Date: 27 August 2015. From Carrabelle
to St. Pete (via truck)
© janice142
I had not
told you how it came to be that I moved the boat south. This article
details how that came to be, and the folks that helped me make a
fresh start. I truly am blessed. You might wish to pour yourself a spot of tea.
I have run on at the fingers for certain.
The post
Engine Debacles
brought you almost to present.
For safety's sake I am not quite as specific as I used to be. No longer will
you find GPS coordinates listed, unless I am already gone. No,
nothing adverse has happened. I am however becoming more circumspect.
There are a lot of crazies in the world. Heck, I married into a
family of them so I know they breed.
When I suggest
you call on VHF Channel 16,
I mean do so first, before knocking on my hull.
But back to
the near present...
When I
realized the chances of Seaweed being finished this decade in
Carrabelle were close
to zero I looked around for choices. Fortunately I was blessed. To
recap the previous article, on that Friday morning I was terribly
distressed to hear Seaweed was still not at the top of the list for
job completion.
Having a
boat that does not move under her own power in hurricane season is a
disaster waiting to happen. I worry about that more than folks
ashore can imagine. The stress level aboard Seaweed was sky-high.
Side Note:
I have the DVD
Sky High,
and enjoy watching it. The Wonder Woman reference near the end is perfection
indeed. This movie is dorky escapism, which means it is just my type of
film.
Sci-fi is not generally found at marina swap libraries. There are
usually bunches of blood and guts movies plus some westerns. I do not see
musicals (Sound
of Music, etc.) then again, that sort of movie is a
Keeper so...
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Seaweed
tucked in behind Shrimp Boats: |
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As you can see from the
above picture, the view could be better. The one part that
makes July in Florida at a dock bearable is air-conditioning.
I have a room AC unit mounted in the starboard side doorway.
It is not pretty. Plywood holds the Haier air
conditioner into the doorframe. This does cool the boat.
My Haier is no longer
sold. This one has similar features:
Rovsun 5000BTU ac with mechanical controls
Seaweed is stern tied to
a dock. It sure would have been nice to have a *tuna door in
the transom to make boarding better...
*A tuna door is an opening in the transom originally designed so
fishermen could easily drag aboard large fish. Mostly though they are
used to make boarding the boat easier for humans and large dogs. I
want one.
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But I digress.
Hearing that Seaweed was not
going to be finished, especially with the job so close to completion
was a real kick in the gut. That's when I came to the decision to
leave Carrabelle.
It was not
an easily made choice. Traumatic would not be too strong a word. I am
an optimist by nature and always want to believe the best in people.
When I am disappointed, I tend to take it personally.
The first
step was to figure out a way to move a boat without a working engine
out of town. The weather is dreadful for a Gulf of Mexico crossing
this time of the year. Thus, the easiest and least expensive option
was o-u-t. I would have much preferred being towed across behind
another boat.
I opted to
hire a trucking company. I put an advertisement up on
U-Ship with a
pick-up date one year from arrival back in Carrabelle. Early Friday
afternoon Butch Hagan contacted me. He said he could pick me up at 8
a.m. Monday morning.
This is
Butch and Skipper:
My
immediate concern was "could I be ready in less than 72 hours?" and
I worried about the logistics. Nonetheless, I said Yes. Figuring out the details would
come next.
In the
meantime I received a note from a lovely couple I had met
previously. They were in town and wanted to go to lunch. I love
lunches.
While
chatting with Heather I detailed my problem. I needed to get Seaweed hauled across the
river on Sunday afternoon. Monday the trucking company was due to
pick me up at 8 a.m.
You have no
idea what a relief it was when Heather and
her Freddie offered to to tow me with one of
their jet-skis.
What I
needed was a miracle, and Heather solved my problem without
hesitation. It was such a weight off my shoulders to be granted a tow
across the river. That these new friends were visiting this area and took the
time to help was, well, just what I needed. They made a miracle for
me. I am grateful.
The timing
was fortuitous. If you wonder where that word came from, try
watching
The Happiest Millionaire.
That Disney musical is great fun.
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Preparing
for Departure |
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Saturday I went about getting ready to leave. That included
making sure I removed all the tools and assorted gear that
belonged to the mechanic and putting his stuff where he could find
it.
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Fortunately, he
had left the back of his boat open by accident.
In the past I just closed it. That is what boat folks do.
His boat
is on an adjacent pier. I had shut the door to the cabin
earlier in the day so knew it was unlocked. Therefore, I put a bucket full of his
stuff aboard the Moppy and closed the boat back up. What with
raccoons in the area, having an open door is an invitation for
the critters to visit. See the
Rocky Raccoon Returns
article for more details.
A
Bertram31 is often referred to as a Moppy. It is a nickname for
the go-fast fishing boats that are preferred by many serious
anglers.
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Mechanic's Moppy underway:
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Also I wrote notes saying
good-bye. One I left for a
dear friend, Louise. Her hubby owns Rollin' Stone, the big
shrimp boat that has been doing an overhaul next to me. She
(the shrimper) is looking mighty fine of late. Keeping a steel
working boat in good condition is not for the faint of heart.
