Shoring the ditch…

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https://shellerina.com/2026/07/15/utilities-under-our-14ft-masonry-circle/

Work that began last month continues today.

New 4” and 2” natural gas pipelines need to connect 6 feet below grade … under our lawn.

Existing fiber optic cable. The yellow ball is a device that enables the utility to find the buried cable’s location from above ground.
(Above) The arrow points to an existing water valve that goes even deeper than the new gas line!
These guys need to fit the shoring box in between the existing utilities!
Success!

The shoring is in-place between the existing constraints enabling the fellow to safely enter the ditch to make the new natural gas pipeline connection (2” to 4”).

But… the weather turned on them!

Nasty thunder showers and damaging winds were just being predicted… and the reports were confirmed on weather radar.

A “Stop Work” order was issued!

Before the pipe connection could be made, they had to pull the shoring box out and fill the hole in before the rain hit.

Safety First

They could not leave the hole overnight or through the extreme weather event.

So they will have to start over from scratch tomorrow morning.

Right on queue, the extreme weather hit. The hole was filled, but equipment could not be loaded iff the street in time. Here you can see my new rainwater collection system being overrun!

The worksite is in the background.

Utilities under our 14ft masonry circle

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We had ordered a new 8ft Sylvester Palm Tree for this spot on the corner of our property.
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Orange & Yellow
Fiber Optic line flagged last week. (Before the Natural Gas line getting installed next to it today.)

Orange=existing Fiber Optic

Yellow=New Natural Gas going in today.

Both are right under our 14 foot raised plant masonry bed, corner of Euclid and Appleton.

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These fellows are also dealing with WATER lines and the OLD natural gas pipe, and ATT also has cable in this intersection!
4” feeder going in under our lawn and thru our 14 foot circle.
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Restored lanterns

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Shelly brings some old solar-powered lanterns back to life.
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A new compass rose ornament casts its shadow on its new exterior wall on the south side of the house. It’ll get mounted with offset hardware so the shadow can continue to enchant the observer.

HVAC upgrade today

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Mike Eagle and co-worker Jacob Shaw finish up work on our new house today.

A “soft start” feature was added to the compressor as the best of three options. The high initial amperage on compressor startup is commonly tamed by adding a “hard start” component to the system which reduces the initial inrush or surge needed to start the compressor.

But a soft start is an even better 3rd option which will prolong the life of the compressor even longer, and it prepares the system for a future generator or solar power. “We have that on the boat; we will probably want it for our home as well, down the road.”

I first learned of “soft start” circuits from researching and upgrading our HVAC system on the boat. Today we did the same upgrade to the house as I had done on the boat years ago.

https://shellerina.com/2024/11/23/new-a-c-reverse-cycle-unit-project/

Beyond the gentler, more efficient startup circuit, improvements to the ductwork in the attic gave the house’s air flow “better balance” so we now get more cooling where it was needed most. “This equates to more cost effective thermostat settings bringing a higher comfort level throughout all our living quarters!”

In April during the inspection period before closing on this house, Mike Eagle helped us understand the improvements he recommended to the house if / when we progressed to the final sale.

Now, after we closed, and after we have lived in the house for a couple weeks, Jacob executed the necessary upgrades, Shelly says, “The improvements were immediately noticeable!”

Happy Wife = Happy Life.

End of Day 2 at Shellerina’s Landing

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Furniture Has Arrived!!!

Our new living room
Our “Mission Oak” dining room
Living room from the opposite angle.
Second bedroom…
On the other side of the house, Shelly finds a corner to sit and take a break in the new primary bedroom!
This is part of the primary bedroom “suite.” It is the entrance to our shower and head to the left. The walk-in closet is to the right. Pretty cool, eyh?!
“Lenny” the postman! He delivered our first piece of mail today. Stuff forwarded from our mail forwarding service: Saint Brendan’s Isle.
Some items for Lucas have also arrived in the third bedroom.
The kitchen is already looking busy!
A fantastic strawberry pie was a gift from our realtor friend Meghan Oswald.
Patio!
The garden is blooming to welcome its new care takers!
Though it admits it requires some TLC!
These guys bordering the drive say, “Water us PLEASE!”
Corner of Euclid & Appleton.

Day ONE for Jeff + Kelli !

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Jeff & Kelli

April 23, 2026 will be long remembered by Jeff and Kelli Warren of Venture, aboard their first big boat, a Jeanneau; and it is their first day as newly retired full-time cruisers who live aboard!

They selected this port town, this marina, and this C-Dock as their start point for their new life; Shelly and I are honored to be a small part of their big day!

They have a Youtube channel called VentureSailing.

From the looks of it, this couple will not have a hard time catching up with us! LOL

While this life IS new to them, they appear to have a full resume of adventures and war stories to share already!

River Rendezvous

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Loopers ‘n’ Turtles from far and wide converged upon Corky Bell’s in E. Palatka FL this noon.

They came by sea.

They came by land.

