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May 20 – An Afternoon on the Water

Lamb’s Yacht Center

“Life is simple…just add water”

We put the first coat of Cetol gloss on the cap rail, flybridge and port door this morning. It’s getting a little tedious going around and around; coat after coat, so this afternoon we decided to take the dinghy up the Ortega River. It’s not a long river…or at least the navigable portion, but it is beautiful. The area around the marina looks more like a small lake and is lined with beautiful, large, expensive homes. All with beautiful yards and boat houses. A couple of miles from the marina the river begins to narrow and it looked like we were back on one of the small creeks off the St. John’s River…lush, green and remote. I’m sure just beyond the wooded shore there was civilization, but it was very relaxing and it felt great to be on the water.

We love having the boat under cover at the marina, but we haven’t seen much sign of wildlife since we arrived. We did watch an eagle do a little fishing the other night, but other than that and a few cormorants fishing behind the boat, it’s been a little dull around here, but it wasn’t dull today. Once we got into the narrower part of the river we spotted an eagle and a small alligator, but the real fun was spotting a manatee. At first we thought it was a large alligator, but once we got a better look we noticed it was a manatee. We turned the motor off and just drifted for awhile. The curious creature decided to come investigate us and stayed for a nice long visit. It was so much fun seeing him up close. What a great way to spend the afternoon.

I don't drive the dinghy very often...so Stan gave me a driving lesson.
The narrower part of Ortega River  
Our little visitor. I think he was as excited to see us as we were to see him. 
Not a bad little spot to relax in while Stan fished 
Stan did a little fishing, but no luck...we had chicken for dinner! 

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