Living The Dream
Most of them dream... We LIVE IT.
| Vessel Name: | Santorini |
| Vessel Make/Model: | Mariner/Mayflower 48' |
| Hailing Port: | Punta Gorda, Florida |
| Crew: | Tom, Dawn, Chico & Kamala |
| Social: |
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13 August 2016 | Isla Mujeres, Mexico
Back in Isla Mujeres!
It's been a fast 3 years since moving to Punta Gorda, FL. Although we haven't done much sailing, we have made some very nice improvements and upgrades to Santorini. We had her hauled out for bottom paint - this time applying Petit Trinidad 75. It had been 5 years since her last paint job with Trinidad [...]
28 July 2013 | Punta Gorda, FL
Home At Last
We moved into our new house end of May 2013. Tom towed the SeaRay down and put it in storage. We made several trips down to move, but sadly left Santorini behind in Panama City, Fl until we could prepare her slip in Punta Gorda.
28 July 2013 | Punta Gorda, FL
Getting Our Freedom Back
After swallowing the anchor in Panama City, FL for 2 years we are looking forward to getting back into cruising mode. We were certainly grateful for Tom landing a job when he did - it saved us when our businesses went bust. It was tough working 8-5 M-F with 1 week of vacation after having been self-employed [...]
22 April 2011 | St. Andrews Bay, Panama City, FL
Settling In on the Gulf Coast
We had a great trip back to OC. It was wonderful to see everyone and a relief to finally move the rest of our stuff. We stopped and stayed with family and friends along the way during our trip home. We missed the kitties, and they missed us even more. Our neighbors, Don & Kelly live on a houseboat [...]
21 March 2011 | Panama City, Florida
Back to the OC
Well it's only been 4 days since we sailed into port here in Panama City, FL but we're already heading back to Orange County, CA. My friend Beth is engaged to a great guy named Alan. He happens to own a private jet. They flew in this afternoon from Key West for a short overnight visit and are returning [...]
18 March 2011 | Panama City, Florida
Mission Accomplished: Over 5000 miles in less than 5 months!
We finally made it! We sailed into St. Andrews Bay at 2 pm on St. Patrick's Day, it was a very moving experience! There's nothing like achieving a many years long goal. The people here are wonderful - everyone is SO NICE! Southern hospitality is alive and well.
Bahia de Hotel de la Joya
Our first stop was Punta Amapala because it's an easy day sail from Barillas. We anchored for the night in the calm bay. On the way there we put out our fishing poles and caught two fish we did not recognize. The first one I caught and it looked a little small. After Tom threw the second one back, he spoke with Don on Passion (our buddy boat for Barillas) and found out they are Sierra Mackerel or King Mackerel - and damn good eating! Oops! When we caught a much larger third one we were sure to fillet it and its taste lived up to what Don had said.
On New Year's Eve Day we sailed from Punta Amapala to Isla Meanguera (El Salvador). We initially anchored off the town, but there was no dinghy landing. A young man approached as we were pulling up the dinghy on the beach and said that there was a better anchorage just south, with a nice hotel where you can land the dinks.
We hopped back in the dinghy, pulled anchor and went around the corner to the scenic anchorage. We went to the hotel for a drink and met Richard, the owner, who greeted us warmly and provided local knowledge. That night they had the most amazing fireworks show - just above the little cove where we were anchored. We went to bed after the show - about 10 pm.
The next day we walked to into town and over to the pier. Tom wasn't feeling very well for the past few days, and we assumed he got a touch of Montezuma's Revenge. We had an amazing dinner at Bahia de Hotel de la Joya - I had the stuffed lobster and Tom had a steak. It was just the two of us on the ramada overlooking the bay. We couldn't remember the last nice, romantic dinner we had but decided it had been in San Diego before we'd left. It was magical.
