Callao Anniversary

It has been a year now since we moved down to Callao on the Northern Neck, and we celebrated with the yacht club's annual Halloween Party for the kids. A year ago we arrived a couple days before the party, so it was sort of our initiation and introduction to the marina and a lot of people that are now old friends. Here are some pictures from the kids when they went trick-or-treating down the dock.

As you can see, pirates seemed to be a favorite this year. Very appropriate for a marina don't you think?

Whisper? What happened to the Blue Pearl?

Well, yes we bought a new boat and the name is Whisper. Unfortunately, the Blue Pearl was just not big enough for the two of us and our two birds. It was sufficient for living aboard for a couple months but since we plan to be aboard for about six months each year, we felt we needed something bigger. Whisper is a fantastic boat for us and a somewhat famous boat. It was previously owned by the famous sailing couple Hal and Margaret Roth. As some of you may know, Hal died last year after a long battle with lung cancer. The boat was up for sale in Oxford, Maryland and we were lucky enough to get her. We even got to meet Margaret during the survey and sea trials and again when we picked the boat up. Here is a picture of us with her during the haul out for the survey.

As for the Blue Pearl, we she is up for sale here at the marina. If anyone is interested she is on YachtWorld, below is a link to the listing ... http://www.yachtworld.com/boats/1983/Hinterhoeller-Niagara-2097492/Lottsburg/VA/United-States

Thailand house update

Well, guess what? The house in Thailand is about ready. Here are a couple pictures of what it looks like now. There is still some interior work to complete, like the kitchen and bathrooms but the word is it would be ready to live in by the time we arrive. And it looks like January 2010 will when we move, and that's not far off. The logistics of getting us and the birds there for the first time is kind of scary. We've never done this before of course and the paperwork seems daunting. But "one step at a time" as they say. The hardest part will actually be saying goodbye to Dad for the six months we plan to be gone.

Back from our cruise

We got back on Monday from our cruise to Key West & Cozumel.  We left from Tampa where we had met our friends Harold and Gladys who live part-time in St. Petersburg.  We weren't sure exactly what to expect with the cruise since neither of us had been on one before, but Harold and Gladys had and that was good enough for us.  We of course like sailing and being around the water, so it really wasn't a big risk.  It turned out to be very relaxing and a great getaway from the cold of Callao, although that is back and with a vengeance.  Lows the next two nights are suppose to be in the 10-15 degree range.  As far as the ports-of-call, we didn't go ashore at Key West since we had been there before and had no real urge to go back for just a few hours.  Most people did of course, which left the ship to us.  That was nice since it can be a bit crowded at times.  At Cozumel we did go ashore for a short walk just so we could say we had been there but it was just the usual tourist shops, at least what we were able to see.  I'm sure there is more of the real Cozumel out there, but we didn't have the time to explore.  All-in-all, I would recommend a cruise if you just want to relax and have plenty of good (not great) food available 24/7.  Oh, and if you can do it with friends or family it would be even better.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Since it's a New Year I thought I had better post something.  Here is a picture of our house in Thailand under construction.  This was a couple months ago and I'm told now that it is about complete, just the finish work inside left and some of that won't be done until we get there.  It's one floor with a great room, kitchen, master bedroom, spare bedroom/study, two bathrooms and a utility area for the washer/dryer and storage.  It's about 1,200 - 1,500 spare feet we think.  The open area on the left in the photo is the carport, then comes the kitchen in the center and the great room to the right.  Right now we are guessing that it will be early summer before we get there.  There is tax season coming up and once Spring gets here we need to finish some stuff on the Blue Pearl before we would put her on the hard for a while.  Also, we hope to get some sailing in before leaving.  The current plan is to spend six months on the boat and six months in Thailand.  Just which six months they will be is still up in the air.  We'd like to always be here for the Christmas holidays and it makes little sense to spend the winter months on the boat when you can't sail, so it may be something like January to June in Thailand and July to December on the boat.  But this year who knows since we won't get to Thailand before mid summer.

Tomorrow we leave for Tampa/St. Pete to spend a couple days with our friends Harold and Gladys, and take a five day cruise to Key West and Cozumel.  The weather here has turned cold again so it a good time to take a trip.