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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.

 

 

The funds are not in the bank yet, but buyers are all in after the survey.  Apolonia, 30 years old made 2730 rpms of the 2800 designed rpms.  And she did it without exceeding 180 degrees in water temp and there was no smoke.  A nice lady.  A couple of things need attention and we’ll address those, but she is leaving in good shape to her new owner.  George and Lynn are getting a good boat but it will never travel as fast as George did, when he as an Air Force Colonel, set the still not broken official world record for flying the fastest plane speed of over 2,000 mph in the Blackbird (SR-71).  They are a nice couple and we hope they enjoy the boat.  We pass title and money next week!

And, hopefully we’ll close on the condo next week also … otherwise we’ll be homeless and boatless!  Just joking … we have plenty of options, including going to Virginia to look at a new boat.

Carey and I love this boat but it doesn’t fit in the new adventure.  We want a boat were we can easily cruise the ICW waterway around Stuart and Port St Lucie, but yet go to the Bahamas when we want.  We have found a Albin 32+2 that has our live aboard features for trips to the Bahamas and the ability to visit local restaurants.  Most restaurants will not let Apolonia tie up for lunch or dinner.

So, Apolonia is going on the market next week.  We’ll see what the reception is.  I’m, of course, prejudiced, as I’ve owned her for 20 years.  Carey also loves the boat … we traveled on her for many miles … we got married on the boat … and we’ve lived aboard her for many years.

We think this is the right decision so we’ll see what is going to happen.