yes dear …

09-APR-2021 Friday Isle of Hope Marina, Isle of Hope GA (0 nautical miles  0 statute miles)

31°58’50.2″N 81°03’21.0″W
31.980612, -81.055823
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Georgia

Along the Way

We used the marina courtesy car and treated ourselves to breakfast.

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… and I thought chicken and waffles for breakfast was weird.

We did a little local sight seeing as long as we had the car two hours. (Good thing we did. It rained the remainder of the day so we couldn’t bike around as we had planned.)

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Wormsloe was the colonial estate of Noble Jones (1702–1775). He was a humble carpenter who arrived in Georgia in 1733 with James Oglethorpe and the first group of settlers from England. The land which became the Wormslow Plantation was acquired 1736. The name “Wormsloe” came from Jones’ home township in England: Wormslow (Wormelow) Hundred in Herefordshire. (A ‘hundred’ is an administrative division that is geographically part of a larger region, like an acre or section)

Although most the Wormslow Plantation is now a Georgia Department of Resources historical site decedents of the original owners retain and still live in the antebellum home. In 1986 Craig Barrow III became the ninth generation and fourteenth owner of the 285-year old agricultural property.

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Good Night

Floccinaucinihilipilification

The current flag of Georgia was adopted on May 8, 2003. The flag bears three stripes consisting of red-white-red, featuring a blue canton containing a ring of 13 white stars encompassing the state’s coat of arms in gold. In the coat of arms, the arch symbolizes the state’s constitution while the pillars represent the three branches of government. The words of the state motto, “Wisdom, Justice, and Moderation”, are wrapped around the pillars, guarded by a male figure dressed in colonial attire from the American Revolutionary War.

Within the arms, a sword is drawn to represent the defense of the state’s constitution with an additional motto, In God We Trust, featured below these elements. The ring of stars that encompass the state’s coat of arms represents Georgia as one of the original Thirteen Colonies. The design principle is based on the First National Flag of the Confederacy, which was nicknamed the Stars and Bars. It is one of three U.S. state flags to feature the words “In God We Trust”. (Thx Wiki)

Today is our last day in Georgia. Tomorrow we will be in South Carolina.

08-APR-2021 Thursday Isle of Hope Marina, Isle of Hope GA (0 nautical miles  0 statute miles)

31°58’50.2″N 81°03’21.0″W
31.980612, -81.055823
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Georgia

Along the Way

Watching this tow bow bend the dredge pipe tow around the Skidaway River bends has to be one of the more amazing things I’ve seen on the Loop so far. The dredge pipe tow was easily over a quarter mile long.

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We are living large today. We are not walking, biking scootering, or taking public transportation to our intended destination. Our Uber came to take us to Savannah ~ 8 miles. We had so go. I’ll assume the dredge made it through bend.

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Everyone ordering an alcoholic beverage in Savannah is ID’d. Savannah has open containers laws. You can get your drink to go. No valid ID or and expired ID = No drink.

Everyone in their life time at some point needs to go to Savannah. What happens in Savannah stays in Savannah. I took a few pictures but you need to go experience it yourself.

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Dale just sits on the bench and charges $20 for a picture. I paid Dale $20, ran over and asked a passerby to take our picture. I’m glad the passerby didn’t run off with my camera once I sat down for the picture. Neither neither Dale or I could have run fast enough to catch him.

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Historic steps to the waterfront

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But of course we had to sample cookies at Byrd’s Famous Cookie Company. https://www.byrdcookiecompany.com/ They had about a dozen flavors. We sampled most of them 🙂

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We bought 2 bags of cookies.

After 3:00pm the city looked like there was no such thing as COVID. Every tourist around was out on the town. Tour trolleys and tour boats were packed.

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If you want to catch COVID go in a candy store or stop at an ice cream store. The Savannah Candy Kitchen https://www.savannahcandy.com/ is the red awning expanding across the three buildings below. It was too crowded so we didn’t go in.

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Leopold’s ice cream is a Savannah tradition. https://www.leopoldsicecream.com/ It had a line down the block. We didn’t stop here either.

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Good Night

The undead are quite alive in Savannah. There must be over 2 dozen ghost tour companies. Many establishments and homes claim apparitions, ghosts and poltergeists. Then there’s the cemeteries ….

Savannah is one of America’s most haunted cities. It has carried dark secrets since its beginnings when it was built upon Native American burial grounds. Waves of tragic and violent events—bloody skirmishes, slavery, epidemics and hurricanes—have seemingly left an active population of the undead.

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Supposedly ghosts are afraid to cross water. I’m good with life on a boat.

Floccinaucinihilipilification

Stalemate in their war with the Americans in the north and concern over French attacks against British-held Caribbean islands caused the British to focus on securing American colonies in the south. The Siege of Savannah (September 23 to October 18, 1779) was a failed attempt by American and French forces to retake the port city from its British occupiers. The significance of the conflict was that it was the beginning of the British push in the South. The British won, and remained in control of Savannah, a city of economic importance.

