We have a new Blog site! To continue reading about our adventures, go to http://sanctuarycruising.wordpress.com/

Yes! it's true. Sanctuary is for sale, but we're not giving up the cruising life. Not yet! We are simply looking for a somewhat larger vessel to allow us to more comforatably entertain our friends and family aboard.

We're even willing to offer anyone who brings us a buyer a 1% finder's fee!

Sanctuary is a true blue-water cruiser, completely "dialed in" with everything needed to venture far from home.

For additional pictures and a specification list, go to www.sanctuarycruising.wordpress.com and click on "About Sanctuary"

You gotta do something when you are waiting out hurricane season. We found a local theater playing Pirates of the Caribbean Four, "On Stranger Tides" and what better way to get there than organized transportation for cruisers who wanted to go. So we put the word out on the morning cruisers net and called a local fellow who runs a taxi service and off we went to half price night at the movies.

There were twenty four cruisers in attendance and as you can see...some even in costume. (Robin and Cheryl, remember this?).

Next on the list...Harry Potter!

Key Lime Pie, My oh My! But instead of the words to a Kenny Chesney song, this is the real thing. There is a story here if you have some patience.

Awhile back, Carl and I started running a charter boat out of St. Thomas called Jolly Mon, wwwjollymonstthomas.com. We are doing all the marketing as well. One of the things we wanted to do was a dinner cruise. Well, on the way south, we met a great cruising family on a catarmaran called "Happy Times" and instantly liked them. While they were visiting us onboard Sanctuary, we told them of our plans. Cheryl, the mom, asked what the menu was going to be and I told her: Jolly Mon Seafood Medley over a Bed of Lettuce, Green Beans Sprinkled with Almond Slivers, Fresh Baked Bread, Key Lime Pie and an After Dinner Mint with Fresh Brewed Coffee.

She then asked me if I had a good Key Lime Pie Recipe, to which I admitted that I wasn't sure that I did. Well, she said, Mikayla, her daughter, has a great one. "Well let's test it out" I said. A few days later here comes Mikayla and her dad Mike with the pie. WOW! It was great! so now the menu will read...Mikayla's Key Lime Pie.

OOPS! Forgot to Blog! We sailed down the east coast of Grenada on 28 June and visited with our friends in Prickly Bay for a few days, but got tired of the rolling swells that wrap around the point from the ocean there. So we moved to a more comfortable spot called Hog Island and are getting settled into the routine events here as we plan to sit out the tranquil (fingers crossed!) 2011 hurricane season.

We've reconnected with some old friends, made some new ones, and taken on some duties to feel a part of things. More blogs on our activities here to follow.

I was born in Miami Florida before the "Bay of Pigs". Well I just told my age, no matter. My parents left Miami and moved to Fort Myers, Florida when I was about four. I lived in the same house for fourteen years until I graduated high school. Still living in Fort Myers, my next home was where I raised my boys. What I'm trying to say is, I didn't get around much.

I was fifteen years old before I ever left the state of Florida, (I won't go into details as to why), and that trip only took me into Mississippi. Since then, I saw a few different states around age 35 while I was a member of Sweet Adeline's because of international competition. But nothing compares to what I've seen since buying a sailboat and traveling the Gulf, Atlantic and Caribbean oceans. I thought about my passport the other day with all the stamped entries and exits into and out of so many countries that it's hard to keep track any more. I asked Carl the other day what happens when the immigrations people run out of room to place a stamp in our book, he didn't have an answer so I keep my fingers crossed each time we check in and hope that we don't get into any trouble.

In our Fifties now, (yes Jason and Nathan your mother is getting old!) Carl and I have gone through countries like you would drive through states back home. All in all, it has been a wonderful experience. Some of our friends and family might think we dropped out of society too soon but we wish we could have done it sooner. We also say if you have a dream, make it happen, make it happen NOW! Don't wait because tomorrow may never come.

We enjoyed a return trip to Rodney Bay St. Lucia where we spent 5 days (2 at a dock) hiding out from poor weather and getting some work done on the boat. We spent an additional 2 days at a new spot for us in Marigot Bay where there are some plush (and expensive) villas overlooking the beautiful water. After some lunch and a walk ashore we returned to Sanctuary with its 360 degree view and backyard saltwater pool. We wave to people who paid a boat to take them for a ride. Spike sometimes looks up from his nap from a shady spot on deck.

Tonight we'll travel overnight with a break in the weather to the Grenadines to check out some killer snorkeling and peaceful anchorages on our way down to Grenada. The weather fronts, called Tropical Waves, are coming about every 5 days and we have to keep an anchorage to tuck into in the plan in case the forecast calls for it.

We visited Martinique, another member of the French Antilles and one of the most developed islands in the Caribbean. Looking at the high rise buildings as we approached reminded us of Florida. We hung out in the capital, Fort de France and did some work on Mr. Engine. We enjoyed the French feel and the bustle of the city, but look forward to getting down island and some of the little islands of the Grenadines.

We went in early this morning as the fishermen returned with their morning's catch and bought this tuna. The guy cut it into steaks and we bagged 10 servings, including the head and tail for soup.

It doesn't come much fresher than this, and it cost less than all of the fishing lures we've lost!

While hiking to another bay on the island we found this boat shop and ogled at the workmanship. Too bad the workers were on lunch break when we passed through.