After several days of 15 MPH winds with gusts of 20-26 MPH hanging on a hook, we decided that a few days in a more protected anchorage would be a welcomed change. We managed to get a mooring ball in St. Pete's North Basin for a few days. Turns out that this is the weekend for the St. Petersburg Grand Prix Race. As you can imagine, there is all kinds of things going on here in the city. Yesterday we did laundry, took care of a few boat
There is an old saying "Your not really a sailor until you leave the dock"! Well, it's time to leave the dock. We wanted to stay semi local in the event something goes wrong with the newly installed solar or wind turbine and the fact that we have to still replace the Dripless Stuffing Seal. Our new friend Captain Rick let us in on some Tribal knowledge and suggested going to DeSoto Point for a couple of nights. He said there is good anchorage there and Fort DeSoto National
February was a busy month for 5KNOTS. Scheduling all of the new equipment installations and repairs was a challenge since we had lots to do, wanted to avoid having two projects happening on the same day and was hoping to have all of it done in two weeks. It is like trying to stuff twenty pounds of stuff into a 10 pound sack. Fortunately the weather cooperated and we had only one day of rain the entire month which made this task somewhat easier. This rain day turned
The past month has been very exciting for 5KNOTS. Back in Tennessee, we jammed all of our belongings into our truck, tied our newly reconditioned Jetta to the top, and drove to Clearwater. Getting a late start, we decided to drive all night and arrived in Clearwater around 06:00 the next morning. It was a long haul but we were happy to have an extra day at the boat before our scheduled repairs were to begin. We had an Arch constructed and installed by Tom at Aqua-Shade (www.Aqua-Shade.com)
Back in September Renee found a used RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) at a marine consignment store while down in Southport, NC. Well she didn't actually find it in the store, it was lying in the yard behind the store. Since we did not have a boat at this time, it was easy to pass on on it. In October we were back in Southport and Renee went to check on the RIB. Guess what? It was still there right where she left it a month earlier, lying face down in
Clearwater Harbor Marina is very nice with a great location. You can just walk up the street and find plenty of restaurants, grocery store and West Marine (which is becoming one of our favorite places to shop) is just a short drive. Renee decided to stop working as a Pediatric Nurse at the end of November 2016 in order to tie up all the loose ends we had at home and get 5KNOTS ready so we could call it our home. Renee spent 10 days at the boat
As soon as the repairs were completed, myself and three acquaintances sailed from Marathon Key to Clearwater Beach by way of the Dry Tortugas where we spent two nights. Unfortunately Renee could not come on this trip because she was still working. The wind cooperated for our run to to Dry Tortugas. The weatherman predicted an easterly wind of 8 to 15 knots, moderate seas of 3 to 4 feet and no rain. The evening skies were clear and the stars were beautiful. Around 22:00 we decided to drop
Under any other circumstance, having your boat located in the Florida Keys would be awesome. However, we were back in Tennessee and our boat was on the hard (out of the water on stands) waiting to be repaired. As it turns out, if you are to break down in the Keys, doing it at the Marathon Marina & Boatyard is not a bad thing. The marina is well equipped and the staff there are amazing (thanks again Jules & Drew). They went beyond our expectations in making sure
After we finally closed and the boat was ours, we made plans to move it to Clearwater Beach, Florida where it will stay until we make our permanent move to the boat. Clearwater is a one day drive from Knoxville and an easy flight if we do not need our vehicle while at the boat. We left Ft. Lauderdale a few days later than we had planned due to a hold up in the boats paperwork with the wind off our nose. Since time was short, we decided
There are literally hundreds (more like thousands) of boats for sale on the market and deciding which one is right for us is like maneuvering through a giant maze. You have to decide on features, layout, sail configuration, year, condition and of course price. We came up with two lists, the Must Haves and the Would be Nice list. Here is how we not only maneuvered through the ins and outs of the maze but how we conquered it! Having spent 12 days sailing the British Virgin Islands