Siege of Savannah was one of the costliest battles of the Revolutionary War in terms of casualties.

George Washington captured the below bronze cannons and gifted them to the Chatham Artillery after his visit to Savannah in 1791 (after the Revolutionary War ended). Of English and French make, they are excellent examples of the art of ordnance manufacture.

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Nauti Words

Prop Walk (Propeller Walk):
Prop walk, the tendency of a turning propeller to push a boat’s stern sideways. Prop walk can be your biggest ally when docking or maneuvering in small spaces. Conversely, it can be a real problem it you don’t understand it. The direction of the prop walk is determined on whether you have a right hand prop or a left hand prop. yes dear … has two screws (i.e. two propellers). One prop is designed to turn clockwise and the other designed to turn counter clockwise. Props on some multi-screw boats turn the same direction.

Drolleries and Yuks

What do ghosts serve for dessert?
~ I Scream.

Why are Ghosts banned from Liquor Stores?
~Because they always steal the Boos!

Why are ghosts such bad liars?
~You can see right through them.

What do you call the ghost of a chicken?
~A poultry-geist.

07-APR-2021 Wednesday Ossabaw Island Rainbow Bend on Bear River, GA to Isle of Hope Marina, Isle of Hope GA (32.0 nautical miles  36.8 statute miles)

31°58’50.2″N 81°03’21.0″W
31.980612, -81.055823
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Georgia

Along the Way

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A land yacht! It’s out out here in the middle of no where. It must be an amazing view from the top deck looking across the expanse of the salt marshes. It’s amazing enough from the upper helm on yes dear…

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I had to Google it. The cruise ship is part of American Cruise Lines fleet. It’s on and eight day cruise from Charleston, SC to Amelia Island, FL https://www.americancruiselines.com/

I wonder if it looks out for crab traps. We do.

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Harvesting crab traps

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Take us through Hell Dale

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Hell Gate is a notorious cut between the Ogeechee River and the Vernon River just off on the Ossabaw Sound. It’s shallow. The river and tidal currents run fast and at rising tides conflict. Hell Gate doesn’t look like much but it can be deceiving. If Hell Gate is non-cooperative you have to travel out to the Ossabaw Sound and circle back up river to follow the ICW (~12 nautical miles).

Everything was in our favor for entry into Hell. It was a great day with minimal wind and falling slack tide. The river and tide were flowing in in the same direction.

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The other side of Hell Gate on the ICW took us further inland. It was not quite as marshy. Civilization started to appear.

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For the next 3 nights we are staying at the Isle of Hope Marina just 9 miles from the heart of Savannah’s waterfront.

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Pumping out the blackwater was literally breeze. Air flowed freely across the new charcoal in the poopy filter. Problem solved. With a fill of fuel and three nights on a transient dock you would think a pump out would be complimentary. We had to pay $10 for it. We’ve only paid for a pump out 4 other times on this Loop and they were only $5.

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It is interesting to see how the floating docks scrap, crush and sculpt the oysters, muscles and barnacles on the floating dock poles.

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Yippee! The marina has a rental car. We were off for incidentals and oil for an oil change.

It was high tide when we returned. All the oysters, muscles and barnacles have magically disappeared.

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Good Night

We walked 1.5 miles to the neighboring community of Sandfly for supper. Parts of the walk were creepy dark, no lights and Spanish moss softly blowing in the breeze. We past by the entrance to Wormsloe Plantation Historic Site. We’ll have to go back and explore in day light.

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Floccinaucinihilipilification

Isle of Hope was established as a retreat in the 19th century for the elite of Savannah. It provided a refuge from the intense heat and outbreaks of malaria prevalent throughout the summer months.

06-APR-2021 Tuesday East River, Cumberland Island, GA to Ossabaw Island Rainbow Bend on Bear River, GA (77.1 nautical miles  88.7 statute miles)

31°47’27.8″N 81°09’48.5″W
31.791058, -81.163469
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Georgia

Along the Way

The quiet was broken at 8:00am by the Star Spangled Banner being played from across the salt marsh at the Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base.

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Although we haven’t seen any submarines, we are reasonably certain two or more past through enroute to Kings Bay Naval Submarine Base while we’ve been anchored here. Last evening we were heavily rocked by a set of waves with no vessel insight. Later in the night yes dear… started crackling with the sounds of static electricity.

We pulled anchor and headed up the ICW towards the base.

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Saltwater marshes as far as the eye can see.

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When the bottom of the waterway looks like below it’s a clear sign of strong current. The auto pilot can’t hold its course. The boat twists and turns pushed by the current.  It’s best to put autopilot on standby and pilot manually.

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There were a lot of dolphins coming in to bow surf. The dolphins didn’t cooperate for pictures. Everytime I went out to take a picture they took off. So I took Dale’s picture instead.

