June 30-July 1              Jersey City, New Jersey, New York, New York

Tom, the AC repairman, was promptly on board shortly after 9:00 AM.  He quickly affirmed Michael’s diagnosis that our compressor was not functioning properly and called for additional help to remove it and help install the new one.  As promised, the new part was delivered, soon installed, and then the really hard work began.  Boats are complex and difficult to re-wire and Tom and his assistant worked tirelessly for more than 10 hours before the job was successfully completed. They had other work the following day in a different location and were determined to give us a cool salon before departing.  After leaving the boat, shortly past 7:00 PM, they opted to go to the marina restaurant.  David followed and gave them money for dinner and drinks to express our gratitude.  We were delighted with their excellent service.  Tom was a great person, personable, bright, informative, and highly recommended for his exceptional skills. He brought with him his beautiful black and white Sheltie, a rescue dog who adoringly watched his every move from the lawn across from the boat.

The following morning, we completed preparations for the arrival of the family and planned our trip to the grocery store about a mile away.  David modified the handle of our little blue dock cart so it would fit onto the back of my bicycle.  It was a makeshift affair but worked beautifully and would facilitate transport of more goods than could be carried on the back racks of the bikes.  The bike trail led to a small bridge over the water to downtown Jersey City and we easily found our destination.  The neighborhood was definitely ethnic but we were pleased with the store and filled our cart and our back rack bags.  We were a sight returning to the boat!  We would probably have embarrassed our children if they had seen us.

Tired, hot, and ready for a shower, we quickly disposed of the groceries, showered, napped, and had a delightful “happy hour” on the bridge before starting dinner for Blake, Amanda, and Dave, who would arrive shortly after 9:00 PM.  David planned to make a special Italian sausage and pasta dish that he had enjoyed for lunch at Liberty Point, the other restaurant at the marina.  Convinced he had guessed correctly the ingredients, he was determined to duplicate it.  If anything, he actually improved on the original!

With a slight flight delay and a taxi driver who did not have a GPS, the kids finally arrived at 10:30 PM.  It was great to see them! They were overcome by the boat, the marina, the view of the city, and the great weather.  After 100 plus degrees for days in Texas, they were ready for cooler climes.  We ate, talked, laughed, and stayed on the aft deck basking in the cool breeze off the water until 2:00 AM.