One of the pleasures of retirement, being a snowbird and belonging to a small local yacht club is mid-week lunchtime raft-ups. Today is one of those days.
Century Club: mike pitchford
Friday, February 18, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
With a new boat under contract, we turned our attention to selling the current boat, our Legacy 32. In this hot market it sold for over asking price in 24 hours. The purchaser from NJ, will visit her this week and remove one of two contingencies. The other contingency is survey and sea trial, which can’t happen until sometime in April.
Thursday, February 17, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
I reported earlier on the decision to sell the condo and buy a new bigger boat. Today was survey day. The boat was in South Carolina so I flew out of BWI to the sometimes quaint, but mostly beach tacky, Myrtle Beach.
The surveyor, engine surveyor and boat yard were all organized for a morning of thorough inspection. Both brokers and the current owner were also present. It was a very nice February Day in Myrtle Beach and all went well.
Friday, February 11, 2022 to Saturday, February 12, 2022
Number of days:
2 days
Boys on the beach
Back in college a bond was set for life with a few guys who were both fraternity brothers and roommates in a succession of apartments after we all moved out of the dorms. One of us had a sailboat, a venerable Cape Dory 25. I can’t tell you the number of classes we skipped to sail.
Post-graduation the four of us went on to jobs, marriage and kids. In 1992 I pulled them back together for a “boys sail”, the first of what has become an annual, and sometimes more than annual event.
We have sailed the Chesapeake on six different sailboats, owned or chartered for the purpose. We have cruised the ICW on several powerboats. We have chartered in the BVI three times.
A fourth BVI charter was scheduled for the end of February. Due to COVID related issues we decided to postpone it to 2023. As a consolation, the boys flew down to Jupiter for some time on our little runabout.
The boys arrived at Palm Beach International Airport, courtesy of Southwest Airlines, on Thursday evening.
On Friday, we dropped my 20’ Key West, Mighty Quinn, off her lift and cruised the ICW to include a stop for lunch at one of Jupiter’s many waterfront restaurants.
On Saturday we went for a longer trip up the ICW to a week known anchorage and beach. We had on board a picnic lunch and some beer ut no sunscreen so, yes, a little too much sun.
Monday, February 7, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Colder Janaury gave way to a warmer February and the FL kayaks are now cleaned up and ready for the season.
Sunday, February 6, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
After a handful of colder than normal days in January, February has returned to South Floridan winter normal. We got our on a friend’s boat for a cruise past Jupiter inlet and up the ICW to a quiet lunch anchorage.
Wednesday, February 2, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Lunch is on!
After a weather related postponed our trip, the members of the Jonathan’s landing Yacht Club made the run from Jupiter to Lake Francis (ICW MM 996) for a lunch time raft up. We had six boats and 21 folks spread among them.
Friday, January 28, 2022 to Saturday, January 29, 2022
Number of days:
2 days
We made a decision in early January to sell the Florida Condo and buy a bigger boat. The decision had bounced around a while but came to a head at the beginning of the new year. Florida real estate being what it is, we sold within 24 hours of listing. The new boat hunt was on!
We had long talked about what makes for a really good bugger boat and we had settled on a Back Cove 37 as the boat to beat. It met almost all our boat criteria. Unexpectedly one came to market in January. We thought we would have more time.
With the boat market being what it is we placed her under contract sight unseen (except the photos on Yacht World). We made the trip up to see her this weekend and spent lots of time on her, looking at details online and doing additional boat component research. Survey is next!
Saturday, January 15, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
Our friends, Eric and Shelley, bought a new to them Back Cove 34 late last fall. We moved the boat to Florida for the winter, Jupiter. They are renting a condo for three months in Jupiter and plan to familiarize themselves with their new purchase over the winter. Our first outing was a three hour round trip up the ICW, just to start the process.
Saturday, January 8, 2022
Number of days:
1 day
on her lift in Jupiter, FL
We didn’t get to Florida until January 2nd. We took some time to open the condo and provision. The boat didn’t get any attention until Saturday. Only then did I get her uncovered and got to run the engine a bit to make sure she was also ready for the season.