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Today was an awesome day and we decided to run in the Atlantic instead of the ICW. At St Andrew Sound we headed for open water .It couldn’t have been a better day. It was exhilarating.

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We headed back into the ICW at Sapelo Sound, just north of Black Beard’s Island.

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The name of the island comes from Edward Teach, the infamous pirate Blackbeard. There is a legend that part of his treasure is buried on the island. There has never been a single doubloon found. The last hunt took place in the 1880s on the north end of the island. As the land is federally owned, there have been no further authorized attempts since.

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At some point in the day Dale pulled a tick off himself. He must have picked it up while we were roving around Cumberland Island. I bet the horses are full of ticks too.

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Neighbors

We picked an anchorage and settled in with the neighbors. Anchor scope was set for a six foot tide.

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We are in the middle of nowhere. Once it was dark I could count on one hand all the lights I could see.

Good Night

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Nauti Words

Deperming
A procedure for erasing/demagnetizing the permanent magnetism from a ship or submarine to camouflage.

A sea-going metal-hulled ship or submarine, by its very nature, develops a magnetic signature as it travels, due to a magneto-mechanical interaction with Earth’s magnetic field. This makes the vessel vulnerable to enemy defense systems such as magnetic detection vessels and enemy magnetic marine mines.

Deperming is performed by wrapping a large coil around the circumference of ship’s hull, running from bow to stern on both sides. A measured alternating current, very strong at first but gradually diminishing in intensity, is passed through these cables to cancel out the ship’s magnetic field.

Drolleries and Yuks

Did you hear that Blackbeard has taken interest in coding?
~He wanted to learn sea++

What did the crew do when Blackbeard died?
~Switched on the auto-pirate.

Fun Fact

It is documented that Blackbeard:
“In time of action, he … stuck lighted matches under his hat, which appearing on each side of his face, his eyes naturally looking fierce and wild, made him altogether such a figure that imagination cannot form an idea of a fury, from hell, to look more frightful.”

05-APR-2021 Monday East River, Cumberland Island, GA (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)

30°45’19.4″N 81°28’36.4″W
30.755381, -81.476780
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Georgia

Along the Way

I awoke with the same soft whiff of horses (manure) on the morning breeze. Poopy smells. My juices were going and I couldn’t wait to get on Cumberland Island to see the horses.

My enthusiasm was killed when Dale reminded me about the other poopy smells. The black water filter still needed to be changed and today would be a great day to do it as there was no wind/waves. I reluctantly agreed because I wouldn’t feel like was sitting in a washing machine while I changed the filter.

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Cumberland Island National Seashore

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Good Night

End of a beautiful top 10, cloudless sky weather day.

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Floccinaucinihilipilification

Horses on Cumberland Island were probably first established by the Spanish in the late 1500’s. By the end of the 1700s, island landowners were reporting an estimate of 200 domestic horses and some mules kept as free ranging livestock on Cumberland. Property owners on Cumberland managed horses as free ranging livestock from the 1940s until the 1960s. By the time the Cumberland Island National Seashore park was established in 1972, horses had become feral on the island.

The National Park Service has conducted population surveys since 2003 that have returned counts ranging from 120 to 148 horses a year.  It is believed the total number of horses on the island could be 30 to 40 animals higher than the annual survey results.

Genetic studies conducted in 1991 by the University of Georgia and University of Kentucky on the island’s population showed that Cumberland’s horses are closely related to Tennessee Walkers, American Quarter Horses, Arabians, and Paso Fino.

Cumberland has the only herd of feral horses on the Atlantic coast that is not managed (no food, water, veterinary care, or population control). The herd is affected by all the natural stressors faced by native wildlife. The lifespan of horses on the island may be as long as 9 to 10 years. Causes of mortality include high parasite loads, drought-related stress, age, natural accidents, and suspected eastern equine encephalitis and West Nile virus.

Drolleries and Yuks

What do you call a horse that opposes everything?
~A Neigh-sayer!

Why can’t horses dance?
~Because they have two left feet.

What did the horse say after it tripped?
~”Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t giddyup!”

Why did the Clydesdale give the pony a glass of water?
~Because he was a little horse!

Why was the horse so happy?
~Because he lived in a stable environment.

04-APR-2021 Sunday Matanzas Inlet by Fort Matanzas National Monument, St Augustine, FL to East River, Cumberland Island, GA (71.0 nautical miles 81.7 statute miles)

30°45’19.4″N 81°28’36.4″W
30.755381, -81.476780
Elevation: sea level
States (2): Florida, Georgia

Along the Way

Happy Easter!!!

Noticeably absent today when we got up was the wind. We still have the cold.

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When the kids were younger we used to have a tradition of racing go karts Easter afternoon. These guys must have a tradition of racing boats Easter morning.

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They are coming back at us and it’s not not a joy ride. At first we couldn’t figure out what was going on. The DEA Marine Operatives (black boat) and the US Customs and Border Protection (white boat) were practicing intercepting a highspeed boat (yellow boat). Skill and speed. It reminded me of steer roping at a rodeo.