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This is Rollin' Stone:
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A final trip to the post
office, dropping off my new mailing address was difficult. I
knew I would miss the smiling face of Miss Connie. She is a real
treasure to the people who visit the Carrabelle Post Office. |
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Folks do not realize how "little things" really make a
difference. Miss Connie always has a cheery word for everyone. Some
days, she was the only person I saw or spoke with. Her positive
attitude was always a bright spot in my day.
Another person, Mr. Gander, was
just that way too. He always said "Thank you for your business. Come
back and see us again." And I did. I would much rather support a
small hardware store where folks are friendly. I will miss Mr. Gander
too.
This is Mr. Gander, of Gander's
Hardware Store in Carrabelle:
My Saturday was taken up reminiscing. I wrote notes to friends
too. I have been a letter writer all my life. Of late I have taken to
sending post cards or smaller missives versus the longer letters I
used to mail.
Writing is an
easy way to stay in touch with people you care about. And too, a
tangible note seems nicer to me. I have saved some of the letters sent
me over the years.
Then I
dragged Algae back into the water for the tow across the river.
The dinghy had been on the bank of the river. Due to being stored on
shore out of the
water, I did not have to scrape barnacles off her bottom.
It also
meant taking Skipper for a row was nigh on to impossible. Getting
Algae out of the water required extremely high tides and a lot of
strength. The First Mate loves her boat rides. I do too, especially
with a trolling motor making it all easy.
This is JonGarret taking Skipper for a ride:
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Rocky
Raccoon |
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Just prior to pulling
Algae back into the water, I had a visitor. Yes, Rocky Raccoon
sauntered by. It i nice to know he is getting along fine. He is
growing into such a big guy. I "met" him when he was a
teenager and now he is almost the size of an adult. The
Rocky Raccoon
article is about when I saw him first. |
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Rocky Raccoon's feet are wet. He most
likely has been in the river collecting oysters. |
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New friends Heather and Freddie came by right at noon
on Sunday on one of their jet-skis. We disconnected the final dock
lines and they towed me across the river to Dockside Marina.
Once Seaweed was secured and their jet-ski back on the trailer we
went to lunch.
Me and Freddie outside the
restaurant:
Heather is a lovely lady. I wish I had a picture of
her too... she is so charming. Both Heather and Freddie went out of
their way to make my world better. Helping me move Seaweed was a
huge thing. I hope they realize how much I appreciate their efforts!
We three, Heather, Freddie and I, went over to The Fisherman's Wife
for lunch. I was disappointed Pat was not working at the restaurant
that day. Pat's a gem too. I suppose it was Pat's day off.
Her kids, Asti and
Monty, are good pups. I did hope to say
good-bye to Pat in person.
Alas, I didn't get the chance.
Asti and Monty need a baby sister.
Pat would like a miniature Australian Shepherd, to be
named Spu.
Then she will have AstiSpuMonti and a glass of wine on the side...
Lunch at Fisherman's Wife
was okay. The best part was getting to know Freddie and
Heather. We have children and that was a common ground. Son
was a pip when a teenager... the stories I could tell. Yes, I
shared a few.
Suffice it to say, my
grey hair was
earned. Every. Last. Strand.
Still, it was fun
reminiscing about old times. Those are always better in
retrospect than during the moment. Trust me on that!!!
Skipper is hiding in my
purse →
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The following morning Vernon and crew placed me on the LowBoy
trailer belonging to
HaganLand trucking. The owner/operator, Butch is a very
particular man. Several things impressed me about him.
Seaweed is on a forklift, getting
ready to be placed on the trailer:
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Haganland
trucking moves big boats too. |
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Butch and Vernon discuss alignment of the forklift
putting Seaweed on the trailer.
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Butch had a job to pick
up a Nordic Tug (be still my heart) that was unavoidably
delayed. Instead of going straight home, he opted to swing by
Carrabelle and get Seaweed. I was fortunate to fit so easily
into his schedule. |
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Several
things impressed me about Butch Hagan: |
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#1) His
equipment was in top shape, painted, clean and well-cared for.
#2) He was
very particular as to placement of my boat on his trailer.
#3) Butch
was meticulous, insuring the multiple support pads
under Seaweed were properly aligned.
#4) The
trailer is called a LowBoy and he has a ton of square steel slots
pads fit into. Anywhere one could want, there was a place where
support could be provided.
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Yes, I would recommend this company if you want to have your
boat moved professionally. Butch's office phone number is
407-697-6500. He will call you back.
website:
HaganLand transportation
I
hired him through
U-Ship incidentally. |
Once safe and secure, one more trip around the trailer made sure all
was well. Then we were off.
My time is Carrabelle was longer than anticipated. Originally I came
in with a blown head-gasket intending to stay for a couple of months
until it was repaired. The intervening two years were not without
merit. I fell hard for the town and the people.
Leaving was
by no means easy. Passing C-Quarters from the road was tough...
One of the hardest parts of boating is making and leaving behind
friends...
How do you keep in touch with old friends that are no
longer a part of your day-to-day life?
Do you make phone calls, email, or post on Facebook to those who are our
of your locale?
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