The Blue Hen

We are finally back in St. Augustine Florida; this time, to launch our Alberg 35, s/v Mystic and continue on our Great Loop Adventure. There is so much to do before we leave! And, there are still things we want to do while we are here.

The Blue Hen is a cute little neighborhood cafe that serves breakfast and lunch. It's been on our list of things to do since we discovered it on one of our walks through the Historic Lincolnville neighborhood of St Augustine. It's off the beaten path but it's very popular with locals as well as tourists. There is often a waiting line to get in but no one seems to care.

The Blue Hen looking out the front window

Dave contemplating breakfast

Lots of hens on display

Blue hens at The Blue Hen

We ordered the breakfast burrito. a delicious combination of scrambled eggs, home fries, salsa and cheddar jack cheese all wrapped up in a tortilla shell and fried to a golden brown. It was the perfect amount of food and very reasonably priced. We had coffee with our meal and found our cup was never empty. The staff is friendly and attentive. We just loved this place. We highly recommend a visit!

The Blue Hen Menu

 

Fabulous Coffee at The Blue Hen

The Blue Hen is on Facebook

https://www.facebook.com/The-Blue-Hen-Cafe-478893238837481/

Packing Our Bags

We are ready to return to s/v Mystic in St. Augustine, Florida to resume our cruising adventure. Once we pack the truck with all of our boat stuff we'll head south! The pile in our basement is growing by the day. We store it neatly while we are at home all winter but it's out of control now, mushrooming into a massive pile that just keeps spreading! It's tough to keep all that gear organized.

Dave is the master of packing. He is good at taking advantage of every bit of available space in the truck. The only problem is finding things once we arrive. It's often the same aboard Mystic. Everything has it's place and if it's not put back where it belongs it may not be found again until we empty the boat for the season.

We are excited to be returning to life on the water. It's a long drive south so we have plenty of time to add to our dreams and plans made over the winter. It will take some time to load our gear and prepare Mystic for cruising so we'll spend most of April taking care of things and enjoying everything that historic St. Augustine has to offer. 

The next leg of our journey on America's Great Loop will be spent cruising up and down the Atlantic ICW. Our goal is to cross to the Bahamas then make our way to New England to visit family. We have five months to fill with experiences and memories. We're ready to get started!

No room for beer
(A quote from Dave)

On the road again!

The Dinghy Chaps Project

We never guessed it would take us 80+ hours to make Dinghy Chaps. We were excited to begin our first big project on our new Sailrite Sewing machine which we refer to as The Big Blue Monster. This machine boasts a walking foot with straight and zig zag stitches, as well as the power to glide through multiple layers of leather. It is a machine used for sail making, sail repair, and canvas work but it is capable of all kinds of sewing projects. We tried, for months, to find a used LSZ-1; but we were always a day late and/or a dollar short. Sailrite machines are quite popular; especially used ones which hold their value.

The Big Blue Monster Sailrite LSZ-1 Plus

These machines are not cheap! Dave caught me in a weak moment in October during one of Sailrite's 10% off - (with free shipping) sales. We bought the deluxe Plus model which came with all kinds of cool extras. We began our labor of love by watching the Sailrite 'How To Make Dinghy Chaps' video several times.

Sailrite How to Make Dinghy Chaps Video Here

Following the video, we calculated how much fabric we would need then purchased six yards of Sunbrella in the color Teak. Next we had to make a pattern of each section of the dinghy, using clear plastic. During this process, we marked the many obstacles on the dinghy which would be cut out and reinforced with vinyl. Sailrite sells a good quality plastic for pattern making but we used a heavy duty product that we got for free; saving a few dollars on this step. It took a long time to mark and cut our pattern but we felt great about our work once we were done.

Plastic pattern, marking obstacles

We laid the pattern pieces on the Sunbrella and began to mark and cut out each section of the chaps. We don't have a hot knife which is the recommended way to cut Sunbrella. This tool melts the edges as you run it along your cut line. This helps to prevent fraying. Dave has a heated tool that cuts foam and rope. He used this on the Sunbrella and found that it worked well.

We purchased cream colored vinyl from Midwest Fabrics, a local shop. They sell a wide variety of materials used in car restoration. The vinyl is to reinforce the obstacles (holes) in the chaps and is sewed to the front and back of the Sunbrella. It slips easily under the walking foot. We used Sailrite fabric tape to hold all three layers in place while sewing it together. This step took a lot of time and patience. Once all obstacles were reinforced it was time to sew our sections together.

Measuring and cutting vinyl reinforcements

Adding vinyl reinforcements

Matching vinyl lined obstacles and sections

Panels laid out and ready for sewing

Front panels aligned

 

First section joined together

Our dinghy has registration numbers that must be mounted on the boat and be visible, even when the chaps are installed. To accommodate this, we decided to add windows over the registration numbers. Midwest Fabrics stocks 30 mm clear plastic which is perfect for this project. We cut the opening in the sunbrella, then cut the plastic windows and vinyl edging. I wasn't sure about how well the Big Blue Monster would go through the four layers of various fabric but the needle cut through them like a knife through soft butter. Our little windows came out very nice!

Window mounted on Sunbrella with Sailrite fabric tape

Plastic sewn to fabric, vinyl added later

Cutting out vinyl reinforcement for the window

Applying Sailrite fabric tape to hold all layers together

Registration numbers seen through chaps window

The Sailrite video suggested we cover the cone ends of the dinghy with a special kind of fabric called Phifertex instead of Sunbrella. Phifertex is a mesh type fabric that water can flow through. We had remnants of a similar product that we had found on the "free" table at St. Augustine Marine Center. Most marinas have these give-away spots for boat folks to share what they no longer need. We'd picked it up back in November when we were last in Florida. It was one of our better "free" finds!

