Well where to begin? It's been quite a long while since I've made an entry here. I know it seems we just dropped off the map but we did what we felt we had to do.
Right now, we're in boat search mode yet again. We ended up selling Tiki and moved back to Charlotte. The reasons were many and I won't go into them here. What I will say is that we are in active boat search mode once again. We both loved the Morgan Outisland and it is high on our list of must see listings. But it would be awfully nice to have a boat that can do more than 5 knots!
To make the money needed to pay for the Tiki Too, I have taken a job as a contractor in Afghanistan. I've been here since November and am due home in about a week for a much needed break. While at home, Kristen and I have all kinds of fun planned beginning with a Jimmy Buffett concert on the 21st. Then we head to Fla for a cruise. Upon our return, we head south to look at a couple of boats. The up to Charleston to see some more possibilities. Our travels will end in Annapolis where I'm sure there will be plenty of boats to look at.
Then it'll be back on a plane for the long trip to Dubai and then Kabul. At least I'm racking up some frequent flyer miles!
So stick around and check in occasionally. It won't be too long before we're back on the water making daily posts!
The pic is of some local kids who we hooked up with clothes and school supplies sent by friends back home.

We have Tiki tied up securely in a slip in LaBelle. It's about as secure a place as we could find. We intend to resume the trip in November after the threat of these storms has subsided.
It was a surprisingly easy decision to make. All it took is one look at the big weather map showing all of the Atlantic basin and Africa. The storms are stacked up and waiting to cross over and cause some hate and discontent! Another reason is the extreme heat and humidity we've been living with. It's made for a few pretty miserable days to say the least.
So, we'll take this as an opportunity to go to work, gather some parts, do some sewing projects and prepare for the continuation come November. Of course, the blog will not be updated quite as frequently but I will still make entries.

We left the mooring at 0800 this morning and now sit dockside at Port LaBelle Marina in, where else but, LaBelle, Fla. It was a long 12 hour day of motoring and motor-sailing.
All the tropical weather out there has us re-thinking our plans. We are researching what it would take to leave the boat here for the rest of this very busy hurricane season. With not just Hanna, but Josephine and Ike inbound, there's just no good way to get the boat north at this point. We'd be sitting in hurricane holes for weeks stressing out and watching and waiting. Here, we are wll inland and in a protected marina. We're still discussing it at this point but will make a decision tomorrow.
Until then, check out the new video and the pics of today's trip.