Shell Island - First Trip of the Season

We headed out for our first weekend of the season at Shell Island. It was going to be a little windy, but we looked forward not having to run the generator all night. Those days will come soon enough.

We anchored stern in to the Island so we could just walk to shore. That is our favorite part about where we go (Spanish Ante) is that the water shoals quickly and you can have your running gear in plenty of water but still have your swim platform over waste deep or less water.  You need to have two stern anchors since the winds can change quickly


A beautiful sunrise over St Andrews Bay. We were also treated to an air show from Tyndall AFB with the Thunderbirds. We really enjoy it when there are not to many boats out here.

Weekends are just to short

St. Patrick's Day Dock Party

 Their was a St. Patrick's Day Dock Party at our marina. Everyone brought there favorite Irish dishes. There is always a reason to have a dock party.  Roy from "Roy El" was the unofficial master of ceremonies since he was the only one with the leprechaun hat.

 

New Window Covers

Living in Florida heat is a major problem during the summer. Mer Soleil is equipped with two 16K BTU air conditioners. There was black window tint on the windows when we purchased her. During the summer the inside of the windows would get so hot you could not touch the windows. We had curtains but by that time the heat was already inside the boat. We decided to stop the heat on the outside of the boat.

We had window covers made from Phifertex mesh, a 70% opaque. We like the look, very clean.

We are not a fan of curtains on the boat since it blocks our view. We like the open feeling of no obstructions. Even though the material is 70% opaque from the inside it is easy to see out.


No we don't have to remove the front window cover to uses the lower helm like we did with the sunbrella.







Another added benefit is we don't need the screens to keep the bugs out

Haul Out 2011

After a year of ownrership it was time for a new coat of bottom paint. It was sad to see her leave the water.  

Cruising through the parking lot. There were alot of strange looks from the people in their cars.

Settled in at her temporary home on the hard

 We decided to change the hull color from black to blue. The color goes very well with the yellow hull. 

After two weeks back home in her slip.