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With a boat yes dear‘s size it’s pretty easy to wreck someone’s day with a sizeable wake. Being Easter and all we decided to behave benevolently.

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The rest of them ….. we waked the hell out of. (just kidding)

We’ve been here before.

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The north side the river put us into new territory for this Loop.

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Fernandina Beach, FL has to be the ugliest town on the loop. Strangely it is on one of the prettiest islands in Florida, Amelia Island.

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The Florida Georgia state line runs between Amelia Island and Cumberland Island.

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We’ve had two long travel days in a row without getting off the boat. I have boat butt. Unfortunately we won’t be going ashore today. We are both tired. We’ll change the poopy filter tomorrow.

Neighbors

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I can’t wait till tomorrow. There’s a faint whiff of horses (manure) on the evening breeze.

Seamanship Skills

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Neither really. Although the boat on the left is upright it appears the railings have been pulled off.

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03-APR-2021 Saturday Titusville Municipal Marina, Titusville, FL to Matanzas Inlet by Fort Matanzas National Monument, St Augustine, FL (76.7 nautical miles 88.3 statute miles)

29°42’58.1″N 81°14’21.5″W
29.716136, -81.239297
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

Along the Way

Saturday morning 7:00 am we were still suffering from the WIND and cold. yes dear… rocked all night long inside the marina’s break wall. We learned many dockings ago that it is sometime better to fender the dock instead of the boat when winds are gale force. All our fenders were tied to the dock. yes dear… faired beautifully. For us it was a near sleepless night.

We had hoped to stay in the marina for one more night due to the winds, but they were booked. We had to leave. Our best opportunity to safely get off the dock and out of the marina was at 7:00am before winds picked up. Never the less we still had 14 mph winds pinning us to the dock T head.

Moments after Dale started warming the engines two men from neighbor boats came to assist us off the dock. Unsolicited help! We got off with a little push from our friends. Thank You! It would have been tough getting off the dock without their assistance.

Interesting boats on the hook outside the marina break wall. They must have very, very good anchors as they look like they have sat there a while.

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Sun tumbling down cloud falls

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We had a huge fetch on the starboard beam for the the first ~20 miles across the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon. Supposedly, according to the weather report, the further north we go the less blow we should have. That didn’t seem to work too well for us, at least not at our speed.

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Screenlandia. Moving north into the bug zone.

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YardNacks

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Ugh! We’ve been dealing with poopy smells from our black water tank for about a week. We changed the charcoal in the filter about 2 weeks ago. The filter worked well until we got all this rough windy/wavy weather. Our assumption is that we used too small of charcoal pellets and it settled in too tightly with all the bouncing around. The poopy air can’t properly exhaust through the vent. The packed charcoal also doesn’t allow for air to be drawn in when we pump out the black water.

We’d planned on replacing the charcoal tonight while we were at anchor. (We actually means Mary. Dale is too big for the space.) Bzzzzzzt. No way. With tonight’s wind and waves I’d have felt like I was sitting in a blender.

Good Night

This is our 4th time anchoring at Fort Matanzas National Monument. We haven’t dinghied ashore on any of our overnights. There’s something about an island named Rattlesnake Island that deterrers me.

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Floccinaucinihilipilification

Winter, the bottle nose dolphin notable for her prosthetic tail (whose story is feathered in the Warner Bros film ‘Dolphin Tale’) was rescued from Mosquito Lagoon

Ponder This

Should we be concerned April 3, 2021 is the final count down   (4.3.21)

01-APR-2021 Thursday Titusville Municipal Marina, Titusville, FL (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)

28°37’16.8″N 80°48’35.2″W
28.621332, -80.809771
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

Along the Way

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Dale stopped in for a hair cut and beard trim at the River & Main Barber Shop in downtown Titusville. Beard trimming is a lost art. You only see it in old movies.

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After Dale got his hair cut and beard trimmed we stopped next door so he could get a tattoo.

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Floccinaucinihilipilification

The Florida State Flag has a white field emblazoned with a red saltire (symbolizing the cross on which St. Andrew was crucified) and the state seal.

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The state seal features a brilliant sun, a cabbage palmetto tree, a steamboat sailing and a Native American Seminole woman scattering flowers. Legend says that the woman is the historical heroine Milly Francis, but there is no documentation supporting this. Milly Francis saved the life of an American soldier named Duncan McCrimmon during the First Seminole War of 1817-1818. Her act of mercy stunned a grateful nation and sparked a reconsideration of America’s attitudes toward its original inhabitants. She was the first woman to receive a special medal of honor from the U.S. Congress.

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Drolleries and Yuks

How did the barber win the race?
~He knew a short cut.

