On to Florida #42

Monday, May 27

It was a casual departure from Morningstar Marina near Brunswick, Georgia. We had to wait for the fuel docks to open before we could leave. We took showers, refueled, bought ice and left at 8:30 a.m.

We headed out into the Atlantic Ocean headed for Florida. We put up the mainsail but the winds were not in our favor to sail without the assistance of the motors. For the next 30 hours we would be motor sailing our way out of Georgia and down the east coast of Florida.

Franci took the helm on the way out to the ocean, but would soon realize that she was still not yet totally recovered from her injuries Friday evening.

Breakfast was ham and eggs. Yum.

Stephen put out his trolling line and was happy to be back in the ocean where the possibility of catching a Mahi Mahi or tuna existed. When the trip began the ocean waters were almost glassy. Later in the day the winds picked up and the seas became choppy. We rocked and rolled our way through the night and into the next day.

Capt. Ralph, Arlene and Stephen took turns doing three hour watches. Franci was still recuperating from her fall and tended only to her own needs. Pain management was the name of the game for Franci and she found a couple of places where she could sit comfortably. During daylight hours she found comfort reading her book on her bed. In the nighttime hours she found a seat on the padded cooler forward of the binnacle where she could sit comfortably. Crew members were very kind and thoughtful in helping her with any needs.

Stephen liked to be off shore. When he wasn't on watch or napping he liked messing with the trolling rod and even going out on the deck to make videos. He also found time to do some computer work with the photos and videos. He seemed to enjoy opportunities to connect himself to the jackline and venture about the outer areas of the boat. A jackline is a rope that extends from the bow to the stern of the boat. When one is on the ocean where the boat is bouncing around it's important to always wear a life vest which comes with a harness that shackles to the jackline such that in the event one falls overboard one is still connected to the boat. Of course, the idea is to not fall overboard at all, but it's good to take precautionary measures.

Monday evening Arlene went downstairs to prepare pork chops for dinner. She discovered that we were out of propane and we had sandwiches instead. Oops. There would be no coffee for the night shift and no more hot meals until we could refill the tank.

Although Fort Pierce had been our original destination we made the decision to go ashore and spend the night at Cape Canaveral to give Franci's injury a break from the choppy seas and get a propane refill. She was still having plenty of pain from her Friday fall, now suspecting a fractured rib. Although the x-rays showed no broken bones, the doctor had told her that there was still the possibility of a small fracture in one of the ribs and that she would know in a few days. The continuous pain told her this was perhaps possible.

The excitement of the trip came Tuesday afternoon just before we arrived in Cape Canaveral. Stephen caught a mahi mahi. It produced 2 1/2 pounds of beautiful filets. There's a fresh fish dinner in our near future. Yea. Congratulations to Stephen. Perseverance counts.

We arrived in Cape Canaveral at 5 p.m., just in time to refuel at the Cape Marina fuel dock which was closing as we arrived. We checked in for the night. Ralph and Arlene hosed down the boat which had gotten a pretty good salt water wash during the trek through the ocean while Stephen and Franci took a cab to a nearby Ace Hardware where we were able to refill the propane tank.

Franci was probably the happiest to be ashore and that evening found herself and others smiling at happy hour. We took a cab to Grill's, a local restaurant, for another great feast.