Who are Us

Just two crazy old farts who yearn for a bit of adventure.

It was about ten years before the anxiously awaited retirement when, like most folks, we started thinking what are we going to do then? Quick inventory. We knew we loved to travel, enjoyed the water, but had limited funds. . Put all this together and voila – sail to places unknown. So two desk jockeys set out to learn to sail.

OK, great idea but we were landlocked in the middle of Georgia. No problem. We bought a 31ft Hunter and moored her in Carrabelle, FL. that was only 5 hours away one way. Did we say “only”. Knowing we had to bring our skill sets up to snuff, we persevered. Best times were vacations and long holidays that gave us the multi-day sailing we came to love. Mickey had spent years on boats, albeit motor, so he came equipped with some experience. Lynne – not so much. In fact she had only been on a sailboat once in her life. It obviously was a great sail that she never forgot. Thank you Art.

Originally we planned to circumnavigate the globe but by the time we both retired this seemed too arduous for a couple our age. Also, we decided to move to Florida. Hey the bottom fell out of the real estate market. Who could resist? Then we had to find the right boat and some health issues had to be taken care of. All of this forced us to put our sailing dreams on hold for a couple of years.

However, we were able to sail up and down the Gulf coast that included a number of overnight sails. Also lots was learned as a lightning strike hit us while we were onboard. The loudest sound Lynne had ever heard. Why do people always duck when they hear a loud boom? Like that’s going to help? Repairing poor Umiko taught Mickey all about her electrical system and much more as he crawled into her bowls. We found we were able to handle anything that came our way. For instance, just before dawn as we were sailing down to Key West, our boom (for land lubbers that’s the thing that helps hold the sail up) dropped to the coach roof. We really needed this piece of apparatus since we have an in mast furling system. We lost a crucial pin. After scouring the deck by flashlight the pin stayed totally elusive; actually it fell overboard.. Captain found a screw driver works well in a pinch. First time we used the Genoa winds went from around 5K to 20K in a matter of 10 minutes. Learned it’s very difficult to bring in all that cloth in strong winds. Fortunately, no crew members were lost. Then there was the time the engine quit just when we needed it – clogged fuel filters. And a rouge dingy added to the fun.

So here we are. Off to find what we have heard is true paradise. Since we can stay as long as we like we hope to really get to know the locales, their customs and environment. We have a boat that will take excellent care of use since she definitely has more brains then we do. Umiko – take us away