Back on boat--briefly!

Greetings from the Cruisers!  At least for the moment, we are aboard YOUNG AMERICA and heading north!

To catch up:  We went to NY in April for two weeks.  Did our taxes and hung out with children and grandchildren, visited the Power Squadron and the UU and took no pictures.  Wonder what's up with that???

Drove back to St. Pete so we could get the boat hauled out of the water on April 21.  Maintenance, maintenance, maintenance, and some repair, as well.

  Some items we knew about, and some were discovered as the work progressed.  Fred will be happy to share details.  Embree Marine (we can’t say enough good things about them) worked really steadily and by May 2 the last task, polishing the hull, was done.  Too bad the snazzy blue props don’t show when the boat goes back in the water. 

Aren't they pretty?

We lived in the Hampton Inn for those 10 days.  Not so bad—it is in our same neighborhood, and they host a happy hour from 5-7 Monday-Thursday.  Barb and Randy Semper (LAZY DOLPHIN) were in town on their way home to VA, and we spent a couple of evenings together. 

While Fred supervised the worker bees (He was amazed, and very happy, that he could find nothing he would have to re-do!) I swam in the hotel’s rooftop pool, did crossword puzzles and worked on my navigation class.  We also got to use the free tickets we’d won to see the Wiz at the outdoor theater next to the Marina.  When the boat went back into the water we stayed at Embree's dock overnight and entertained the guard dogs…Back at our Municipal Marina, we enjoyed dinner with Hugh and Sharissa Hazeltine (BLUE SKIES), shopped and provisioned the boat, and on Sunday morning tossed off the lines.

So long, St. Pete...See you in the fall!

Monday we crossed the Gulf of Mexico.  For once we had a beautiful moon to light the way.  We arrived in Panama City, FL on Tuesday afternoon ready for a nap so we could be up and at ‘em early enough on Wednesday to go 101 miles to Pensacola Beach.  Rewards?  We were able to easily travese the mudslide in the GICW---the dredge Kelly G was on the clean up job.

 Also, a momma dolphin brought her baby to show off for us---couldn't quite catch the jumps.  Adorable.

 On Thursday we zipped across Mobile Bay ahead of the icky weather,  and tied up at Turner Marine on the Dog River in AL.

Two Fun Things.

Thing One:  New owners for  47’  Great Harbour QUIET COMPANY (formerly JOHN HENRY).  Norm and Vivian Miller are moving the boat to their home in Indiana. With Ken  Fickett, owner of the company that builds the boats, (Mirage Manufacturing), on board, they crossed the Gulf a day ahead of us, and the boat is now pausing on the Dog River, preparing for the run up the Ohio  'Twas a pleasant surprise.
  

Thing two: My nursing buddy Maureen, who lives in Albuquerque, NM,  was vacationing on Dauphine Island, 45 minutes down the Dauphine Island Parkway from the marina.  Great timing!  We were happy to be able to have dinner with her and her friend, also a Linda.

As I write now (on Friday evening) we are again off the boat,.  We are driving to St. Pete in a rental car to pick up the lonely auto we left at the Municipal Marina.  Once the vehicles are sorted out, we’ll drive to Branson, MO for a Cutlass Submarine reunion.  From there to Baltimore for a Great Harbour get together, some quality time with the French family and on to Newburgh.  Fred’s going to help with some ‘on the water’ training for the Power Squadron, I hope to finish my navigation class, and two grandsons, Paul and JT are graduating from high school!

So guess what?  A bit of a break in the blog!  Something different.  As I’ve said before, the blog covers our boating life, and our 'land-lubber life’ seems to squeak in fairly frequently.

We expect to return to Mobile in June to hop aboard das boot, and once again head up the waterways to meet friends for a re-do of “Up the Upper”, quite likely finding ourselves in the Twin Cities late this summer.  Stay tuned!

Onward and upward.  Be well, remember to breathe, and count each and every one of those blessings!  And a happy Mom’s day, too!