31-MAR-2021 Wednesday Titusville Municipal Marina, Titusville, FL (0.0329 nautical miles 0.0379 statute miles)

28°37’16.8″N 80°48’35.2″W
28.621332, -80.809771
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

Good Morning

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Along the Way

Severe weather, winds and rain, is forecasted for the next couple of days so decided to stay in the marina till Saturday. To do so we needed to move to a new slip two docks down. We moved diagonally about 1.9 seconds of latitude and 3.5 seconds of longitude (about 200 feet).

Fresh off the dinghy dock…

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Neighbors

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Nauti Words

28°37’16.8″N    80°48’35.2″W
[latitude]            [longitude]

Latitude is the measurement north or south of the equator. One degree of latitude equals approximately 364,000 feet (~69 miles), one minute equals 6,068 feet (~1.15 miles), and one-second equals ~101 feet.

Longitude is the measurement east or west of the prime meridian. At the equator, one degree of longitude is the same as one degree of latitude (~69 miles). But it decreases as you move closer to the north or south pole. The distance corresponding to a second of longitude depends on where it is geographically located.

Drolleries and Yuks

Why doesn’t James bond fart in bed?
~It would blow his cover

30-MAR-2021 Tuesday – Tom and Ninette’s, Merritt Island, FL to Titusville Municipal Marina, Titusville, FL (24.8 nautical miles 28.5 statute miles)

28°37’14.9″N 80°48’31.7″W
28.620804, -80.808799
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

When Tom the landlord walked down his dock this morning at 8:30am I thought for sure we were being evicted. Heck! We got invited for breakfast! 

There was a lot of serious boating talk over breakfast. It was decided Tom, Jeff and Toni were coming with us to Titusville. Ninette said she would pick them up after her appointment.

Along the Way

With a talented crew and experienced navigators on board we headed out up the Banana River.

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This boat must have been on a sea trial test drive. It blew by us then turned doughnuts on our wake.

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Going into Titusville Municipal Marina was a breeze with the best crew we’ve ever had! I just stood by and watched Toni and Jeff man the fenders and lines, just like they handle their 4587 Bayliner.

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Neighbors

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Good Night

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Ponder this

People with beards are just the same as people without beards, with beards.

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29-MAR-2021 Monday – Tom and Ninette’s dock, Merritt Island, FL (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)

28°18’44.6″N 80°39’26.7″W
28.312398, -80.657419
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

Along the Way

Breakfast on yes dear…

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Unfortunately we had to say goodbye to Paul and Micki as they were off to visit other friends on the other coast of Florida. We are looking forward to having them back when we are further up the ICW.

Tom and Ninette’s dock is another one of those velcro docks. Once the lines were tied yesterday we knew it was going to be hard to leave. Since Tom said he liked seeing a boat off his dock, we stayed another night.

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Thank you Tom and Ninette!!!

Drolleries and Yuks

What do you call a hotel on the ocean?
~A Marri-Yacht

What do you call a can on a mountain?
~Hill tin

28-MAR-2021 Sunday – Port Canaveral Yacht Club, Port Canaveral, FL to Tom and Ninette’s, Merritt Island, FL (13.2 nautical miles 15.2 statute miles)

28°18’44.6″N 80°39’26.7″W
28.312398, -80.657419
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

27-MAR-2021 Saturday – Port Canaveral Yacht Club, Port Canaveral, FL (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)

28°24’26.2″N 80°37’43.9″W
28.407282, -80.628856
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

Along the Way

We were delighted to have Paul and Micki, friends from Twin Cities Marina, Inver Grove Heights, MN, stop by to visit us for the weekend!

We’d planned anchoring out but Jeff’s neighbor on the Banana River (east side of Merritt Island) invited us down to spend the night on his dock. He wanted to see if a boat our size could get into the dock and fit. If it didn’t fit we could still anchor out.

But first we needed to check out Port Canaveral inlet.

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Having swapped out yes dear…’s bent props earlier this week for the set we have on now, we looked like we had never locked before in our entire life as we locked through Cape Canaveral lock. The back-up set of props has the same pitch as the ones we took off but are slightly larger. The extra .5 inches makes a huge difference maneuvering at slower speeds. Neutral speed is much faster with our back-up set of props on, making it harder to finesse the boat docking or in close quarters.

We ran cautiously on the Banana River as there are no formally marked channels and the water is shallow. The ICW follows the Indian River on the west side of Merritt Island. Any traffic heading to Cape Canaveral cuts across on the Canaveral Barge Canal, as we had traveled before.

We did look good at the end of Tom and Ninette’s dock.

(Argh! I took pictures with my phone and accidently deleted them.)

Neighbors

Toni, next door, LOVES Halloween. She literally has a skeleton in her closet.

Why are skeletons so calm?
~Nothing gets under their skin.

Just Bananas

In spite of its name, the Banana River is not actually a river with a directional current. It is a 31 mile long lagoon where the water’s movement is provided by wind.

Banana River lagoon supports the largest pelican rookery on the Atlantic Coast.

Captain Mills Olcott Burnham was appointed as the Cape Canaveral lighthouse keeper in July 1853. He named the Banana River after the wild bananas that grew along its banks.

