Discovery crew does early Xmas

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December 2 Anita and I left Discovery in her slip at Twin Dolphins marina and flew first to Little Rock to finish my dental implants, then to Chicago to spend 2 weeks with family in Illinois! All our kids joined us for the last 4! Days in downers grove Illinois at Anita's sister Marty's home. We had a early Xmas present exchange and a birthday party for our grand daughter Edolie!
Pics below






The tree







Edolie opening her presents














Edolie at her birthday party, our daughter in front of the tree, and our son playing wee golf!


We will be flying back Monday December 16 and will begin planing our passage to the Miami area and our anticipated crossing to the Exumas this winter sometime in January!


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Location:Downers grove Illinois

Hanging at twin dolphins

Using our time here at Twin Dolphins to complete much needed maintainence and adding a few items for the upcoming cruising season! Sold our old inflatable kayak and a few other items at a flea market and used that money to buy a newer kayak off of Craig's list here see below






Took advantage of our new wheels and drove over to Anna Maria island for lunch at a cool beach bar below





Really good to get our feet in the sand again, it's been 4 months since we have had to wash the sand off!




Had a big time and a great lunch on the beach!




Light wind gave us the chance to hoist the chute do the first time in year's . We use this so few times I have it up for sale!





Another field trip took us to St Pete yacht club! We have been here several times racing our S2 back a few years ago! This really is a impressive place!




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Summer of 2013 tour

We decided we needed wheels again so while in Ft Worth in July we located a well used but well maintained Toyota Sequoia. It should serve us fine to be a interstate cruiser and double as a storage shed when we're off sailing!





Anita really enjoyed her time with our daughter Alissa! Looks like Alissa was having a good time to! The girls are watching the new flat screen on our daughters bedroom wall!






While in Ft Worth with our daughter we went down to the famous stockyards.







We stopped in Pittsburgh to see our son John and his family, his daughter is a cutie, and a girl after my pirate heart!




On our way to Pittsburgh after spending time with Anita's mom and dad we dropped by my home town and visited my father at the VA cemetery in Danville Illinois. My dad was part of the greatest generation, dad had two purple hearts and a bronze star!




Above is a pic of my sons family, john, Katie, and Edolie!





Anita and I got a little sight seeing in while we visited our son, this is a shot inside the Heintz museum in downtown Pittsburgh!





Another shot from the museum








On our way back to the boat from Pittsburgh we stopped in Savannah, of course Anita had to go to Paula Deens Restauran!




Our pre meal bread at Paula's place, yumm






Anita and Paula, I wasn't to impressed she seemed kind of fake to me, sort of one dimensional you know?





Savannah is a special place, the squares are soooo southern!







Well here we are back on the boat trying to work off some of the flab we put on during a summer of eating at the relatives!






My biking partner, we're on the new riverwalk in Bradenton, very nice spot along the manatee rivet just down from our marina!





Went to the maritime museum in Cortez.

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Back on Discovery

Well after almost 3 months of driving across America to see all our family we returned to Discovery around the first of October! We had another whirlwind summer of seeing our loved ones. Except for a unexpected dental disaster everything went well, we even bought a used SUV and drove to the relatives instead of flying this time.




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Location:Bradenton,fl

Longboat Key

Next stop on our journey north was Longboat Key Marina.
This was just about the nicest marina we have stayed at. Really a swanky place, 20 clay tennis courts, great pool, spa, 6 Resturants and a well protected marina. We splurged again!




-We dress for dinner one night!





Pic of the marina office!





one of the Resturants overlooking the slips.




Discovery at her slip at Longboat Key!





A pic from the main building at longboat key. Gorgeous!



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Crows Nest Marina

We finally left Burnt Store after a month of catching up on boat chores, waxing , cleaning, polishing stainless etc. we sailed down Charlotte Harbour and went out Boca Grande pass and motor sailed up to Venice inlet and spent a night at Crows Nest Marina. This marina has sentimental value to us because we stayed here back in 1986 when we chartered a hunter 34 out of Sarasota.




Pic of the Resturant at Crows Nest.




-Pic of the sunset looking out the inlet to the Gulf.




This parrots name is Pepe and he was around at the marina in 1986 when we first traveled to Crows Nest. He's old now just like us but hanging in there!




Another shot off the stern out toward the gulf!



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Burnt store Marina

On our way up the west coast of Florida heading to Bradenton where we are leaving the boat for the summer, we stopped at Burnt Store Marina. We treated ourselves to some marina time.




An osprey having lunch on a piling near where we were docked at Burnt Store!


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Back to good old USA

After Green Turtle we motor sailed up north to fox town where anchored overnight and then headed east to mangrove key where we spent the night prior to leaving at midnight to catch a weather window to cross the gulf stream to lake worth and the USA!




Sunset at Magrove Key, our last night in the Bahamas!





-A rock just outside fox town




After a very calm crossing of the gulf stream we were greeted by the Steve Jobs yacht Venus!






Above is the 17th street bridge at Lauderdale, after anchoring at lake worth we sailed down the coast to Ft Lauderdale where we spent the night on a ball at Los Olas!




One of the many incredible yachts we saw in Lauderdale






After Lauderdale we sailed south to Miami where we took a ball at dinner key, one of our fav places is Coconut grove, above Anita at a streetside cafe!






After a few days at Dinner Key. We moved on to no name Harbour a small little Harbour on key biscayne, we had never spent the night here and were really happy with this cute spot. We ate at the Resturant there see pic below





We then continued on south stopping at Rodrigue key for the night, next morning we sailed down to Marathon where we spent a couple of days before moving on down to key west.




It was late may and the flowers we going nuts in Key West





I finally went to the Hemmingway house and took this pic of one of the cats asleep on the counter while the guide speaks!





Anita and I in front of the Hemmingway house




After 4 great days in Key West we sailed north for Ft Meyers Beach, we took a ball I'm Mantanzas Harbour . While at Ft Myers Anita and I ate at our fav taco joint on the strip, yo taco!








Pretty sunset on our sail from key west to ft Myers!


After Ft Myers we continued north stopping at Cabbage key, we anchored across from the key at Ussepa Key. We went to the famous dollar bill bar again. See below







This turtle caught our eye at Cabbage key!





We left cabbage key and headed up to Charlotte Harbour and burnt store marina. We decided to hang here for a few weeks and do some maintaince on the boat. Above is a Osprey having lunch, this place is overrun with them!