Jim: Sitting on the launch pad with our helmets fastened

Sunday is done and another stray WiFi signal has found us. We made our road trip to North Carolina and "Old Blue" is safe in his locked compound. If was an emotional time for us, leaving our land yacht behind. After a fifteen hour drive down and back we stayed the night at Larry's house. Thanks a million Larry for taking a little road trip with us.


Giving Blue a final hug.

After the night at Larry's, Kevin loaned us his Volvo to continue with the outfitting of the boat. We had the car from Sunday until Saturday and put over 400 miles on her. She was a great ride and we have an "evil clockwork plan" to steal it upon our return. Don't tell Kevin. :-) Kevin, Lisa, Larry and his daughter came down on Saturday to buy us a farewell meal and retrieve the car. As they pulled out of the marina lot, we realized that another milestone had been reached. We have no land vehicles. No house, no storage, nothing holding us back. Yikes, we are out of excuses. This is getting scary.

The final projects are getting completed. The new boat davits are installed. The new refrigerator is installed and working. The forward cabin is ready for any guest that comes our way. The aft cabin is all set up with cushions, memory foam, and a heating blanket that Pat has fallen madly in love with. I have named the blanket Roberto, due to it's country of origin and I am keeping an eye on it. We don't want this to turn into one of those great Mexican soap operas where Selma Hayek was discovered. Pat runs off with the blanket as soon as we reach Key West. Lucky for me it can't cook and it damn sure can't navigate :-).

The final bill on the last minute steering repairs came to around 3.5 boat units. Thanks again to Richard at MTS for the fast fix. You are the man. We started to tie everything down and checked the engine and generator. The food is stored. The booze is stored. The clothes are stored. The aft head is leaking. WHAT!!! Just a small leak and it is not a show stopper. We wanted to leave on Monday the 6th, but Tuesday is going to be the day. Then we can have everything secure in its place. With any luck, we can make Mill Creek on Tuesday and Norfolk by Friday. We can visit Brad and hit the military supermarket. Gotta love cheap food.

This morning I used our new form of transportation to retrieve a paper, breakfast, and some chocolate. Folding bikes rule!!!


Have milk crate, will travel.

So that is where we stand. We have another day of stowage and last minute fixes. My lovely wife is currently watching a PBS special on our 13 inch TV while laying on the starboard settee with "Roberto" keeping her warm. Watch yourself Roberto. When we hit Key West and the sun is warm you will be cast aside like a program at a Neal Diamond concert. OK, I'm may be being a little dramatic. But a man has to watch out for his Boo.




Cheers to all,

James