Partying With Pelicans

"A wonderful bird is the Pelican.
His beak can hold more than his belly can.
He can hold in his beak
Enough food for a week!
But I'll be darned if I know how the helicon?"

Dixon Lanier Merritt

I can't help it… there's just something about the pelican that stops me in my tracks… what a beautiful intricately ordinarily goofy bird she is…. if you find yourself rowing your inflatable boat outside the Atlantic Seafood Company you might time it just right when the workers in the seafood shop come outside to dump all their fish scraps… yep, you guessed it, all the pelicans and wannabes come in droves to hit the heist of good vittles… they actually get pretty greedy with it, attacking one another and generally going for the gusto to get a bite of the goods…

So as I rowed nearby, here's a few random pics I was fortunate to get just as the sun set… Rowing is like yoga… it's relaxing, it's stretching, it's spiritual and should be practiced daily by this young sailor…. especially when perky pelicans are around… enjoy… 

what's happening below is a feeding frenzy.  A highly competitive gamesmanship assault on the fish scraps tossed out by Atlantic Seafood Co…. nobody got hurt and everybody got something out of it… including me.

He's outta here..

His pouch was bulging over full of a huge fish… slowly it was digested...

hmmmm… wazzup?

You talking to ME?

Dude, you want a piece of ME?!!

this is my domain.

And so, I say we let the pelicans and the buzzards, and the gulls and the terns co-habitate, and gravitate,  to the daily offerings provided by Atlantic Seafood…. work in harmony peace-brothers, there's always more tomorrow…

Catch you later...

Getting' Closer...

"If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, he will meet with success unexpected in common hours."               Henry David Thoreau.

Dear Friends…. 

I've been way too busy to post on the blog this month , but hang in there, new days of cruising are on the horizon!  It seems like there's hundreds if things to do to get her ready to set sail by Jan. 1. 2014.  STAY TUNED! There WILL be more coming soon.... Here's some random notes made this month.   

Sunsets on Amelia Island just keep on coming…. this is the view from my boat

Boats on mooring balls at Fernandina …. a cheaper alternative to marina fees.

Yes, it's been about a month since I posted an entry on the Glory Days blog site here… and frankly, I'm glad to be back. But sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do… and I'm ever grateful that I CAN do these things, these wonderful things….as in taking care of business, taking care of loved ones, and then taking charge of your dreams… family is first and always will be… cause of all the blessings God has given me, my family and my health are the only ones that really matter… and are the ones that need daily gratitude and nurturing… nurturing...

Nurturing is a word I like.  I wonder what the official definition is…. 
nurture |ˈnərCHər|verb [ with obj. ]care for and encourage the growth or development of:• help or encourage the development of: my father nurtured my love of art.• cherish (a hope, belief, or ambition): for a long time she had nurtured the dream of buying a shop.

Funny thing, nurture looks real similar to future… they're really only one letter difference, well 2 i guess . …. but still maybe semantics is telling us we should all be "nurture the future"…

future |ˈfyo͞oCHər|
noun1 (usu. the future) the time or a period of time following the moment of speaking or writing; time regarded as stillto come: we plan on getting married in the near future | work on the building will be halted for the foreseeable future.• events that will or are likely to happen in the time to come: nobody can predict the future.• used to refer to what will happen to someone or something in the time to come: a blueprint for the future of American fast food.• a prospect of success or happiness: he'd decided that there was no future in the gang | I began to believe I might have a future as an artist.• Grammar a tense of verbs expressing events that have not yet happened.2 (futures) Finance short for futures contract.
Water and air, that's what I need.
To quench this thirst and to breathe.
Water and air, that's what I need.
Water and air, that's what I am.
Water and air, that's what I breathe.
Water and air, that's what I believe.

Sunshine… comes to me ready,
Sunshine… treats me right.
Sunshine… comes to my table,
Sunshine… brightens my night

 

So anyway… I thank the Almighty mother father God that my daughter is well, and recovering fine from surgery on Nov. 15… It's a good world we live in.  Good attracts good, and evil mingles where there is no good.  Be good. 

