It's Official: We've Got a New Sailboat!

 

View off Straight from the Heart while underway, leaving Jacksonville at sunrise, January 21, 2021.

Yesterday, Don, Wayne, and I left Ortega Landing Marina, bound for Green Cove Springs Marina for a haulout. We needed that for a final hull inspection, required for insurance. 

With a 21-mile run to Green Cove, and a "be there first thing in the morning" request from them, that meant getting there the day before.

Aboard Heart, just outside Ortega Landing. approaching the bridge lifted for us to pass through.

We had a little trouble.  

The area just outside Ortega Landing is quite shallow, and our departure time was close to dead low tide. We got a soft grounding we were unable to break loose from on our own.

Our TowBoat US rescuer: prompt, professional, and efficient. He got us going in a jiffy.

We tied off to a mooring ball at Green Cove Springs. 

This morning we hauled out. 

There were no insurance showstoppers, so we are now officially the proud owners of a Gulfstar 45 Hirsh sailboat. We can from now on officially refer to her as s/v Gallivant, though here I chose to describe her by the name that most accurately reflected her ownership at the time.

The boat is back on a ball in Green Cove Springs tonight. Tomorrow we'll take her to JAX NAS marina, then celebrate my birthday—it's one of those major milestones.

Then we'll get everything moved aboard we'll need for 4 months in the Bahamas, head down Florida's Coast to where we'll jump off for the Bahamas, then go. Weather permitting, we're on track for the Bahamas in early February.

Special thanks in this big transition go to 

• Our friends Larry and Nancy, whose generosity made this possible
• Patrick, for selling us his RV to get us to Florida and give us a place to live until we found our sailboat and she's ready to move aboard.
• Chip Cramer of SJ Yachts, who helped us out with great resources even though he wasn't repping any boats that fit our needs
• The folks at Sunnier Palms, who gave us a fantastic place to live and a warm welcome while we boat shopped
• Cecelia "Ceal" Potts, our amazing surveyor, who we can't recommend highly enough
• The folks at NAS JAX, who simplified our life as we arrived in are preparing to depart Florida. Who knew we'd get such awesome customer service from a military base? We did.
• Chris and Chris of s/v Scintilla, our cruising buddies and favorite problem solvers
• Deb Blakewood for providing support for our nomadic life by handling our mail, and a true friend, besides
• West Marine, as one of the best employers to work for when you need to support your boating habit, and Nik Bottkol, my Portland Oregon manager, for all his support
• Aaron Tice, our financial planner who continues to help us work the financial end to make our wild and crazy dreams possible
• Don and Maryann, for selling us their beloved boat so we can each begin our new adventures on the water

Location Location

s/v Gallivant is currently on a mooring ball in Green Cove Springs, approximate lat/long is 29° 59' N x 81° 39' W.