3/6/18 Our new friend

We awoke our first morning in Brunswick, Georgia, to find a new friend waiting—a manatee! The weather turned cold last night (probably in the lower 50’s) and we think the poor thing was hanging out in the shallows of the marina, looking for warmer waters—manatees are extremely sensitive to cold water, and often congregate around discharge pipes from water treatment plants or fresh water springs during the winter months in order to keep their body temperature regulated. Later that morning, David decided to wash Golden with the dockside hose, so naturally there was a lot of water cascading down from the decks. Brian and I were in the salon talking when David suddenly appeared at the doorway and motioned for us to come quickly and quietly. Outside along our port hull, there was a manatee, obviously enjoying the spray of water from the hose. At first we thought she was drinking the water. However, the temperature of the water coming from the hose was significantly warmer than that of the marina; we now believe she was just enjoying a warm morning shower (I say “she” because, as Brian explained, their former name was a “sea cow”)! Man, those things are so ugly they’re cute. See video of manatee showering below….

Right now, Brian is basking in the warm sun on our fly bridge, but the wind is howling at 25-30 knots from the northwest. Looks like we’ll be staying in Brunswick for awhile. Luckily we’re moored in a marina which is protected from both north and south winds, is relatively inexpensive, close to “Old Brunswick” and shopping centers, offers free laundry, free beer daily, free wine 3 days/week, and is friendly and clean. AND we’re out of Florida, and we don’t NEED to be anywhere at anytime in particular. So we do what we do best—relax.