Happy Birthday Michael!!! Hard to believe Michael is 20 years old today. It’s true that time flies. We are so proud of what great young man Michael he has become. Also, we are thankful of all the work Michael did on our boat to get us ready for our big journey. He may not be traveling with us physically, but he is always with us. We love you with all our hearts, Michael.

Our morning started with a bit of a scare. Our neighbor at the dock pulled away just before high tide which was a strong current. He got away from the dock fine, but as he tried to make the turn into the ICW in reverse, the current pushed his stern into our anchor at the bow. Jen and Kelly were still sleeping, and it was a very loud awakening.  Mike was outside at the stern and we all came running to the bow. There is no visible damage to the boat, but it took some time to free our anchor from his boat. They have some damage, but it could have been worse. They were shaken by it and decided to bring the boat back to its slip and not go anywhere. Smart move. Don’t travel when you are stressed. The lesson learned is to wait for currents to slow down. When maneuvering in tight spaces, currents can be your worst enemy.

Mid-morning, the dock master told us we had to move our boat because someone that rents our slip full time is coming back! After some negotiating and expressing some frustration, we agreed to move the boat tomorrow to the slip next to us in the morning during slack tide. We were not happy about moving because there is always some risk moving the boat.  

In the afternoon, Kelly did 8 loads of laundry which included sheets and blankets.  Marina laundry prices range from occasionally free to $6 for wash/dry load. Today, laundry is $3.50 to wash and dry. There were 3 washers and 3 dryers and a nice folding table and because some machines were occupied, laundry took 5 hours. We were glad to have it done. The prior marina had broken machines and Hilton had none, due to a past hurricane.  

Mike did some boat projects in the evening, and we called it an early night.