Team Photo!
Plus: Amanda on the left was our waitress. Gwen was our official photographer. Thanks ladies!
Chief Instigator, Troy Hersom of Melody organized the gathering. Thanks Troy!
Troy’s Admiral, Sandy, allowed me to snag this pic of her and I at the table of plenty.
Marcel of Prospector arrived by boat. He reports that the docks were “filled to capacity” last evening at this East Palatka hot spot on the St Johns River.
Melissa represented the crew of Vahalla, as her captain was working his job running his tows and barges on the mid western rivers these weeks.
Jill of Briny Bug made the trip from Sadler in JAX with Rudy (below).
Jill & Rudy
Hollis & Gary left their 36’ trawler Island Dancer to join us!
Well connected: Ellen & Joe are AGLCA Harbor Hosts for Jacksonville FL. They invited us for a local Power Squadrons gathering tomorrow at Blue Moon in JAX.
Ben & Brenda of Last Chance joined us.
Bill left his Albin behind to make today’s meal.
Shellerina and me!
These are the guys who ushered us to our table outside on the deck… a table that kept having to expand due to today’s good turnout!
This guy was on today’s menu. Yummy!
A “must stop here” type venue on the west shore of St Johns River, in “Old Florida”.

Free overnight ‘parking’ by land or by sea.

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185 US Rte 17
E. Palatka FL

Herb Garden Gala

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Our Community Garden
Saturday March 14
Peter of Grace
Robert & Shelly
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Robert & Ruth of Out of Africa
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Shellerina & Janet of Ocean Suite
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… a time for planting!
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Pet Rocks
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Green Onion
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Sage
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There is nothing like FRESH Cilantro!
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South East… Port 32’s Secret Corner revealed!

Marigolds keep the bugs away… (and bring some welcome color too!)
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Always pitching in… Peter is seen here holding up the upper deck support. Thank you Peter, we are blessed to be able to share in your vision for this garden!
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Literally: “Outside of the box!”
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A job well done!

New clean out port on holding tank!

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Access to clean black water tank (and level sensor system) done!

Spears 854-030 3” PVC Van Stone Flange SOC CL150. Available at commercial plumbing supply vendors.

3” PVC Locking Waste fittings by Valterra. Available at RV vendors.

Not shown:

Valterra Master Blaster Tank Wand A01-0184VP. This 27” wand hooks up to a charged garden hose on one end and has a 90° pressure nozzle to lower into the tank.

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How do I Get the Water Heater out?! Mainship 390

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New 6 gallon, 1500w, like-for-like replacement.
Kuuma 1881 water heater – Mainship 390

13-3/4” is the critical number.

Two 2×4” cut to length, at an angle on one end.
A “Fine Adjustment Persuader” is needed to force the the two 2×4-s into position, to achieve the magic 13-3/4” clearance.
13-3/4”!!!
With both 2×4-s pried into position the old heater came out easily.

Notice: I screwed a few oak “sliders” (countersinked flathead s/s crews) to ensure an air gap existed under the new heater. (Reduces corrosion if moisture shows up.)
Looking down on the business end of the installed new water heater: power, hot (out), cold (in), engine coolant (in & out), status indicators wiring, drain hose, pressure relief valve.

The fitting I found on the cold water supply to this tank had a check valve installed; reportedly this is common on boats and RV-s. The hot fitting was not a check valve.

No brass or bronze fittings should come in contact with aluminum as galvanic corrosion is likely.

(The factory-installed pressure relief valve must have some type of barrier to prevent the disimmilar metals from contacting each other…teflon tape = adequate?)

The atypical type of plastic water supply fittings on the Mainships depend on a ferrule to fit into these fittings. So care to be able to reuse everything is called for.

Nearly done, a view from the doorway to this stateroom.
A moisture sensor & alarm, along with a desiccant dryer finishes the job in this space.

Blue LED is wired to the 1500w heating element; it gives its status. Thermometer shows water temp in the tank, whether from engine running or electric power. (These will be permanently mounted in the galley.)

This lets us know if it is ready to take a shower or do the dishes!

Evidently 143°F is the thermostat’s fixed max set point. That’s the temp when the element goes off, and thus the LED!
Bottom of the old one. Only six years?! Autopsy to follow to see if the aluminum pressure tank itself corroded through.
I thoroughly researched the other brands and options. I ultimately decided upon like-for-like replacement.

Final mounting for display & status indicator.

Hot water tank temperature display in the galley.
LED is “on” when the hot water is heating up water.

JAX in the news!

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This stunning photo from the south riverside area looking at the north riverside in Jacksonville FL captures a BOAT’s running lights in its long “time exposure.”

Unfortunately, no photo credit was in this online article on MSN.com. So, I can’t give credit where credit is due.

The above pic has to be a few years old though, as the Wells Fargo name was removed from the landmark in July of 2024.

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Even older!

Below, this 2003 pic shows the Jacksonville icon with yet another prominent tenant’s name advertised.

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Shelly and I looked into the possibility of having “Shellerina.com” put up on this building for a five year stint. Alas, it was determined that our lettering would not fit with a font to our satisfaction.

Rather than changing our domain name, we are now looking for a larger building.

