Author: Phil

No pictures, but we are getting close to finalizing our move to Florida.  Furniture from Virginia arrived at our new condo (also called a Villa) today  … closed last week on the place.  We’ve cleaned and painted and Carey is excited about making the Condo our home.  And she will.  We’ll probably stay at our friend Bonnie Scanlin’s home for a few more days until we’re set then move into our new home.  We can’t thank Bonnie enough for giving us use of her condo in PGA Village to help with our move. Our major effort for the next couple of weeks is to get the Villa settled for our living.

Apolonia appears on track for a sale at the end of the month.  Carey and I agreed to make a few repairs and sell her for full price.  She’ll move to a boatyard mid October for those repairs.  The Buyers have become friends and we’re on an adventure to get Apolonia sold to her new owners. We think every thing is in order.

We’re looking seriously at an express cruiser in the mid 30 foot range to replace Apolonia for us to enjoy in our last few years of boating.  Paget, our run about is “in the shop” for a timing belt replacement.  So for now we are almost boat-less.  We’ll survive but just barely … anxious to get Paget underway for a lunch cruise.

 

We finally closed on the Condo/Villa in Port St. Lucie after the re-inspection required because of Hurricane IRMA.  We’ll clean and paint next week and then move in the furniture.  It won’t be long now till we’re settled.  The inside is completely empty now as we do the preparation for the furniture.  Once Carey gets a chance to decorate we’ll show the insides of this 2 bedroom + study and 2 bath villa.  I love the “no yard work” feature.  Finally at 71 I don’t have to start a lawn mower again!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

IRMA is gone, but … it delayed our condo purchase because a re-inspect of the condo is required … hurt us getting estimates for some minor repair issues from the survey on Apolonia required to settle her sale … so we are pushing forward with these two issues as we accept the gracious use of our friend Bonnie Scanlin’s condo in PGA Village.  Nice place with cool AC.  We’ll live through it.  I think in two weeks we’ll have it all done and will plan our “move-to-Florida” celebration.

Apolonia and Paget came through the IRMA event unscathed.  Apolonia was on the hard at Indiantown Marina.  Paget was sheltered in Sebring, FL where we spend the hurricane’s passage in our friends George and Polly’s condo.

We brought Paget back from Sebring yesterday and parked her at Nettles Island Marina parking lot on her trailer.  We visited with many of the live a boards, our friends, at the marina Tiki Hut for drinks.  The marina walkways were destroyed and it will take a while to repair the marina for use, but luckily most boaters made it ok … Bruce in his 55′ Sport Fish Hatteras rode on the anchor in the ICW and after bouncing around was the first to tie up back at Nettles in one of the two available spaces … many others safely rafted in the north or south fork of the St Lucie River … several found slips or were hauled out as we were.   Unfortunately a couple of the boats at anchor blew into the mangroves and the extent of the damage is unknown.  However, we did drink to the fact that all people came through without issue.

Here is a look at the marina.  Notice the missing walkways to get to the slips.

 

We made it through IRMA.  George and Polly offered us their condo in Sebring where we rode out the storm.  Apolonia is high and dry at Indiantown Marina, Paget is in a shed 10 miles north of Sebring and we’re safe.  It’s Tuesday morning after the storm and you can see from the picture out of the Condo that all is pretty.  No electric yet.  Both the boat sale and our condo purchase have been delayed by the storm.  We’ll get back to the east coast of Florida in the next day or two and stay at our friend Bonnie Scanlin’s condo in PGA Village West until we can get in our new place and settle down.  IRMA slowed us down a bit in our move to Florida but we’ll get it done.

Hurricane Irma is heading west straight for the Bahamas and by mid week we should know if it will effect the east coat of Florida … yep that is where we are at.  If it stays the course it could effect our boat closing as insurance companies don’t generally provide new insurance policies in the face of a named storm heading to the area of the insured property.    We have a hurricane plan and a place to haul out Apolonia and we’re ready to execute the plan.  Hope we don’t have to. The condo closing should be ok as the policy is already executed and paid for.

This evening, with our fellow Nettles Island Marina boaters, we enjoyed a great meal and social event at our boater’s Tiki Hut.  We of course don’t talk of the on coming weather systems … the old timers claim it is bad luck.  Just like that old “Kelly’s Hero’s” movie when Donald Sutherland says, “Always with the negative vibes …”   We just held a toast to calm seas and great sailing into the future.