Across Lake Okeechobee a couple of times.

 When I last spoke we were in Moore Haven wondering if the batteries had enough juice to crank the engines over. Our concerns were warranted but we managed to get them running and move Freedom to a dock for the overnight. After quite a bit of thrashing we had Freedom ready to run over to Stuart Fl. where we intended to make ready for the crossing to the Bahamas. We were exhasusted after a long drive, the launching and stowing. But it all went well enough and in the morning with the fog lifting we were happy to realize that two days of charging left the engine starting bank in good shape. The engines spun up and fired quickly.
 Around 7:30 A.M. we ventured out from the marina into the canal with the bridge enclosure all dewed up and difficult to see through. It didn't matter that I had shammied them a couple of times. The moisture settled on them immediately making it a difficult transition into the canal with reduced visability. However no one else was out on the water except, the alligators.
 They were frequent acquaintences along the trip to Clewiston Fl.. We'd see some "debris" floating in the water out in front of us and as we approached it would suddenly dissappear below the surface leaving rings in the water. Alligators are certainly a bit more intimidating than dolphins jumping along the side of Freedom yet they are fun to observe from a safe distance. Without question they are easily scared away by objects larger than themselves.
 The channel leading out to the lake from Clewiston is lined with markers and many of them were occupied by Cormorants and Ospreys. The Ospreys were more amusing due to their animated head bobbing to get a good viewing angle of us as we passed them by. Light winds prevailed and the Okeechobee crossing was smooth. Along with this there was no traffic except for a 52 Egg Harbor that blew by us relatively close enough to rock us a bit but no harm was done. If anything the passing broke up the monotony of an otherwise slow crossing of the lake being followed by gulls.
 We passed through the Moore Haven, Mayaka and St. Lucie locks easily with the light winds and small elevation changes. Arriving at Sunset Bay Marina we backed into a slip, tied up and were greeted by friends we had met in the Bahamas back in 2008.
 After a Looooonnnngggg day on the water, we cleaned up and met Mads and Lani for dinner at the restaurant here and thoroughly enjoyed it. Soon enough we were out cold for what seemed like minutes. The alarm rang at 6 A.M. and we hustled to get off the boat by 6:45 AM since M & L offered us a ride on Dauntless back to Moore Haven so we could get out car back! As they say timing is everything and with our arrivals coinciding at Sunset Bay Marina, a great facility by the way, it spared us the drubbing of renting a car, driving out to Moore Haven and returning in separate cars. A full day of driving was turned into a smooth ride back over the lake with friendly conversation in an air conditioned bridge.
 The fun ended when we they took Dauntless into the marina and there were no easy access spots enabling Debbie to hop off without concern. So Mads ably maneuvered the bow (also the highest egress) of Dauntless to the lift pit where three of us grabbed Debbie by the limbs waist and back while she slid off the bow with a life preserver on. Not exactly graceful but we "got 'er done". After I hopped off we were informed that this was a first for the marina. No one else had ever pulled a stunt like this before. In spite of the notoriety, I'm thinking Deb doesn't have very fond memories of the event....
 Regardless, we were grateful to get a ride, and assisting with the locking was a breeze. Thank you team Dauntless!
 And now the cleaning and preparations begin in earnest.      

Freedom Floats Again, and it's for the Ta Ta's...

