Hi! Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!
Yes, in the time that’s passed since my last blog post – we crossed the Gulf, flew to the east coast to visit with my family; flew to Arizona to visit Tom’s family and then made a mad dash to the Keys to celebrate the New Year. I know I left you in limbo about the crossing, but once our “window” finally appeared – we were on the RUN! We hopped across the Gulf and beelined to Fort Myers in order to make our flights…and then got caught up in all of the holiday bustle.
So, to rewind….I wish I could tell you that the crossing was uneventful. But to be candid, it was exhausting and at times, down right scary. The wave/wind conditions were ideal (Eddy’s Weather Wag said so!) but no one told us about the dense, dreary, dreadful FOG!
Our usual 25 knot cruising speed slowed to a 8 knot crawl and we ultimately ended up arriving in Clearwater, FL in the dark.
The time with our families was a whirlwind. Indulgent food, a few hikes, too many Christmas gifts to count…and before we knew it, we were making our way back to Florida for New Year’s celebrations.
Apparently, booking a slip in Key West happens m.o.n.t.h.s (some times even a year) in advance of a holiday weekend…so in a complete scramble to get plans panned out, Paige at Snag-a-Slip saved the day. Even sprucing up our celebratory weekend with welcome goodies waiting for us at the marina. I cannot say enough about the phenomenal customer service these guys offer!
Arriving in Key West with friends on board and intercepting these goodies turned out to be just the tipping point of an EPIC weekend.
On our second day on the island, we were enjoying cocktails at The Porch when I got a message from a Power & Motoryacht reader who has been following the blog.
Jen was newly engaged and spending the week on a yacht with her fiancé, Dieter. They were en route to Key West – and offered to buy Tom & I a round of drinks.
Drinks turned into dinner…which turned into an incredibly generous invite aboard their 90 ft. Leopard for a New Year’s Eve cruise to Marquesas.
The boat was beautiful, the weather was gorgeous and a new friendship was born. It was truly the best way to send out 2016 and embrace all of the possibilities 2017 has to offer.
Thank you for the kind words, Kate!
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When were you in Clearwater?
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Must have been on the 12th…got in after dark and left at 7am. No fun was had!! 😭
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Sorry to have missed you guys in AZ. We keep a 48Cantius at Lake Pleasant, about 30 miles NW of Phoenix. Where in AZ is Tom’s family? Perhaps visit with us next time you fly out this way.
Peter
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Hi Peter! We have wondered/discussed if there is a boating community in AZ!
I absolutely love visiting and would love to have a home there but we weren’t sure if boating could be a part of that life!
We fly into PHX – Tom’s folks live in Scottsdale.
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Hey just continue to enjoy, I continue to be jealous of the fantastic experience. If you use the ICW going north look out for Highland Beach Seagate of Highland Beach condo my getaway for 30 yrs .
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Thanks, Jack! Hopefully not heading north until May!
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Kate,
Is Tom still update your track? I am only able to see his old posts. I am unable to see anything that he may have posted after the FLIBS.
Loved your last post! Welcome to Florida! We live a little north of Clearwater in New Port Richey and hope to be loopers one day. Thanks for sharing your journey with us!
Thanks, Michael
Sent from my iPad
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Hi there!
I’ll ask tom about the track our trip portion. It’s been a busy time with the holidays…but I know he’s been keeping all of the info!
Thanks for following our journey!
Happy New Year!
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Great things are going well for you all! What happened to “Track Our Trip”? It just sends us to PMY and their interview with you. I can’t find the map and fuel figures for each section of the trip! Happy New Year!
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Hi there! Someone else just asked about this too! I’m going to look into it today/tomorrow while we have rain days to occupy! 🙂
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Thank you! I really enjoy all of your postings but really like the Track Our Trip!
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Just updated! 🙂
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Hi! Are you using a drone for your pics and videos? We are starting the great loop in March. If so, do you have any suggestions for a drone, what kind do you have? Any suggestions? If not, how do you get those fabulous pictures?
Thanks, Karen
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Hi Karen! We are using a DJI Phantom 4 although are planning to buy the new DJI Mavick!
So exciting that you’re starting your loop in March! Where are you starting from?
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That one XMas pic looks like you guys were at The Jefferson Hotel in Richmond, VA.
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We were!
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