11/03/2009
The last couple of days have been going pretty good for John, Jim and Deb. The weather has held out and they have gained some much needed speed. John said that at one point he actually made 6 knots. Hopefully it will keep getting better. On Monday, they had another lunch hand off, roast beef and cheese was the menu. John seems to be enjoying the meal.
Today they had only 25 miles or so to go until they were at Columbus Marina. After going shopping for a few things, John and Jim played a little music this evening. John said he had a good time.
For me today was a pretty good day. I finished all of my rehire classes for tax season. I also found out that I have a job in Fort Myers, now all I have to do is figure out the details, find somewhere to stay until John gets there with our boat and get there on time. I have to leave my mom earlier than we had thought but sometimes you have to make changes when needed. Hopefully mom will do well after surgery. The doctor says 5-7 day and she will be walking pretty good. At that point she should only need someone to check on her once a day. Thanks to all our friends who help.
| Trip Down Ten-Tom 2009 |
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11/01/2009
So Friday night John, Jim and Deb got the rain the we had Wed. & Thurs. John said Friday started out extremely windy. At times he was heeled over about 15 degrees. After a night of rain they woke in the morning and headed for Pickwick.
A little relief. I didn't realize how nervous I was for John to go through the locks single handed. When he called me Saturday to say how the Pickwick Lock went, it was like a weight lifted. I knew in my heart he would be fine, but was still a little worried. John said it was slow going once they got close to Pickwick. The current was 3+ and it took 2.5 hrs to go 5 or 6 miles. Jim got some great pictures of John locking through for the first time. Saturday night they stayed at Aqua Harbour.
Sunday was a good day for everyone, they made it through two more locks before anchoring for the night. John said he has actually gained some speed finally.
Pictures by Jim F.
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10/29/2009, Decaturville, TN
So its been a couples days since I posted, so I thought I would give you an update of the week. For me, I am at my mom's house and trying to stay busy. We are preparing the house for her surgery and recovery. Her surgery is fast approaching and all is going well.
Now as to how things are for John. On Monday, he had a fairly good day, cold but good. There was a small mishap early on. The fuel line stopped picking up, luckily he noticed before it quit completely and was able to change it out. Monday night he rafted off with Jim and Deb. Deb, bless her heart, made dinner for them all.
Tuesday was another story all together. With no bimini or enclosure it was a cold wet day, leading to a short day. John was a trooper, he went about 35 miles in the constant rain. About 1pm he pulled into Pebble Isle for the night. Just after he got everything tied off and secured the rain stopped for a while. He says the marina was nice and everyone was friendly.
Wednesday, with a later start than normal, leaving about 8:45am he had a cold but good day. Before leaving Pebble Isle he waited for breakfast, the "famous cinnamon roll" offered to the transits that pass through. John says "very delicious". The day was turning out to be pretty good. At about 12-12:30pm John noticed that Jim and Deb had slowed down and were drifting, he pulled alongside to see what was up and a hot bowl of soup was handed off. I wish I could have had a picture of that. Thanks Jim and Deb for making sure he eats. Around 5pm they anchored for the night and John rafted off to Jim and Deb again. All is well and secure for the night.
Thursday, after checking the weather Wed. night and Thurs. morning, he decided to wait out the weather. So they went a couple miles to Mermaid Marina for the day/night. At about noon when I talked to John the severe weather had yet to show up. It was a long boring day for him, but the next plan was to leaving in the morning.
Pictures of John by Jim F.
Pictures by John G.
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10/26/2009, Grand Rivers, KY
So today was the day for DEPARTURE. John and I got up around 5:30 am this morning and be began making the final prepartions for the trip. By 7:30 am we had cleaned up the last of the cabin, making sure everthing was in its place and ready for travel. After making sure our slip was clear of our items, John headed over to the fuel dock in the boat (myself in the truck). After docking one last time or the only time at the fuel dock, John and I had our last cup of coffee at Green Turtle Bay (at least our last for now).
While drinking our coffee we enjoyed the company of our friends at the dock and a few great friends we have made along the way. As everyone said their goodbyes, John and I prepared to say our goodbyes for now.
I said goodbye to Jim and Deb for now, knowing in my heart I will see them soon. And knowing that John will do great on this trip, because he has two great people looking out for him.
Around 9:00am the time had come for the trip to begin. With one last hug and kiss I said goodbye to John as he boarded our boat. As I gave our boat a push off the dock, I tried to stay strong.
I watched as Jim and Deb left on "Freedom" and my husband followed in
tow. As I watch them leave I think dang this would be a good picture if only I had a camera (haha).
Picture by Jim F.
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10/23/2009, Grand Rivers, Ky
We only have a few days until John leaves for Key West. I finished provisioning the boat today. It made me a little sad. This is the first time John and I will be apart for more than a few day. I don't know quite what to think.
John and I are best friends and do everything together. Not having him around is a little scary. Not knowing how things are the whole trip is a little unsettling. If anyone can handle a trip by themselves, its John. At least he's traveling with Jim and Deb. Knowing someone is close by helps.
I'm staying behind to take care of my mom, who is having hip replacement on Nov. 9, so John will be making the trip alone this time. Next time I'll make the trip with him. I will stay with my family until January and then I will stay in St. Louis for the tax season. Transferring to the Keys, didn't work out for this year.
| Trip Down Ten-Tom 2009 |
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04/01/2009, DeSoto, MO
Looking back on 2008, John and I were probably a little crazy. At least that's what our families think. In July of '08 we started talking about leaving the "normal" life behind. I say normal meaning, living the way most of society says you are to live life.
In August we began looking for our first boat to buy. We looked everywhere we could find in the St. Louis area. We even looked (and almost bought) on Ebay, but decided we wanted something we could see in person. At the end of August, after finding out that my job was about to end, we decide it was the time and opportunity to go ahead and make a complete lifestyle change. In September we found our boat Four Sail on craigslist.com.
John spent the next couple months fixing the boat up. After much need TLC Four Sail was ready to go. On November 17th, we left Hoppies Marina, in Kimmswick, MO and headed down the Mississippi. Our next stop would be Green Turtle Bay for a couple nights rest.
After some very cold nights and one wicked day on the Ohio River, I wanted off the boat. By the time we made it to Green Turtle Bay Marina we looked like michlein men (five layers of clothing). After arriving at the marina and checking into the condo that I called to reserve the last morning on the Cumberland River, I said I was never getting back on the boat.
After a nights rest, we were left with the dilemma of what to do with the boat. Should we sell it, ship it back to Kimmswick or leave it here? We begin gathering information on how we can ship it back home. Talking with the Harbor Master, he encouraged us not to forget that another option was to leave the boat at GTB while we decide what we wanted to do. One last comment from the Harbor Master was "if you leave your boat here and come down 2 or 3 times in the spring, you will remember why you bought the boat."
Four days later we headed home and left our boat at the marina. Still not sure if we were going to sell or keep, at least we had a place to leave the boat for now. We would arrive home just in time for the holidays.
The holidays pass without much ado, save for the fact that Johns brother Jeff was shipping out (Semper-fi). Wanting his brother to be part of our wedding we began planning for the perfect wedding on a boaters budget and 3mos time. All the while not even sure we would remain boaters ourselves.
| The Beginning |
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