Wow, What Have We Gotten Ourselves In To?

Friday, June 26  Excitement!

We are in Jacksonville Beach at Beach Marina.

Our boat broker brought our boat here near to his office to help facilitate repairs. Dick Boger Yacht Sales is just steps from our boat.  Dick was our listing broker.  He agreed to help us get the boat ready to move north.  He would arrange for repairs and keep us in the loop as to results.

Before we left home we spoke with our mechanic.  He assured us that everything on our list had been completed and a few other things done that he felt were necessary.   We could see the boat just across from the parking lot.  

We couldn’t wait to start making it ours.  We had no idea what that would mean.

We started to unload the tubs we would need first. We quickly realized that it was going to be easier to bring everything on board.  We started stacking tubs and boxes in the sky lounge and salon.  We found a rolling cart on the dock that we could load up with stuff.  We’d also brought a small foldable dolly that we’d bought at Costco.  It was 94 degrees and we were told that the heat index was a 104.  It was so hot and muggy.  Our Michigan bodies were just not used to it.  We were both glowing pretty good as we worked. As we started loading up the boat it started to list a bit to starboard. We knew that we had brought a LOT of stuff.

We had tubs with bedding for two queen size beds.  We had sheets, blankets, comforters and bags of pillows.  We had all of the decorator pillows that came with the boat and bed pillows.  We had tubs of dishes, food containers and pots and pans.  We had our baby toaster and my electric tea kettle. We had tubs of cleaning supplies, rags, scrubbies, laundry supplies and small buckets.  (Those two little buckets were going to come in handy all too soon.) We had tubs with waxing supplies, multiple tools and boat parts.

We had our paper charts, Waterway Guides, an Ipad, hand held GPS, car GPS, camera, phones, laptop and Kindle. 

We brought our shop vac, extension cords, barbecue grill, life jackets and water hose. We brought seven fenders and a full tub of lines. We had multiple duffel bags with clothing, shoes and outerwear.  We had another tub with bathroom supplies including paper towel , bathroom trash cans and toilet paper.  We brought four deck chairs and our bicycles. I also brought two small crates of basic kitchen items like salt, pepper, sugar, flour, spices, pasta and some can goods.

In total we had fourteen hinge top tubs, three crates and multiple boxes and duffels.

To add to the list we hauled down a brand new AC/DC refrigerator, air conditioning unit and Buell air horns all in their boxes.

By two o’clock or so we had about half the truck unloaded of the things we were going to need right away.  We had the truck until 3:30 on Monday so we used it as storage in the parking lot. As we proceeded to work on the boat; Dan got a phone call from Budget rental.  “We’ve had a call complaining that your rental is taking up three prime parking spaces Mr. Holmes.  If you do not move it within eight hours it will be towed.”  We had parked it on the highway side of the marina parking lot; but we did park over three spaces.  The damn thing had a sixteen foot box!  So, we talked to the marina office and explained that the truck would be there till Monday.  “Where do you want us to put it?”  We eventually found a space in the completely empty enormous parking lot that was about a half block from our boat.  We backed in over a little used sidewalk to clear the driveway.

Our first priority on Friday was to get our new refrigerator installed and the second was to have a place to sleep that night.  Dan started removing the old fridge and removed the new one from its box in the cockpit of the boat.

Our new boat had an absentee owner for the last four years.  It had been owned by a Nigerian PHD that dealt in oil bunkers.  He was only in the US for 35-40 days a year.  When he first bought the boat he paid people to keep it cleaned, maintained, waxed and ready to use.  He also paid a captain to take him out on the boat.  As his interest waned he quit paying his bills to his vendors and they quit taking care of the boat.  Dan and I soon learned what it meant to buy from an absentee owner.

While Dan worked on the refrigerator; I started vacuuming and washing down the master stateroom.  Every surface and locker had to be washed out and hand dried to prevent streaking of the cherry wood surface.  I was able to get the cabin completely washed down and the bed made and scrubbed down the master head and shower by about six.  

At that point we were both starving sweaty and too dirty to go anywhere for a meal.  I cut up some of the ham slices I’d bought for sandwiches and scrambled them into some eggs.  Dinner!

I helped Dan muscle the new fridge into the salon. He quickly realized that our replacement was not the same size as our old refrigerator.  It was about eight inches shorter and two inches wider. Dan went to his trusty tool bin.  We had a sawzall and no blades.  The fridge just went on the back burner. Little did we realize we would end up walking around it for the next day and a half.

We were very grateful to have our clean shower and that I was able to locate the soap. Bed time was our usual nine-nine thirty.  We were both knocked out.