The presence or consumption of bananas is universally regarded as inviting terrible luck, especially on ships or fishing boats. At the height of the trading empire between Spain and the Caribbean in the 1700’s, most cases of disappearing ships happened to be carrying a cargo of bananas at the time. Captains of charter fishing boats are especially superstitious.

26-MAR-2021 Friday – Port Canaveral Yacht Club, Port Canaveral, FL (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)

28°24’26.2″N 80°37’43.9″W
28.407282, -80.628856
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

Along the Way

Earlier in the week Dale received a surprising phone call. It was from Jeff, the owner of yes dear…’s 4587 Bayliner sistership Plane Crazy. 

Jeff and his wife Toni had been at Holly Bluff Marina on the St John’s River when we had passed through last week. They had seen yes dear… We briefly met Jeff several years ago while cruising in the Apostle Islands on Lake Superior and exchanged numbers.  When Jeff saw the Minnesota port of call on the transom of our boat he had to check it out. There aren’t a lot of 4587 Bayliners as they were only produced for only two years during the mid-1990s.

The unlikely chance occurrence continued. Jeff and Toni have a house in Merritt Island so we invited them over to see yes dear… Jeff is the original owner of Plane Crazy. He and his friends Bill/Yvonne bought new, identical 4587 Bayliners and had them delivered to Duluth. The boats are 1 serial number apart!  Yes Dear…’s original name was Moonlight 5. (When Bill died Moonlight 5 was sold to Paul/Andrea who renamed her to Andreas Fault. We bought the boat from Paul/Andrea, renaming her to yes dear…)

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It was so much fun having Jeff and Toni over. Toni’s first comment was ‘Your boat looks exactly like our boat!’ While the men crawled around the engine room and helm while Toni and I went through the pantries and cupboards sharing ideas and swapping stories.

Both boats have the same quirks! I suppose it’s like identical twins having the same mole. The drawer under the refrigerator won’t stay closed in waves, the back step needs to be squeegeed because the boat occasionally lists to the port so water doesn’t drain out the scupper, transmissions don’t line up even when both engines are running the same RPMs………

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The coincidences were not yet finished. When we out for supper we ran into Ryan, the grandson of yes dear…’s original owner. Jeff and Toni knew him. Ryan was on vacation down here in Cape Canaveral. He said he remembered the first time he was on Moonlight 5, age 12 at Washington Island.

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Simply serendipity.

Drolleries and Yuks

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23-25 MAR-2021 Tuesday-Thursday – Port Canaveral Yacht Club, Port Canaveral, FL (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)

28°24’26.2″N 80°37’43.9″W
28.407282, -80.628856
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

Being back at Port Canaveral Yacht Club gave us time do a little cleaning, run a few errands, do a little paperwork and sit around enjoying life.

Along the Way

When we left Minnesota I thought I’d never be scraping ice again in my entire life. Wrong.

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One of our errands was to buy a new power pack for the dinghy lift. Our old 650 amps power pack was replaced with a new 900 amps power pack. Hang on Mooch! The lift cable is going to look like a giant spaghetti noodle being sucked in.

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Neighbors

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Our neighbors to the north threw one hell of a party Wednesday morning.

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On Wednesday, March 24 at 4:28 a.m. EDT, SpaceX launched 60 Starlink satellites from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This was the sixth launch and landing of this Falcon 9 first stage booster.

Floccinaucinihilipilification

The City of Cape Canaveral hasn’t always been named City of Cape Canaveral.

A post office was built in the area of Cape Canaveral and listed in the US Post Office application as Artesia, FL. It retained this name from 1893 to 1954. It then went into service for Port Canaveral from 1954 to 1962, and lastly renamed to the City of Cape Canaveral around 1962-1963, when a larger post office was built.

Speaking of name changes…

From 1963 to 1973, the geographical area of Cape Canaveral had a different name when US President Lyndon Johnson by executive order renamed the area “Cape Kennedy” after President John F. Kennedy. After Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, his widow, Jacqueline Kennedy, suggested to President Johnson that renaming the Cape Canaveral facility would be an appropriate memorial. President Kennedy had set a goal of landing a man on the moon. Johnson recommended the renaming of the entire cape, announced in a televised address six days after the assassination. Accordingly, Cape Canaveral was officially renamed Cape Kennedy.

Although the name change was approved by the U.S. Board on Geographic Names of the Department of the Interior in December 1963, it was not popular in Florida, especially in the bordering city of Cape Canaveral. In 1973, the Florida Legislature passed a law restoring the former 400-year-old name, and the Board went along. The name restoration to Cape Canaveral became official on October 9, 1973. The Kennedy family issued a letter stating they “understood the decision”. NASA’s Kennedy Space Center retains the “Kennedy” name.

Drolleries and Yuks

Did you hear about the worker at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center that wanted to make a sandwich?
~He went to the deli to buy some launchin’ meat.

