Rear Step

Once you drop the swim ladder, it is a big step back up to the deck. Jim has been wanting to put a step there.

Normally we don’t get to do a lot of swimming, so I didn’t see it as a necessity. But, after spending a couple of days at Silver Glen Springs, where I spent a lot of time in the water, I realized he was right.

Jim never throws anything away…he had a couple pieces of teak left from a table on another boat…and now it’s a step.

He can be very innovative. He loves making something out of something else. He’ll spend a lot of time just sorting through the “stuff” he has laying around, before ever going to the store.

When were were truck drivers…he had me scanning the parking lots  for bolts, nuts, washers etc. One day I came back with a large unusual bolt…he tossed it in the collection.  A few months later…something broke on the truck or trailer, can’t remember which, but that bolt was just what he needed to make a repair that got us to our destination on time.  Sure made me a believer. Now I don’t throw anything away until he looks at it…no matter how insignificant it might  seem to me.

He switched from Injected Fuel to Top Fuel(‘74 - ‘81), when drag racing, because just about anything could be done, as long as, you passed inspection. It left a lot of room for innovation….it eventually became restricted, governed and for the rich and big sponsors.

I guess he’s kind of like a wood carver who can look at a branch or chunk of wood and see birds or fish and then whittle away and ends up with something beautiful or useful.

He’s my “MacGyver”.  And believe me….that is one item in the “tool” box you really need aboard an old boat.

Visit to see Rabble

We decided to go to Astor, FL and look at another Albin 27, named Rabble. It is for sale on EBay. The owner sent me these. Isn’t it gorgeous?!!

It’s a beautiful boat and full of all the things I’d like to have: windlass, bow-thruster, 8 house batteries and even AC/heat. I don’t really like the idea of being closed up for AC but it would make boating here in FL much nicer during the summer.

From there we stopped in Sanford, FL for the car show at the Riverwalk. It right across the road from the marina, so it’s one of my favorites.

This cloud seemed to be sitting right over our little spot in the jungle.

I thought we might be in for some funny weather but didn't get any rain until the middle of the night. Sure was pretty.

Side screens

I spent the day making side screens for the enclosure.

I salvaged the zippers from the old side curtains and bought some fiberglass window screen.

Paul, from A&B Custom Products, in Orlando, gave me the scrapes left over from the side enclosures he made for us. I was able to use them on the top and bottom of the screens for the snaps.

They definitely are not the quality of the one Paul made…but they should work for awhile.

An Anhinga with trash around it’s beak

 

Our friends, Debbie and George, have a beautiful pond. Many ducks call it home. Many more wild ones come in daily to feed. Blue Herons and Anhingas also frequent it.

This Anhinga showed up and has stayed a few days. They realized there was a problem. I took some pictures this afternoon, so we could get a look at what is on it’s beak.

It almost looks like rags or something with knots in it.

The bird was quite a distance away and the pictures aren't very good.

They contacted someone who knows how to handle a situation like this. They will try to net it when it gets a bit weaker. They don’t want to chase it away, it might not get any help then.

For some reason it cant get it off it’s beak and that means it can’t eat. I will let you know how they make out getting it free.

This is one of the reasons we carry nippers and bags for trash when we are out in our dingy. We once saw an Anhinga with fishing line trailing behind, as it flew past, and decided  we’d  start gathering all the fishing line that is left in the bushes etc. We have to take our dog ashore each evening and morning…while out..we cruise the waters edge looking for “stuff”.

Check out the “Pick it up” button on the right….just click on it.  This is why you’ll find it on all my blogs.

Sunday, heading home

As with most things…plans change. We left the springs early yesterday afternoon, crossed Lake George to the S end. We were not in a hurry so  took the slow way up Blue Creek. This Anhinga was drying its wings as we entered the creek.

After we rounded a few more bends….I spotted this group of turtles sunning themselves. With their feet spread to capture all the warmth they can…they look like they are expecting to fly.

Once back in the St Johns River, we spotted another beautiful Bald Eagle.

