April 19, 2013:

We arrived in Ft. Lauderdale, after visiting Tom's Mother, Sister and her family in Ft Myers for a couple of days. We met the boat's previous owners, Joe & Pat Turner, who turned out to be a really great couple. They showed us the boat and helped us get situated on board. They also opened their home to us and made us feel like part of their family while we got everything stowed and worked out a few minor kinks. Joe allowed me to help him fix a few things that needed attention and we settled in on board.

April 25. 2013:

We finally had an opportunity to take her out. Joe, Pat, Nancy and Tom cruised from Joe and Pat's home dock to Key Biscayne Bay. We had to go under several draw bridges but about 7 hours later we were anchored in a most beautiful place overlooking the skyline of Miami.. We had a great dinner that evening, a peaceful nights sleep and then we had a chance to put the sails up the next morning and go for a ride. She's a really smooth sail and we had a great ride. Returned to Joe and Pat's dock after anchoring for a while in lake Sylvia and taking the dinghy into a nearby water front restaurant for and great meal.

April 28, 2013:

After a couple of more days provisioning the boat and getting ready, we left our good new friends, Joe and Pat, at 4:00PM and headed out on our own. We cruised 1/12 hours back to Lake Sylvia and dropped the hook. We enjoyed a couple of cold brews and then started dinner of fresh salmon, roasted potatoes and spinach. Of course, little white wine topped off the meal. We enjoyed a beautiful sunset, updated the blog and now it's bedtime. Tomorrow, if the weather is good and the winds are mild, we will go out through Port Everglades and hoist the main sheet for a run up the outside to just above Palm Beach at an anchorage called peanut Island. Then, on May 1, we hope to be on a mooring ball in the Vero Beach Municipal Marina for a couple of days. After that, on northward.