22-MAR-2021 Monday – Titusville Marina, Titusville, FL to Port Canaveral Yacht Club, Port Canaveral, FL (20.8 nautical miles 23.9 statute miles)

28°24’26.2″N 80°37’43.9″W
28.407282, -80.628856
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

21-MAR-2021 Sunday – Callalisa Creek, New Symrna, FL to Titusville Marina, Titusville, FL (28.3  nautical miles 32.6 statute miles)

28°37’14.8″N 80°48’31.8″W
28.620763, -80.808825
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

Along the Way

I have nothing to say. The wind and cold have made me cranky.  It could also be that my J&J Jansen COVID-19 shot got to me.

We’re back at the Cape Canaveral Yacht Club for a week.

20-MAR-2021 Saturday – Ted Porter Park, Ormond Beach, FL to Callalisa Creek, New Symrna, FL (23.1 nautical miles 26.6 statute miles)

29°00’57.7″N 80°54’44.4″W
29.016028, -80.912330
Elevation: sea level
States (1): Florida

We danced on the anchor all night long. Wind and waves. The apex of the wind is RIGHT HERE where we are and it’s heading south. We too are heading south.

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Along the Way

First things first. Off to get my covid-19 vaccine in the wind and the rain and the waves.

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It was a little over a mile walk in the wind and drizzle. Other than ‘the shot’, getting the vaccine was practically painless.

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It was an ugly run on the ICW. The wind continued to build. We have all turned into Floridians and have Florida blood. It’s 57 degrees and we all are totally freezing cold.

We towed The Mooch as we didn’t trust the dinghy lift power pack to completely lift The Mooch without running out of power. It would have been a real bummer to have The Mooch stuck hanging only half way up in this wind.

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AAAAAAAARRRRRRRHHHHHHHHH! We hard grounded as we pull into an anchorage. The chart says 12 feet. We plowed into a sand bar at 7.3 knots, stuck hard in about 1.5 feet of water with waves on the beam.

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Inspecting our situation using Google maps, we could see from satellite view that the charted river channel had relocated. The channel (white area above) moved where the shallow (blue area above), close to the island in the picture below. (We typically don’t use Google maps when we’re traveling. Up till now we’ve always been fine with charts. We do use Google maps to check out marinas before we go in.)

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TowBoatUS was called. TowBoatUS is kinda like AAA but for boats.

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TowBoatUS scoped out the water around yes dear... to determined which direction was best for pulling us clear. LOL He temporarily got stuck on the sand bar too while checking out our port side. It was a little harry for a while. The best approach was to put two lines on the stern and pull straight back.

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I’ve had it with the weather! It’s going to be a rough night.

Good night.

Oh yah. There was a loud cluck about 10pm. The anchor bridle broke, frayed through. Let’s just say I got to try out my gripping hitch skills in the wind, the rain, the waves, the cold and the dark.

DIS GUSTING

Ask Doctor Science

What kind of plant is this?

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The plant is called a ‘pterodactyl of paradise’. It is thought to be an extinct ancestor of the ‘bird of paradise’ plant.

The pterodactyl of paradise (a.k.a. for real strelitzia nicolai, giant white bird of paradise or wild banana) is a species of banana-like plants with erect woody stems reaching a height of 20 to 30 feet, and the clumps formed can spread as far as 12 feet.

19-MAR-2021 Thursday – St. Augustine Municipal Marina, Matanzas Bay, St. Augustine, FL to Ted Porter Park, Ormond Beach, FL (39.9 nautical miles 45.9 statute miles)

29°53’02.7″N 81°18’17.0″W
29.884086, -81.304726
Elevation: 0 feet
States (1): Florida

Along the Way

I’m back to being ‘just a pretty face’. Everyone else is working.

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Me?

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If you were paying attention in the pump out photo you’d have noticed The Mooch ‘hanging out’. The battery charger Dale uses to run the lift crapped out. It is at EOL, end of life.

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I proposed a burial at sea for the charger but Dale wouldn’t let me. He claimed something about pollution??? Fake news.

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Practically Perfect Park

Last Wednesday I scored a Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 appointment for tomorrow, Saturday. It was the first time over 60 year olds could sign up in Florida. By the time is was my turn options and locations were limited. I was hopping for near Cape Canaveral where our condo is. Luckily, Publix at Ormond Beach on the ICW had an opening so I grabbed.

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Tomorrow I’ll dinghy into the park and walk a little over a mile to Publix for my shot.

Drolleris and Yuks

Did you hear the joke about the germ?
~Never mind, I don’t want to spread it around.

What should you do if you don’t understand a coronavirus joke?
~Be patient.

Ponder This

You know what they say: feed a cold, starve a fever, drink a corona.

