On A New Tack

 Key West Boat Show and Additional Information on the Vision Yachts 444 Summary We had a great trip down to Key West (okay, actually it was the next island up; Stock Island). The Stock Island Marina Village and adjoining Perry Hotel are absolutely beautiful.  If you are in the area and need a place to stay (and have the means!), it is a great resort.  We were fortunate in that we booked it early for the event and got the room at 1/3 the price it was the week leading up to the boat show.  Admittedly, it was Spring Break, so that may be their peak price for the year for all I know. We had spoken to Tommy and Amy from Sail Away Catamarans a few times before the event and even had a chance to speak with Thomas and Terri, the owners of Kon-Tiki ahead of time too.  What an absolutely great group of people! Additional Information

Miami Boat Show - February 14-19, 2019 - Miami Marine Stadium Miami is not known for being a reserved, sleepy hamlet and that is reflected in the boats, yachts, electronics and people we saw at the boat show! We rented an Airbnb in downtown Miami, right next to the water taxi stop that would bring you to and from the boat show.  Unfortunately, Lisa and Jesse were not able to join us, last minute, because of a new job Jesse had taken that required him to be at the Pentagon for a meeting the Friday of the Boat Show.  Didn't seem like going to the Boat Show was more important than whatever the meeting was about, so we understood their not being able to make it, but were disappointed to not be able to spend a few days with them. Leading up to the Boat Show, we booked some appointments to look at Catamarans like piqued our fancy.  It is possible to schedule an appointment to see a yacht while at the show, but you may have to wait a while, but honestly, booking ahead o...

Before the fall of 2018, Sue and I had never really sailed, unless you count one Sunfish Rental at Lake Crabtree Park in Morrisville, NC and a daysail that Sue did in Buffalo, NY when she was co-oping at General Motors. We've owned a 17' Jetboat used in local lakes since June of 1998, but that's usually 4 or 5 hours max at a time on relative calm waters.  So what happened to get us on the Sailing kick?  Buying a Krispy Kreme box truck and visiting friends in Annapolis, of course!   Our business was expanding and needed an additional installation vehicle.  I found an ex-Krispy Kreme delivery box truck that fit the bill, being sold by Penske in Baltimore, MD. (It smelled amazing, by the way).  In order to get it back to Raleigh, I'd have to fly up to Baltimore on a Friday, pick up the truck and then drive back to Raleigh with Sue staying in Raleigh to keep things running.   Our super-close friends, and best-man (Jesse) and Matron of Honor (Lis...