Wow, what a difference. Too bad the weather was so bad the first few days and we weren't able to take her out and sail. By about Tuesday we made our way into the bay and hoisted the sail. Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate and we got next to no winds. We still motor sailed around a bit and sat admiring the new sail. We both agreed, we are very happy with it. Dirk also finished up installing the new batteries. Boy what a job that was, hauling four batteries down the docks, up on the boat and then seeing poor Dirk dealing with them under the berth in the back of the boat. I truly expected his back to protest the next morning, but he seemed fine. He also finished wiring the windlass. As I had said before, Dirk installed a battery under the vee berth dedicated to the windlass alone. From there he ran wire from the battery to the charger. We actually took the boat out to Shell Island on the 4th of July and used it to anchor. Everything seems to be working great. After a few other wiring projects Dirk now says that he is officially wired out for a while. I can't blame him and shall give him the well earned break he deserves. As I said, we did head out to Shell Island on the 4th for a little fun in the sun. As is usually the case on holidays the Island was full to the max with rental pontoons and jet skies zipping in and out passing much to closely to our boat. Why do they do that? Geeze, I don't mind people going out and having fun but come on. Ron & Sonja from Conch Clipper anchored out next to us and we headed to the Island for a little water time. We decided we really didn't want to fight our way back to marina after the city fireworks display so we headed back into the marina and watched the various shows from the boat. Afterwards we headed to the ramp to watch with amusement as the overly indulgent people attempted to pull their boats. I guess we are easily entertained. Saturday morning our neighbors from up in Alabama came down to meet us for a little fun in the sun. We have been trying to get them down to Panama City for about 6 months now but it just hadn't worked out. Their son was turning six on Sunday so we all thought a day on the boat would be a nice treat. Of course the kids were excited and seemed to enjoy it when we let them steer the boat. Here is Erik steering with sister Tosca looking on.
We headed out to Shell Island and tried to go over to the gulf side but the algae in the water was so bad you couldn't pick your hands up without several strands of it being stuck to you. It wasn't sea weed, it was light green algae, Ick. Back over to the bay side. As the day was ending we headed back to the marina for a wonderful dinner cooked aboard. It was a perfect evening all the way around. So much so that we broke open a wonderful bottle of scotch we had gotten as a gift and enjoyed it along with wonderful conversation.
It was the first time we had six people, four adults and two children staying overnight. We are happy to report that it seemed everyone slept decent and un-crowded except the fact that Butters (our cat) was trying to bunk with everyone. At 17.5 pounds you tend to feel when he is walking on you or plops down on top of you at night. Sunday we took the kids to St. Andrews State Park and spent most of the day perfecting our sunburns and hunting for critters in the jetties. Unfortunately after that we had to head back to the boat and do the dreaded clean up and head home. When I say we were whipped that day would be an understatement. But what a wonderful end to a wonderful week. Thank you Frank and Claudia, we had a wonderful time. So all in all we had a full week of work, fun, and relaxation. I think I could get use to this.
