Hi folks,

I want to thank my friends and family for coming to the Bon Voyage party. We held it Moores Stonecrab Restaurant because over the years I have often called it the international Port of Moores. I often cleared in from international trips at their dock.

We enjoyed a stiff head wind sailing south from Longboat. We got out by 9;00 sailed through the evening and into the next day when we decided to duck unto the shark river mouth at the N. end of Cape Sable. We anchored up in time to enjoy a fine cocktail. On the 15th of July our start date we made half a tank of water, It gave us plenty for hot showers in Shark River.

During the trip we had a chance to test out many things including my home made wind vane (wind powered autopilot) To my great relief it worked the way it is supposed to. Third one on this boat It does take neurotic persistence to get things to all come together.

We had a chance to reef the sails and get the windshield up as a local 30 knot storm swept down on us. I set the "THE CUTWATER" up to reef from the cockpit so it only takes a few minutes to get done.

The kids did great. Gillan seems to like the heavy weather. Matthew slept more than normal. We had a fine fresh fish caught after our going away party at Moores which we ate in Shark river.

We got up early fri and sailed out the Shark River mouth and anchored up at about 4 PM in the mangroves in Marathon. Here in Marathon they now charge $13.85 a day for the dingy dock after they run your ID through "the system".

THE CUTWATER CRUISE

We hauled out to start the refit in April 2010 at N.E. Taylor boat works in Cortez Fl. Here we re powered to a Yan Mar 54 hp, after using up the last engine over the last two decades. We also changed the brass, rubber, exhaust and added a keel cooler for the new freezer/fridge. All unnecessary through hulls were removed. The bottom was painted and we were launched.

Now July we have added tons of gear and communication equip, including a life raft, windshield, newer main sail, wind scoops, auto pilot, SSB radio, wind vain (wind powered auto pilot), Ais transponder, (so we show up on the freighter's radar and chart plotter, and so we can see them.

We are a family of 4 with two children 2 and 4 and we will go cruising very soon, currently adding water maker and then we are off.