The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

Jim,

Sounds like your friend John is not a regular guy. First off, his personality and penchant for sharing his love of sailing, and boats and wanting to share that probably did more for selling his boat than him just "selling it". Next, what is the world is he doing in Nebraska selling sailboats. Must have found a niche and was filling it. Good for him and good for selling. Glad you two were able to find such a friend to share a common love with. Isn't it interesting the twists and turns life puts before us.

Thanks too, for sharing that same love with all of us, through your beautiful photos and interesting word pictures. We enjoy, and will continue to follow with you.

Have a great time,

Harvey
SleepyC :moon
 
Hi Harvey,

John is an interesting guy. He sells a surprising number of sailboats out of Nebraska (yes, really). The key word in that sentence is OUT. He delivers boats all over the country. Most of the sailboats he sells are trailerable (he is a MacGregor and Hobie dealer and sells used boats, as well). Making it all the more remarkable: John had polio when he was young and has limited use of his legs. But, when he is in the cockpit of a sailboat (and doesn't have to stand), he is a true athlete. His quiet manner doesn't come across as a man who has held US records for sailing. I admire his spirit and passion.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Happy Valentine's Day! After lunch at Palm Street Pier, my Valentine took me out for an afternoon/sunset cruise. Well, she was at the helm most of the time. The excursion boats were out in force - everybody wanted to be out on the water today. The weather was lovely (high around 80, sunny, light breeze), the dolphins were performing, the fishing must have been good, 'cuz the head boats seemed to be reeling them in.

Here's a Valentine sunset shot for those who need a "heart warming" view...

ValentineSunsetE.jpg

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
I took John out on Wild Blue today. He told me it was the highlight of his vacation here... I don't know about that, but it was certainly special for me to be able to show him what it is we enjoy so much about this boat. With John's limited mobility, it took us about 45 minutes to get him from our driveway, down the steps to the dock, and then onto the boat. He thanked me for my patience, and I was stunned... I was thinking about how hard he was working just to get TO the boat. This was certainly no small effort on his part. And then the last small hurdle: getting him up onto the co-pilot seat. It certainly made me appreciate my mobility. I admire his gumption.

We had a pleasant ride; I showed him some of Port Isabel's shrimping heritage, we cruised by the marina where we commissioned the sailboat, we went through the swing bridge, across the Laguna, into the jetties, back down the ship channel, and around the island, back to our home. It wasn't the trip, the scenery, or the dolphins... it was about two friends who share a common bond (our love of the water) getting to spend some time together.

John asked plenty of questions about the C-Dory; I was happy to tell him all about it. I recall the hours he gave me years ago, suggesting and encouraging, while I learned about sailing. When we came back to the dock, we just sat in the boat for a while, talking.

I helped him back to his car; once behind the wheel, he was as mobile as any of us. He thanked me again before he left. I was grateful to have the opportunity to spend some time with him on the water. John lives and breathes sailing; he said to me, "I can see why you like this... all of this."

Yeah, what's not to like? I'm glad he understood.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
JamesTXSD":2dfhj6fn said:
I took John out on Wild Blue today. He told me it was the highlight of his vacation here... I don't know about that, but it was certainly special for me to be able to show him what it is we enjoy so much about this boat.
Click to expand...
Click to expand...

Glad you were able to share your passion with your friend. I know it meant a lot to him. Wilma and I are back in Port Isabel and hope to visit with you before you leave at the end of the month.

Herb
 
You know, Jim, some gifts are worth more than money. What you did for your old friend was a priceless gem of friendship which, I am certain, he will recall with pleasure the rest of his days.

It's good to see people like you taking the extra time and effort to make this place a better world to live in!

John
 
Jim I understand the joy it is to be reunited with and old friend that you both share a common bond. What a delight it is to be reunited. Last fall I was on my way to the Oriental gathering and was reunited with some old boyhood friends I grew up with boating, shrimping and general water sports on the ICW in NC. I hadn't seen them in 46 years what a joy that was.

On another note on my recent cruise to the Gulf Sanibel area I see the difference in the dolphins in the Gulf area as opposed to their cousins on the east coast. As you have shown in your many pictures how inquisitive they are on the gulf. What a joy they were unfortunately I didn't get any good pictures as I was signal handing.
 
Thanks for the kind words, folks, but that story wasn't about me being a swell guy... it was a tribute to the determination of a friend, and (like most of us here) his love for being on the water. It was a treat for me to get to spend some time with my friend, John.

Won't be long and we'll be heading out for some RVing, and I'm going to be needing some boat tales to keep me going. 8)

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Jim, I thought that story was about patience, kindness, sharing and understanding. And it shows here frequently, you are highly qualified, and appreciated.

And I was looking back here a ways, and saw the piece about having a problem. Sorry, I'm not convinced, not sure it is as problem anyway. :wink Now an obsession, well, maybe. :thup :thup But, if it's worth doing, it is worth doing well, right :!:

Harvey
SleepyC
 
It's Naked Sailing Wednesday!

