Well, Nancy said I'd take over from here, so I guess I'd better!!! The windlass battery has been a mystery and a problem for us so we finally had a repairman come on the boat and he confirmed what I've thought all along. The Echo charger is putting amperage into the battery so it should be getting charged. Therefore, he felt the battery is bad. That cost us $85.00 but pointed me in the direction of a new battery. Unfortunately, the nearest place for a new battery was 1 1/2 miles from the marina. Thankfully, the marina allowed us to take a dock cart to the automotive store where we picked up a deep cycle marine battery and carted It back to the marina and then I installed it in the boat. We're hanging on to the old battery, which cost the previous owner $185.00, just in case it turns out the charger is bad. Unfortunately for Joe, the Deka distributor refuses to believe the battery is bad and won't refund his $185.00. Caution should be used if anyone is planning to buy a Deka battery. I'll give the new one a few days before determining if it is truly the battery or if it could be the charger.

We left Fernandina Beach at about 10:00 AM on Tuesday and arrived at Jekyll Island anchorage at 4:30 PM. It was an uneventful day for the most part. We managed to make it though some of the tight areas we had read about on CruiserNet without incident.

Our only event of today was when I had a wrong turn, as apparently many cruisers do, and ran up the channel to the Kings Bay Naval Base where the nuclear subs are docked. I figured I  had screwed up when I saw the Navy patrol boat with their flashing lights on. I did think it was unnecessary for them to fire the shot across our bow, though!!!!! On kidding. The guys on the boat were very nice and just motioned us off toward the correct channel. It would have been a little more helpful if they had radioed us, but I guess the budget cuts have shorted our military on important equipment, like radios!!!

A few pictures from today:

 

These are a couple of the wild horses on Cumberland Island.

 

A shrimp boat returning from the ocean at St Andrews Inlet.

 

Birds.

 

Our wind scoop which helps funnel more wind into the boat through the forward hatch.

 

While we were cruising today and Nancy was at the helm, I started a pot of fresh green beans cooking on the stove. We're able to cook like this while under way because the stove can be set to gimble, which means we can have it swing with the motion of the boat. I later added some new potatoes, put some pork ribs in the oven, Nancy fried a Granny Smith apple and we ate very well.

Nancy and I just had a nice swim and a warm shower on the back of the boat. We have a couple of short "floaties" with ropes run through them. We tie the ropes to the boat and when the tide is moving we're able to just hang on and drift around. So far, the only fins we've seen belong to porpoise.

Nancy mentioned earlier friend Jimmie White. I met Jimmie and Mike Mangione at the sailing club after I arrived in AR. They both seem very knowledgeable of sailing and I was encouraged after talking with them that Nancy and I could make this trip. I understand they plan plan to do some type of trip in the upcoming year or so and I want to wish them and their wives the best of luck in making their plans come true.

There were many other members of the Beaver Lake Sailing Club who I met and enjoyed talking with as well. I'd just like to say hello to all of them and thanks for making me feel welcome.

Well, as Porky says, "That's all folks!!"