Another Season Begins...

While most people would be upset with the passing of summer, I think Dave and I have actually looked forward to it. With our return to the boat, we’ve been as giddy as school children. Our smiles our broader. Our bodies, already, falling into that state of relaxation. All that, even with a ton of work to do in order to launch the boat! Go figure!!

Yet boat work went as well. With a wash and wax, Tropical Breeze’s hulls now shine again. The sails are up and the sheets run. Makeshift drain reducers have been installed on all the outlet drains in hopes of keeping out the occasional snake and minimizing wake forcing itself up the drains. The speedo/depth instrument which went out for repair is now back in place and working. And the list goes on and on.

We received a special request this year to better explain how things work on board. Our primary mode of transportation when we are at anchor is the dinghy. The dinghy sits on the back end (stern) of the boat and gets raised and lowered into the water using a pulley at the end of the mast boom. Attached are photos of the dinghy hanging from the mast boom as we are raising it for launch.

With the help of Miguel and Charlie, launch went without a hitch. The bilges are dry. The engines working properly. I almost hate to document our good fortune for fear it will jinx us.

We are now down river – back in Charleston. We were greeted at the Maritime Center by Jeff, Bob and many others who came in to help with lines during our evening arrival. We’ve barely left the launch ramp and already we’ve bumped into friends. Pat on ‘Cat Maudy’ is here. Friends John and Mary on Marylee are expected tomorrow. Yet boat friends are not the only people we will see while in Charleston. The Admiral’s Mom and Dad are also making an appearance. Stay tuned for more.

The Admiral
11/8/09

Summer Recap...

Where did the time go? I know when we returned to Michigan for the summer Dave and I had great expectations of all the things we would get to see and do with our free time. We did a lot, but admittedly, in retrospect it seems like very little.

Our priority was spending quality time with family and friends. This included helping Dave’s parents with the rebuilding of their home which had, unfortunately, been destroyed by fire in February. We are happy to report that Mom and Dad moved into their new home in August and are settling in nicely.

When not with family and friends we found time to enjoy boating on the lake, kayaking the rivers and even took up golf for the fourth or fifth time. Once again we both failed miserably at the golf thing, but enjoyed our hacking enough that we will try again next year.

While we didn’t travel far from home often, we did make one trip south to work on the boat. Enroute we stopped at the Biltmore Estates to tour the mansion. We were both very impressed. So many of the old mansions you see in Europe have a few select rooms refurbished to their glory. With the Biltmore there are over 50 rooms to see, all restored to their original splendor.

Admittedly, during our time in the Midwest we did get homesick for the islands. While tropical islands were out of the question, we did drive north – yes north - to our most favorite island – Mackinac. We spent a fall color weekend their which included bicycling around the small island, fudge tasting and shopping. The fall weekend was a great close to our trip home before heading south.

The Admiral
11/7/09

Photo 1: The Captain Kayaking

Photo 2: The Biltmore Mansion

Photo 3: Bicycling Around Mackinac

Photo 4: The town of Mackinac Island

To Write or Not to Write?

Such a dilemma. Being back in the midwest, Dave and I have struggled with whether or not we should keep posting material on our land adventures. Do we? Don't we? Well at this point we are planning to not post our land based activities.

But please drop back again next fall/winter season for the continued Adventures of Captain Dave and Admiral Joanne onboard Tropical Breeze.

Have a great summer!!!

Admiral Joanne

Play Time...

With the boat hauled and most of the chores complete it was time for some play. Dave's brother Matt arrived to drive us back to the midwest. So the three of us set out to explore Charleston and the surrounding area.

Our first, and most important stop, was to catch up with friends on Tiffany Rose. Dave, Shirley and Christopher had arrived in Charleston just days before as they continued their trek back home to Canada. It was great visiting with them! We will miss them, as well as all the great friends we've met along our journey very much!

