Hello all,

The part for the transmission arrived on Sat at 10:30 and we picked it up shortly after 11. Murray installed the damper plate, re-installed the transmission, and finished in just 2 hours. Then, we hauled the dinghy motor and dinghy again and by 3 pm we were underway. The breakdown only cost us 30 hours! Amazing.

We froze our way, into a north wind of course, northward through St Augustine, into the St John’s River and on to the marina. We arrived here on the Monday after Easter and found a secure spot on the dock.

A trip to Home Deport supplied us with a piece of plywood and some 2×4’s to build a work table out on the pier. Murray even made a recessed spot for the sewing machine that allows it to be flush with the table top. The bimini was taken apart and every section modified, taking about 6 inches out of the total height. Murray had borrowed a tube cutter from the marina for this job and it worked well once he repaired it. Then, we proceeded to make patterns of the bimini by spreading plastic tightly over the existing frame. The plastic is held in place with double-sided tape which was applied to the bimini hoops. The plastic was marked with centre line and any other pertinent information.

Then, we spread the fabric on our lovely work table and proceeded to cut out pieces. And, of course, mark them as the plastic was marked. Yesterday was the first time the sewing machine was used and I applied seam binding to the raw edges of three pieces at the end of the day. We had ordered a binder attachment for the sewing machine ( no, it doesn’t have anything to do with harvesting crops, George! ). That thing was just the ticket. It folded the seam binding over and held it against the fabric, allowing an even stitch to be made. After much trial and error.

Today, Saturday, I attached five zippers, up to 54 inches in length. Then, the wind velocity increased and we had to put things away for a day or two.

A strong wind storm proceeding an approaching front is expected to hit tonight, pressing us against the dock. All of our fenders are deployed between us and the wooden supports of the dock. But, the wind will switch directions by tomorrow and push the boats into the dock on the other side of the pier. And we will be blown away from the dock.

My ankle is still slightly swollen and I opted to fill another ‘script that I had for Cipro. Just to be sure that the infection is gone.

When the wind dies down some, we will be back at the sewing job. And, of course, there is still all of the normal boat jobs to get her ready to store for the summer.

That is life aboard. Hugs, Heather & Murray