Spring Transitions

Back “home” at our marina in Vero Beach, we turned our attention to that pesky fuel leak which had so mysteriously appeared during our winter cruise, forcing us to forget about trying to make a crossing to the Bahamas.  The weather was rather blustery anyway, so we felt better off remaining in port securely tied to the dock than venturing out into the Gulfstream.

So, we contacted the folks at Atlantic Mobile Marine Service who had done work for us before, and set them to the task of locating and fixing that elusive fuel leak (which they succeeded in doing), plus several other maintenance projects requiring attention.  Then, feeling confident that all necessary repairs on the “Docker” were complete, we arranged to have a marine surveyor perform an inspection required by our insurance company.  Imagine our shock when, after four hours spent crawling around inspecting every little nook and cranny, he informed us that our engines’ exhaust hoses were deteriorating and needed to be replaced, a job which would require us to haul out at a boatyard.  Ugh!

Meanwhile, with the arrival of spring, the annual migration of cruisers heading north for the summer was getting underway, including a whole new cohort of prospective Great Loopers.  Among them, we met Sandy and Dan on their 36’ Heritage East trawler, “some R lovin’.”

 

During their stay at our marina, we were easily caught up in their excitement about the journey ahead of them, and were happy to be there to witness their departure in early May.

A couple of days later, we left our marina as well, headed about 15 miles up the Intracoastal Waterway to Sebastian Marina and Boatyard.  Upon arrival, we were told to tie up to their fuel dock until they were ready for us, since this is a rather small facility, and they can only accommodate one boat at a time in the close quarters of their haul-out bay area.

About an hour or so later, we maneuvered down the narrow fairway between two rows of docked boats, made a sharp 90 degree turn to starboard, and eased our way into the straps of the Travel Lift sling awaiting us.

Then the skillful boatyard technicians took over, and before we knew it, “Docker’s Inn” (all 35,000 lbs. of her) was out of the water. Ten days later, with new exhaust hoses installed, plus a fresh coat of paint on her hull and running gear, back she went into the water, and we cruised back to Vero Beach. 

By now it was mid-May, and most of our marina friends had migrated north for the summer, some of them leaving their boats behind until their return next fall.  We had already decided that this year we would follow their example, so we spent the next two weeks getting ourselves ready to hit the road, and by the end of May we had left Florida in our rear view mirror and were headed for our Yacht Cove condo at Lake Murray in Columbia, SC.  The history buffs among you might be interested in the part Lake Murray played during WWII in the training of “Doolittle’s Raiders” and the B-25 bomber pulled out of the lake in September 2005 (which we witnessed.) You can read about it at the following link:  http://www.lakemurray-sc.com/lakemurrayb25.html.

 

The gated community of Yacht Cove is aptly named with its private boat docks straddling the inner reaches of one of Lake Murray’s numerous protected coves.  Since our condo overlooks this view, we love to sit on our balcony and just soak up the nautical atmosphere.

Before retiring and moving aboard the "Docker's Inn," we had a nice 21' Chaparral Sunesta deck boat sitting at these docks, and of course we are now missing its presence.

Although we are CLODs (cruisers living on dirt) for the summer, we still get the urge to be out on the water.  But for now, whatever urge hits us, we will just have to make do with the Sea Eagle inflatable kayak that we still keep here at the lake.