Fall 2003 Update

Position: 27 28.09N, 080 19.68W

Location: Ft. Pierce, Florida

Things are going well with us. The summer has been wetter & hotter than last year and has past quickly. Luck has been with us, as we have not had any tropical weather effect us.

 We have spent the summer working on the boat and visiting family.  As I write this we are in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin visiting my mother.  The weatherman has tried to make us feel at home by allowing a cold front to come through. When we left Florida yesterday morning it was close to 80 degrees, arriving in Milwaukee it was 47 degrees and raining.  We woke this morning to 32 degrees with a high around 50 today.  Our blood has gotten to thin for this kind of weather.  On Tuesday we will fly to Baltimore to visit with Ugne’s parents and probably go to the Annapolis Boat Show returning to Florida the following week.

 As I said above the summer has gone by quickly.  We thought we would have more tasks completed but as many of you know boat jobs have a way of expanding.  We finally finished the sea berth/walkway this past week and started on the aft berth. I have not tackled the generator yet and that is a priority to have completed before we head back to the Bahamas.  The aft berth is a big job and will take up most of my time over the next couple of months.  I have attached a couple of pictures of before and current progress.  Ugne will start sewing up a new canvas bimini and dodger. With any luck we will be able to get out of here sometime in January with plans to head back to the Bahamas.  The Bahamas have raised the cost of the cruising permit to $300 (boats over 35 ft.). Cost last year was $100. Because of the increase many cruisers say that they will not go this year.

 We love living on the boat even though we are living in half the boat because of the refit work and are looking forward to finishing the work so we can get moving again. The Harbortown Marina here in Ft. Pierce is a good stopping place. We have a pool at the end of our dock and a very nice restaurant on the water. We can walk up the hill for groceries and the West Marine store. Town is a little over a mile away.  One benefit that we have this year is a friend of ours who sailed down to Venezuela has asked us to rescue his car from storage. He is letting us use it until they fly back for Christmas. Having the car has spoiled us but has been great for getting needed refit supplies.

        Sea Berth Before                Sea Berth After

   Aft Berth Before                                    Aft Berth stage 1 refit

   Aft Berth stage 2 refit