Monday, March 1st, 2010

The month of February has just flown by! The weather has been unseasonably cold and we have had several rainy days but thankfully the boat is cozy, warm and dry. Rainer did a bit of fiberglass work as well as re-caulking a few questionable areas, and, it appears that after the last torrential downpour, we are leak-free (at least for now). We gave Perlita a little added touch up on the front of the fly bridge, a little wooden dolphin that I picked up at Shell World. Rainer freed her from the stand that she came on and I gave her a good sanding and a bit of Australian Timber Oil for protection from the elements. She now has a bird’s-eye view of where we are headed.

We really enjoyed watching the Olympics and took a lot of teasing from our American friends over the initial Canada/US Men’s Hockey results. Who’s laughing now, Dave?

We are very proud of our athletes and Vancouver for being such amazing hosts.

We moved Perlita around from the dock, where we have spent the last three and a half months, to the other side of the island in front of the gas docks on Saturday so that we could gas her up on Sunday morning before Rainer, Denny and John brought her down to Marathon. We loaded her back up with the bicycles, the kayak and the dinghy and put everything away in preparation for the trip. Thankfully we got everything put away and tied down just before we got hit by a tropical downpour! I hid under the eaves in front of the dock office until it passed by. I had gone there to make a few phone calls when it hit and didn’t want to chance running back to the boat in the pouring rain along the uneven docks! Rainer and I enjoyed a prime rib dinner at Gilbert’s Restaurant in celebration of our last night there.

We were up bright and early on Sunday morning. It was still a bit windy but the sky was clear and it looked like things might warm up considerably, perfect day for the voyage. Rainer went to rouse Denny and John and then filled the tank while I loaded up my car with a few things I would need for my day on the road. Took some pictures of Perlita as the boys headed off and then I went for one last breakfast at Gilbert’s and one last service at the local church before heading south to Marathon.

I arrived at the Sombrero Resort around 12:30 and let the office know we would be bringing the boat in a day early. Met up with Rob and Garth at the Tikki Bar and waited for Rainer’s call to let me know when they were approaching Marathon Beach. Got the call 15 minutes before the start of the Canada-US hockey game. Made a mad dash to the beach to get pictures of Perlita entering Sister Creek and then raced back to the bar to watch the game. Ran down to the docks as the guys were coming in, got a few more pictures, secured the lines and then we all headed back to the bar to watch the end of the game. Lynn came down to join us for a drink and Sharon drove down from Key Largo to pick up Denny and John and take them back.

We ended our last evening in Marathon with a pizza dinner here at the local restaurant and went back to the boat early to watch the closing ceremonies.

Today, Monday, March 1st, the weather is cool but sunny. I’ve already been for a bike ride around the golf course and Isla D’Oro. My poor bicycle is more of a rust-sickle but a few squirts of oil got things turning! I’m looking forward to bicycling to the beach when it’s a bit warmer. For today, we’ll just get settled in our new location and maybe go for a dinghy ride to check things out.

Our new mailing address is: c/o Sombrero Resort and Marina, 19 Sombrero Blvd., Marathon, FL 33050 right up until we head back home at the beginning of June.

Monday, March 8th, 2010

We’ve been having such a great time for the last week! After settling in last Monday and Tuesday, getting used to our new surroundings, we were busy non-stop all day Wednesday. Lynda and Franklin, from Montreal stopped by to have lunch with us at Dockside on their way south to Key West. While we were there, Sue, Tom and TJ dropped by from Key Largo to surprise us. We barely had enough time to run to the grocery store to pick up a few things before Rob and Garth arrived to have dinner with us on the boat. It was a wonderful day and a fantastic evening. Good thing we didn’t have too much planned for the next couple of days --- we needed to recover!

On Saturday, we drove back north to Key Largo for the day to visit with all our friends at Gilbert’s and to attend Largopalouzza. Had lunch at the Tikki Bar, spent time at Tikki 11 with the old gang and then headed over to Marley’s on Pontune’s pontoon boat to check out the entertainment. They had several different stages set up with all kinds of music, an open air market selling the usual trinkets and all kinds of food. We got a great seat in the bar area and watched with amusement as they brought in Queen Anne’s Revenge, the pirate ship, the crew members all appropriately attired! We headed back over to Gilbert’s for one last drink before dark and before things got too crazy since we still had to drive back to Marathon.