OK, we weren't sailing. And the only one naked was Izzy (sans collar). But, it was Wednesday. We're going to hit the road soon with our RV, so the time is getting short here in the Tropical Tip... I'm spending every available minute on Wild Blue.

It was another gorgeous day, the thermometer pushed up to 81º, the sun was shining through a hazy sky, nice breeze. After washing the truck and the motorcycle, I went for a motorcycle ride around the waterfront areas here in town. Then back to the boat... we put Izzy in her carrier and headed out.

She is getting to be a big girl and does fine on the boat. She was a bit tentative today after coming out of her carrier...

Izzy1e.jpg

Those big ears crack me up. We're hoping she will grow into them. :wink: It wasn't long, and she was comfortable poking around...

Izzy2e.jpg

We took Izzy out the jetties and into some 3-4 foot rollers. The look on her face let me know that she was less than thrilled with that, so we turned around to get the following seas... yeah, that was better.

As the afternoon wore on, we were heading for home...

Sunset3e.jpg

It was warm and humid - nice! As we came into the turning basin (just before turning into the canal towards home), we were treated to an outstanding dolphin show. I haven't posted many dolphin photos this winter, mostly to keep Pat's blood pressure down. Today, we sat and watched for over an hour while they frolicked...

Dolphins1e.jpg

We weren't the only ones watching; after a short time, these dolphin watch boats came by...

DolphinWatch1e.jpg

Quite a boat full...

DolphinWatch2e.jpg

Over the course of that hour, I shot over 60 images. No, I won't post them all here. :wink:

Dolphins3e.jpg

A nice way to spend the day.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
starcrafttom":1gsccm84 said:
Why would anyone get on a boat named " murphys law"?
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The guy who owns it's last name really is Murphy. :wink: And judging by the crowd on there, looks like a lot of people would get on there. :D
 
Jim Said:
"The guy who owns it's last name really is Murphy. And judging by the crowd on there, looks like a lot of people would get on there."
and that may all be true but I think Tom has a very good question...
"Why would anyone get on a boat named " murphys law"?
Click to expand...

Guess if my last name was Murphy, and I wanted to do a commercial boating tour, I think I would pick on a different name, "like Bill or George or Anything" :note :note

Harvey
SleepyC
 
Considering the thought that goes into picking boat names, AND the fact that Murphy rides along with all of us from time to time :wink: , I think "Murphy's Law" is a great name. It sounds good on the radio, it's certainly memorable, and it imparts a certain sense of humor. What's not to like? If the boat was going out empty everyday (or even worse: not going out), that might be different.

As long as we're all having fun... and it looks like the dolphin watchers on that boat were having a great time. :D The Wild Blue crew was certainly enjoying it.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
DSC_0093_0037.jpg


My last name is MURPHY but this isn't my little boat. I can tell you there is a lot of truth to Murphy's Law![/img]
 
A couple interesting days in the Tropical Tip... yesterday, we went out on the "Pirate Ship" (the Black Dragon) for their tour around the bay. Definitely family oriented fun, more heavily weighted on keeping people entertained as opposed to most of the excursion boats in the area. Lots of "Aye!", "Arrrrgggghh!", and "Ye scurvy dog" talk, some painted "tattoos", a few games, some dolphin watching. The part I enjoyed the most was the higher perspective: the quarter deck we sat on was way off the water compared to Wild Blue. Two hours to go a bit over 8 miles, so they are cruising even slower than we do. :wink:

And this morning we woke up to something we haven't seen much of in the last few months: precipitation! And we need it. I had visited with Herb (who has posted here) about taking him and his wife, Wilma, out for a "tour" on Wild Blue. Rain is pretty much a non-issue on these cabin boats. They got to see how the CD-25 rides and handles... and a demonstration of radar usage when the visibility went down to a couple hundred feet at one point. That was short-lived, but the light rain hung on the whole time. We saw some dolphins, I pointed out that we were dryer and more comfortable than the folks on the fishing boats. 8) The conversation was enjoyable, Herb got some helm time, and the Blonde met us at the dock (in her raincoat) to tie us off. Nice service!

No idea when or if Herb and Wilma will become C-Dory owners, but they would certainly be a fun addition to our group. They thanked me for taking them out, but I woulda been out there anyway. :D 73º and rain? No problem... still shorts and sandals weather.

Back at the house, Herb even got to pet Izzy... she is skittish around strangers, but Herb let her do the approaching. They have a furry family member of the canine persuasion... they know about this pet stuff. :cat :dog

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
A little cool in the Tropical Tip today (well, by south Texas standards): it was mid-afternoon before it made it to the mid-60s. But, clear, sunny, and breezy... a great day to be on the water in a C-Dory. Not a lot of other boats out today; the wind had a bit of a bite to it. We had the dolphin show all to ourselves; instead of a bunch of dolphin photos, here's a composite of a few of the shots...

DolphinComp.sized.jpg

Our time here is growing short. Bittersweet - we're looking forward to some land traveling with the RV, but it's always tough to put Wild Blue away.

------------------------------------

Here's Dan's Captain Jim strip for this week...

2_22FeedMeStripE.sized.jpg

Way to burst that dream bubble.
:wink:

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
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