My Day Trip to St. Joe

Even though it’s technically still winter, I diligently review the weather forecast.  If there’s any hint of a beautiful day, I’m heading to the boatyard to work on projects. 

Fortunately, I stumbled across such a day …

I woke up and dressed like I was going ice fishing with multiple layers on – even though it was near 50s outside, the boat had been locked up under snow and ice with no heat or electricity, it’s still very cold!  I grabbed a to-go mug of coffee and headed out the door.

With blue skies and the sun shining, I meandered up north taking Red Arrow Highway – avoiding semi-trucks and commuters rushing to work.  Yes, I’m going to work too, but this is more like a hobby disguised as work – I love it!  It takes a little longer this way, but the drive is much more pleasant.

This fall, I developed a process once I pull up to the boat.  Unpack the ladder and unwind 100’ power cord is necessary to get into the boat and lights working.  It is nearly 10’ off the ground to get up to the deck, and there’s a small shrink wrap door that allows access inside.  Once inside, with my limited power source, I get to work right away on projects. 

If Kara’s with me, I’ll have to hear about how big of a mess I made, but this time I’m alone and the boat looks great to me! 

It was the first trip here in a while and I missed it.  Spring launch is just around the corner and I have to wrap up several critical projects.  To effectively work on projects, I need to work on one thing at a time, and move on to the next item if I’m missing materials, run into a roadblock or waiting for something to dry. 

The goal right now is finishing up all electrical work.  The new wires connecting the new batteries up to the various charging sources require inline fuses, so I spent most of the day fabricating and completing those. 

We don’t eat out very often so it was a treat grabbing lunch and heading to St. Joe harbor entrance to eat it. 

My favorite lunchtime activities are parking at West Basin Marina and walking to Tiscornia Park to check out the lake, river flow and the St. Joe North Pier Inner and Outer Lighthouses.

Back at the boat, I ended the day beginning the process for new solar panel wires. I went through all the materials and dry fit everything to ensure nothing was missing.  I’ll need to bring sealant on the next trip and plan for a warmer day to complete the project. 

Since we’re expecting snowfall later this week, it seems I’ll be on hold for the time being … but next week looks great again!

There is just something about working on projects that is so rewarding – taking the time to think, build, fix, create fulfills me deep into my soul.  It’s not even about getting things done.  There’s joy in the process – not just the results.

Tell us what you think

Let us know what you think of our sailing adventures by sharing your feedback in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you!

– Kyle from Zeke Life

Live like Zeke
You’re such a good boy!