In Charleston we enjoyed the historic district, the market and the naval museum. I've spoken of the historic district during our previous stay so I won't dwell here, but it was our first opportunity to see the naval museum. What fun!! The naval museum is one of the most complete I've ever been to with a WWII aircraft carrier, a sub, a destroyer and a Coast Guard cutter all available to see. On board the aircraft carrier were aircraft from many vintages of naval history. It was very impressive!

But enough of fun....we did eventually have to get back to the task at hand and begin the journey home. What mixed emotions. We are excited to be returning home but saddened to be leaving the boat. Then perhaps, summer in the midwest will bring its own adventures.

The Admiral

5/10 - 5/14/09

Freeloaders...

Having arrived in Charleston the ‘real’ work of prepping the boat for haul out began. We took down sails, did maintenance, touched up sewing projects, packed and more. It was a lot of work but we were finally ready.

On haul out day we discovered a few surprises. We had picked up some freeloaders along the way. A tree frog had found his way into our cockpit and seemed quite content to just sit in the shade. He wasn’t very happy when Dave caught him in a towel and pitched him overboard. He did, however, find his way back to the stern of the boat where he sunned and dried himself for a while before taking off for the great unknown.

We also picked up a snake. Dave first saw him on the morning of the haul out underneath the boat in the outlet drain for the bathroom sink. When Dave inspected the drain closer he didn’t see the snake and thought the slimy little guy had gone. Not to be. The day after haul out we found him sticking his head out of the outlet drain again. He appeared to have had crawled deeper up the sink drain and Dave couldn’t see him on initial inspection. To get him out we ran water through the sink drain until he popped out and then lured him away from the boat. Hopefully we won’t see him or any of his cousins again.

We have yet to meet some of the other local critters. (And hope we don't!) We've been told there are hogs, bobcat and even a 3 foot alligator in residence. Should be interesting!

The Admiral
4/30/09 – 5/8/09

Byewfort not Bowfort...

I always get Beaufort, SC and Beaufort, NC confused. The South Carolina town pronounced Byewfort, the North Carolina town pronounced Bowfort. Either way, whichever one I am in I tend to pronounce as the other and vice versa.

We arrived in Beaufort after an overnight sail from Jekyll Island / St. Simons Sound to the Beaufort Inlet. Tired, we were happy to see that the free dock was open and available to tie up. The dock is available from 6 am to 1 am each day. Our arrival at 8:30 was early enough to get a spot before the other boats began coming in.

Beaufort is well known for its antebellum homes many of which have been featured in movies. A tour guide told me the town has 17 movies to its credit - Forrest Gump being one of the best known of the group.

The community is lovely. The mature moss filled trees shade the sidewalks. The churches are all high steepled. You can loose yourself into the southern atmosphere by escaping off the paths of the main streets and onto the side streets of the area.

But with a schedule, it was time to move on. As we learned the stretch of the ICW from Beaufort to South of Charleston is like motoring through distant rivers. On the three day journey we saw very few boats. It was as if we were in our own world - alone with nature.

The Admiral

4/25/09 - 4/28/09

Jekyll Island...

Despite the fun, it was time to leave St. Augustine. With the weather continuing to be mild we opted to pop to the outside and day sail up to St. Mary's inlet at the Florida/Georgia border. From there we traveled to Jekyll Island, Georgia. It was our first time in Jekyll and will not be our last.

Jekyll Island was once the winter haven to the world's wealthiest. In the 1880's, 53 charter members of the club - including Astor's, Gould's, Vanderbilt's, Rockefeller's, Goodyear's and more - formed the Jekyll Island Club and purchased the island. They then developed the island to suit their needs. The Jekyll Island Club hotel is still open for business today and many of the member cottages can be seen in the Millionaire Village. The island became part of the Georgia State park system in the late 1940's. The state has done a remarkable job in preserving the community and maintaining the quaint upscale escape feel of the island. If your in need of an escape and are in the Georgia area the island is a must see.

The Admiral

4/23/09-4/25/09