Today I fly back to Portland to join Cathy in organising our final move to St Petersburg. Movers will pack our stuff, load and ship it here. (Including my R6 racebike!) We'll put the condo up for sale. Pick up our new Handa Civic, and sell the old one. See a lot of friends.
Sunday morning I'll take Cathy to the airport for her flight back to St Petersburg. Then I'll begin the 3,000 mile drive to get the new car here.
Monday, January 24, 2011
Finished six consecutive days of teaching
The third day was rain and fog. We got to put our restricted visibility rules and sound signals to the test.
The last two days were clear, cold and very windy. 20 something knots gusting to 30. I had my students taking bearings and plotting our position as we race out of Tampa Bay.
My Hemingway lookalike was only mildly sick.
The other student was down for the count.
We slogged out way to the lee of Mullett Cay, anchored in mostly quiet water, and were rewarded with a lovely sunset.
The last two days were clear, cold and very windy. 20 something knots gusting to 30. I had my students taking bearings and plotting our position as we race out of Tampa Bay.
My Hemingway lookalike was only mildly sick.
The other student was down for the count.
We slogged out way to the lee of Mullett Cay, anchored in mostly quiet water, and were rewarded with a lovely sunset.
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Giving sailing lessons in the middle of January
Sunny. 70 degrees. Sailing a Beneteau 32 on Tampa Bay with two happy students.
At the end of Day Two there's a written exam, which both passed with ease.
A year ago Cathy was in her first weeks of a six month assignment with NOAA's Headquarters office in Washington DC. The city was paralyzed with snow and the federal government shut down. I was back in Portland doing trim work on a home remodel.
Niether of us could have guessed what the year would bring.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Sea-time
Since the Christmas and New Years holidays I've been out sailing just three times: two Sunset Sails and one afternoon of Team Building match racing. That's well below my usual sea-time rate, which has been one day in three.
This coming week I'll catch up with sea-time. Beginning Tuesday I start teaching a cycle of ASA courses. I'll be on the water for six consecutive days: two days on a Beneteau 323, two days on a Hunter 386, two days on a Hunter 44. Long range weather looks good. The day after the last day of teaching I'll fly back to Portland with a tan.
Below are photos of our new Catalina 445, "Pitch n Roll", taken during our afternoon of match racing. I was on our Catalina 440, while Capt Patrick was on the 445. He beat me with the new boat - two out of three races.
This coming week I'll catch up with sea-time. Beginning Tuesday I start teaching a cycle of ASA courses. I'll be on the water for six consecutive days: two days on a Beneteau 323, two days on a Hunter 386, two days on a Hunter 44. Long range weather looks good. The day after the last day of teaching I'll fly back to Portland with a tan.
Below are photos of our new Catalina 445, "Pitch n Roll", taken during our afternoon of match racing. I was on our Catalina 440, while Capt Patrick was on the 445. He beat me with the new boat - two out of three races.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
A pirate looks at 60.
I missed the Jimmy Buffett concert in Portland last fall. I'd purchased tickets to go. That was before we had any idea we'd wind up here in St Petersburg. I wound up giving those tickets to my pals Gary and Brandon. I heard it was a great show.
I get to make up for that with the Jimmy Buffett concert in nearby Tampa on Saturday, April 16 - just two days before my birthday. Cathy bought the tickets for us today!
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville - 2011-04-16 19:00:00 - 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL
I get to make up for that with the Jimmy Buffett concert in nearby Tampa on Saturday, April 16 - just two days before my birthday. Cathy bought the tickets for us today!
Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville - 2011-04-16 19:00:00 - 1-800-ASK-GARY Amphitheatre, Tampa, FL
Steps to becoming fully vested in St Petersburg
We hope to be resettled into a place of our own in 6 to 8 months.
Just now, this is what that process looks like
Cathy flies to Portland (next week?) to meet with the movers and start the process of getting all we own moved to St Petersburg.
I fly to Denver (next week?) to help my recently widowed mother move from CO to Loma Linda CA, where she will be next door to her sisters. This will be an end of January drive across the Rockies pulling a trailer with her car.
I will then fly from LA to Portland to join Cathy.
We will buy a new Honda Civic and donate our old 22 year old Civic to a charity.
When arrangements for shipment of our possessions are complete, I will begin the long drive back to St Petersburg in our new car.
Cathy will meet with our realtor to have the condo listed for sale, then fly back to St Petersburg.
When our belongings arrive, they will go into storage until we find a rental property to move into while our Portland condo is on the market..
Our friends from Germany, Carsten and Viola, will come to visit us in the spring and together we will sail down to Key West and the Dry Tortugas.
When the Portland condo is sold, (we have a guaranteed buyer after it has been on the market for 3 months) we buy a place of our own here and move into it.
Whew!
Just now, this is what that process looks like
Cathy flies to Portland (next week?) to meet with the movers and start the process of getting all we own moved to St Petersburg.
I fly to Denver (next week?) to help my recently widowed mother move from CO to Loma Linda CA, where she will be next door to her sisters. This will be an end of January drive across the Rockies pulling a trailer with her car.
I will then fly from LA to Portland to join Cathy.
We will buy a new Honda Civic and donate our old 22 year old Civic to a charity.
When arrangements for shipment of our possessions are complete, I will begin the long drive back to St Petersburg in our new car.
Cathy will meet with our realtor to have the condo listed for sale, then fly back to St Petersburg.
