Friday, December 11, 2009

Simple Living...


























We’ve arrived in Stuart, the weather has cleared and we have been enjoying company with friends.

As promised, in this post, we’ve opted to focus on the boat accommodations. On board we have 3 staterooms, 2 heads (bathrooms), a kitchen, a salon and the cockpit. As far as boats go, the accommodations are very generous – one of the benefits of choosing a catamaran. While we forgo the microwave, dishwasher and most countertop appliances, we do have a 4 burner stove, oven, deep freezer and refrigerator.

Our electrical needs are addressed by solar panels. Our cooking fuel is propane. And yes, we do need to stop periodically and get our sewage holding tank pumped out. Beyond that, we just travel along by wind or diesel motor and enjoy the simple living.

The Admiral
12/7/09 – 12/11/09
PS - Captain John and Admiral Ginger, thanks for the note! We've added your blog to our 'watch list' and hope to meet you at sometime along our route.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Never Fool with Mother Nature....


My last post must have upset Mother Nature - just days later she unleashed rain and rain and more rain. As we motored down the ICW Captain Dave was driving through a day and a half of downpour – not fun. With the rain also came the wind. Pictured here is the red lifeguard flag on the ocean side of Vero Beach. It is red to note the hazardous swimming conditions, wind and waves.

Even more disappointing than the rain, however, is that we missed the launching of the Delta rocket. We were traveling through the Port Canaveral area for several days when the rocket was supposed to launch. Unfortunately, the weather delayed the launch and we missed it. Well – there is always next year.

The Admiral
12/4/09- 12/6/09
PS - Dave K. - Glad to hear you are enjoying the blog and that you will get to head to warmer weather for the holiday.
PPS - The Crew of Tiffany Rose - I remain jealous of Christopher's manatee photo from last year. Dave's seen several manatee on our southbound journey this year, but all I've seen is manatee wake.

Thursday, December 3, 2009

Waiting out the Weather...


We’ve spent the last two days enjoying Palm Coast while we’ve waited for a storm to pass. We’ve waited and waited and once the storm finally made its way to us it was nothing more than rain. The high winds predicted never materialized.

Even better, was that the cold weather that was to be behind the storm didn’t make it either. Looks like we will need to suffer through another day of 80+ degrees!

More to come.

The Admiral
12/2/09-12/3/09

Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Docks of the ICW...



Along the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) we see lots of things: homes, boats, wildlife and lots and lots of docks. Some docks are big, some docks are small, some have birds and some have none and then some have built ‘cottages’ on their dock bigger than some houses. I thought you might enjoy a few we saw between St. Augustine and Palm Coast.

The Admiral
12/1/09

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Christmas is in the Air...



With Thanksgiving behind us, Christmas lights began to make their appearance. Jekyll Island’s entry boulevard was lit with many shapes and colors including pineapples. With Marylee and Charm we motor-sailed offshore to St. Augustine and were greeted by the white lights and wreaths in the evening. The holiday spirit is definitely beginning to show!
Now just because we are seeing signs of Christmas, that does not include Christmas like weather. We've enjoyed low 70 degree weather the last several days - and we aren't going to complain a bit!

The Admiral
11/27/09-11/30/09