Sunday turned out to be a gorgeous day, the first day since we’ve been in Marathon that it’s actually been warm enough to suntan. So, of course, that’s exactly what I did! It was actually warm enough as long as I stayed out of the wind. Went paddling for a bit and saw a few manta rays. We’ve actually been enjoying being able to go cycling every morning. Today we went as far as the beach and walked our bikes along the sand. We’ve been increasing the distance we bicycle every day. We’re up to 8 km! Doesn’t sound like much but with the wind to contend with, it’s enough of a workout for us!

Went to Dockside’s last night to meet up with Charmaine and Bill and their friends to help celebrate BJ’s birthday and keep his memory alive. It was really touching to reminisce with the people who knew him and loved him so. It was also wonderful to see everyone out enjoying themselves, dancing to the live music, now that the weather is finally starting to warm up.

Well, off to see if we can exceed our last bike ride and then to enjoy another day in the sunshine!

Our longest ride so far, you can see the difference in speed when we were riding into the wind.

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

It’s been ten days since my last post. An action-packed, fun-filled ten days! With the wonderful weather we have been enjoying, we have been able to keep up our daily bike rides. We average about 10 km a day and keep increasing our average mph and the number of calories we are burning. Gives us a guilt-free permission slip to increase our alcohol intake! We’ve also spent a lot of time in the pool, so much so, that I had to give it a bit of a rest since I managed to get a bit of a sunburn after spending most of the day in the water last Saturday. Nothing serious, just across the shoulders, the bits that were above water! Bill and Charmaine came for dinner last Saturday. Rainer made his amazing mango/pineapple/chicken curry. As usual, it was delish. We had a lovely evening sitting around the dinner table in the coziness of our main cabin. Evenings are still a bit cool but it makes for a good sound sleep.

On Sunday, we went to Lynn and Rick’s to celebrate and early St. Patty’s Day. They had prepared a terrific corned beef and cabbage dinner which we all thoroughly enjoyed to the point that Lynn had to ask us to please save a little for her friend Karen who couldn’t make it over till a bit later. There was a bit of drinking going on which only added to the entertainment! A great evening was had by all.

After two weeks here in our new home, we decided it was about time to check out the laundry facilities on Monday. In the afternoon, I acted as ball girl while Bill and Charmaine practiced their tennis. We then spent a few hours together over cocktails and appetizers.

It rained for a good part of St. Patrick’s Day but not enough to deter us from celebrating in style. Met up with the gang at Dockside where we started the celebration and continued on back at the Tikki Bar at the Sombrero. The party went on well into the evening and past the dinner hour but we managed to order pizza somewhere in the middle of it all!

This morning, it’s looking bright and sunny, but I haven’t had a chance to stick my nose out to see how warm it is yet although it looks like it could possibly be another pool day.

We are looking forward to heading up to Miami on Saturday to pick up Mike and Ashley for their ten day holiday down here. Tas and Kelly arrive after they have left and my parents arrive just after that. So it will be a busy and enjoyable four weeks (and hopefully, you will all understand if I don’t get around to posting anything new in the next little while!) We will continue to take lots of pictures though and will try to post them as time permits.

In the meantime, just a reminder that we are only down here for another two and a half months, and the weather is getting continually warmer! Drop us a line, give us a call or pay us a visit!

February 28, 2010

Denny and his friend John McClennan, from Port Franks Ontario (www.huronshoresmarine.com), joined me in taking Perlita from Key Largo to Marathon. We left around 8:30 am with strong north westerly winds and rough bay waters both of which were to subside in the afternoon. Since the winds and waves did not lessen we decided to go to the ocean side and travel along the ocean. There the water was calmer at first but soon large swells started to join the never ending wind. The boat handled beautifully and we had a wonderful ride.

It's amazing how one can adapt. When we first came down to Florida and we started to get into shallow water, 5ft or less, I would throttle down to almost idle speed. This time we continued full steam ahead through some of the even as the depth gauge read 4.5ft.

We did however slowly enter Sister Creek, the ocean entrance to Boot Key Harbour, as it was low tide and our depth gauge was reading 3.7ft and we require 3.5ft.

The next day I saw how salt crusted the boat was from the salt spray of our ride on the ocean and had to wash down the boat.

"Perlita" coming off the ocean into Boot Key Harbour. click here to view more images.

March 8

While here in Marathon I have been able to further work on my board game and can finally say it is done and available for sale. For more information click on the image below.

March 18

I am really enjoying this retirement life style. Getting up early to have coffee, check email and get out to go cycling by the crack of noon, and then pool side in the afternoon, followed by cocktails at the Tikki bar. It's amazing how many things there are to do.

St. Patrick Day fun at Dockside.

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