PRIM has got her groove back. We are at Palm Coast for a couple months enjoying the wonderful folks here. After six weeks of cold weather we are finally able to take our mittens off so we thought we would blog. We took a break from the cold weather and boatyard work in St. Augustine to visit some of Pete's relatives and see the Gulf Coast of Florida. We also snuck in a peak at the trawler show in Stuart. The highways in Florida are great but some of them resemble the Daytona 500. These are 70+ people going 70+ mph but you can get to your destination rather quickly. Once you're on a main highway, there is usually a median strip, beautifully landscaped, but they make you do U-turns all the time. It's a great system unless you're looking for something on the other side of the road. If you undershoot, you're stuck with at least two more U-turns. But wait! This sounds like we're complaining. We're not. There's no snow and we're happy to be here. Our friends and neighbors back home are still digging out from four feet of snow and ice. (heheheheh)

Our first stop was in Bradenton to see cousin Lynn and her husband Mike Carr. Pete hadn't seen her in years since she made the move to the Sun State and they were like glued together in high school. Lynn and Mike have a beautiful little home one block from the gulf and are living the good life as only Lynn and Mike can. She treated us to a wonderful BBQ complete with red and white Zweigle Hot Dogs! If you've never been to Sea Breeze's Hot Dog Row in Rochester, NY, they are the best dogs anywhere in the world, bar none. We watched a little football on the big screen, took a walk along the waterfront, and made plans to hook up again before we head back north.

The next day we visited Pete's Uncle Randy and Merrie, both widowed and living in Englewood. Uncle Randy is 92 years young now and is the last of the trio of brave young men that married the Kerwin girls; Pete's mother and her sisters June and Shirley, all Irish redheads. Uncle Randy, who looks and acts nowhere near 92, is actually the guy who sparked Pete's interest in sailing many, many years ago. He was a top grade navigator and instructor at the Strasenburg Planetarium in Rochester. We spent a great afternoon reminiscing about the family, sailing and travels. Merrie is a wonderful lady who keeps Randy in line, no easy task in itself, shares his love of travel, and they are looking forward to their next cruise this spring. A complete surprise came as we were leaving. Uncle Randy presented Pete with his sextant saying he'd been planning to do that for years since Pete was the only one in the family to carry on the sailing life he so loved. Pete was stunned.

Our next trip was to Orlando to meet with Pete's nephew Patrick, a great guy and a financial guru you can really trust. We had a terrific dinner with him at Johnny's in Orlando and talked and laughed way past our intended leave time. It was hard to go but we made a date to meet him, his beautiful wife Katie and their kids when we visit his mom's place in West Palm next month.

Both of our families are scattered across the country so it has been a real pleasure to visit with so many this past year. My sister Sue and her husband Bob are nearby in Debary so we are able to hook up with rather frequently. In fact, we're having lunch with them again tomorrow. With a little luck, brother Andy and Dottie from California will get to spend some time on the right coast this spring and we will of course stop in at Folly Beach again on the way north to see sister Cindy and her gang. Hey, Carlon Gang! The San Fran bunch. You're up!

This next story falls under, "It's a small world" category. We were driving down A1A from St. Augustine to Palm Coast. On the one small spot along the way that the road and ICW run adjacent to each other, we spotted some familiar mustard yellow canvas coming up the waterway. We pulled over, jumped out of the car, waved like mad hatters and yelled as loud as we could. It was s/v JOURNEY, returning north from their trip to the islands. We were certain they thought we were just a couple nuts, and maybe we were, but who cares? We sent them an email and a photo that evening and, sure enough, they were holed up in St. Augustine recovering from a severe squall that nearly did them in just above the Crescent Beach Bridge, not even an hour after we'd seen them. This is the beauty of Sailblogs: you meet and communicate with people online for months that you never see in person and then, all of a sudden, there they are right in front of you and it's like meeting old friends. We had a great time with Martha and Al over dinner at the Columbia in St. Augustine.

To round out the month of January, we had dinner once again with Terri and Larry from Jacksonville (remember Ponte Vedra?). They will be leaving in April for an extended cruise south and we hope to rendezvous again with them by land or sea.

We had to make a command decision after leaving the boatyard in St. Augustine. The cold weather and our two month delay for repairs have changed our plans of moving further south this year. Also, having the car here has allowed us freedom to travel around the state that we had not expected. So now we're back at Palm Coast Marina, one of our favorite places. Friends Peter and Sandy on KNOT SO SWIFT are here and we made another run with them to Benedetto's for an excellent Italian dinner. Also here are Jim and Joanne whom we first met in Fishing Bay, then again in New Bern, and we continue to meet new friends: Jim and Cindy from Texas, Ron and Doris from Long Island, John, Al, his son Nico, et al. Debbie, Ro and the staff at the marina are the best ever. Meg, besides being just a sweetheart of a lady, is our broker and is the hardest working, most pleasurable broker we've ever met. And to top it all off, Palm Coast is beautiful. The marina is friendly, quiet and well situated on a canal off the waterway.

We stay in touch with Al and Jennifer on s/v Ruth and are looking forward to their new venture (and new puppy). We may be trawling together this summer. They are another Sailblogger couple that we have yet to meet in person but feel like family. Blackie and Red are also looking forward to meeting their new cousin.

Here's hoping wherever you are you are safe and warm.

(Geasy peasy. I just read back through this. You'd think we'd look like balloons for all the going out to dinner we do.)

From Pete: Yes, PRIM is for sale. We have a mixed bag of feelings about that since she is a gorgeous boat that we have enjoyed immensely, but it is the right decision for us. Initially, we had planned to take one ten month trip south and see how we liked it and then go back home to regroup. After only a few weeks on board we realized living on the water is what we want to do for the next few years, or at least until the white coats come down the dock for me. We love it. We also realized we are most taken with coastal and inland cruising. As a couple, we are no longer interested in taking long shots offshore and love the scenery and camaraderie along the inland route. In addition, we recognize we are not twenty anymore either so I'd like to know a good doctor is within reach when we need them. To continue this lifestyle, it is time for us to move to a trawler and get serious about seeing more of this country. After fifty-plus years of racing in boats from dinghies to 103' schooners, I am putting my sailing gloves aside with no regrets whatsoever. I have made a life of sailing, making life-long friends and putting untold satisfying hours of effort in making a boat sail as fast as I can in any conditions. Now, I look forward to an air conditioned helm seat when I want it, a recliner in the main salon at night and new adventures only a trawler can afford us. So, anyone looking for an excellent, loaded offshore cruiser in ready-to-go condition, come on down. We've priced her for quick sale so we can get on with the rest of our cruising life as soon as possible.