Annie and I made our first journey together from Indiantown Marina, Indiantown, FL to Nettles Island Marina, Nettles Island, FL... 34 Nautical Miles! Annie did great... I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck!
My anxiety stemmed from a number of things; my limited experience on Florida waterways, the unknown condition of Annie's engine and questions as to how it would perform running eight hours straight, unknowns, and other unknowns, etc..
Annie proved me wrong on her engine. She ran like a top, 6.6 knots at 2000 RPM's. I varied the speed during the trip to stretch her legs and she danced gracefully on the water for the first time in five years! What a girl!
The overall trip was uneventful with the exception of docking. Due to the dock orientation, Annie had to be backed in... She doesn't like to back up. I guess when you weigh 20,000 lbs. backing up is unnatural. After a couple of "in and out" attempts, she was secured to her new home and rocked gently in her slip as if to say she was happy in her new slip and glad to be back in the water.
Thanks to Dice and Jessie for help on-board. Thanks to the Dickersons and friends who came to the locks to wish us well.
Fair seas and God bless!
Here are some pics from the trip.
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| Leaving Indiantown Marina |
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| Waiting for our first bridge... |
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| Jessie James! |
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| Jessie..."I'm the king of the world!" |
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| Dice... "Me Too!" |
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| Dice and Jessie manning the lines at the St. Lucie Lock |
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| Salt Water... I could almost hear her say..."AHHHH!" |
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| A new slip...A New Home! |
So happy for you. Getting all the work done and still making the deadline of getting to your new home, I think most people don't make it. You should be proud.
ReplyDeleteSo what is it like not have the long drive every day?
Hey Mike,
DeleteThanks for the encouragement. I still have lots to do but it will be more fun now that I m living bord.
It feels great NOT having to drive so far to work and to work on her.