JG Marine Services: Still Waters II makes it back home!

    This entry, while still 6-8 weeks behind real time, is being written just before it posts. This is why the blog runs so far behind real time. There are times I just can't sit down and do this. I'm sure the writing itself suffers as well when I am depending on my failing memory a month or so later, but again I have to play the hand I am dealt :)

    While this trip was a business trip, it was more so a last favor I could do for someone I miss terribly. I missed David's services in late September because they conflicted with our tractor parade with Grandpa. But we will be joining Miss Claudia on Jan 29 for David's Celebration of Like in Punta Gorda, FL.

      We start out with a day's drive down to Jacksonville. I was able to drive for less than the cost of just a one way plane ticket. I don't know why, but airfare from Nashville to Florida is terrible. This also worked out to stage Miss Claudia's car down to Hammock Beach Marina. We spent the rest of that first day checking fluids and going through what needed to be checked to move the boat. Then of course a little dinner at "The Loop" :)

    This little Albin was docked behind Still Waters II waiting for a haulout. Very neat little vessel. Sadler Point Marina took great care of her, and they come pretty highly recommended for service work.

    The first day, we got settled up, and off we went out into the St John's river, headed for the ICW. Taking off went much smoother than I expected. It was a very hard day for Miss Claudia, as no one had taken the helm of Still Waters II but her beloved David, in over a decade. But many friends sent her all the love they could, and she really was able to sit back and take in the trip.

 

    We had a fuel issue on the port engine, and ended up running most of the day on just starboard. I had it primed up and available for docking. in St Augustine. And Miss Claudia even worked her way from First Class Passenger to Captain! :)

    We docked for the night in St Augustine, and took a little walk downtown. A beautiful little town, and one of David's favorites to talk about. David loved history, and St Augustine, FL is jam packed full of it!

    The second morning I took a closer look at Port, trying to determine what the fuel issue was. I became intimately aware why David took one look at my engine room on Toscana and said right there he has Engine Room Envy :) I also found no obvious problems. Wiggled some wires and connections... and what would you know... Port ran just fine all day long on the second day! David and Claudia call things like that FOG... Favor Of God. And I have no other explanation.

    Some great folks Paul and Michelle were waiting for us in Palm Coast and shot this wonderful video of us coming in to dock!

   

    If the embedded video doesn't play, click here: https://youtu.be/m2-ilFNpB4M 

  Many thanks to everyone that helped out, reaching out to Miss Claudia, giving her strength for this trip. I am so very humbled to have been asked to do it.Still Waters II is home, very near the slip David and Claudia spent the previous year or two. I just pray that she can find peace, and know she isn't alone in missing David!

The final push home.

     We ducked into Green Turtle Bay hoping for a few loopers to be hanging around... As it turned out, everyone that was there was away. So we paid up the next morning and headed out for Paris Landing.

    We met the first boat heading into GTB from Lake Barkley, and the tiny houseboat in the canal coming from Kentucky Lake. They headed on through the lock, we assume they were just trying out the loop and going home, not doing the loop in that little boat.

    This part of Kentucky Lake is alot of water, and beautiful scenery, and not much else.

    Since the lake was at winter pool level, the famous Cemetery Island was visible. There are 3 or 4 graves still there.

   

 Paris Landing was a great stop as always. We visited with another looping couple doing some engine maintenance and checked our position on the waiting list. We were hoping to catch up with Glen and Jean, but they were not available the day we were there. So we rested up for another long day!

    Someone grounded a sailboat in the entrance to Pebble Isle and just left it there.

    Amy was able to grab some shots of a few Eagles.... If you click on a photo it gets bigger BTW! :) We had a little rain shower and a following rainbow as we pushed on to Double island, over 80 miles from Paris Landing.

    We arrived after dark, so did not get any pictures, but we shared the anchorage with Micky who we met at the 2023 Fall Rendezvous. He had left his boat at Aqua Yacht for the year, and was taking it home to Nashville. Their loop has been put on hold unfortunately

We took off at first light and struck out for Aqua ourselves, but had a fair current to fight and to get through Pickwick Lock. We got through with a big group of other loopers.

 

.

    We got into Aqua Yacht at a decent time, helped a couple other boats get in, and then enjoyed Docktails with some new and old friends. Plane Relief was there, and they were bound for Florence tomorrow as we are.

    We arrived at Florence fairly early and got settled in. Plane Relief had to go get a rental car because Sue was flying home the next day. They joined us for dinner in the River Bottom Grill before they took off for Nashville. We made arrangements to call the lock in the morning for a plan to get through.

    The main chamber at Wilson is out of service for emergency repairs. That leaves everything to go through their tiny 2 step Auxiliary lock. They have been very gratuitous to pleasure craft given their current situation.

    We were asked to be at the lock at 0930, to lock through with a USACE boat returning to the upper side.

    We were there at 0930, but almost 90 minutes early for the lockage in reality. A towboat waiting allowed us to tie to their barge while we waited.

    We had our hands full as there was not enough room to secure to the pin with our midship cleat and had to use the forward mid. That meant some engine work to keep us situated properly because this chamber is old, and fairly turbulent. We also had to hold for the towboat to push out first to enter the second stage chamber, and to push ut on the top side.

    We passed a down bound looper on Wilson Lake hoping to get through themselves either today or tomorrow.

    We breezed into Wheeler lock and right through. The wind was really whipping up the waters on the tops side of Wheeler Lock. We were thankful to have a short 2 miles into Joe Wheeler State Park. We got in, pumped out, and tied up just before dark. The next morning I put the lifting apparatus back together to drop the mast and secure Toscana in her winter slip.

    We quickly packed up our gear, loaded in the car and headed for Tenessee that evening. We wanted the next day to be a little shorter drive. The next morning I drove us the 5 hours to Alton, IL to pick up my car, and Amy continued on to Illinois for work appointments and Thanksgiving. I returned to Tennessee.

    This concludes our cruising season for 2024 on Toscana, but I have a couple boat moves plus I'm sure many other interesting updates. We will still be publishing those weekly!

    Next week, I head to Florida to move Still Waters II, the boat and widow left behind by David Fuller's passing earlier this year.