Salty Dog is floating again and On The Move!



I know, I know, I know…………….I’m very tardy at posting.


Cumberland Island







Cumberland Island Beach









We launched the boat two weeks ago today and after a brief stay at the Fernandina City Marina we’ve made a stop at Cumberland Island National Seashore Park, which is always a great place to be – the beach is endless and it doesn’t seem to matter how many boats are at anchor and how many campers are ashore because you rarely see anyone else on the beach. We didn’t find any shells that we didn’t already have this time. Believe me when I say we have bags and bags from the last visit.



We also stopped at St. Augustine for the night and went ashore to see the Christmas lights downtown. The city had the lighting ceremony the night before we got there. They were beautiful, but I forgot to take the camera with me, so no pictures there.



Next stop was New Smyrna Beach, where we spent Thanksgiving with our family. My sister, Mindy, who you may remember is married to Jeff’s brother Carl, have good friends who own two condos out at Ponce Inlet. They graciously let Mindy and Carl have the use of the biggest one for the week – what a place!!!!!!!!!!!!! It has a million dollar view. It is a corner unit on the 8th floor, so you can see the ocean, the inlet and the ICW. It is a view you could never tire of. Thank you Donny & Shannon!!! We had a crowd of 17 for Thanksgiving Day and had a wonderful time. My sisters Mindy and Tina, as well as my Mom and brother-in-law Rodney did all the cooking and it was spectacular! What cooks they all are. We took a cruiser couple, Rick & Linda s/v Sojourner, with us for the day. I believe they enjoyed being with our crazy family, and Linda certainly pulled her turn at the kitchen sink – no one else was allowed to have her sponge! What a treat!! We met Rick & Linda 3 years ago when we were cruising and have stayed in touch with them since. They were passing through NSB and stopped for a few days.



Our Family



Rick & Linda s/v Sojourner



Last Friday was the lighting of Canal Street in New Smyrna, so a few of the boats in the NSB marina got into the mood and put lights on their boats as well. Salty Dog is sporting Christmas lights as well.



Canal Street @ NSB



We will be in anchoring in Cocoa this afternoon, then on ‘souther’ to wait for a weather window to cross to the Bahamas. Let’s hope that it isn’t a looonnnngggg wait.



Salty Dog w/ her Christmas lights





Some of you already know this and some do not, but we have a new passenger aboard this year – Chloe is a teeny tiny chocolate and tan wiener dog and weighs in at just over 6 lbs and is 9 years old. She is precious and doing quite well on the boat. She has been very quick to pick up on the way things are done on the boat. She knows exactly what the dingy is for – getting her to shore and grass. The morning we were leaving Cumberland Island I went to the back of the boat to raise the American flag and Chloe followed me back there, stood and looked at the dinghy in the raised position and then looked at me as if to say ‘I’m ready to go!’. I responded to her by saying that her car was not leaving the garage and she would need to go to the front of the boat and potty. She hung her head, turned around and went back in the cockpit. She knows where the potty area is, and has used it, but she’d rather not if there is a chance the dinghy is going down, but Savannah is the same way. Did I tell you that she also has napping in the cockpit down to a science.

Our new passenger

Perhaps now that I’ve broken the ice, so to speak with the blog, I will do better about posting.

Remember - you can click on the pictures to make them bigger.

later