Moving on

[tbnolin]

I have a few "bucket list" items that I would like to fulfill before time expires and one thing on that list was to cruise down the East coast on a boat. My wife and I had the opportunity to do just that this past Fall. Some of you kept track of us as we meandered our way South. About 8 weeks of cruising, relaxing, sightseeing, meeting people....an adventure that we will never forget.

Once down here, we needed to figure out what our next step was going to be. Living on the boat from November to mid February was an experiance that we enjoyed...but it was time to move on to something else.

So we bought a place in a community right on the St. Lucie River, South Fork, in Stuart, FL. They have a marina here but unfortunatly our boat is just too big. We need 3 1/2 feet of water and at low tide it can be as skinny as 2 1/2 feet...not good. We were able to get a slip right next door at a private marina, which is about a 4-5 minute walk from our doorstep. We're able to keep an eye on it and check it just about every day.

After much thought tough, Brenda and I have made a decision that we painfully had to make. It was time to let Blue Moon go. We have our place on the water so we won't be needing our "camp on the water" any longer. We're looking into something smaller that will fit in the marina.

We've enjoyed countless nights on the boat and the many meals that Brenda has prepared in the galley. A very comfortable liveaboard or vacation boat. Extremely easy boat to handle and a very sea worthy vessel, as was proved to us going from NYC to Norfolk, VA. on the outside.

I will be first posting the sale here on the Albin site before any where else to let you folks out there have the first dibs. We hope she will find a home where she will be taken care of and enjoyed as much as we enjoyed her.

[marko]

Hey Tom:
Glad I got to see you'all on Blue Moon out in the open water, nice boat...don't know if there's a smaller Albin that would work for your new home. Maybe when I get to "Head South" in a year or so I'll be able to find you'all down there. Mark

[JerseyNSC40]

Tom I am glad for your sake that you had the opportunity to make that East Coast cruise, I hope to learn from your experience and do something similar. Blue Moon brought you to an area where you and Brenda seem very happy and much warmer! Good luck finding a new home for Blue Moon and if I can help with questions from a perspective buyer feel free to call on me.

Craig

[tbnolin]

Hey there Mark and Craig!

A smaller boat will be a priority once we get jobs, something we're finding a little frustrating...but things will work out.
We have found ourselves second guessing our decisions on the trip and move to Florida. We had jobs and we were stable...now jobless and wondering what did we do!?!?!
But, everyone we talk to says the same thing....you made the right choice...start a new chapter in your life while you still can. Many have regretted not doing some of the things they wanted to do while they were able to, and now it's too late. So.....here we are....standing by!
It doesn't look like we'll be going anywhere in the near future...just across the street to the pool and down the street to do some fishin' and a walk over to Blue Moon to sit on the back deck and watch the sun set.
I guess life is still good!
Keep in touch and stop by if you're in the area!

[RobS]

...So we bought a place in a community right on the St. Lucie River, South Fork, in Stuart, FL....

My parents bought a place 10 years ago in the Meadows at Martin Downs, Palm City, not far from you at all. They winter down there. I go down from time to time. We usually head over to Stuart & Jensen Beach as there is more to do there, good bars, restaurants, shopping, parks, etc. Enjoy.

[tbnolin]

Hey there Rob!
We just went to our "Boating Club" banquet at the Monarch C.C. in Martin Downs. We're just up from the Palm City Bridge. Right next to the new bridge that is being built to ease some of the traffic going in and out of Palm City from Stuart. MANY places to eat here! We don't go out much, but you could hit a special every night, as some do here in the community, if you wanted to. 9.99 all you can eat baby back ribs with dollar well drinks on Monday....Bang Bang shrimp for 5 bucks, about 2 dozen shrimp on a bed of lettuce with BOGO drinks.... to name a couple. Real nice area! Stop by when you're in town.

[powerboater56]

Congrats on landing a place in the Stuart/Palm City area. My wife and I rented nearby on Hutchinson Island last January and liked it so much we just closed on a condo in the Port Salerno/Rocky Point area of Stuart. We do not have boat docks at the condo but it looks out on the Indina-River/ICW, St. Lucie Inlet and St.Lucie River intersection so there is a never ending stream of boats going by.

We will probably bring down an outboard-powered express we are planning to buy in New England by truck, but there is a chance we'll cruise it down the ICW as I have always wanted to make that trip. We'll keep the boat in Stuart in a nearby marina or in a dry storage facility. I want a fast, small boat for day use that is OK for overnights or weekends. The Albin 28 is a neat boat but I can't stand up in it and I like twin outboards even though they suck gas big time.

Stuart seems to us to be a great place to live -- lots of places to go in small boats, a low-key, nice downtown area, good beaches and no unsightly high rises. We are looking forward to spending the winter there.

[tbnolin]

Hey there John!
By boat, we're about 4 miles from the Inlet. I've got an idea where you're located...nice area...lots of boat traffic! Downtown Stuart is a charming area to stroll through. We seem to be happy so far with the area. Actually, things are quieting down right now....the snow birds have started to migrate back north!A notice in traffic especially.
By all means, if you can make the trip down the coast...do it!! I have talked to a lot of people that have said that they wished they had done the trip....when they were younger. Now, because of health or other reasons, they can't do it. An experience you'll never forget.
We've been to a few beaches, with Hobe Sound being the last one. A real nice area.....water temps...80...ohhh sooo nice!
A real nice stretch of weather. Never enjoyed a winter like this one. We'll see what the summer is like!
Are you still in the area!
Enjoy

[powerboater56]

We are back in New England (Newport, RI) for the summer. We will be back in Stuart around mid October, although we may make one or two short trips there over the summer to install basic furniture.

I agree with your thoughts about making the ICW trip. We are close to buying a 32-foot express-style fishing/weekender and we'll have to see over the summer if it is capable of the trip down the ICW. We are not too concerned about lack of a serious galley or generator for power on the anchor -- our preferred cruising style is to head into a marina at the end of the afternoon and go out to dinner. But we know from a long cruise on our old Albin 35 Command Bridge that a boat seem to start shrinking after you're on it for more than a week and there may be a mutiny on board our 32-footer about the time we hit Annapolis.

I'll be interested to hear your feelings about Florida in summer. Our friends who live there year-round say it's not overly harsh, and one of our sons who lived in South Florida for a couple of years thought summers were great. I think we'd find the heat/humidity oppressive and uncomfortable, at least for the first summer.

Let's get together this winter.

John S.
Newport & Stuat

[tbnolin]

Greetings John!
Our community is slowly emptying out. Out of 180 units, only about 20% percent will be here for the summer.We'll keep you informed of the heat!
When we came down, our intentions were to anchor out as much as possible.....well, we never once did! We tried to be tied up by 3:00 pm at the latest, most of the time by 1ish. We had our bikes which we used just about every day to roam around, hit the grocery store, explore,etc.. It can be a costly thing, but we had the security of being tied up.... along with power, WiFi, cable. We would have loved to make the trip back north, but just could not make it happen this time around. Another day...something to look forward to.
You do get used to close quarters, it's something you have to except before you make the the decision on going. And don't rush it....we were able to see a lot of places and do a lot of things by taking our time....and by docking.
If you ever want to chat about it, let me know
It's a trip of a life time for some of us....while others do it every year...south in the Fall and north in the Spring. To be soooo lucky!