February-March 2018

We loitered and played in Marathon until mid March and then made our way up the Bay side through Miami.    I was able to enjoy a few games of Pickle Ball, a first for me.

A stop in Tarpon basin anchorage for the night allowed us to see Dave and Darlene.

Moving north we anchored at Oleta Park with the next few days looking promising for an outside run.   And we took advantage of it, Miami to Lake Worth then again outside to to St. Lucie Inlet.

No blue stripe on the side any longer.  Hard to see, but it really is shiny

We pulled into Fort Pierce the following day after anchoring near Jensen Beach to avoid the strong southerly winds.

A few days after we arrived in Harbortown Marina, we went over to Cracker Boy boat works and were hauled out.  Manuel and his gang started sanding the next day and we had a newly painted topsides a few days after.  So shiny and new looking.  The downside is we will have to wax the rest of the boat so it appears to be somewhat uniformly shiny.

Next its on to Norfolk where we'll leave the boat for several weeks as doctors probe us and scold us.  And we see grand kids.

Once back on the boat we're off towards New York and Long Island Sound.

January 2018

Greg and Dona joined us for a few days at Hammock Beach.  And then Dave and Kathy came aboard.  We left a few days after they arrived for the trek down the ICW.

Before we left eagle eye Dave spotted the air leak in our big dinghy.  Two small slits.  We patched it successfully but the temps were only about 60 and plunging into the low forties the next few nights so we left the patches to sit hoping they'd setup ok.

Dave and I played the Ocean course here.  Scary expensive but a fun time.  My golf scores continue to grow as does my age.

We anchord our way down south towards Ft. Pierce except for a mooring ball in Titusville.

Stayed in Ft. Pierce a few days to see some friends and then anchored in Stuart before stumbling on a vacant mooring ball at Sunset which we grabbed for a few days.

We anchored in Palm Beach where Dave and Kathy departed and then, left making our way down the ICW anchoring in Lake Santa Barbara, Oleta Park, Boca Chita, Tarpon Basin where we met up with Dave and Darlene.  Then on to Matecumbe Bight (Robies Marina was quite a dog pit stop!)  before arriving in Marathon and the Marathon Marina.

Like coming home again.  And Marathon sure made a herculean effort to clean up after the hurricane.  It was  pretty much Marathon as we knew it except for the City Marina dinghy dock.

Several couples we met here are primed to take off for the Bahamas.  Gives one pause for thought.  Sure would be great to go back there again, especially in this weather.

As for details, well I still haven't updated the blog of unwritten, but not forgotten details.

Yet.

Perhaps after I complete our taxes?!

September - December 2017

Happy New Year to the dwindling number of people that actually read this any more.

Rhonda.  She's the one who convinced me to visit the hospital

We finally left Clayton, NY  for Oswego when a weather window popped up.  Clayton is also where I contracted something called cellulitis in my left leg.  Forever thanks to Rhonda at the city dock for helping us through that little experience.

After making it down the Erie Canal we had to hole up at Half Moon Marina on the Hudson for a few weeks waiting to see where the hurricanes were heading.   But we took advantage of that lull to visit New York City with Pat and Chip.  What a great time!

We also went to West Point and FDR's home.

After they passed we got down to Huckins boat yard on the Ortega River in Jacksonville.  While the boat was hauled we drove up to Wisconsin to see kids, grandkids, friends and of course doctors which are in Green Bay.  And once again we weren't able to linger in Green Bay and visit with Tim and Jill, our next neighbors when we lived in Suamico.

Back in Florida we moved the boat down to Hammock Beach Resort where we arranged for the kids and grandkids to have a condo for a week.  They got the cushy condo and we had three of the four boys with us on the boat every night.  7AM is really, really early in the morning.  Really early!

All the foibles, fun and experiences can be found here.  However I'm months behind on updating it.  But one of these days when we aren't so busy living on a boat as retired people. :-)

January - September 2017. Up the coast, New York, the Erie Canal and Canada

We lingered in Marathon until April and then ended up having to abandon Hawks Chaannel for the inside route where its alarmingly shallow in many spots.  We took several months to make our way up up the coast through the Bay and finally into New York and the Erie Canal, one of Mary's "favorite" places.

We ended up staying at Winter Harbor to have a fuel pump rebuilt and some seals replaced before running up to Oswego, and the finally across the Lake to Clayton.  We spent some time anchored there and then anchored in Alexandria Bay for a few nights before going to Canada and Gananoque where some of our kids and grand kids met us.  It was there we discovered a coolant leak so we only did a little day trip to Bolt Castle and back with the kids.

After they left we anchored off of Lindsay Island for several days.  Friends came out and rafted to us so we had a nice little party and some wonderful weather.

We headed back to French Creek Marina in Clayton to address the coolant leak which turned out to be a dead injector.  It was replaced and the coolant leak disappeared much to my surprise.

After that was complete we went over to Mary Street Public dock or as we refer to it, Rhonda's Place.  Rhonda is the wonderful dock master there.    Other friends joined us for a few nights before we headed to Alexandria Bay, but not before I enjoyed two hospital visits for cellulitis.   The hospital is in Alexandria Bay and Rhonda arranged for someone to drive us there and back a few times.

Anchored by the thousand Island club, our friends rafted up to us while we were at the hospital.  Turns out I had to stay for a few days while they transfused me with antibiotics to stem the infection.

After I was set free we still had to hang around for a follow up visit and then another follow up the day after labor day.  Luckily Jake, the dock master at Wellesley Yacht Club fond a spot for us during the days I was in the hospital and until the day after Labor Day.  Thankfully it was a short dinghy ride from the boat to the hospital.

We left after the last followup and went right to Rhonda's dock again.

Details can be found here, but probably not for several months given the propensity for lack of blog updates by yours truly.  But I'm gearing up for it, honestly!

December - January 2016 Wisconsin and Points South

We made it to Huckins Boat yard and then drove to Wisconsin for a month before returning to a cleaned and fix boat.  We made our way south stopping in Ft. Pierce for a few days before arriving here at Loggerhead in Stuart where we doing boat projects before heading across Okeechobee to the Ft. Meyers and ultimately Marathon in the Keys.

Details of course can always be found here.

November - December 2016

We rode out hurricane Mathew in Brunswick, GA and then made our way to Huckins Boat yard on the Ortega river in Jacksonville.   We left the boat in Huckins Capable hands and drove up to Wisconsin to see children, grandchildren and doctors up in Green Bay.  Details, including at least one picture of our dog, can be found here at where is BeachQuest

September 2016 Charleston to Brunswick

We bounced around in the Charleston Harbor Marina as Hermine swept over us and some days later left and made our way to Brunswick Landing Marina.

Hot day.  Dog gets the fan while I get hot.

I may have forgotten to mention, the year long struggle over acquiring a dog has come to an end.  It snores, hogs the bed, and eats yummy food while I dine on old bread and left over spam.  

Well, OK, its not quite that bad.  But the gist of it is, we now travel with a dog.

Details, as usual  can be found here.