Heading South with a New Crew member

November 20, 2017

For 30 years we bred and raised llamas on our small farm.  They are gentle, smart, regal animals.  They make a soft humming sound that is soothing to the soul. They can be aloof or when the moods strikes, they can be friendly and affectionate.  Our last 3 geriatric animals died the year we started cruising, and we have missed them.  So it seemed appropriate to welcome Mr. Wiffles on board.  He doesn’t take up much space, he never complains, he loves to go everywhere and see everything.  He makes me smile and remember the  many llamas that were a part of our lives over the course of 30 years.  He will be a silent partner in this blog.  Keep your eyes open for him. 

Mr. Wiffles making himself at home

Heading out the door

They say that a straight line is the shortest distance between two points.  But not necessarily the most fun.  This year we headed south by going east to Ann Arbor where Jeremy and family moved this summer.  It was only 4 hours longer, took us through some beautiful fall colors and though short, was a fun visit. 

Cy with Mr. Wiffles

Cy with Grandma and Grandpa

Three Generations of Nelsons

From there we again headed south to see our friends Jill and Bud in Port St. Joe.  Since our last visit they had bought a fishing boat and we had a chance to head out with them on a beautiful warm, sunny and calm day.  Theoretically we were fishing but mostly we just enjoyed being out on the water.

A Day of Fishing???

Bud and Jill's Fishing Boat

A day south of there we met with Seth, a sailing friend from Regatta Pointe and his mother in Dunedin for breakfast/brunch.  Seth is offering us quite the adventure which we could not refuse.  His boat, Serendipity at Sea, has been in Trinidad for the hurricane season and he will be sailing north from there, through the Eastern Caribbean to Jamaica. We will fly to join him for the sail from there to the San Blas Islands and the Panama Canal.  Our sailing season on Well, Why Not? will be shortened in exchange for quite the adventure on board Serendipity at Sea! 

Seth leading us down the slippery slope of ice cream indulgence

Among other things, Seth is quite the global connoisseur of ice cream.  I hold him entirely responsible if I gain 20 pounds travelling with him - he is a very bad influence and a very persuasive one - at least in that department!  However, as far as I know, there are no ice cream parlors on the high seas between Jamaica and Panama.  That will help!