Relocating the boat

At the end of the survey, all administrational stuff was done and the ownership of the boat has been transferred. On the next day, we meet at the boat in Lake Worth FL to launch in the morning, heading north to the new home of Tranquilizer in the Stuart FL area. What a feeling, standing on the controls of MY sailboat! The weather was just perfect and we had a great time motoring up the ICW. I had plenty of time to gather information from the previous owner and he had time to enjoy his last cruise on the vessel he bought and enjoyed for 14 years. It was very helpful to have a local aboard, explaining the procedures with the bridges.

I sailed in different areas, mostly in the Mediterranean Sea. I learned quickly, that shoaling is a much bigger issue in the Florida waters than in the Med. Although we followed the markers carefully, we had a very soft grounding in the Jupiter area. Luckily we could free our self just by backing up a little bit. The sailboat which followed us all the way up from Lake Worth, was now ahead of us. They were turning in to Peck Lake to anchor. Only a few yards in to the lake, they ran aground as well. Five minutes later, we heared them calling for towing service. Hopefully they had the required insurance coverage...

One of the five bascule bridges on our way from Noth Palm Beach to the Manatee Pocket

After 5 hours of cruising on the ICW, we reached or destination in the Stuart area. Stopping at the gas station to top up the diesel tank and pump out the waste water tanks and - I could not start the engine anymore. The starter battery was empty.  So I had to call the nearby marina to borrow their jump starter. Once the engine was running again, we were pulling over to the marina, where the boat was hauled-out and put at the dry storage. During the following two days we had to make everything ready to store the boat for a couple of months on the dry.

Time has come to say good-bye and fly back to Europe.