Well, well it has been awhile. Things have been happening at a fast pace. We provisioned the boat, got our Tow insurance and I started having second thoughts. The Sailboat market is hot (10 identical boats to ours sold last year - 2 in January). After some tears and analyzing our future, Eventyr went on the market. 3 shows, 2 separate offers in 2 weeks and it is under contract to change ownership April 17, 2013. This will be a sad day.

The weather has been up and down - today it is cool and will be for a couple of days. Had lunch with Dick and Ruth Verrips on Saturday.

It is getting time think of Canada but will sorry to leave our friends here in the mooring. Anyway Cindy is tired of all you can eat snow crab legs ($26), $5.00 / pound shrimp, $17.50/ 24 bud and $5.50 wine. The novelty has worn off. There is a lot more to this story, but we will see you soon.

The end of "Eventyr" with Bob and Cindy Binkley.

We are back!! We spent 6 weeks at home, spending time with grandkids and having Christmas. We did manage to pick up the flu bug from the London boys and we both have never been so sick. It took us a week to recover and then it was Christmas. The Niagara Falls crew were sick and never made it home for Christmas. They were still sick when we stopped on our way south. We drove through snow until we got to the Mountains in Virginia. 18 degrees when we arrived in Brunswick, then 25 the next day January 1, 2013. It has cooled down considerably and has rained for two days, but the sun is trying to shine through this morning. The Marina has thinned out but still has a couple of hundred boats in it. (mostly unoccupied). We hope to depart for south Florida in short order as the weather is cool, so warmer weather would be in order.
We need some attention to our SSB radio so Ft. Pierce could be our next stop.

Surprise!! We are still in Brunswick, Georgia. Everything is Tickety-Boo here. We have been to the Brunswick Rockin Stewbilee – an afternoon of tasting various stews – beef, pork, hot, sweet and a classic car show with entertainment. Three neighbours have pulled out for the south, but some have arrived from the North East and have gone home until after the holidays, or spring.

Cindy and I decided to leave the boat here and drive home. Budget wise it is money in the bank and we are only a 2 day sail from Miami. Not a week like last year. We will be home for Graysen’s 1st birthday on Sunday and Christmas.

Well here we are again. Started the engine, changed the alt belt - no overheat. Re-tensioned the belt; Changed the transmission oil; put up the flags and radar reflector. SSB (single side band radio) is not working. Get diesel fuel (spare jerry cans), gas for outboard, and propane for cooking. Find the plug for the dinghy, start the motor, change the gas, clean the dinghy. Change the raw water impellor. Where the hell is the dodger, was to be here by Wednesday - showed up on Friday , but it's 25, no clouds and 7 knots of wind. Went out Thursday night for Bud and pizza with a Canadian couple and an Australian couple. Friday night we went to First Night Friday's with about 16 people. First night Friday is put on by the downtown merchants - they keep their stores open, serve wine and appetizers and have music playing in the park. You can walk up and down the street with drink in hand. Just like Canada eh!

And don't forget to change the drinking water filter before I scrub out the scum in the heads, check the thro hull seacocks for leaks and make sure the filters are clear of debris. Better change the light in the engine compartment as it shorted out and make sure the water level is up on the batteries - change the bulb in the aft cabin and glue the slider down in the companion way (entrance). It must be Bud time!!

It's already election day and the generator won't start. Two people have looked at the SSB and it still doesn't work. All sails on and the 15 hp runs like a charm. Cindy's water is drinkable - the weather is great - has been 23 - 28 degrees but cooler today. Don't know when we are leaving, but the price is right.

