Kind reader, first out apologies for allowing our website to remain dormant for so long - nearly 14 months since our last update which is something we never intended, but life is often full of twists and turns.
When last left our story it was August 2010 and Makara was just back in the water in Brunswick Georgia after a very extended (longer than intended) haul out. Shortly after that haul out, to celebrate Judy's birthday we decided to spend a long weekend in Key West, someplace we always wanted to go, but just had not had a chance.
We have had other cruiser friends that had talked about the Keys and in partcular how great Marathon Florida was, and on our drive down the Keys from Miami we stopped just before Seven Mile bridge to see what was so special. As I mentioned above life is full of unexpected twists and turns and quite unexpectedly we decided within moments of stopping at Marathon that Makara and Judy should spend the winter months there and a plan was put in motion to make that happen.
For reasons that are best left to another log entry we needed a big crane to pull Makara's mast to replace her radar and the closest crane was in Riveria Beach Florida which was our first stop down the coast. The trip down the coast was uneventful and Judy and I, children of the space race, truly enjoyed the offshore views of Cape Canaveral. As with any major maintenance on a boat, one thing led to another (including a change to Makara's mainsail) and after nearly a month in Riviera Beach (Makara's first taste of the ICW) we headed down to the Keys. This portion of the trip was not without incident or some good lesson learned but again that is for another log.
Shortly before Thanksgiving 2010 Makara arrived in Marathon which was her home until May of this year. During those many months of beautiful sunsets and balmy tropical days Judy made a major transition becoming a full time liveaboard, letting go of a "dirt home" for the first time. This was obviously a major step toward our aspirations of becoming full time cruisers.
During those many months in what can only be termed a tropical paradise, because my responsbilities kept me away we regrettably didn't do any sailing in the Keys at all, but Judy became a bit of a local fixture and a citizen of the "Conch Republic". Like many things, the time slipped away from us and once April of this year rolled around the Marina began to empty out as boats started their Northbound migration in advance of Hurricane season.
In early May, Makara too said goodbye to the Keys and in our longest sea voyage yet made the jump from Marathon all the way back to Brunswick in a single three day offshore voyage. Makara has been sitting in Brunswick through most of the long hot Georgia summer as we again get ready for her next adventure.