The open road—a 25-hour drive only interrupted by a few short power naps in parking lots and questionable gas station coffee strong enough to strip paint. At 8:30 AM, with the sun grinning down at us like it knew something we did not, we rolled into the parking lot of Harborage Marina in St. Pete. Bleary-eyed and slightly delirious, it felt like stumbling into the arms of an old friend. This marina, after all, is our second home, and today it was the gateway to a new chapter of adventure aboard Koko.

For a fleeting moment, we stood there in an emotional daze, staring at our boat like it was a long-lost family member. Tears? Not really, but a little emotional still. But no time for sentimentality—there was work to be done! Koko did not look at us and say, “Welcome back, weary travelers.” She said, “Where have you been, and why is your minivan stuffed like a game of Tetris gone horribly wrong?”

Unloading the minivan was where the real fun began. Let me paint you a picture: this is not your average “carry the groceries inside” scenario. Oh, no. The marina has its own rites of passage, and step one is securing carts like a tactical military operation. We needed not one, but two. And with the marina buzzing for the weekend, there is a primal, competitive spirit that comes alive when hunting for marina carts. The marina gods were merciful this time, and we snagged our chariots without resorting to bribery or hand-to-hand combat.

Then came the trek. Parking lot to breakwall, breakwall to pier, pier to floating dock, and finally—finally—onto Koko. Each cartload was an intricate ballet of lifting, dragging, and swearing under our breath. Repeat this process no less than four times, because apparently, we packed as if the apocalypse were imminent.

And yet—here is the kicker—it was oddly exhilarating. Fueled entirely by adrenaline and the promise of the sea, we found energy we did not know we had. Sleeplessness? Pfft. Mere mortal problems. By the time we finished unloading, the van sat empty and our boat felt more alive, filled with all the chaos and possibility of a new journey. The day had just begun, and so had the adventure.

You need to login in order to like this post - click here