When our belongings arrive, they will go into storage until we find a rental property to move into while our Portland condo is on the market..
Our friends from Germany, Carsten and Viola, will come to visit us in the spring and together we will sail down to Key West and the Dry Tortugas.
When the Portland condo is sold, (we have a guaranteed buyer after it has been on the market for 3 months) we buy a place of our own here and move into it.
Whew!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Back to work
Last week we returned from our Christmas week trip to West Palm Beach and I returned to work at the Vinoy Marina. I remember this unique experience on the morning of my return.
There was a mechanical issue with one of the sailboats that I wanted to deal with. I stepped onboard with my tool bag and opened the engine compartment beneath the companionway. I reached into my tool bag for the first tools I would need, and then it hit me.
I realised that was very happy to be back at this. Happy to be back at work. Happy to be messing around on boats again.
There was a mechanical issue with one of the sailboats that I wanted to deal with. I stepped onboard with my tool bag and opened the engine compartment beneath the companionway. I reached into my tool bag for the first tools I would need, and then it hit me.
I realised that was very happy to be back at this. Happy to be back at work. Happy to be messing around on boats again.
Sunday, January 2, 2011
2010 Retrospective/2011 Outlook.
This time last year, Cathy and I were on our way back to Portland after spending New Year's week at Key West. Niether of us then had the least idea that before 2010 was over we would be living 180 nautical miles from Key West.
A week after returning to Portland, I accompanied Cathy to Washington DC to help her get set up in an apartment. She was going there for a 6 month assignment with NOAA's Headquarters office. I returned to Portland, but visited Cathy in DC several times and came to learn about the many attractions of that great city.
Cathy returned to Portland at the start of June, but by the end of that month she was off again. The BP catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico was raging then, and she was asked to go on another 6 month assignment - this time with NOAA's Regional Headquarters in St Petersburg FL to help manage the response to the BP spill.
I wasn't going to stay at home while Cathy was in Florida. I joined her there and with Coast Guard license and resume in hand I went around the St Petersburg marinas introducing myself. It was off-season for skipper's work then, nevertheless I found a couple sailing schools and charterboat operations interested in my background. In time I started getting calls for freelance gigs. Meanwhile Cathy was on daily 8 AM conference calls with officials from federal agencies in DC and travelling around the Gulf Region, working the problems from the Gulf spill.
In time I was made an offer to take on a wider spectrum of work with Sailing Florida - to be involved in charter operations along with the instruction and skipper's work I was already doing. I was delighted to accept. Meanwhile Cathy, in her temporary position, had made herself indispensable. She was offered a permanent position with the St Petersburg Regional Headquarters office.
In the coming weeks, we will return to Portland to arrange for shipment of our belongings here and to put our condo on the market. We will find our own accommodations here in downtown St Petersburg. The condo Cathy's employer rented for us has worked very well, but we'll have to find our own after her transfer to this office is official.
I look forward to the coming year with Sailing Florida and growing my involvement and responsibilities. I look forward to sailing with Cathy down to Key West and the Dry Tortugas. And I look forward to having my Cycletune prepared R6 racebike here and taking it to trackdays at Florida race tracks. As for Cathy, I'm sure she will continue to make her mark on this region and raise the profile of the work this regional office does. Together we will continue to learn about and become more involved with our new hometown - St Petersburg, Florida.
2010 was a remarkable year for us. 2011 is looking excellent!
A week after returning to Portland, I accompanied Cathy to Washington DC to help her get set up in an apartment. She was going there for a 6 month assignment with NOAA's Headquarters office. I returned to Portland, but visited Cathy in DC several times and came to learn about the many attractions of that great city.
Cathy returned to Portland at the start of June, but by the end of that month she was off again. The BP catastrophe in the Gulf of Mexico was raging then, and she was asked to go on another 6 month assignment - this time with NOAA's Regional Headquarters in St Petersburg FL to help manage the response to the BP spill.
I wasn't going to stay at home while Cathy was in Florida. I joined her there and with Coast Guard license and resume in hand I went around the St Petersburg marinas introducing myself. It was off-season for skipper's work then, nevertheless I found a couple sailing schools and charterboat operations interested in my background. In time I started getting calls for freelance gigs. Meanwhile Cathy was on daily 8 AM conference calls with officials from federal agencies in DC and travelling around the Gulf Region, working the problems from the Gulf spill.
In time I was made an offer to take on a wider spectrum of work with Sailing Florida - to be involved in charter operations along with the instruction and skipper's work I was already doing. I was delighted to accept. Meanwhile Cathy, in her temporary position, had made herself indispensable. She was offered a permanent position with the St Petersburg Regional Headquarters office.
In the coming weeks, we will return to Portland to arrange for shipment of our belongings here and to put our condo on the market. We will find our own accommodations here in downtown St Petersburg. The condo Cathy's employer rented for us has worked very well, but we'll have to find our own after her transfer to this office is official.
I look forward to the coming year with Sailing Florida and growing my involvement and responsibilities. I look forward to sailing with Cathy down to Key West and the Dry Tortugas. And I look forward to having my Cycletune prepared R6 racebike here and taking it to trackdays at Florida race tracks. As for Cathy, I'm sure she will continue to make her mark on this region and raise the profile of the work this regional office does. Together we will continue to learn about and become more involved with our new hometown - St Petersburg, Florida.
2010 was a remarkable year for us. 2011 is looking excellent!
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