Today was a typical cruising day aboard Shingebiss. We usually wake up by 6:30, and the first order of business is to make coffee. By 7:00, Steve is at the helm and I am out on the front deck pulling the anchor. Our new anchor and windlass are both working great, no problems with either so far. Today it came up covered with black slimy mud, so I had to dip a bucket and splash away all the mud spatter on the deck. After an hour or so, I prepare a little cruising breakfast and bring it up to the flybridge. Today we had hard boiled eggs, pineapple, strawberries, and a muffin. Yummy and nutritious.
As we travel, we are checking 2 sources, the chart plotter and the Coastal Explorer software on Steve's laptop to make sure we are staying within the ICW channel. There are red and green markers, like the river, except the reds are toward the mainland and the greens are toward the sea. Today we went through a narrow section with towns of Fort Walton Beach and Destin on the shore and then entered the Choctawhatchee Bay, a 30 mile long and 5-10 mile wide body of water. It was calm, that was good, but not much to see. I didn't take many pictures today, but in the middle of the bay is a 4 mile long bridge. Here we are going under it.
By early afternoon we are usually at the next anchorage, and I go out to drop the anchor. If there's a place to land the dinghy and go ashore, we go for a walk. Napping, working on the computer, and reading are other afternoon activities. We are staying in marinas more than we thought we would (did about half marina, half anchor in November), but we admit, we love marinas. After a few days in a marina, however, we are usually ready for the solitude and quiet of anchoring. No two days are alike and it's never boring. Except for Lucy, her days are pretty much all alike. Steve built her a little bedroom a while back. The minute we set it up on the shelf in the stateroom, Lucy settled right in. We bought a piece of fleece to make it cozy for her, and this is where she relaxes while the engine is running.
2 comments:
Hello Liz & Steve, just wanted to say "Hello"! I am really going to enjoy keeping up with your great loop adventure! And to think I never knew anything at all about loopers! What did you think of Destin area? It has just started raining here in Navarre, just a slow steady rain. Hope there is no rain for you. Happy travels! Evelyn
Ahoy the good ship Shingibiss! We finally got wi-fi and read your blog. I was surprised how many we had missed.John did a great job fixing the computer.
Thanks again for sharing Thanksgiving with us. It was really great seeing you guys and getting a perspective of what the Island looks like from the sound.
We continue to rush to finish the condo before we leave on Sat. Has it really been a month? May keel be wet and your deck be dry.
Jeff and Kathy Condon
Post a Comment