I never get tired of the wildlife the river offers. It wasn’t a good week for gator watching. We saw only a few. This one hadn’t fared very well. A big dinner for a flock of buzzards. “Natures cleanup crew”.

We spent the night behind the island at G3. Beautiful sunset.

We hauled out early afternoon….no problems…just a trip that was too short.  We love the hardtop and new side curtains. It makes the boat seem bigger..guess it’s the heard room and shoulder room. Now I need to make screens for the sides and work up a way to fasten the white screen material (sun blocker) to the handrails for shade while at anchor. It worked very well. A bit more work and plan the next trip. It’s getting to be good boating weather.

A day at Silver Glen Springs, FL

We are anchored in the foreground. This is early in the morning and none of the weekend boaters have arrived yet, so it is quiet. I was up early and took Raisin ashore. While out…I spotted this bird sitting on the neighboring houseboat’s dingy.

I believe it is an immature Yellow-Crowned Night Heron, or an immature Black-Crowned Night Heron. I have never seen this bird before. Still haven't seen the adult.

At the top of a beautiful tree..sat a Bald Eagle.

It’s just starting to take off. I was a bit quick with the camera. Isn’t that a beautiful tree. It was sharing it with a buzzard. There were 2 Bald Eagles along the “run”.

This was all before coffee!  Jim stayed aboard and had hot coffee ready for me when I got back.

After a nice cool swim we took the dingy for a ride to the entrance of the Springs.

The sign is a favorite perch for the Cormorants. They have webbed feet like the Anhinga, and swim submerged as they do.

The breeze remained with us all day. It was comfortably cool. We plan to spend another night here and then head S.

Astor, FL to Silver Glen Springs

We cruised up to the Astor boat ramp and picked up our friends, Tony, Karen & Mike and took them for another boat ride. We were headed to Silver Glen Springs and took Blue Creek for a nice side trip on the way. It is beautiful through there.

Once at the springs we put our suits on and got out the snorkels and fins.

Water was cool, clear and very refreshing. We spent a few hours there and headed back to the boat ramp. They had to be in GA that evening. It was a short day but a fun one. Tony drove part of the way back.

Once we’d dropped them off, we headed back to the glen for the night. Jim did a bit of  snorkeling,  While I tried to get a picture of a turtle sunning itself.   With a nice cool breeze it was time for some reading. My sister had given me a large roll of white mesh material and I hung a piece from the rear handrails to help block the sun. We have enough for both sides. It really helps keep the boat cool..even keeps some of the bugs out. We have a screen for the rear..but no side screens yet. Another great day on the water. Air temp and breeze made it one of the best.

Great day on the water

We spent the night at G109 on the St Johns River. Normally we see several gators cruising the area but not this morning.

I took Raisin ashore and sat in the dingy while Jim  cruised the boat past for photos.

We normally don’t have any pictures of the boat in motion unless Larry and Diane, aboard River Nomad, are cruising with us.

We were surprised that we could hardly hear the engine over the noise of the water as he passed.

One we had finished our photo session we headed N. Once we got to marker G3, we anchored for the night. Had a nice cross breeze and got a good nights sleep.

First day with the new hardtop!!

Our friends from NY, Tony (that’s who we bought the ‘27 Model T from), Karen & Mike, decided they’d like to spend the day on the boat…so we did a quick load of supplies yesterday and launched this morning.

No problems launching..Mike helped Jim get the dingy aired up and loaded.

Tony kept Raisin company so she wouldn’t jump overboard, and Karen got caught up on phone calls.

Once everyone was loaded up, we cast off. I thought we looked pretty spiffy with our new top and enclosure.

Jim and Tony hashed over the used of the chart plotter and radar while we headed out onto Lake Monroe. Lots of clouds, good breeze and a bit of humidity, but the top kept us fairly cool.

The crew got settled in for the trip across the lake.

We decided to put on fuel at Sanford Boat Works Marina. Diesel was $2.73.9 a gallon.

I sure am happy with the way the boat looks.

It was too windy for good gator spotting. Most were in the water. Did see one good sized one  in Governor's Cut, but no pictures.