Historically, this building reportedly has had four different names:

1974-1995 “Independent Life Building”

1995-2002 “AccuStaff Building”

2002-2011 “Modis Tower”

2011-2024 “Well Fargo Center”

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Unrelated cool thing in JAX:

I-295 & Butler Blvd. (Rte 202)

30°15’10.6”N

81°30’58.4”W

Near Town Center Mall area… housing, most notably, a very large West Marine store!

We drove 2 hours for New England soft shell STEAMERS & Maine Lobsters.

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Shelly is one happy camper today!
Hard shell is in-season!
Essex House is on State Rte 40 in Pierson FL…

They get two or three shipments direct from Maine every week, all year long.

It looks like there is a respectable Antenna Farm here in “4-land” = a HAM Radio Station on the south side of Rte 40.

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Standing room only as we were leaving (at 4:30pm) on a Monday. We are glad we showed up ~3:15pm – no line!
The ducks can’t read.
We are in the lower-right of this map: “Black Bear + Gator” country. Lots of tall pines and long straight 2-lane highways.

The most common pine tree species near Lake George, FL, is the Slash Pine (Pinus elliottii), which thrives in the area’s flatwoods and wet, sandy soils.

Just west of Daytona Beach, south of St Augustine, Lake George, and Palakta. Orlando is another hour’s drive south of here.
Freshfields Farm, back in JAX was a great stop for fresh provisions on our way back to the boat.

University Ave + I-95 in JAX

Pool Day For The Northerners From Long Island

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Launch!
Our grandson, Lucas, with his Mom, Desire.
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Lucas Alexander and his father, Nicholas Alexander.

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Team Photo!
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October – “Toby” for short, is Lucas’s cousin. She had a great day in the pool also. Here she is warming up and getting ready to talk to “Mommy”!

Nancy: Quintessential Florida Girl and matriarch. Desire’s mother… Lucas’s other grandmother!
“Where is Papa?!”

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Here he is! Ray and Kirk – the two Papa-s!

Kirk also enjoyed some “PT” in the Port 32 hot tub! 104°F in January. “Can’t beat that!”
Toby…
“Grandma!” Nancy

Nancy was especially impressed with all the amenities here at Port 32 Marina – Ortega Landing – Jacksonville FL.

Laurel & Hardy
Larry, Moe, and Curley, aka The Three Stooges!
Nana Shelly! Shelly provided all the viddles for us at the poolside BBQ grill! Great food!

January 6 is the “Twelfth Day of Christmas!” This was the best finish to our best Christmas Season ever!

Special Guests Aboard Shellerina Today

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Desire, Nick, Lucas, and Shelly!
Desire, Lucas, and Nick! From Long Island NY
Our grandson Lucas!
Lucas at The Helm!
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“Daddy sets the course for me to steer.”
“Testing my boundaries!”

Lucas knows the anchor windlass controls were “off limits!” Here he checks to see if Grampy sees him touching them again with his left hand! <grin>

Down for the count. Port 32 Marina Clubhouse.

Clogged Holding Tank Vent

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This thru-hull 90° fitting cannot be cleaned or cleared with a snake. Yet this is where I suspected my obstruction was.
A charged garden hose nozzle with integral shut-off valve *may* help clear the clogged vent hose.

When my “non-invasive” water pressure strategy stopped working, (after months or years), I determined the more aggressive project was necessary. Pictures of the larger project follow:

A 4-1/2” round inspection/access port was cut through the inside of the starboard midship bulwark. Once cut, I could remove the thru-hull fitting and hose.

Another view of the fitting at top end of the 5/8” vent hose. This vents to atmosphere and allows oxygen into the TOP of the holding tank. This is essential for the natural aerobic digestion to occur inside the tank. Methane is a key by-product of the process, and it exits through this same hose.
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It appears that this fitting minimizes the possible flow of wastewater “out”. But it also prevents a snake to be inserted to clear any clogs in the vent hose.

“Why is this vent hose important?”

A clogged vent hose inhibits the aerobic digestion process AND it forces methane “sewer gas” to bubble up through the sanitary hose to head itself… inside our living space. Not a good thing.

A new thru-hull fitting was purchased; it is shown here on the OUTside of the bulwark. This is about 11” below the gunwale near the midship cleat. See the orientation pic below.

A street fitting enables a smooth maintainable 90° turn so a snake can be used to clear this vent hose.

A 1/2” bronze Street fitting, with adapters connect to the 5/8” hose which goes about 10 feet to the top of the holding tank. There is an elevation difference of several feet from this fitting down to the tank. So the probability of waste making it up to this level is nearly zero percent, even in a tossing sea.
This pic gives a good orientation of where all this happens on the Mainship 390. Near the sliding door by the lower helm, and the midship cleat on the starboard gunwale. The nylon cord prevents me from making the project worse if I drop the hose down below.
This inspection/maintenance port and cover gives me future access if needed.

Dock Walk 2025

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Most dock mates prepare some type of food or drink (or both!) to share as co-members of the Port 32 family make their way around the docks, from boat to boat, to see the decorations and to share the holiday spirit.
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For this year’s Dock Walk, Shelly prepared some more of her award winning Chili! Her Chili has a following here at this marina, as evidenced by this plaque hanging in the clubhouse kitchen from last spring’s competition.