OUR LAST DAY HERE

We finished off our last day here putting together the wiring for the winch. Whenever we drill a hole into our fibreglass it is always nerve racking. However the opening was good and the silver plate we found to place on the outside looks great. Paul is very pleased. I took a photo from above because we had many tools out for this small hole opening .... and many wire cutters, drill, electrical tape.......

A NICE CLEAN OPENING ON THE STERN

Now when the dingy is hanging from the davit, the existing stern light will not be in view. So we also wired a LED stern light right on the davit. Visibility will be there from the back. This was a productive day.

In the last couple of days we installed a brand new VHF radio in the flybridge. We can pick up and monitor 35 miles away in Jacksonville. The antennae you saw us install was for this radio. I will practice on the radio when we have to have a bridge opening on our way to Stuart, FL next month or when I need to call a marina for a reservation or guidance coming in.

Yesterday Paul and I went out for a light lunch at a restaurant called Chili's. This was delicious and a nice break. All along I've been bringing lunch to the boat, ie: cheese and crackers, ham and fruit. We have breakfast included here at the hotel, so we eat well and take a yogurt or two with us for later. St. Augustine Marine Centre is not close to restaurants or anything.

Today we said our goodbyes, after closing up the boat. We went out for a nice lunch at Harry's Seafood right downtown. I had the She-Crab soup and it was DELICIOUS! Last Fall when we were in Charleston, S.C. Tom and Brenda were with us and they always had She-Crab soup and loved it, well, now I've had the best there is! The last time I was right downtown in St. Augustine, I was alone with Matt and James (Paul stayed on Coyaba) in December. It was beautiful with Christmas lights and decorations. The downtown stores did not appeal to the boys so I hailed a cab to go to the outlet mall, which was exactly what the boys loved. They got their Christmas presents that day.... but I sacrificed all the nice shops downtown. Lucky Paul got to come with me today and he actually loved it too. He bought himself a leather carry-on.

We leave around 6:15am tomorrow morning for our long drive home. We will be home Friday night. AND sure looking forward to our own bed and seeing the boys. A Canadian Thanksgiving it will be as we have had a very productive time down here. The weather was way too hot for the first 3 days (over 100F) but cooled down to the 80's for the rest of the days. Paul and I thank you all for supporting us and now look forward to seeing everyone.

We fly down middle of November for our solar panels and bottom paint and more .... travel to Stuart, FL ... stay tuned.