 So after a few weeks looking after loved ones, and packing and sorting for a 6 month trip, I'm now 16 days away from sailing away…. it's the Cmas season, and i'm tying up loose ends as I prepare to release the dock lines…. songwriting has been great as I've been on a roll lately… 4-5 new songs this month alone…  i love it when music plays in my head, and I love it even more when I have the time, energy and gumption to document it with either notes or recording.

Back to the boat now… don't even get me started on how much I spent on Glory Days last month…. new batteries, new chart plotter, new VHF radio, and a host of little 50 dollar supplies that seem to add up to hundreds... 

I finally took a break from boat work to chase sand particles and sea foam

 Here are a few notes of what I wrote 3 weeks ago when I was deep into boat work getting her ready…

This section might get a bit too technical for some of you as I make entries to document some of the marine upgrades recently made on Glory Days... please bear with, as it helps me to rationale all the money spent and to document improvements...

I won't dwell on health issues, cause God has already blessed that... Amen.

So back to the PLAN... My Dec. 1 departure date has been pushed back till after Christmas.  It seems I should've started months earlier getting her ready for her first extended/off shore voyage down the east coast of Florida.  There's always so many little nuances that have to be addressed.  I am getting quite anal in their completion, for it is then and only then I will be inclined to rest easy, maybe even read a book, take a nap, or just generally ENJOY, the boat I have been prepped for so long.  I don't even want to know what I've spent this month, because it's horrifying... but I keep justifying it all, saying, "Well you won't have to buy this again, now that you've got it... it's a one time purchase for the Glory...."... im good at rationalization... but it is true... I won't be buying a chart plotter again, or a fridgeration system… So yes, that old saying is true…"For the first year, the boat owns YOU".

she is like a dependable lover...I'm just not sure where to start.... here's a breakdown for the technical minded readers below...(If you're only here to read about action on the high seas, go to the next recent post...)

1. The chart plotter - Standard Horizon CP39I - is installed and operational.  I"ve entered some marks and waypoints for the upcoming trip south... the unit seems rather intuitive, tho I'd still like to take her out for a test run or two very soon.

Deck mounted fuel and water cans are essential. Her tanks only carry 50 gallons of water, so this way I can add an extra 20.

2.  The battery bank... ah, this one is dear to me heart... it's the domino effect that all started with adding the new refrigeration system... you see it is an energy hog that must be fed electrical amps to keep her happy.... before the upgrade I only had two dual purpose batteries for a total of 160 amp hours of power.   Since the fridge unit requires a minimum of 300 AH, an upgrade was in order... Enter two Trojan T-1275 Deep Cycle batteries at 150 AH each... By using one of my older batteries as a dedicated cranking battery and assigned the 2nd one to the new battery bank, I now have a total of 380 amp hours at my service... sweet.... with the potential of easily upgrading to 450 AH

As long as was doing electrical things, I added a power inverter (pure sine wave type), which will allow me to have a normal electrical socket that converts DC power to an AC source for things like charging up devices, or running electrical appliances from my battery bank.

The new Trojan Batteries have arrived!  Are they just beautiful?! 380 Amp Hours of power now!  The goal is to be able to support oneself electrically, off the grid and at anchor, without the costs and dependence of shore power from a marina.

This photo below shows the new power inverter that Ray helped me install…

 This is a photo of Ray and David… Man, the combined sea experience of these two guys is mind blowing… I'm ever thankful to both of them for sharing their vast knowledge of boat stuff and general mariner information that helped me get Glory Days up and ready for a cruising journey.

None of this battery project would have ever been completed (by me anyway) without the help and guidance of my dock neighbor, Capt. Ray O'Quinn of the SV/Wind Dancer.. also  My other neighbor David from SV Swell Horizon has offered invaluable information, advice and know how to help me outfit this Glory Days.  

Water and air, that's what we need.

To Quench our thirst and to breathe.

October Glory!

" I hope you find happiness in whatever life brings to you.  

You are free and you have but one precious life. 

 I hope you live it with wind in your hair!"

