Well the boats already in the water...

This is the second part from the post "running with the big dogs."  We spent an arduous 5 days working and wondering how the boat was doing docked in the St. Pete Marina like a "real boat." We borrowed the Sequoia this time so there would be no trouble pulling the boat out regardless of ramp conditions.  Our plan was to drive down late, sleep on the boat, pull it out in the morning, and take it home to clean it.

We ended up deviating "slightly" from that plan.  In the morning we pulled the mainsail down and brought it to Island Nautical.  They are an official Doyle sail manufacturer and we had them size and replace the 4 battens in our main.  Over lunch (and drinks) we decided that we didn't really need to head back right away. After all the boat was already in the water and we had a newly battened mainsail that needed testing!

We provisioned at a local publix, reattached the main, and cruised out into Tampa bay.  By this point it was in the late afternoon.  We sailed aimlessly south in the beautiful cool evening until the sun set. We then tossed out the anchor and settled in for the night.  

The next morning we cruised back into the marina and pulled the boat out effortlessly albeit unwillingly.  Just like all of our short trips we were not even close to ready to pull out.  Maybe a longer trip would satisfy that feeling.

The trip was fun and unexpected. So much so that we did not even get pictures. (or at least ones worth sharing)  Now that we had the boat home it was time to start contemplating the next step. A wet slip!

Lake Harris night sail

It was the beginning of December and I was itching to go sailing.  I picked up the kids after school and we headed to lake Harris.  Knowing that it got dark at 5:30 and I couldn't pick the kids up until 3:30 I could tell we were going to be sailing in the dark. I actually love sailing in the dark.  It's quiet, peaceful, and beautiful especially under a brilliant canopy of moon and stars.

On the way out of the small bay at Venetian Gardens the kids were checking out a neat little island with a big stone structure, benches, and a covered pick-nick table.  Although they probably weren't expecting me to stop I told them that was one of the great things about sailing; getting to explore.  We climbed, skipped rocks, and explored.

Right at sunset we climbed back in the boat and headed out into the main portion of the lake.  It was beautiful and clear with a decent amount of wind.  Inevitably with the sunset came a chill in the air.  We tacked back and forth a few times before calling it quits.

My hope is these little trips will instill in Austin and Aaliah the sense of freedom, independence, and adventure that sailing has brought to so many people, including myself.

Sleepy panda!

Holidays Suck

I must admit this has been the best holiday season that I can remember.  That being said, I hate the holidays.  They are hectic, expensive, and stressful.  There is so much going on between relatives, family meals, buying presents, the restaurant being crazy with families in town, and the restaurant's catering side cramming 40 parties into 3 weeks.  I'm always so relieved to finally be through the grind of November and December.

This year was no exception. I did not expect to get many updates on the blog posted because that's how it goes for me. Now of course its mid January and life is throwing us another curve ball.  The restaurant has been sold and soon I will be jobless. Yea! Not that I like being jobless but the time to move on to the next stage in life is upon us. There are many good things on the horizon.

2015 promises to bring lots of sailing.  We put the boat in at a marina in Hudson, FL.  Its an hour and a half drive from the house but that is relatively quick and cheap in Amber's fuel efficient car.  We are very excited for it to warm up and spend as much time as possible out on the water.

This year also marks the birth of some kind of new line of work.  There are plans at the compound floating around to turn our "farm" into an actual farm!  We already have cows, chickens, and goats but soon want to ad turkey, ducks, and hogs.  We would be selling natural gmo free meat, eggs, milk and products we make from those.  There is also talks of starting my dream of a craft distillery in conjunction with the farm.  Very exciting stuff!

For now i will try to catch those playing along at home up on what we have been up to the last two months. And it's a lot! Cheers!