Winter 24/25

      Our winter season started out very windy. For a very long time. Then we had tropical storm warnings. We were just outside of the hurricane Rafael zone. Just. We had some 40kt gusts but the steady, non-hurricane, 20+kt winds and the choppy harbor water lasted for weeks. Not hurricane related. Just annoying. Sigh. 

     Our dinghy fell apart. Literally. The transom separated from the hulls and it continued to fail to keep air in or water out. We were lucky the motor did not fall into the sea. Lucky also that a neighbor loaned us his dinghy while he was away and we could get ashore until our new dinghy arrived via Amazon. That is what the community of Boot Key Harbor is like. 

     When the neighbor's wife arrived we picked her and a friend up, brought them to her boat and returned the dinghy for their use. By this time ours had arrived and was set up. Turns out they were more vacationers than cruisers and their entire boat owning situation is more complicated than I can understand. 

     By mid-November more boats showed up to the harbor and Pickleball participation increased. All the other 'sport' activities restarted, too. Bocci, cornhole, dominoes, etc. 

     Boat projects were continuous as usual. Our communal Thanksgiving dinner came off well as did our weekly social hours. We sold off most of the gear the Guays gave us to sell for them and a few things of our own. We have a daily 'buy-sell-trade' segment on our morning radio net and a monthly community fleamarket ashore at the marina. 

     Wear and tear on an elbow and a knee led to a break in pickleball playing just as I was getting back in shape. Sigh. Just before Christmas we got word that nearly all was set for the sale of Improbability and, of course, the buyers wanted to move quickly after they did an inspection and sail. They are not legally committed until then so we cannot really plan. Then we have to move quickly. Stressfull for a while. The community Christmas dinner ashore was successful and all the holiday events were mostly uneventful. We started going to to 'last time ever' restaurant meals at our favorite local spots. We included a new to us restaurant which could have become a favorite if it wasn't at the east end of the island and out of biking reach. Having a car here for the first time was nice but we did not go farther afield than we normally did by bike all that often. 

     About a week after Christmas the buyers came to inspect the boat. He only brought one of his seven children. The test sail went well as did the underwater inspection. He found issues during his survey, some legit, some not. Engineers have a different perspective than normal humans. Negotiations ensued. Not pleasant. We settled at Carol's bottom line but below mine. The acceptance agreement was signed. A lot of good will was used up. Sigh. Of course a new potential buyer showed up a day later. Too late. Sigh. 

     Then we had the Celtic Festival again. Volunteering for the beer tent was different with a new leader (the previous, long time, organizers moved away), not quite as smooth but not terrible. Probably our last time due to the sale of the boat. 

Sheep herding at the Celtic Fest was actually with goats this year. 

     A week after the acceptance agreement we got word the USCG paperwork delays were resolved and we had to get to the Monroe County tax office to get a title for the dinghy and then get to a UPS store to download other paperwork, get it notarized and then both email and physically ship it all to the closing agent. Of course dealing with the local government went as smoothly as can be expected. Not at all. 75 minutes of fun. Got a title and registration for less than a week of use. Paid for 9 months. All so the new owners can register in Texas easily. Sigh. I'm sure it's appreciated. Of course it was raining as we hurried to get the dinghy ready to get us ashore and to go to all our stops. 

     On MLK day we went to Enterprise at the airport to rent a SUV to haul our stuff up to the Fort Pierce area. Our car was already full. Of course our reservation for a full sized SUV was not honored. Not available. Like Seinfeld says, they can take reservations very well but don't have the holding of reservations quite down pat yet. Substituted a smaller SUV. It was a cold, windy, rainy day so ferrying boxes of our stuff was no fun at all. After a full day (and more) we had the SUV stuffed to the gills (and more) and still didn't have everything. Some stuff had to be left behind. Thrown away or donated. Mostly thrown away. A full size SUV as reserved would have been just right. Sigh. Thanks Enterprise. 

     Our last night aboard was bingo night. Food and dishes, etc were all packed so we had to dine out at Keys Fisheries (what a sacrifice!) and then come back in time for the game over the VHF radio. It was the first time for the organizers (previous ones sold their boat, too, and moved away) so it was a little slow and disorganized. Good first attempt, however, and most had fun. We went to bed about 3/4 of the way through. Exhausted. 

     Finally our departure morning arrived. A cold front came through about 0630 and the temperature dropped sharply. Got windy (again), too. We made a run to the cars with last minute stuff and had to decide what to leave behind. One large quilt and a piece of exercise equipment would not fit. No way. Carol wanted the step-master which she had gotten for free but we had to leave it. Gave it away. No room. The larger SUV we wanted would have been just the right size to handle the few things that wouldn't fit in this one. Thanks Enterprise. We went back to the boat one last time for the cat. Saved room for her. Leaving Improbability behind was tough. Even though we were ready to move on, it was a big part of our life for more than 15 years. We owned her for about 18. It was pretty miserable in other ways as we dinghied away. Windy, choppy, gray, misty and cold. Reflected our feelings quite accurately. 

     We stopped for breakfast before we left the island (no food left on the boat) and headed east. Then north. About 4 1/2 hours later we were at Sue and Al's place in Sebastian, FL. After a visit we went to unload our cars into their storage trailer and then headed to our temporary home in Fort Pierce with the other Mike and Carol as we get ready to start a search for a winter home down here. In this general area. 

     So, an end of an era for us. A new beginning. The boating era ended with the stress of the transition. We knew it would be stressfull but we also knew it would end. It now has. Hopefully we can relax a bit with friends and start our search for new living arrangements without too much angst. We shall see. 

     Winter continues. It's very cold here. Marathon was cold, for Marathon, but it's really cold here, 50s. Brrr. So, even though winter continues, I will end this winter blog entry here. Could be the last. Ever. Maybe a follow up if/when we find a new home. Maybe.

Bye for now.