Today was the final cleanup, in and out, before Serenity Now is turned over to the new owner. We're very confident she'll be well taken care of in her new home port. When our day was done and we were ready to leave, Old Glory was retired for the last time.
Three hundred and eighteen, that's the number of times we've anchored SV Serenity Now. How fitting the last time would be at an anchorage we lovingly call Danalina. The same anchorage Richard Henry Dana visited and wrote about almost two hundred years ago.
We spent one very peaceful night on the hook with five other sail boats. In the morning after coffee on the bow and a light breakfast, we brought up the thirty-five pound CQR and were on our way back to the slip. 318 Bravo Zulu!
It appears that everything is in order for the sale to close next week but as Yogi said many years ago, "It ain't over till it's over." Saturday, after lunch, we cast off and enjoyed, what may be our last sail on SV Serenity Now. Conditions were near perfect, slight chop, wind 15-20 knots from the west with overcast sky. What'a ride!
Little did we know, as we anchored in Danalina for the evening, that this weekend is the tall ship festival. What a nice surprise as the beautiful ships glided by, some dangerously close.
Once an offer to purchase has been accepted, the buyer has the right to an inspection and sea trial. Normally a surveyor (who is also the inspector and appraiser) will survey the boat in and out of the water. We are awaiting the report which will determine the fate of SV Serenity Now.
The Admiral and I headed to Newport for what may be our last excursion and an end to twenty-one summers of unbelievable times and a lifetime of memories. Our boat, SV Serenity Now, is on the market and we accepted an offer.
We settled in at the anchorage east of Lido.
We were scheduled to have lunch the next day with our dear friend Audrey at the NHYC but she wasn't feeling well but still invited us for happy hour and "bubbly" at her home on the bay. She's a treasure. Instead, we had a great lunch at Woody's Wharf and highly recommend their clam chowder.
The anchorage was wide open until Sunday and then the "shit show" started. Large power boats began assembling and rafting in the anchorage, one after another, right next to us. The party was on and it was time for us to leave as their noise, boat congestion and debauchery was unbearable. So off we went to the other anchorage west of Lido.
The last night was fine, the wind died down and we turned in for a gentle evening on the hook. After a light breakfast in the morning we were ready to weigh anchor and make our way back to Dana. One small issue, the anchor was not coming up as it normally would. After considerable manual assistance the anchor came to the surface. Attached to it was a barnacle covered shopping cart! That was a first!
This trip, like so many others, will leave memories that will stay with us forever. We've been blessed in so many ways. We may be the luckiest people alive.
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