18-MAR-2021 Wednesday – St. Augustine Municipal Marina, Matanzas Bay, St. Augustine, FL to (0 nautical miles 0 statute miles)

29°53’02.7″N 81°18’17.0″W
29.884086, -81.304726
Elevation: 0 feet
States (1): Florida

We’re killing time for a day. Yesterday morning I was able to score a J&J COVID-19 vaccine at Publix for Saturday, March 20 in Ormand Beach, Florida. Florida just opened up vaccines for 60 and older last Monday. Ormand Beach is on our ICW path back to Cape Canaveral.  Being true senior citizens (over 65), Dianna, Bruce and Dale have had their first Moderna shot and are getting their second one shot next week.

St Augustine is as good a place as any to kill time.  Actually, it’s a pretty cool town.

Along the Way

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There are a lot of homeless people in St Augustine. I was pretty impressed with this set-up. I didn’t realize there were 2 people sleeping under the blanket until after I had taken the picture. Dale pointed it out to me.

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The town is filled with art galleries and quaint shops.

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I had to go in the store to see what other mer people were for sale.

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We returned to yes dear… about 2:30pm due to the high winds and predicted rain.

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Floccinaucinihilipilification

The city of St Augustine has its own flag. The St Augustine Crest is on the city of St Augustine flag. https://www.citystaug.com/701/City-Crest

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This got me thinking. Who was St Augustine?

Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354 – 430) was an Algerian-Roman philosopher and theologian of the late Roman / early Medieval period. He is one of the most important early figures in the development of Western Christianity, and was a major figure in bringing Christianity to dominance in the previously pagan Roman Empire.

Augustine believed a physical Hell exists, but that physical punishment is secondary to the punishment of being separated from God.  He proposed humans have free will, and only those who choose to follow God will be forgiven and able to avoid Hell. He also proposed Adam and Eve’s choice to sin was free choice, and that humans are left unable to resist sin.

Augustine maintained that humans can only be saved from original sin if they choose to receive the grace of Jesus Christ, and that this choice is formed by the character of individual humans. Augustine proposed that those who choose God’s grace will still go to Hell for a time to purge them of their sin, before going to Heaven.

Drolleries and Yuks

St Augustine was a pirate’s town too.

Why don’t pirates shower before they walk the plank?
~Because they’ll just wash up on shore later.

Why is pirating so addictive?
~They say once ye lose yer first hand, ye get hooked!

What has 8 legs, 8 arms, and 8 eyes?
~8 pirates.

What do ye call a pirate with two eyes and two legs?
~A rookie

Where can ye find a pirate who has lost his wooden legs?
~Right where ye left him.

What is a pirates favorite detergent?
~Tide

17-MAR-2021 Wednesday – Ortega River Marina, Ortega River, Jacksonville, FL to St. Augustine Municipal Marina, Matanzas Bay, St. Augustine, FL (55.1 nautical miles 63.4 statute miles)

29°53’02.7″N 81°18’17.0″W
29.884086, -81.304726
Elevation: 0 feet
States (1): Florida

Happy St Patrick’s Day

May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind be always at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
The rains fall soft upon your fields,
And, until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

Along the Way

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More Toyotas. Backing out.

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Looking at lifeboats made me think of Tom Hanks in the movie Captain Phillips.

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Wind in the spinnaker sail

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Anchorage

We sprung for mooring balls tonight instead of a slip. I hate mooring balls because they can be hard to catch. yes dear… has a lot of free board (5ft) and the mooring ball pennant lines are short scoped. Dale did an amazing job bringing us in with the wind!

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The wind makes the burgee chatter too loudly to sleep in the bow V-berth. I put a sock on it so Bruce and Diana can sleep tonight.

PIRATES!!!!!!

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Nauti Notes

St Augustine Municipal Marina’s mooring ball cheat sheet. We tied with two lines through the eye.

Drolleries and Yuks

When does a leprechaun cross the road?
~When it turns green!

Why did the leprechaun climb over the rainbow?
~To get to the other side!

What do you call a leprechaun who broke the law?
~A lepre-con!

How can you tell if a leprechaun likes your joke?
~He’s Dublin over with laughter!

16-MAR-2021 Tuesday – Corky Bell’s Restaurant, Gator Landing, East Palatka, Florida to Ortega River Marina, Ortega River, Jacksonville, FL (51.5 nautical miles 59.3 statute miles)

30°16’32.8″N 81°42’58.1″W
30.275774, -81.716136
Elevation: 0 feet
States (1): Florida

Along the Way

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OMG. I never knew how popular Chick-fil-A is.

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Ask Doctor Science (Tobin version)

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River water is tan colored because it is indeed tan. The scientific term for this is ‘tannin’. Sun on the water turns individual water molecules tan, just like the sun turns your skin tan. The use of boat motors are encouraged as it helps churn the water to ensure the river is evenly tanned.

If you haven’t heard of ‘Ask Dr Science’ on NPR, Google him.

Drolleries and Yuks

What happens if a leprechaun falls into the ocean?
~He gets wet, of course.

Why shouldn’t you borrow money from a leprechaun?
~Because they’re always a little short.

Do leprechauns make good secretaries?
~Sure, they’re great at shorthand!