Back on Track

We leave Titusville Municipal Marina on Saturday, November 14, 2015, after three weeks of visiting the cats and house sitting for me and lots of completed projects for D.  We are headed south down the intracoastal waterway (ICW) to Angel Fish Creek, about 220 miles south, where we will catch the Gulf Stream and cross to Bimini and many other Bahama islands.  Our friends Gordon and Jean will be sailing on Fair Winds and joining us as we cross and enjoy the Bahamas.

I got to visit Cinnamon and Spice in Maine and house sit for friends Stu and Anne.  My cats are so lucky to get to stay in a Maine farmhouse with many rooms, levels, and windows; oh, the things that they see from those windows!  Stu and Anne are vacationing more often and longer in Florida easing into retirement from law and farming.  Their dog Casey and cat Sawks, along with my 2 cats, make it difficult for pet sitting for 2 weeks, so I offered and they accepted. The great thing about this trip was visiting with Anne and Stu before they left and having my good friend Laura come and enjoy the organic farm experience.  As always she was all in for the adventure as we took care of the cats and dogs, fed chickens, moved the chicken fence, picked broccoli and salad greens, walked the property and took a couple of day trips into Bucksport, Bangor, and Belfast.  Did I mention the lobster rolls? All in all, it was a mild and colorful fall trip.  Next I go back in December to do it again! 

D stayed and worked on the boat.  He got the bottom painted – sailed it to Cocoa, had it hauled, blocked, pressure washed, sanded, painted multiple coats, and sailed it back.  Then he found his old sail maker, South Sails, who made Ceilidh’s spinnaker, and had a new head sail made for Fly Away. Much needed and so beautiful.  He had it made with linen colored canvas cover.  He also did so many projects I will never be able to thank him enough – added lights to the cockpit, no more eating in the dark and guessing how much pepper you just sprinkled.  He replaced the fluorescent light over the refrigerator with a bright LED light, so much improved, you can even find the one thing in the very bottom of the fridge.  He built a new shelf for the v-berth making it more convenient and organized. He found a canvas maker to modify our main sail cover for winches. He polished the hull making Fly Away look years younger. 

We are back on track, and looking forward to the next leg of our open ended sail.