… a 2nd grade teacher I dated

October.  The word says it all.  Where in the U.S. is October not the best month of the year?  I don't have to describe it to you, cause we all know it's true.. the air more crisp, the humidity more less…  Summer is leaving it's mark for the transformation that is ahead… hunker down folks and smile as the  energy builds, as summer makes way for autumn, and as the daylight and the nighttime
share an equal span of the day.  

I returned to Amelia Island in mid October and here's some of the news I found and some of the news I made myself… Namaste.

 -- Sat., Oct. 19

Now this little section ain't boat talk, but I thought it was cool…. It seems this little town called Fernandina Beach is always having some type of event, festival, or big local tadoo just about every weekend. 

So much to my surprise there was a classic car show in town early this morning...  The entire Centre Street was closed off to make way for the display of the shiny beasts... wow, there' must've been at 100 or more top notch, collector cars.... 55 Chevy's, Corvettes, 1933 treasures restored, and lots and lots of chrome....here' some pics.

I was planning a big day of boat projects like installing the fresh water foot pump and/or the new fridge system... but I was easily distracted with my local buddy, Jesse, dropped by and started talking about going fishing... the projects can wait, it's time to go fishin'...

so we got Dazy all ready for blast off... so many things you must remember before leaving the dock in your inflatable boat.... the engine, spare gas, oars, VHF radio, small anchor, life jackets, a throw cushion, fishing rod, fishing lures, fishing license, a few basic tools, sunscreen, water, snacks, and even the little whistle that is required by law.  The only thing we forgot was the fish stringer… it turns out we didn't need it.

My fishing luck continued to be basically non existent as we casted lure after lure into "special fishing spots" Jesse had identified... we even casted in what we termed the "honey hole"... it was there that I did snag this one small blue fish tho... too bad they are not very good to eat so we released him.  We lost an anchor in the process… it got snagged on something below that just said, "nope, it's mine now."

After that, I took a nap, chatted with Mom, and unpacked the rest of my car just before this huge thunder storm blew in… It came in quick and hard… In the process of rigging a new rain tarp system over the boat, I became completely soaked and soggy in my clothes... lightning bolts all around should have scared me away, but I couldn't get any wetter than I already was, and I didn't know any better to get out of the rain, so I finished the job and then stripped down buck naked in a boat where I had tossed in all the groceries, bags and supplies that were getting wet in the cockpit of they boat.  The boat was a total wreck inside… it was sort of like someone shook it all up and let all the stuff land wherever it could… now I can laugh about it.

It made my day to receive this text message from my daughter, Amy, after going through that little mini-crisis with the storm pelting down on me and boat mess ...

One good thing tho, is that I finally completed the installation of the new fresh water foot pump... Man it sure is purty.... It will make water usage more efficient and draw zero power from the precious battery bank...

onward to Sunday... what adventures will it bring... God, I love it here, and thank you so much.



  October 20

great morning... up at 8:30 ... that's 9 hours of sleep... (Lord, I just love not setting an alarm anymore) .... 1 cup of java.... 30 mins on guitar to learn Angel From Montgomery... then a bike ride on my Raleigh 10 speed to the beach at Amelia Island... yoga on the sand, 50 push ups, 2 mile run in the course crystals of golden sand.... then back on the bike home,,,, but no, Joey won't stop here... he must enter Fort Clinch State Park because the biking there is truely awesome… they have great level paved roads under the shade of immense live oaks that tower over the road... onward in gear 9... luckily I brought water… surge.

Ripples on still water.

This is one of my favorite sun shots.

Then to the pier where I learned many fishing tips from a veteran fisherman of the jetties… according to him, Monroe, it seems I need to order a product called  Bass Kicker and another one called Fish Bites... both are enticements to redfish and trout in that they mimic the odors fish cannot resist…cannot resist?  I liked the sound of that…. hey, it's worth a try…  then more biking out to the campground, then I walked the bike along the bay side back to the black top highway for the last hoorah home… 

what was supposed to be a one hour outing, turned into three and a half hours.... so now back to boat projects, you obsessed deacon of the sea… then there was a nice visit w/ my neighbor Dave V who droped by for a friendly chat… it's busy being a retired boat guy.  I hardly have time for a nap anymore…hee hee...

