Loitering in Lauderdale

So, we made it to Florida without incident, and so did the boat, which arrived two days behind us. My mom, who's been down here hanging out with my Aunt Dot (Dorothy to you) at her Fort Lauderdale condo, tried to find us a decent motel to stay at, but everything was booked up because of the always-popular Miami Boat Show. She said our only option appeared to be the Fort Lauderdale Beach Palace, which she described disdainfully as "not very palatial." It wasn't. And may I be so bold as to suggest to the Palace's head decorator that covering a motel-room floor with the kind of green carpeting typically found at miniature golf courses is not only a decorating faux pas, but it also does NOT hide the stains and sins of previous tenants as well as you might expect it to. But the bugs didn't seem bothered by it, so who am I to complain?

Bert and I spent our first couple of days here driving back and forth to the Miami Boat Show, haranguing the owner of Saga Marine to help us come up with a plan to get Sparrow finished. After several heated pow-wows, a plan did indeed emerge, and the next few days should see the keel and rudder installed, followed swiftly thereafter by the mast and rigging (all work being done at the most excellent Cracker Boy Boatworks, in Fort Pierce, and overseen by the fabulous Colin Mack at Mack Sails).

Right now, I'm just hanging out with my family (Bert, Nora, my mom, sisters Nancy & Joann, brother-in-law David, niece Molly and nephew Sam--and more family still to come later in the week). We're all ensconced in two huge suites at the Marriott Beach Place, just down the A1A from Aunt Dot's condo. (I wish everyone had an Aunt Dot--she makes you feel very welcome and is extremely generous with the Scotch.) We're good to stay here through next Saturday, then we'll have to find another place to stay at while work on the boat continues. Anyone know of a cheap rental near Fort Pierce? Preferably one with hardwood floors.

One last thing--Rosie has been sending us daily emails from Honduras (that's her, below, in Roatan). They're very entertaining, so I'll end this entry with a recent favorite.




February 13

Dear Mama and Papa,
This morning I took a shower in a gale. First you jump into the water, then you get out and shampoo your hair, next you jump in and get the shampoo out of your hair, after that you put conditioner in your hair and pour a pitcher of water over your head. Then we took Roxy for a walk and saw a passive dog named Shloopy, who just didn't care. Then we went to town and got soaking wet and it started to hail!!! Then we came back to the boat and had hot cocoa and mac and cheese. Yesterday I got really sea sick and threw up. it was not very fun. Sarah says the wind is blowing like snot!!! But we are in a veryveryveryvery superdy duperdy safe anchorage. last night we watched "A Mighty Wind". It was very funny. Sarah taught me how to play chess.
l-o-v-e,
Rosie

This is Sparrow, standing by.

The birth of Sparrow

On February 10, 2006, after a lengthy, arduous and sadly incomplete gestation period, our SAGA 409 (hull #6), from here on to be known as Sparrow, was delivered from the rather chilly SAGA Marine womb in St Catharines, Ontario.
She's missing a mast, a keel and a rudder, so it's a good thing we weren't planning to sail her from Canada to Florida. Instead, she'll roll down various Interstates to Fort Pierce, where the Paulsen/Nalle family (that's me, Amy Paulsen, my huband, Bert Nalle, and daughters Nora and Rosie) will meet up with her and she will finally be made whole. Before we go broke. We hope.

Earlier today, Bert, Nora and I bid a fond, final farewell to our temporary hometown of Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario (we're minus Rosie, who's sailing off the coast of Honduras with our good friends Sarah, Grey, Beatrice and Roxie Wicker aboard their Peterson 46, Sa Lako. Now, many hours later, we are crashing at the low-budget, slightly seedy, but perfectly-acceptable-as-long-as-the-lights-are-turned-out Quality Inn in Morgantown, West Virginia. And now is when I must end this entry, because the glow from my computer is proving way too illuminating for sleepy Nora's eyes.
Tomorrow: Savannah or bust. Soon to come: The full SAGA saga. This is Sparrow, standing by.