We ended the day back at the Lake Monroe Park where their car was and they’ve headed N a bit for a motel. We are anchored at G109 on the St Johns River, for the night. Heading N in the morning. They are going to meet us on Wed at Silver Glen springs.

Handrails

It was a beautiful sunny day today. Bit humid. The late morning showers didn’t arrive until Jim started installing the handrails on the back. Good thing he was using battery operated tools. It quit as soon as he was done. You know how that goes. Other than being a bit of a bother….it was refreshing.

These are the rails Jim’s brother, Carl, gave us. They are perfect for walking around the back.

Removing the box from the swim platform made it possible to lower the dingy motor mount. Now the motor wont have to be lifted so high and the weight is lower.  We are going to carry the gas cans and 1000 watt Honda generator on the foredeck.

The weather is really starting to get nice…not quite so hot and a bit cooler in the evening. We can put up with the heat during the day but it’s hard to get any sleep when it’s so hot and humid at night.

Our new look

We picked the boat up from ABCanvas Products, in Orlando, FL, yesterday afternoon. Since we had to take the sides down for trailering….we decided to wash it first thing this morning and put on some Poliglow. That’s why you didn’t get any pictures last night.

Lots more window.

It has a light tint, but you hardly notice it. Maybe it will help keep some of the hot FL sun out. Paul made us a screen for the center back. We’ll have more made at a later date.

This is the view from inside. Take note of the tree lying on it’s side..it’s a palm that was knocked down during Hurricane Charlie a few years ago. It’s is still growing and starting to turn to the sky.

Jim has a lot more room for getting on and off…and the best part…nothing to catch his toes on. Once he steps off the bench…he has plenty of head room. I think we are going to be happy with it.  Cant wait to get on the water.

I’ve finished sanding the teak handrails that will go on the back. Just need to oil them and install. I think that is tomorrows project. Then all the original teak hand rails (4) need to be sanded and oiled. Guess we wont be bored waiting to go boating.

Leaving for side enclosure

We removed everything from the cockpit and stored it below. Side curtains were taken down and the truck hooked to the trailer.

We wanted to leave as soon as the sun was up this morning and be at AB Custom Products, in Orlando,  as early as we could. He wants to have it done by tomorrow evening….Thurs a.m. at the latest.

We may put a stainless support in each side, as soon as, we see where the side zippers will be located.

It looks good, open like that, but I do most of the climbing in and out for fenders and dock lines, and I think I’d like something extra to grab, especially if going to or coming from the rear.

Jim’s brother, Carl, found (2) 43 inch teak handrails. They’ll go across the back.

We are lost today…no boat in the yard to work on. Oh…I forgot…the teak handrails will be here in a bit and I can start sanding.

Then it will be time for a good scrubbing and some Poliglow. Wow!! it just never ends.

So….maybe tomorrow night I can post pictures of the new side enclosure.

We have a hardtop!!

Jim woke up this morning about 5am. Turned on the TV and they predicted rain late morning. So we got up..started the coffee…while that was going, Jim put the last coat of paint on. While that dried…we grabbed a cup coffee. Then it was time to put the handrails on.

My sister, JoAnne, had given us a set of 7’ teak handrails. I spent 2 or 3 days sanding them down and putting teak oil on them. They came out great!!! They really make the top look good and will be a good safety feature.

Since there were only 3 of us. Jim and Carl tied ropes to the opposite side of the boat trailer…ran them through the cockpit …under the hardtop and tossed them up to me. That way, I could pull and keep it from flipping backwards.

They each took a corner and lifted until it was over half way up. Then Jim came up the swim ladder..Carl the stepladder and helped lift it the rest of the way. Once it was set on the cabin roof..it was only a matter of sitting the corner posts in place.

Once they were somewhat secure he could get on the cabin top and thru bolt the leading edge.

We tacked the side curtains in place. They don’t completely fit but will keep most of the rain out until we can get new ones made. They will definitely not be blue. It’s is amazing how hot it gets. We’ll use a light tan or something in that range.

So..my next project…get an estimate on side curtains ..