here and allows us to get our “steps” in. She tried the water but was a bit too cold for swimming.
There is a sand spit as you enter the anchorage. The channel into the back side is a little to skinny for us but our friend Mike’s PDQ is able to get back there. Once you get in there is deep water right up to the shore.
Mike had some friends with him and we crashed the party, but brought along crackers with crab dip, tortilla chips with salsa and some wine so they didn’t run us off.
We took our time coming back so we could watch the sun set from the water.
The moon does a good job of lighting the way on our nighttime walks around the marina.
Dave
Life aboard LIBERTY 