NEXT BIG Boat Adventure - SAILING Tuesday

Rod and Linda Duncan invited me to help them move their sailing vessel It's Perfect from Urbanna VA, in the Chesapeake to Kemah TX.  The current plan is to sail on November 1st down to Fort Lauderdale,  swap some crew and then sail on to Kemah Tx.  Depending on weather*, equipment situations, travel time, this could be about November 20th for landing in Kemah.  I will carry my SPOT to track the travel and you can click on my link to see where we are.  (the link is over in the right hand column)  Since we will be out at sea, I'll not be posting to my blog till we make landfall.

*Weather?  Tropical Storm Philippe.

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Tuesday morning i fly to Richmond, VA.  For now i'm in Stuart, Fl.

The next question I'll get is, "when will YOU sail Prodigal?"  AFTER.  After i return and get ready.  For now I'm still happy having two good legs and enjoying the little town of Stuart.  Yesterday i ran across this unique thrift store.

Midway through this normal thrift store, on the left side are CATS for adoption.  You can browse old shoes, clothes and typical thrift store stuff.  Turn a corner and a cat might be sitting in the aisle.  Two of the cats jump the cat wall and mingle with shoppers.  Cute store.
Just like Rod and Linda's boat name:  It's purrr-fect.

Cant write more now.  I'm packing,   - Peg leg Pirate Skip

Ready for a boat ride?

*Correction:  unlike some presidents, i CAN admit when i'm wrong and can apologize.  Tara, i messed up some critical facts in my narrative below.  Sorry.

Today from Tara:  "Nice, my goal was to make the blog.

Some facts to clarify: I quit my job (not laid off) and I didn't get pregnant until 3 years after our three hour tour began...after we were already married and in SE Asia (not Polynesia). Xo T"

I met Tara in 2005, down in Belize.  (my post of October 20, 2005) 

"Gray and breezy in Belize City this morning. no rain but the threat is never far away. i am flying this morning from Belize City to Flores, Guatemala - then drive to Tikal. My 'relaxing beach trip' got blown out of the water yesterday. i showed up for my morning dive and they were preparing for the hurricane to arrive. Wilma. She's a bad girl. everyone was getting ready. so, i packed and flew to the mainland. at the airport i ran into some dive buddies (jim, marshal, & tara) and 'got invited' to go with them to Tikal. Had lobster last night. will post more later. news - im out of range for the hurricane. -skip"

Fast Forward to today...   Yesterday i helped Tara and Gary Last move their sailboat Pursuit IV, from Indiantown to Riviera FL.  As mentioned above, i met Tara in Belize in 2005.  I met Gary yesterday morning at 6:30am.  Tara flew back home to Toronto to be with their two kids.  With Tara gone, Gary needed my help.  So there i go...   'drop the pumpkins' and jump on board.  (note: the mast is removed for fabrication)  We motored the entire way in the ICW.  The Inter coastal Waterway.

It was a lovely day for it.  Overcast to limit sunburn, a mild sprinkle to cool things down and a great breeze from the East.  We motored from 7a until arrving at 4p.  After all that, I was barely able to stay awake to drive home.

So, i met Tara in 2005 in Belize on a dive trip.  The hurricane was coming so we flew on the puddle jumper Maya Air across belize into Guatemala and then on to the Mayan ruins in Tikal.  (go see it if you ever have a chance)  Years later i ran across Tara on Facebook and followed her as she and Gary sailed their boat, Pursuit, across the Pacific.  *The Story:  Gary was single, on his first boat, with limited sailing skills.  (where have i heard this story-line before?)  He sought help sailing via some crewing blogs.  Gary met Tara via the internet - on his add for a sailor - to 'help him sail his boat for six months across the Pacific.'  As fate would have it, Tara was laid off from work and hired on.  The rest is history...  Two kids later they are, married, still together and still sailing. (correction: note above, they were married prior to the kids)  When they finally reached Polynesia they were pregnant with their fist kid.  Tara needed land, so they put the sailboat onto a much larger freighter and paid to have it carried to the USA.  (Living in Toronto the idea of having it there was not attractive)  Now the kids are finally old enough to sail.  Tara and Gary are back down here getting the boat ready to start another sailing adventure.  (correction:  They ended the cruise in SE Asia.)

