Jacksonville Beach - Days 7 & 8

We planned to leave Jacksonville Beach this morning, however, yesterday did not turn out as we had planned.  So it is, we have learned....in cruising you cannot expect to be anywhere at any specific time.  Something will always happen to delay you, or put you ahead of schedule.

We managed to get almost everything done that was needed yesterday.  Then the unexpected.  While baking cookies for the upcoming journey, the oven quit.  I thought that the propane tank was empty and we just needed to switch over to the reserve tank.  But that was not the case, although the tank was nearly empty.  Turned out to be a bad solenoid.  And it turned out that it was not as simple to replace as expected.  After three trips to West Marine, we finally got it fixed....late this afternoon.

So tomorrow is the day we leave, in the morning right after fueling up and pumping out.  Actually, I'm glad it turned out this way.  Today was the coldest day we've had since entering Florida.  Today it did not feel like Florida at all.  The high temperature was about 60, very overcast, and windy.  Tomorrow is supposed to be beautiful, so it will be a better day for being on the go.

The delight of the day was the Sea Gull convention on the dock as I left to visit the Marina office this morning.  I froze when I saw them, then slowly walked back to the boat to get my camera, and slowly walked toward them as I took photos: