Foreign Affair Sailing

Where's Janet? San Sebastian Winery

It was a great day in the kingdom - warm and sunny.  We did some routine maintenance on the boat and provisioning.  By the end of the day, we decided to get out and enjoy the evening.  We heard the San Sebastian Winery had live music on their rooftop deck.  So, we decided to check it out.  We met some nice snow-birders who let us share their table.  They also gave us a run down of where to go for entertainment and suggested several places to eat out.

The crowd was mostly people our age.  The band was good. (They should be good since they having been playing the same songs since the 1960s - that's 50 years of practice).  There were a lot of people dancing.  We had a great time drinking wine and eating appetizers.

New Cabin Lights

We try to do some maintenance on the boat each day.  Despite this effort, we always have a long list of things to be done.  One of the items on our list since the day we bought the boat was to replace the tarnished and corroded cabin lights in the main saloon and aft cabin.  We found just what Carla was looking for at Sailors Exchange which is much like Bacons in Annapolis.  The Sailors Exchange is filled with a lot of junk and a little bit of what you might need.  One man's junk is another man's treasure.  Carla did most of the work (as usual).

Cooper's Canvas

One of the zippers on the sail cover went bad and needed to be replaced.  Dwayne took the cover to Cooper's Canvas at Camachee Cove and they replaced the zipper within a matter of hours.  They did very good work and the price was very reasonable.

The day was spent doing more maintenance.  Dwayne waxed the hull and Carla cleaned the bilge.

Spanish Chalupa

A replica of a Spanish chalupa was launched today.  It was built as a special project commemorating the 450th anniversary of the founding of St. Augustine.  The chalupa is a shallow draft boat that could be sailed, rowed or poled.  Chalupas were used as a tenders to move goods from ships to shore and navigate shallow ocean inlets and rivers.  The waters around Florida are particularly shallow and the chalupa's minimal draft made this boat particularly useful in supporting Spanish exploration and colonization.

Back on Foreign Affair

We are back in St. Augustine.  Foreign Affair survived the holidays and First Mate Yacht Services completed the work we requested on the engine.  We now have a new mixing elbow (part of the engine's exhaust system) and new motor mounts, The engine's fresh water cooling system was flushed and filled with new antifreeze/water,  The fuel tank was cleaned, filters replaced and fuel polished. The engine started right up and sounded great.  All it needs now is an oil change which Dwayne will do before we head south for the Keys.

We were very please to find our cabin fans and the dehumidifier were still running when we returned. There was no sign of mildew or mold.  All we had to do was open the ports to let fresh air into the cabins and unpack.  The weather was perfect - sunny, warm (70s) and a slight breeze.

What is a mixing elbow?  http://www.sailmagazine.com/diy/maintaining-your-diesel-exhaust/

The Holidays Are Over

The holidays are over.  We had a great time with family and friends. The grandkids have really grown since April.  After a month ashore, it was time to get back to the boat.

We flew to Columbia, MD to spend a few days with more family and pick up our car.  Enroute back to St.Augustine, we stopped at Fort Bragg to spend the night and tour the 82d Airborne Museum and the JFK Special Forces Museum.  The following day we drove to Charleston and spent the night.  From there it was back to St. Augustine with a stop along the way at Fort McAllister State Historic Park.  Henry Ford purchased the land which is now the park and began the restoration of the fort prior to donating the land to Georgia.  The park has a very good museum explaining the role of the Confederate fort in controlling the Great Ogeechee River and defending the city of Savannah

New Year's Eve Eve and New Year's Eve

We began celebrating the New Year early by attending the Cirque Dreams Holidaze performance at the Kauffman Center.  It was a very good show which all of us enjoyed.  The costumes were spectacular and the acts very entertaining.

We rang in the New Year with a loud party.  Everyone ate, drank and played merrily until well after midnight.  It was hard to decide who made the most noise, the kids or adults.  So, the 2016 has begun. May it be joyful and prosperous for all.