Potluck dinner:)

One of the best things about cruising is the people you meet in harbors. Last night, we had a potluck dinner in which 7 of us shared food and stories in the galley of our boat. (We wanted to eat at the pavilion here, but the weather was windy, cool, and cloudy. Beats 10 inches of snow though, doesn't it St. Louis?)

We were joined by Ron and Carol, Collin and Jo, and Steve for a cozy evening filled with good food and friendship!

Fog!!!

Well.....today is the first day I was a bit scared on the boat--and I don't scare easily. We had been working on the boat for 2 1/2 days, and it was time to relax for a bit. We motored out into the channel, set the sails, and noticed what we thought were clouds on the horizon. However, within a few minutes, Barry stated that it was fog and we were turning around to return to the harbor. I wasn't alarmed, even when he asked me to get the charts and the fog horn from below. When I went below, the sun was shining. 30 seconds later, when I returned to the cockpit, we were completely enveloped in fog. We couldn't spot the channel markers--which are large and bright red and green. I got scared when he told me to sound the foghorn every two minutes and when his glasses fogged up and he was depending on me to find the markers. We worked as a team--spotting markers and crab traps and made it back to the harbor---where we both enjoyed a drink! As Barry always says--"we cheated death again!"

Rainy Day

Barry is the only person I know who sees a rainy day as an opportunity to find all of the leaks on the boat! (We have several leaky hatches--as it turns out). First dry day we will apply some clear silicone to fix the problem. Meanwhile--we're doing inside jobs today and Barry is very antsy. Send help:)

Jamaica Fun!

We spent a week in Jamaica with our wonderful friends Kak and Jerry and Mike and Sandy. The pictures tell the story of a fun week on the beach with beautiful sunsets, great food, snorkeling, temperatures in the 80's, and sand between our toes!

Dunedin

Today was a chilly day in Tarpon Springs (60s). I met my friend Sue for lunch in a lovely town called Dunedin. We had a tasty lunch and shopped a bit. Barry hit the jackpot--he went to Don's Marine Salvage and found some treasures we couldn't live without, such as a refrigeration unit, a bale for the boom, and a holding tank. Bargains galore! Now we're enjoying a cool, rainy evening on the boat.

Kedging

Yesterday, I learned a new word--kedge. To 'kedge' means to remove your boat from a sticky situation--such as being stuck aground in the middle of a bay---by throwing an anchor and maneuvering the boat out of the sand. We went aground yesterday on our way to Caladesi Island during an exceptionally low tide. We turned out of the channel as directed on the signs in the bay and wham, we hit ground. Thank goodness Barry has a 'can-do spirit' and doesn't give up. After three attempts, he got us floating again. Three separate times, he had to put the anchor in the dinghy, motor out to deeper water, throw the anchor, and then yell directions to me in the the helm to rev up, go to port, go to starboard. Kind of like getting out of a Missouri snowbank! We still had a bit of fun amid the problems--we took the dinghy over to the northern end of Caladesi and after wading almost waist high in rather cold water, we walked the beach and found some fabulous shells! Rt'd back to Tarpon Springs last night, cold and bone weary--but there is always something fun to see down here, from ospreys eating their catch to hundreds of shells to beautiful sunsets and DOLPHINS!

Our new (to us) sailboat.

New Year's in Tarpon Springs

After 18 hours of driving, we arrived in Tarpon Springs on Dec. 27th at the Anclote Harbor Marina--a harbor with a lovely view of the Anclote River. The temps here were similar to those we experience in St. Louis for the first couple of mornings--but we're happy to report we are now enjoying temps in the 70's during the day.

We are visited by pelicans, osprey, herons, and little shore birds I call 'kamikazes' because they dive head first into the water for food. I've inserted a picture of the heron I nicknamed 'Fred Astaire' who is a beggar! Of course, we fed him several shrimp. I kayaked in my inflatable kayak and saw warblers in the mangroves across the river.

We have already met some fun, friendly people including Anna and Mark Mills who are cruising full time on their 30' Cape Dory. She taught me a lot about how to store things in small spaces! Their picture is inserted above--just before they left for the next leg of their adventure!

My great friend Sue visited us with her husband George and her brother Mike and his family. 10 people total on the boat!! We sailed and motored all afternoon in chilly winds. Barry's brother Tom came to visit as well--with his wife Carol, son Steve, and friend 'Georgie'. Georgie has sailed for over 30 years and will be an invaluable resource for me as I start this adventure on our new boat.

Of course, there is always a vast array of projects to complete on a boat! Barry loves to work on the boat, so this makes him almost delirious. Projects have included securing the helm compass, scrubbing the used dinghy ( just purchased), putting on a mast boot, changing the main sail, working on the heads, motor mount bolt replacement, cleaning cleaning cleaning.

The Mardi Gras Blog

We are from St Louis Missouri and both of us have lived most of our lives in that city. In April of 2005 we bought a 24' Laguna Windrose which taught us sailing basics.
In October of 2007 we purchased a 1995 26' Hunter and thus continued our sailing fun.
In May 2010 we purchased our new boat, a 1980 Stevens Custom 39. She is a center cockpit sloop designed by Charlie Morgan. When we bought her she had been undergoing a 3 year refit which we have continued. Meanwhile, we are cruising the west coast of Florida while we make new friends and continue improving Mardi Gras.