We got to Pensacola on November 15th, with our training to start on November 17th. Edgewater and Ranger Tugs make sure you are familiar with your new boat before you set off on your own. Even though Elvin Ray is relatively small, she has all the systems of a much larger boat. For example: she has seven water pumps serving different functions. She has three bilge pumps, a raw water wash down pump, a fresh water pump serving two different sinks, a raw water pump for the air conditioning/heat, and a pump for the shower drain. Cruising is serious business. If your boat (or a system on your boat) breaks down, you can’t just park it and walk to a store. And, if you know Dave, you know he will study and learn everything there is to know about his boat.
But, we digress. We couldn’t wait until Tuesday to see our new boat. On Monday, we woke up and rode to the marina to sneak a peak at her. She had just been unwrapped, and Carl was still cleaning her up, but that didn’t matter. We were too excited to wait. Carl humored us and we got to see her inside and out.
There was a lot of activity going on at Edgewater Yacht Sales. Reconstruction was underway following the hurricane destruction. While the marina itself was closed and all the boats had been removed, they had created a single slip that allowed us to stay there while receiving our training. Our training started on Tuesday, and we throughly enjoyed our time. Not only did we spend those days cruising, anchoring, docking (we practiced a LOT of docking), but we felt like the Blue Angels were celebrating our new boat with us as they trained right above us. They are stationed out of nearby Pensacola Naval Air Station, and are amazing to watch!
The two days of orientation went by FAST! You don’t realize it until you depart on your first cruise without Carl on board to help. But with his help and expertise, we left on Thursday for our first solo cruise. Our destination: Orange Beach, Alabama.
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