Back in the Marina

Sharon got off work at 3pm today and I had IQ ready to go, so we took off and made it back to the marina about 5:30. There was no wind hardly at all. It was a pleasant trip for us. We only sail one sailboat, and he was motoring. Only one other boat passed us. There were not many people on the water today. Since there was no wind it made pulling into the slip really easy (that's the way I like it). I now have two days to get everything ready before I leave for Indiana for a month.

Today while Sharon was at work it was getting a little warm since there was no breeze, so I decided to go for a swim. It was so cool and refreshing. While I was in the water I swam around IQ and under her to look at the hull and running gear. When we bought her we did not do a survey or take her out of the water to inspect her. I have always been a little scared of what I might find. I was pleasantly surprised to find no blisters. The hull is still really clean. The prop and rudder are still in good shape. I was pleased with the way everything looked except the size of the rudder. I took some measurements of it. I think when we do pull her out of the water we will add some to it to make her respond more quickly when you turn the wheel.

Short stuff snacking at the helm.

Underway.

Underway.

Little Adventure

Well on Sunday before we started having a fun day with the flea market and concert we had a little nautical adventure. I got into Rosy and waited for Sharon to climb down from Island Queen into her as well. As she stepped down into the dink she saw a cushion on the seat and sat down onto it. The problem was that it was on the same side  of Rosy as me. When she sat down the boat tipped over just enough to let water come in over the side and swamped Rosy (Ros is our dink). The boat completely filled up with water in less than 2 seconds. Rosy has positive flotation, so she won't sink even with us in her, but she will completely fill with water. All of this would have been pretty funny except Sharon had her backpack on with her tablet, both our phones, both sets of car keys with key fobs, and our verizon air card. Her tablet died and both our phones. We don't know about the key fobs yet. The verizon air card survived. Fortunately the tablet is still under warranty, and the phones were old and needed to be replaced anyway. Oh the fun of living on a boat. The good makes up for the bad though. Tonight I was sitting on the bow listening to music while I grilled some brauts, as I looked out over the anchorage and smelled the brauts cooking I was thinking I would not trade it for any house in any state. Life is good. While we wee at the nautical flea market I saw a shirt that said "My life is better than your vacation". I should have bought it but I was too cheap.

Fun Day

We had a fun day today. Went to a nautical flea market, and then went out to eat. Then this evening went to see Eric Stone play. It was a good time and we got to talk to him during his breaks and afterwards. I also picked up a couple of CDs. We had another exciting adventure today, but I will post about that later. Right now we are still drying things out.

Me and Eric Stone

Me enjoying the evenings music.

Eric singing

Resort where Eric was playing.

Painting the Decks

I got the first coat of paint on the deck today. It looks really good. We had done alot of fiberglass work changing the deck drains, and they looked bad. It is so nice to finally get it done. Unfortunately I got a good sunburn to go along with it.

One of my favorite singers is preforming in town tomorrow. Eric Stone will be at Smuggler's Cove, just a few miles from where we are anchored. It will be a good time.

Foredeck

Port deck

Starboard deck

Aft deck

Our trusty Honda 2000 generator.

At anchor

We left the marina this morning and motored about 12 miles down the ICW to Islamarda and anchored in a bay close to shore. This is the town that Sharon works in. We plan on anchoring here for about a week. I will take Sharon ashore in Rosy in the mornings and pick her up in the evenings (as long as she is nice). I started painting the deck yesterday. I will finish it this week while at anchor. The weather is supposed to be just about perfect for the foreseeable future. Low 80s in the day and low 70s at night. You gotta love the Keys.

Our anhorage for the week.

Philosophy

Well, nothing important going on here. Just cleaned up the dishes from supper and was looking out the window at the sunset. It got me to thinking about life in general and my life in particular. It was a good day today. We got up and I fixed us biscuts and sausage for breakfast. We went to church and then came home and wasted, I mean rested for most of the day. I fixed us a really good supper even if I say so myself. Back to the sunset, as I was watching it through the galley port it got me to thinking about life in general. I once heard a quote that said, "He who is content with what he has is allready rich". I whole heartedly agree with that. We do not have alot of worldly riches, but we are truely content with what we have. Another thing came to mind as I was contemplating the beauty before me, and that was another thing I learned somewhere along the way "Find joy in the simple things". I can say I have found joy in simple things. We don't need a lot in this life. Just some one to love and love us back, flavorful food, and a comfortable place to sleep. The rest is just a distraction from what is important.

That is your free philosophy for the day.

Mike

What a great day!

We anchored in Sunset Cove last night. This morning the wind shifted to the northeast, so we moved to the north end of Buttonwood Sound to be more out of the wind. Our frinds Richard and Lisa joined us. We had a great day rafted up togather. Grilled steaks and a beautiful sunset after a nice 75 degree day in February. Does it get any better than that?

Sharon enjoying her Kindle and the sunshine.

Another beautiful island sunset.

Richard and Lisa's boat rafted up next to us.

Beautiful Evening

Sharon got off 1/2 an hour early today and we headed out for the weekend. We made it to a nice little spot to anchor just before sunset. It was a beautiful sunset over the water and a couple of small islands. It will be a little windy on Sunday, but should still be a good time on the hook. We have some friends who will meet up with us tomorrow to share the weekend.