The Gypsies are here, the Gypsies are here!!

Friday afternoon Doug and Tammy drove over 100 miles to be with us on September Song for a couple of days. It was so great to have them here with us in Ft. Pierce. We miss them and never pass up the chance to get together. Brianne was gracious enough to clean her cabin and give it up for them. (she slept under the stars on the fly bridge) Thanks Bri. When Brianne found out they were coming, she was so excited. She met them last year when Stephanie had my far out surprise birthday party in Kings Mill. (if you didn't read those blogs, check out August 2009) We started out with a long catch-up happy hour on the fly bridge followed by dinner, drinks, and music at the Tiki Hut Bar here at the Marina. After a fun night at the Tiki Bar we all headed back to September Song (Brianne was our designated guide back to the boat) for a late night nightcap on the fly bridge. What a great time we had together again. Plans were made to meet up in the Abacos next spring for a couple of weeks which would include, of course, a few trips to Nippers on Great Guana Cay. Saturday morning we went to the Farmers Market the four of us went to last year when we were here. It's a Farmers Market on steroids. In the afternoon Doug and Tammy took us around for a little provisioning and then it was time to say goodbye again, but we will meet up some time this summer on a half way each way road trip. (I think I still remember how to drive a car) Thanks for coming guys. It's always so great to be together again.
Tomorrow we head out in the AM to Cocoa beach where we will spend a couple of days which will include a trip to the Space Center.

September Song (We love the Gypsies) out
Bob



Doug and Tammy arriving Friday afternoon to spend Friday and Saturday with us. What great friends!

Cassie and Godiva greeting their old friends. Sniff, sniff. "Oh, now I remember you."

Just like old times. Cocktails and apps on the fly bridge.

Brianne ready to party with us and the Gypsies

Brianne agrees!

Out for a night of fun and music at the Tiki Bar

What a great looking group!

Wings for dinner. YUUMM!! 12 chickens gave up their wings for us.

What a treat after being in the Islands with little or no produce. We would still prefer to be back in the Islands.

Breakfast at the Farmers Market.

Is that a dog or a horse?

Be glad you live here Mr. pelican rather than on the gulf coast.

Leaving the Islands. We want to go back!

We left the Islands at 07:00 Wednesday morning and bid a fond farewell to the Islands we so love. We traveled out into the Bahama Banks for ten hours and then dropped the hook in the middle of the banks. Nothing but blue water as far as the eye could see. When we were cruising I noticed that the port engine (Mildred) was running about 5 to 7 degrees hotter than normal. Once we got settled into our anchorage (big anchorage! about eighty miles big.) I went down into the "hot" engine room and cleaned out the sea strainer. Not the cause of the high temp. Next I took off the cover of the raw water impeller. It had only about 20% of its fins left. (Don't even want to be crossing on one engine) A boater always has extra of everything, so I got out a new impeller, pulled the dead one, and installed the new one. About a two hour job, (in 110 degree engine room) but we are good to go in the morning. As I left the engine room, I did what Ron Owens always told me to do. Look back and tell the ladies, "don't make me come down there!" Time for a shower and a sunset drink and dinner on the fly bridge. (man it's beautiful out here!) The next morning we raised the anchor at 04:30 and traveled for the first two hours in the dark with a fingernail moon and bright beautiful stars. Our crossing back to the states was going to be about 13 hours plus time stopped to reel in the fish, so we let Brianne sleep until we came off the banks and into the ocean. We had just gotten into deep water and Brianne had a fish on. She put her pole harness on and reeled in her first of three fish, a bar jack and two dolphin. She was thrilled to catch them, but not to touch them. After about eleven and one half hours of cruising the ocean blue we could see land (something we hadn't seen for two days) and Brianne started looking for bars on her cell phone so she could call her boyfriend John. Brianne did really well and she is a great little cruiser. It has been great fun having her aboard. (I don't think she's tired of us yet) I wish I could say we are all happy to be back in the US, but we wish we were back in the Islands. The insurance man says we need to be North of the Florida line before July first, so we had to start heading back. It doesn't mean we are going to stop exploring and cruising. We have lots to do and see before we go back to the Islands next year. We have places like Cocoa Beach and the space center, St. Augustine and other places to show Brianne while she cruises with us, then a whole lot in between before we go back to the Keys next winter, then back to the Islands Mon.

September Song (missing the Islands) out
Bob


Brianne watching the dolphins play around our bow.

Brianne passing the time reading on our first ten hour leg out into the Bahamas Banks.

Sunrise on our second leg. We headed out at 0:430 in the dark and the stars were shining

This is what we saw for two days. Nothing but beautiful blue water as far as you can see.

Fish on, FISH ON!

Brianne's first of three

Her first dolphin. We let him go so he could grow big and strong for next year.

Passing the time reading a book while waiting for the next ZING of the pole.

Brianne taking over the Admiral's position during our second leg, thirteen and one half hour crossing to the states

Two beautiful ladies waiting for me to take them to the Tiki Hut for dinner in Fort Pierce.

The four legged girls finished their gelato in about two seconds. "More please!"

Not just ice cream on a walk after dinner, but gelato!

Just another day

Sorry for the delay on the rest of this blog, but we lost our Internet connection and I couldn't finish before we left.
What a great day this was. Well, I guess they all are in the Islands. We played at the beach most of the day and then finished it off at Pineapple's Bar and Grill. Pineapple's had 2-4-6 rum drinks so we thought it necessary to take them up on their offer. Rum punch, cracked conch, and a dip in their pool. What a way to spend our last day at New Plymouth.

September Song (Should have taught Brianne how to drive Half Note) out

Godiva helping Brianne hunt for shells. "Where's my ball?"

Cassie and Godiva think this is another dog gone good beach.

My two shell hunters

The only one that is crabby on this beach

Found one

Brianne hunting for sand dollars.

A walk on a beach that goes on forever. Ain't she cute.

Found a red starfish on her walk

Pineapples, a great place for fresh conch, and a rum punch, or two, or three, then a dip in their pool.

Our bartender has some colorful hair.

Brianne having a conch burger at Pineapples Bar and Grill. She will shoot me for posting a picture of her with her mouth full!

Looking beautiful at the pool at Pineapples.

Being bad at Pineapples. 2-4-6 rum punch drinks. Brianne prefers a coke. She can drive us home.

Ready to explore New Plymouth. Waiting on the dock for me to park Half Note.

The streets of New Plymouth on Green Turtle Cay.

Nice hat!