Wednesday we took the Snow Goose to Comachee Boat Yard here in St. Augustine and had it hauled. We had a new dripless bearing put in and the stern plug sealed. While we were there, First Mate repair looked at our malfunctioning wind gauge. They ordered some parts, and we left the boat yard. On our way back to the mooring we lost our whole navigation system.
Thursday we did laundry and then visited a French cafe for lunch. The food is wonderful! After lunch we sought out a marine supply & salvage store. We came away with a pocket full and some line. We'll go back I'm sure. St. Augustine is now feeling very festive. They have used 2.5 million lights to adorn the downtown. It truly is breathtaking.
Friday we returned to the boat yard to have them install the navigation parts. We left with everything working, however by the time we reached our mooring ball we had lost our wind instruments again. I think a mast climb is next, but the weather has to cooperate. We have been having North winds 15-20 plus every day; cold and today with rain.. It was tricky going to the boat yard this morning.
We have the weekend to look forward to, and we intend to enjoy the Christmas festivities here. Monday we'll think about the boat problems again.
Tuesday, December 14th
The boat parade was Saturday. We took Gosling in and watched from Ft. George. We met our friends the Coles on the dock. They have Kismet on a mooring North of the Bridge of Lions here. We cruised with them last year for awhile.
Sunday we toured the Lightner Museum and had lunch out in our favorite French cafe. By the time we were ready to go back to the boat, the rain had stopped and the sun dried the seats on Gosling. It is the little things!
We had hoped to have a mastclimber go up Monday to retrieve our wind instrument, but the wind was howling 20 to 35 knots. Same story today. The weather has not improved and will be very cold one more day. We have been busy keeping our heat source stock of propane tanks. They are a hot item around here.
Today we are going to walk to West Marine to pick up the propane tanks they set aside for us. That walk takes us right by the marine supply store Bill has discovered, so I am sure we will stop by there too. We are working on updating our lines, and they have a lot of it very reasonable.
Thursday, December 16th
We made the trip into Comachee marina again yesterday. First Mate went up the mast and cleaned up some connections in the wind instrument. The day was beautiful on the water.
This morning Bill is repairing what we hope is our last needed fix for awhile - the waste pump. The rubber in the pump cracked over the summer in the heat - like everything else onboard. The weather has definitely improved, sunny and 68 degrees. It was warmer last night too: one down comforter and three fleece blankets night and no ice on the hatches!
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