Update 01/21/2014

    Okay, so, here's the deal: Jackson, my 35 year old outboard given to me by my grandfather, has died. The splines on the driveshaft and the crank have both been stripped out. I have a new lower unit and crank coming in the mail, hopefully tomorrow. In the meantime I bought a '91 Nissan 8hp outboard which I, so far, love. It's quiet, beautifully maintained, lighter, and more powerful. So I'm stuck with the dilemma of which to keep when (if) I get Jackson the mighty Mercury up and running again.
    My sister, Christine, has joined me for at least the next month of this adventure. She and my mother came down from Baldwinsville for a few days and rented a car so we could run whatever errands there were, including the picking up of my new Nissan. Mom has since gone off to visit My brother in Atlanta and my grandfather, leaving Christine and myself here in Jacksonville killing time waiting for engine parts.
   Yesterday started off on a rather interesting note. After having both slept in late we were treated to the continued dronings of Sports-bikes revving their engines not far off in the city. Then there was the rap music, and marching bands. You may have figured out what it was by now, the MLK Day parade. So we abandoned the boat for the afternoon and went to the movies and saw Frozen and Hunger games: Catching Fire. We already had watched The Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug when Mom was here. Today we're killing time at the library since the wind has kicked up a rather uncomfortable chop through the marina where we're staying. It's looking like maybe Thursday or Friday we'll head out.
    'Tine has already got me eating fresh fruits and veggies and tonight is going to be a stew night. Yay for culinary ambition! Not sure what else to update y'all on. I suspect we'll be in Lake worth in about ten days and then make the hop to the Bahamas when we get a good weather window.