Today is just like a page out of Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds". Hundreds of large, black crows are sitting in the trees lining the sidewalks to the office in one direction and the Lounge/Shower rooms in the other. I have been walking and cowering in the middle of the street. LOL

So it's been 6 months. We are back on the boat in Brunswick, reorganizing new items, flush tanks, reinstall sails, scrub decks and polish, javex lines and fenders, check out electronics, engines, outboard, re-inflate dinghy, polish interior and wipe down for any mould. They had an extremely hot and wet summer. The list goes on and on. Re-stitch the dodger - scrub the hull bottom - CA-CHING, CA-CHING.
We had a great summer at Temagami, but no blueberries. I wanted to break my record of 43 litres in 2011 - picked one litre, but lots of bears around, just not on our island.
Cindy and I figure we had 60 days of company from June to mid September, most of it with our adorable little grandboys - 2 three year olds and 2 one year olds. All of them on the go. On our days off we raced back to Walkerton, London, Kitchener and Niagara Falls for various appointments.
We spent a month mid September to mid October at the condo. Then to Rob's and Kristy's to say good bye and onto the boat. It was 30 degrees Celsius when we arrived on Oct. 24, and now it is 20. Nights are cool.
Hurricane Sandy scooted by offshore, and we had no rain or high winds. It has not rained since we arrived. It is breezy now and there are 340 boats in the marina. (http://brunswicklandingmarina.com/) Most are waiting to make a run to the Bahamas or South Florida. We hope to pull out in a few days.
Woke up this morning, foot of the bed is wet, leaking from the fore shower - put a new pressure system in (CA-CHING, CA-CHING) and now the clamps need to be tightened. Just another job along with replacing the macerator pump (holding tank pump out to the ocean). I will do that right after I install the big Genoa sail, reinstall the new Manson anchor, after we pull out the 300 feet of chain and reverse it for wear, oh, I better service the windlass and replace the outhaul on the staysail, "Is it Bud time Yet?" Thank goodness it is only $18/24.
Cindy downloaded 250 books on her Kobo and included 2 for me.
Geez I hope the guy brings back the dodger for the cockpit - we need to reinstall before we go offshore - that's if we get off of the dock - it's called Velcro dock and we are stuck to it.
Lots of great people here, Canadians and friends we have met up and down the coast - Halloween Chilli party tonight - oops - need gas for the dinghy - have to go fix the toilet in the shower building. See ya all soon! Won't be so long posting.
Picture of our family taken this summer at our cottage on Lake Temagami.

After recuperating from our company, we headed north. We were going to the St. Augustine city marina to pick up a mooring ball. We went up the ICW against the tide until we were about 10 miles south of St. Augustine, then we roared with the tide into St. Augustine at 7 knots, right into the mud as we were looking for our mooring buoy. Of course the tide pushed us into the mud further until we were in a foot of mud. We were the entertainment for all of those cruisers enjoying a late afternoon drink in their cockpits. After waiting for an hour SeaTow came and towed us out. For 15 minutes of work the bill was $1,000. Thank goodness for SeaTow and insurance.
The next day I finally got my sail in the ocean. We went outside at St Augustine and motor sailed to Fernandina Beach in a nice 10 knot breeze. As we proceeded north the shore disappeared because of the smoke from the Florida brush fires. As we approached Fernandina beach, there was a lot of helicopter traffic and radio chatter. From the distance we could see a Nuclear Sub exiting the harbour. Kind of neat seeing the coast guard roaring around with machine guns mounted on the fore and aft of their boat as they escorted the sub. We again spent the night at anchor at Cumberland Island in the shadow of the sub-pens.
The next morning we headed north past Jekyll Island to Brunswick, Georgia. We are leaving the boat at the Brunswick Landing Marina for the summer. The marina is close to the downtown, we can walk to stores, food and of course a bar. This is an old city and dates back to the 1750's. During the war they built liberty ships right where the marina is. We have toured Jekyll Island and St. Simons Islands. Jekyll was one of the last deposit areas for African slaves in 1860. St. Simons was a British Settlement and there was a battle fought here with the Spanish around 1740 and this was the last attempt the Spanish made to regain their control of Georgia.
We are leaving on Monday for home and are planning on being back here in Brunswick mid October.
Picture taken this summer of our family at our cottage on Lake Temagami.