Additions for the blog

Nice condos with the marina but there's a railroad behind them that runs all night long

In conversations on my ICW trip, I'm sometimes asked about what information I use while cruising, how I came to select Fleetwing among all the hundreds of boat makes out there, what instruments I have on board and so on. With that in mind, I've added "Pages" to my blog which can be accessed by clicking on the links in the upper, left corner of the blog. So far I've added four pages:

- ICW Cruising Resources: A summary of references I've found useful while cruising down the ICW. I added this reference  before I bought the Apple iPad2.

- Apple iPad2: The iPad has over 90,000 apps available and I think I've tried out just about everyone that has any use on a boat. On this page I've listed the ones I use on on the boat.

- On chosing a boat: If you're in the market for a boat and want to cruise the ICW, what are the important features to look for? I'll admit to bias in the list I give but they are all important to me.

- Our Fleetwing: Once the criteria was settled on, the actual selection was relatively simple, they had to be applied to the hundreds of models in the market. I go through the matching of criteria to model feature here.

One of my new toys - a hand held shot with a Canon 310

These four pages will only change occasionally as I think of new things to add and more pages may be added on new subjects in the future when more questions are encountered. I've thought of adding one on marina prices and the best places to stop along the ICW if there's interest.

Meanwhile, it was a day of getting the boat back to life from its 1 1/2 months of idleness. The dock crew was kind enough to de-water my dinghy which had filled to overflowing during our stay up north. Putting everything away was a challenge - even after a year of cruising, we still carry along too much stuff! Plus, my WiFi card died. Verizon replaced it under warranty but it still didn't work so the battery is now suspect - all via FedEx, hopping between friends' addresses and marinas. If all goes to plan, we'll leave Sunday morning for an anchorage just south of here in Hobe Sound. It has the prerequisites: good holding and a sandy beach for Hoolie.