Back at It

Hello Faithful Followers!

So sorry it’s been so long, but we are back!  /) /) /)

While we were on land, I fell off the blogging wagon.  We got busy with building and diy projects, then we both went back to work for a few months to refill the kitty somewhat.  Mike made several trips to Voyager to get some projects done, so we wouldn’t all be sitting in the yard waiting to launch, while he worked.  We still were there 2 weeks, but that wasn’t so bad.  Mikes brother Nick and niece Sophia came for a few days.  That was fun as we hadn’t visited with them in a very long time.  We explored a little, Nick helped with the boat and Sophia and Matthew played chess, PS4 and piano together.  It was a great visit!

SV Voyager is currently sitting on a mooring ball at St Augustine.  We love it here, this city is just very interesting and pretty.  So, that said, we aren’t in a huge hurry to push on.  Mike is getting a few things repaired that we found along the trip the last 2 days.  You know what “BOAT” stands for, right?  Bring Out Another Thousand!  He found our stuffing box (keeps water from coming in around the propeller shaft) was leaking substantially.   He called a friend back at the boat yard who gave him a few ideas on repairs and that’s what he has done today.  It is fixed and we can be on our way tomorrow.  Another project Mike decided to tackle today is installing a wireless control for the windless.  The controls at the bow gave out last year, so Mike has had to give hand signals from the bow for me to operate the windless from the pedestal.  He is now installing/connecting the AIS cable.  AIS (automatic identification system) allows other vessels to “see” us on their navigation systems.  This makes for safer passages and also gives such information as boat name, whether is under sail or power, speed,  heading, etc.  When haling another boat we see on the horizon, it’s handy to know who and what we are calling.  We may need to do this in order to make corrections in our heading to avoid collision, etc.

Tonight we are going to do a haunted history tour of St Augustine on one of the trolleys.  We love history, so it should be fun.  The dogs and I have taken several walks and investigated some historic parts of town, the National Cemetery and some narrow alleys that quite frankly felt colonial.

When Mike used a Lyft yesterday he felt compelled to give the driver a history lesson, as she had only recently moved here.  He was able to give her a complete history on Henry Flagler’s  contribution to the city and the state of Florida.    He was quite an upstanding guy and influential with his prestige and money earned from being the brains behind Standard Oil.

Mike made several short video clips while doing boat repairs.  I call them “Mike’s hacks”.  I think I’m going to put them together for a short YouTube video.  That will be coming soon- stay tuned.

So, anyhoo- we are once again on the water and gradually heading south.  We have some friends we met in Green Turtle last year we are hoping to meet up with as they are also in St Augustine, presently.  There are a couple other friends we met in Miami that we hope to see there in a few days.  Overall, this is an exciting time as we begin our sailing season for 2020-

Slainte’