Goodbye Florida...For Now

OK, it's as done as done can get...we said goodbye to the great folks at Snead Island Boat Works (a little lighter in the wallet), and turned Once Around over to Capt. Steve for the trip to Beaufort, North Carolina.  We will meet him there in less than two weeks.  My lovely lady and I are headed back home to get everything set there for our departure May 1st. This past few days has been hectic, to say the least.

So, tonight we took a few minutes to stop and smell the ocean air.  Here is the view from where we had dinner.

Florida, we'll be back...next year!

The Ju-Ju Dance

Ever since we purchased the new boat, my bride hase been adamant we follow the particular ritual for re-naming a boat.  A month ago, she began referring to this ritual as the "Ju-Ju Dance" (in typical Jones fashion where "Ju-Ju" has asolutely nothing to do with the whole thing).  Now, I have purchsed a couple of boats in my life and re-named each one without any fanfare, nor any unusual calamity.  However, Carrie researched the proper way to do this and once you know the superstition, well, you just don't want to take any unnecessary chances, right?

It seems that since time immemorial sailors have petitioned the god(s), be that Neptune (Roman) or Poseiden (Greek, and my favorite) to log the name of every new ship to sail the high seas and to pray for it's good fortune.  Likewise, to re-name a boat, legend has it that you need to first petition Poseidon to first remove the old boat name from his log and then to add the new name.

Somewhere (thank you Google) Carrie found the proper procedure for doing this and was insistant we follow it to the letter.  Arriving ahead of her this week, Leo and I were instructed to remove any reference to "Boundless" from the boat; not only the name on the transom, but key chains, owner's manuals, coffee cups...anything.  OK, fine, done.  Only then could the new name be applied.

Today, we finished the ritual, imploring Poseidon and Neptune (OK, I'm Italian, so I can't ignore the Roman god) to remove "Boundless" and add "Once Around" to his log of the ships of the sea and ask for his protection for all who sail on her.  It involved Champagne (a good thing), although some of it got spent on pouring overboard (for the gods enjoyment, of course), and when all was said and done, well, it was done.  And the Admiral was happy.

Here's me opening the Champagne

And here's Carrie wasting...err...offering it to the gods.

 "Once Around" is official.

Leo Goes Boat Shopping

So with all this boat shopping, Leo felt a little left out.  So, today he thought he found a great "starter boat".  He really got excited, take a look:

OK, it was a starter boat, but it needed quite a bit of work:



Thankfully, shortly afterwards, he stumbled upon a boat that fit his budget:

Maybe we've been away too long...