Dinner at the Salty Pelican with an nice sunset, tho not one of our bests.... finally, a trip to winn dixie for those groceries I didn't have time to buy yesterday…  hmmm, I think I'll trim my toe nails tomorrow. //sweet dreams great world... I love you love you love you…

 Oct 21 
Rise.
Drink coffee.
Poke head out of hatch... see cloudy day.
Read instruction manual for new refrigeration unit.
Unpack entire storage locker of the cockpit and plan out the installation of this cooler unit.
Repair the crimped hose from the scupper that was clogged.
Begin work on remodeling the fold out bed.  Get hinges.
Search the web for my most recent interest ... an arch… one of those towers that bolts to the stern to hold all your gear like solar panels, dinghy, radar, etc... yep. dreaming'.
yoga class at 5:30.
nice day... overcast most of the day

Dreaming of a tower (arch) like this one day… to hold all my "stuff"

Everyday is a good day. Even on cloudy days, there's always the feel and presence of the …



















Here are Some Parting Shots From October in Fernandina Beach…

My neighbor, Fred, aboard Rhombus anchored at Cumberland Island.

Another boat named Glory Days… funny thing, his name is Joe also.

hmmmm…not sure what to say about this one… the dog eats well tho.

Excellent dock crew at Fernandina Harbor Marina… Roger and Krey on the right.

 
 Here's some scenes from night life in Fernandina town…. Dog Star Tavern… Actually, there's 4-5 venues that have live music that goes on into the night…. It's nice that's its only a short walk, or crawl, away to get back to Glory Days.

Typical sunsets as seen from the marina.

Daughter, Amy, makes her way back to Glory Days… We enjoyed 5 days of sun and water … with no doctor's appointments this time… 2 nights anchored at Cumberland again and episodes of fishing and wishing … but it seems like the wishes come true … I wish I could say that for the fishing… but we'll never give up trying.

Readin' and fishin' … thinkin' and dreamin'….

After a brief scare to this Captain, Amy got a handle on how to operate little Dazy here.  Turn the handle the "opposite" way you want to go dear!

Exploring the south end of Cumberland.

I can DO this!

They'll never know we took the rental bikes on the beach…
...unless they read this blog.

Hey, let's go this way!

No, I Meant This Way!

These birds were enjoying their reflection on a Sunday afternoon.

Another submarine passed us on the way to Cumberland again.  They reside at the nuclear sub base near St. Mary's… This one was a bit smaller than others we've seen.

The Sandpiper… the busiest bird on the beach… he's got lots of business to tend to it seems… he says, "go here, go there, wait, stop, hurry up, turn around, get back over here!,this way!  that way!  no! over here!, move it! what's that?! let's go! next!

The short life of a horseshoe crab (s)… No, they don't line up like this on purpose… you have to find their shells and and make art work with them like this.

Hi, I'm on my way out,  … do NOT try to save me.

 

Remember, it's called "line", not rope… but we'll work with you on that.

   Black Skimmers…. scrappy little fellas..

 Someone ruffled this guy's feathers … I think it was me.

The Daily Grind at Cumberland Island… I sure do miss Atlanta traffic… :)

The tide app on my cell phone from Sea Tow is a daily tool… I love the visual look.

Arriving back from Cumberland… Thanks Orie for the photo.

Thanks Orie for changing the light bulb up there!

 
 Yay Dixon and Patricia!  Great Friends from Cordele, Ga. came down for a weekend.  It required me to go BACK to Cumberland again… they had to twist my arm to make me do it again… yea right…

I"ve known this guy since kindergarden folks… are we talking over 50 years?!  I lose track after a few hours, much less years… Thanks man, for helping with the home stretch of connecting up the fridge system… we 2 worker bees got it done.

A cold beverage after a hard day… like I said before… somebody's gotta __  __, well you know the rest.

ahh… almost dinner time...

So Long October.  

You were wonderful tonight.