#2 MoonShining with friends.

When Butch and I first met, I had literally 100 questions for him. He humored me by answering each and every one, but then had me do the same. The easiest for me to answer was- “I have the best… “ FRIENDS! was my immediate response. And I totally stand by that, I do have the best friends. But over the past couple years, I’ve come to realize that Butch has some pretty fabulous friends as well. One of the attractions for this cruising adventure is to connect with and include our old friends, and hopefully establish some new friendships along the way.

Oh, in case you were wondering, Butch’s answer to that same question was “car” since he’d spent the previous several months rehabilitating Black Sunshine, his 1963 Ford Galaxy convertible. But that is a story all of its own.

We officially adopted MoonShine the first week of April 2024. We flew down to Cape Coral a couple days later and worked our butts off moving in. Of course, I was compelled to clean every inch of the boat before organizing all our stuff into the cupboards, closets, and compartments. I was pleasantly surprised to find we have way more storage than I imagined.

Butch busied himself by familiarizing himself with and working on the engines, navigation systems, pumps, drains, power supplies, batteries, charging ports, seals, electrical circuits, generator, air conditioner, refrigeration, filters, plugs, vents, blowers, starters, lines, icemaker, fans, lights, ship to shore radio, emergency equipment, autopilot, cooling systems, TV, and stereo. You know, all the EASY stuff!

Butch’s friends, Jeff and Rocio, offered us a much needed break when they invited us for a delicious dinner at their beautiful home in Naples. After which, they generously filled my jeep with useful boating supplies they no longer needed.

Venice friends Francisco and Charlotte were our first official visitors when they drove down to Cape Coral to pick up my jeep. While we were out sailing, they delivered it to my BFF Diane in Sarasota, who with our friend Brian drove it back to Knoxville. (It takes a village.)

We set sail that next day. Our first port was Venice – my old stomping grounds. Diane and her niece were our first official dinner guests as we dined on penne lasagna and watched the sunset over the Gulf from our flybridge (boat talk- 1 point!).

Before leaving Venice Vince and Maria, friends and sailors themselves, came aboard. While Vince and Butch discussed boat systems and navigation, Maria and I caught up on family and mutual friends. Francisco and Charlotte returned for a visit and took Butch to the hardware store for supplies he desperately needed to repair the autopilot. Debbie P showed up for a glass of wine and a gorgeous sunset. She shared with us some of her more memorable sailing experiences as we shared dreams of ours.

Then we traveled to Clearwater from Venice. High school friends Sharon and Mitch picked us up (because there was no place to park their huge truck) and took us out for dinner. By pure chance, we stumbled upon a charming pub where we then shared delicious food and entertaining conversation.

Crossing the Gulf was surreal. We were out of radio range, all alone, surrounded by nothing but blue water (and an occasional rogue crab pot!). We saw about five huge leatherback sea turtles. From Pensacola over to Elberta, Alabama we decided to sail once again in the Gulf rather than take the slower Intracoastal Waterway. Whoops! So this is what the Gulf can be like even on a relatively calm day? We were bombarded by up to 5 foot unexpected seas and took in water because I hadn’t closed the bathroom window tightly enough. The bathroom was soaked and the bedroom had an inch of standing water on top of the carpet before Butch noticed what was happening from his seat at the helm (boat talk- one point!).

Luckily, when we arrived in Elberta our friend Max saved the day by bringing us a Wet Vac to start sucking the humbling water out of the boat. Max took us to dinner at Lambert’s, Home of the Throwed Rolls. It’s a must try if you’re ever in Foley, Alabama. The next day Max drove us to pick up a rental car- our transportation back to Knoxville.

Being on a boat is way different than an RV! Without a vehicle, it’s a significant challenge to just get to and from the boat when you want to sail from point A to point B. Not to mention getting to laundromats, hardware stores, grocery stores, and restaurants. On this first voyage, we certainly relied on our friends. Our adventure would be a struggle without their support. We truly appreciate each and every one of them and all they’ve done for us. Did I mention that Butch and I have THE BEST friends ever? Well, we do.

“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood.”