Phifertex fabric cone covers

Once the sections were all sewn together it felt like we were close to done but the remaining work proved to take time and required attention to detail! The final touches included adding a cinch pocket and line directly below the rub rail on the outside of the chaps. This line tightens the chaps to the hull of the dinghy, holding it in place on the outside. We also added vinyl over the rub rail to protect the dinghy and Sunbrella when docking. These details wrapped up our project and brought big smiles to our faces!

Chaps with rub rail and cinch pocket installed

My final sewing step was to hem the inside of the chaps. I made a triple fold hem about 1.5 inches wide, using the zig zag stitch along the top and bottom of the hem. When we added snaps to the inside of the dinghy chaps, we placed them between the two stitch lines.

Double stitched inside hem

Dave had the honor of finishing off our project. He installed eye pads to the transom so the cinch line could be tied off there. Then he added adhesive snaps to the inside of the dinghy and matching punch snaps to the inside of love!

Transom with cone ends, eye pads, and cinch lines

Adhesive snap inside dinghy

Finished snaps - dinghy bow

Finished Dinghy Chaps Project

Finished Project

Our Supply List

6 yards outdoor sunbrella $120

15 pack of adhesive snaps $45

6 pack of button snaps x 3 $18

3 yards of white vinyl $45

1 yard clear vinyl $12

Sun-resistant Tenara thread $11

2 stainless steel pad eyes $10

Approximate Cost in Dollars: $260

Approximate Time: 80 hours

Lessons Learned: Countless

Winter 2019

We've been hit hard by snow here in Minnesota this winter. It seems like we just get cleaned up from our last "dump" and our next "dump" hits us! And the cold; oh my,  it has been bitter! We've had more than one temperature drop into the negative thirties since late January. On these extreme cold days we really take note of our environment. Each outing requires planning and preparation for the possibility of being stranded in dangerous conditions. Minnesotans have our own version of a ditch bag for the winter months. We carry extra clothes, blankets and non-perishable snacks in our vehicles.

It's easy to become overwhelmed by the cold, ice, snow, and the short dreary days that string together for weeks at a time. We can't help but dream of warmer climates, sunsets and sailing. After a recent 8 inch accumulation of snow we worked together to clear our drive and sidewalk; a job that took three hours of hard labor. Once our work was done, we stopped for a moment and looked around us at our winter wonderland. Everything was coated with pristine white sherbet, shimmering snowflake stars and a blanket of quiet. It could not be more Hallmark-ish if Hallmark had created the scene. There is, truly, good in all seasons! Soon we'll have sunsets and phosphorescence!

Welch, Minnesota February sunset

Curling snow

X-country Skiing

Peak-a-boo Snow Porthole

The snow wall outside my office

Stillwater Lights

S/V Keewatin Waiting on Spring

Winter melting into spring

Kitchen icicle view

Tundra Swans - St. Croix River

Dave on The Swinging Bridge
River Falls, Wisconsin

Life's Too Short

It's January and we are fully entrenched in our world at home in Minnesota. Life has grabbed us by the calendar and is holding us hostage. We'd rather be aboard our Alberg 35 S/V Mystic but she is resting on a cradle in St. Augustine, Florida and we are "Up North", waiting on spring.

Winter reflection of our home ~ Photo by Pat Murphy

We have completed over half of America's Great Loop, traveling over 3,500 miles from Knife River, Minnesota to St. Augustine, Florida. Our journey has been on hold for much longer than our initial 10 months of cruising. This was due to unexpected life events. Once we get through this winter we will return to our adventures on the water.

Our Great Loop Progress In Red

We spent mid October through mid November 2018 in St Augustine, working on projects aboard Mystic. The weather was unseasonably warm, which was a treat for us! When we returned to Minnesota, the temps were already frigid. Like last year, it appears we will have to endure a season of ice. By the end of January, the temperature dipped down to -36. Our world in the Great White North screeched to a halt. Outside activity is accompanied with the risk of frostbite so everyone hunkers down, keeping an eye on their plumbing while drinking warm beverages. We can't help thinking that we have our schedule backward. We should be aboard Mystic in tropical waters over the winter months and in Minnesota during the gorgeous summer weather. We need to work on that plan!

We're both working to take advantage of the opportunity to refill our cruising kitty. It helps pass the time but I forgot how stressful rush hour traffic can be, especially during the winter. We look forward to the light at the end of the tunnel.

BRRR! -36 F

The Bahama Islands have always been on our lists of places to cruise. It is considered a "side trip" on the Great Loop. Since our boat is already on the Atlantic Ocean, now is the time for us to make that trip. Instead of heading straight north toward New York City, we'll take a detour to the islands first. We are excited to accompany Mucho Gusto for this part of our adventure. It's always been more fun sharing our experiences with our buddy boat friends Scott and Rhonda Joiner.

Hoping to explore these Islands for 4-6 weeks in 2019

Winter in the north isn't all bad. We find ways to survive the polar temps that visit us now and then. This winter we've enjoyed spending time with family and friends, attending our favorite winter festivals and adding a few new microbreweries to our national Great Loop list. (Rochester Microbrew tour 2019 at Little Thistle, Life's Too Short, Kinney Creek & Forager) Wherever we are; we make memories through experiences! 

Dave & Tiffany at Forager

Makayla & Luke become part of the mural at Forager

Tiffany & Beth at LTS

Makayla and Tiffany at Forager

Tiffany at Little Thistle

Dave & Luke at LTS

Luke & Tiffany at LTS

Work hard, be kind, and amazing things will happen.

Conan O'Brien