 The last week has been a whirl wind of selling the condo, moving into storage, driving South, acquiring driver's licenses and registrations, and launching Freedom. It should have taken a month. But we managed to get all of this done in 6 days.
 But she is afloat, rather grudgingly but she is floating. The crew here at River Forest Labelle did a great job with class equipment getting her in the water. And that is where the fun stopped.
 The main engine batteries were not properly charged because well, the boat was not plugged in enough. Even though we paid for it, the boat was down on charge. Fortunately the port engine spun up as usual but the starboard engine needed help from the house bank. I'm really glad I decided to put in a switch to combine the house bank with the starting banks when I installed the inverter. It was the first time I had to use it and it payed many dividends. Tomorrow we will see if the charger will manage to pump life back into the starting bank. Once tied up at the dock we learned that the satellite tv tracking system went down and needs to be replaced, not fixed. But the real pain showed up when the Radar Chart Plotter we had upgraded by Furuno died. All of this adds up to quite a bit of concern given the itinerary we normally ply. So when we move to Stuart tomorrow, hopefully we don't learn more about what failed over the Summer.
 That's the bad and it probably isn't done showing itself yet.
 The good? She started up, moved out of the slings, spun around smartly and pulled into her new slip running smoothly. She even revved up a bit without complaint. Next time I will remember to turn on the fuel valves. Yes, I did that. I forgot to open the supplies to both engines. But she ran long enough anyway. I'm not sure what that says about the valves but I am sure glad they ran given all of the expensive hardware in the marina right now. Freedom is nothing but a glass bauble in comparison.
 Anyway, before we arrived here at Freedom we stopped in at Green Cove Springs to register the car, acquire our driver's licenses, and register the boats in Florida. It was probably the best experience I have ever had with any department of motor vehicles. Florida really has it's act together. You bring your papers of identity etc. and they enter it into the system. If you qualify the job is done. It took the nice lady named Geri two hours to get all of our processing done. And she worked diligently all that time, non stop.
 And, she did it with a smile, spoke perfect English, and in spite of all the non stop work, she remained professional and courteous. Now for the fun part. You may be wondering about the title of this particular entry in the blog.
 All the while I was standing in front of a glass divider that had one of those holes you pass information through. On the outside of the divider there were cancer walk-a-thon cards stuck up with tape filled out by donors.
 One of them stood out. I kind of laughed to myself without being too obvious but Geri noticed  being the sharp lady she is. She could not read the writing because the card was taped to the outside of her window facing out. So she's typing away and I draw Deb's attention to that particular card. She leans in, reads it and starts laughing.
 Now Geri is really getting nervous and wondering just what is so special about this card that was stuck to her window. She can't read it and obviously never looked at it prior to the contributor sticking it up.
 Being a good sport I waited about 15 minutes and eventually bust out laughing. Deb and I kind of outwardly didn't hide the notion that this was on her window and would be embarassing, but we didn't tell her promptly and let it fester for a while. But then it happened. Yes, I bust out laughing because the cancer walk-a-thon card had an in memory heading filled in with "It's for the ta ta's" along with an anonymous contributor. At the point I fell apart laughing Geri in calm Florida Cracker demanded to  know what that card said. So I peeled if off her window and turned it so she could read it. It was a moment of controlled astonishment for her but being a good sport she shared it with all of her coworkers.
 It was a good moment.
 Having been there, through all of this, she asked if we would be organ donors and we said yes, we will. In spite of all the time spent standing outside her window, it went very well, and we all had a great time.
 And tomorrow we move to Stuart traveling across the State of Florida.

 
   

Buh Bye New York State

 This topic is about one of those large changes in life. It's time to move on. Up to this point both Deb and I have spent all of our lives in New York State. It's a wonderful state full of great attractions and wonderful people to make them all that much better. We have so many great memories of times spent here. Good friends, terrific times, great laughs and bittersweet experiences. Life. Good life. So much to let go of. None of it easy to leave behind.
 But there comes a point in time when we know it's time to cut and run. The state has too many obligations to fill and too little base to fulfill the financial needs required to sustain the infrastructure. It's a damn shame. NYS is now number two with regard to tax burden and given the political climate it will surpass New Jersey quickly. Laws are being enacted to bypass tax levy increases enacted at the state level. Politicians are getting aid to build hotels on their property instead of pursuing money for infrastructure that will make the state a place people want to live in. Low income housing projects demand more attention than keeping us safe.
 All around NYS has what it takes to draw people in for a life experience. Summer beaches, Fall colors, City life, Winter Skiing, Museums, and on. But it's falling apart. Bridges such as the one between Kingston N.Y. and Port Ewen are rusting to pieces. The walkways should be condemned. They are not safe. Pumps are stationed in mid town Kingston in the middle of Broadway to pump waste or sewage because the system can no longer handle the flow. Roads are full of pot holes tearing up our cars and gangs fueled by low income housing and drugs are taking over the streets with their colors.
 Why should we stay?
 In spite of losing a significant investment in our abode we are calling it quits. We just don't see the support required from elected officials to maintain this state at a level commensurate with the level of taxation.
 It's really disappointing. We have a great view off the deck overlooking the Rondout Yacht Basin which has been our favorite escape from drudgery. I have to admit there were many hours of hacking code for main frames spent here, and looking out at a sunset after a full day of debugging or coding was very gratifying and soothing. Even though we worked many additional hours having the view tempered the sentiment that we had to maintain status with this extra effort.
 Family and regular dinners out at Ship to Shore and other establishments, let alone the home cooked meals have been a large part of life here.

 But it has come to this.

 Good bye New York State. You are asking too much and returning too little to those that are footing the bill.