Pure Grace arrived in Jacksonville on Friday morning, October 28th. This photo shows her in the sling getting a bath after coming off the truck. Next she was put up on jackstands in the boatyard and we spent the weekend sanding the hull and putting on two coats of a special brackish water barrier paint. I was mostly Bill's go-fer and I did a lot of running around Jacksonville, learning where the closest Home Depot, West Marine and Napa Auto stores are...not to mention Chick-Fil-A for lunches!
Bill was totally blue from head to toe on Saturday from the sanding so on Sunday I plopped a plastic shower cap on his head and he tried to be careful with the paint roller. Even so, we had to use some nasty paint remover on his head and face to keep him from looking like a member of the Blue Men cast.
This was the view from the starboard side in our temporary slip on Wednesday night. The winds were so strong that day neither Bill nor our dockmaster wanted to attempt bringing Pure Grace into her own berth. We listened to the fenders rubbing up against the boat most of the night, but that sure beat the racket we listened to every night from our extended-stay hotel. I was so glad we could get out of there a night early!
The next morning I slipped outside in my bathrobe with camera in hand to capture the first of beautiful sunrises here. The river was much calmer; there was actually some guy in a small boat cruising at 7 a.m. Around 9 o'clock we moved Pure Grace into slip B49. The angle of our slip is such that anyone coming down the dock gets a wonderful view right into the pilot house, where I have set up my office.
This is my view from the pilot house down the dock looking toward the security gate. The slips on either side are empty right now so we're not cheek-to-cheek with other boaters. That building in the background is a 16-unit condo, minimum price well over $1 million. It was originally part of the marina but the 2007-2008 recession put a halt to buyers so the marina was sold off and is doing well on its own. I can't wait to use the pool!
Most of the boats here are sailboats; this is the view from our aft end. So pretty! And below is the city of Jacksonville in the distance, just 6 miles or so away.
This weekend the Blue Angels are putting on an air show so we've watched them practice high-speed fly-bys right overhead. Our marina is hosting a three-day party so we have guest boaters here for the weekend. So nice of them to throw a welcome party for us, ha ha! I'm excited to meet the permanent residents at the pizza party tonight.
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