Happy Birthday Mom!

Manatees enjoying breakfast at the dock

No sooner did we move Elixir to her new home, then my mother and step-father, Dick, came for a visit.  It was the weekend after her birthday, so we got to celebrate it with her!  As a special present, three manatees showed up at our dock and let us watch them eat for quite awhile!  Unfortunately, Mom had not arrived yet, so she missed her special gift.  But we told her all about it later!

Aren't Lookouts supposed to face the other way?

Although late in the year, the weather was fantastic so we decided to take her out on Elixir for a
picnic lunch on the hook.  The wind was a light breeze and the water was calm.  Temperature was in the high 70's.  With everything perfect, we pulled out for our first trip after moving to Hidden Harbor Marina.

At 90, he can still expertly maneuver a boat!

We had yet to try out our new anchor and anchor chain, so I thought this would also be a good time to test it.  Normally, Marie handles dropping and retrieving the anchor, which must be done manually.  But because the new setup was substantially heavier than the old one, I had Dick (who has owned 2 trawlers of his own) take the helm while I manned the anchor.  It was pretty heavy for me, so I'm not sure if Marie will be able to handle it.

Remains of Fort Frederica

We dropped anchor off of Fort Frederica, which is on St. Simmons Island and only about 1 1/2 hours from our marina.  There we enjoyed a lunch of veggie burgers and chips while we peacefully rocked at anchor.  What a beautiful day to enjoy time with Mom and Dick!

Far to soon, it was time to leave and head back.  We tied up in our berth and then went to the clubhouse to play some Joker.  After an enjoyable evening, we said goodbye to Mom and Dick as we dropped them off at their motor home and began looking forward to their next visit, when they will be staying aboard with us!

Note: We have finished remodeling the forward head.  Check out the pics in the "Restoration" section.