Gary and I had a grand adventure and Tara was not missed at all.  But i did cuss her for getting me into this...    (kidding)   (correction:  Tara was missed a tiny smidgen.)

After a few hours of motoring along a muddy ditch called the Okeechobee Waterway, we came to the Loche.  In about 30min it dropped 8-10ft and we continued on.

I hope YOUR boat is tied up 

in some marina somewhere and safe?  

IF not, then call Tara, she owes me one!

- Peg Leg Pirate Skip

Dan Burden visit

Dan Burden, my Old Frat Bro from the U, dropped by today to visit.  He and his lovely bride Betsy live down in Jupiter Fl about 30 minutes south of Stuart.  We had a few hours to sit and visit, catch up on life.  Betsy is down in the keys doing some 'after storm help.'  Sure sad to miss her.

Lets not wait forty years to do this again.

- skip

Halloween pumpkins

I volunteered yesterday to unload some pumpkins...

Last Sunday i attended the local Methodist church.  (they have coffee and donuts. ;-) It's close enough for me to walk or ride my bike.  Anyway, during the announcements they said, "Saturday at 9:30 we need volunteers to help unload the pumpkins." (they have a huge field of pumpkins in front, as a fundraiser.) So Saturday morning after my coffee i rode my bike over to help.  There were probably ~200ppl unloading a Semi Trailer.  This was done in the old time bucket brigade fashion where you hand it off the next in line.  In addition, they created two separate lines doing a conga dance off in two different directions.  I chose the spot directly against the tailgate to take advantage of my height.  i could reach up and take the pumpkins from the tailgate guy then hand them down the line.  this would keep the tailgate guy from having to bend down to hand them out of the truck.  Well, it was WORK.  Hard work! Some of these things were monsters.  The ones i could barely lift i put off to the side, so some small kid would not drop them or get hurt.  Lots were small cantaloupe sized and they ran the gambit.  They had lots of noisy rambunctious high-school kids working in the truck, handing them off and down to the ground conga line.  I unloaded ‘my half’ of a semi full of pumpkins in about 90 minutes.  (with two lines, I only had to lift half the truck) It wore me out.  I THOUGHT i was in shape from doing my exercise at the Ymca.  But i know and expect i'll be sore for a few days after this.  I had weight machine muscles, but this took Pumpkin Muscles!

You cant see it in this after-work photo, but i have dust and straw in my hair and eyes.  The truck had hay in it to keep the pumpkins from bruising.  Every 15-20 minutes we had to stop and push out the straw covered floor of the truck.  It got all over everything, but mostly on me.

I heard the announcement again today at church.  
''Another pumpkin truck next Saturday.''

Jupiter Fl. light house

Early Bird

The Early Birds.  Joe and Mary.

 

I have been going to the YMCA for exercise and am enjoying getting my Super Human strength back.  i met a 'cute little old lady' last week.  She sits in the lobby area in a string of chairs, either alone or with friends.  She says 'HI' to everyone walking by.  i asked her if she was there to work out?  "I am already done.  I'm an early bird."  So every day when i see her i say, "hello early bird."  Friday after i finished my workout and was drippy, sweaty, i went and sat by her.  Asked her how she was...   We visited for a few minutes when up walks her husband.  She says, "we started coming her 25 years ago, when he turned 70."  She and i decided the secret is to Get Started and then Dont Stop.   (her words)   *note:  there are lots of very athletic seniors there every day.  many use more, heavier weights than i do.  But i'm quickly catching up.  (she is 89 with a birthday in March)

I am including these houses because i think they are 'Florida Bungalows.'  An architecture that is something new to me.

I rode my bike to the Publix grocery this afternoon for some quick dinner supplies.  Upon arrival i met this gentleman coming out of the store.  He saw my attire and said, "You have a better looking outfit than me."  I disagree and didnt realize we were having a competition. But it did make me think about how Pirates are viewed by the general public.  I'll want to be careful what i wear.  I have to represent!  I'm only a few years away from being a cute little old man...

-Peg Leg Pirate Skip