Mike!! I need you.

We stopped last night (Friday) beside a bridge in Daytona.  It was a bridge that needed to open for us to pass.  We needed to get an early start so we lifted the anchor at 0700 and as we did we saw two other boats in line to make the bridge opening.  We broke rule number 1 of boating, never get in a hurry.  Denniese took the helm and I powered the anchor in.  As I was washing the mud off the anchor she said,,, Mike!! I need you.... The cover had fallen off the auto pilot and she had no control of the boat.  I looked up and saw we were motoring under the bridge and continued to wash the anchor.  Only after getting on the other side of the bridge did she tell me she had lost steerage of the boat.  The problem was solved by replacing the cover on the auto helm which had fallen off and caused it to malfunction. We credit the prayer we said last night (and others) for our safe passage under the bridge. The rest of the day was mostly uneventful.  Denniese saw her first manatee about 10 AM.  It was a big one, I thought is was a whale.  We docked at the fuel dock at St. Augustine at 4pm and pulled into our slip at 5pm,  just in time for a glass of wine.  We have all the comforts of home here except TV and we haven't missed that yet.  We did boat chores, including laundry and walked around the oldest city in America.  We will stay here a couple of days and report to you again when we are under way.  The pic is of the bridge at Daytona.