April 9th a very different Easter

What a difference a few days make! No more golf, no more beaches, no more state parks! Restricted to local bike rides, drives and thank goodness Sachuest Point is still open for trails. We are still incredibly grateful that we have no immediate family members ill and we continue to pray for all those who are suffering. 

A picture of Goat Island - nobody around! 

Here is an amazing picture taken of a picture a friend of ours posted on Facebook. Mother Nature at her best over the Claiborne Pell Newport Bridge on Tuesday - full pink moon night. Thank you Norm. 

Looking out the kitchen window , through a few flowers picked from the garden , to bring the spring inside. We know that for many this Easter/Passover will be a very difficult time so we send along lots of best wishes for good health and hoping we can all gather again soon. Good health to all. Nana and Nandad. 

 

Nana and Nandad in Newport Social Distancing

Nandad looking really good at Newport National

Nana looking a little cold on our bike ride in Colt Park Bristol RI.

Well Nana did not get back to NH due to the current restrictions of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Nandad decided that driving back was the safest option so he is now back and together we are riding out the storm. Like everybody we are being creative in how we communicate with family, friends etc. We pray every day that you all will stay virus free, healthy, and optimistic. We will embrace the virtual social life while we must and be happy we don’t have a house full of kids, teenagers, and college kids! Hang in there everybody. 

March 8th Blessing of the Fleet

What a beautiful day for the Blessing of the Fleet. A little windy but quite a few boats weathered the winds and participated in the parade. Nana is ready to return to Franklin to spend a little time with kids and grandkids. Will resume blog upon return on St Paddy’s Day. ☘️Tonite the 🌚 is almost a full Worm Moon. 

How lucky Are we to be able to appreciate Mother Nature at her best. Good night to all. Codladh Samh 😴

March 7th LBK Garden Club 44th Home and Garden Tour

A wonderful sunny windy day to participate in the Longboat Key Garden Club Tours. Nana and Nandad toured five very interesting homes. All on LBK. Ocean front, waterfront, and  golf course views each home had its own character. A great day.

The perfect day for lunch right on the sand at the Beach House in Bradenton.

March 6th Friday returned to SYC

Nana took the helm this morning and almost left the Captain on the dock ! On our cruise back to SYC Nana and Nandad finally witness a family of dolphin frolicking along NH starboard side. One never tires of watching these playful mammals. A very pleasant cruise back with the wind picking up just as we were pulling into the dock for diesel. A strong gust whipped the soft chair right from the stern seat! An attempt to rescue failed as it floated by with a very fast current and shallow waters! A very pleasant dockhand kindly took the launch out and chased the floating chair all the way over to Bird Key.

Preparing for the Blessing of the Fleet which takes place on Sunday. Nothing like a boat all dressed up. 

(Temporary Backup) March 4th and 5th Cruising to Bradenton Yacht Club & St Pete’s

Monday March 2nd . After the Nevins returned to Newton MA Nana and Nandad had some quite time. While still having the rented minivan we decided it was a good time to explore the options for storing New Horizon over the summer months. Now that is the thing about boating one never truly knows what way the day might go. As it happens Nana and Nandad drove to our favorite spot on Gasperilla for lunch and then went to Safe Cove Marina in Port Charlotte which would provide sheltered coverage during the hottest seasons. Ireland’s Eye did well here in 2018-  so we will see.

Tuesday March 3rd was a busy morning for Nandad getting his bicycle organized while Nana played golf, afternoon by the pool ( without grandchildren- not quite the same), evening was cigar night for Nandad so Nana went to a wonderful yoga class - oh what a life. 🧘‍♀️

Wednesday March 4th Nana and Nandad decided NH should leave the dock and head out for Bradenton Yacht Club. We anchored ( first time on NH )  at Jewfish Island and had a wonderful lunch. On our cruise to Bradenton Nana took a picture of sea tow towing sea tow seemed rather ironic. 

A very serious looking Nana outside BYC! 

Thursday March 5th -  while taking our morning walk we discovered the wonderful Emerson Point Preserve right at the tip of Snead Island. A special place which has witnessed extensive human use for over 4500 years.The Portavant Temple Mound fascinated Nandad . The preserve contains a variety of native ecosystems of which we were privileged to watch - vulture turkey, herons, egrets, tortoise, and osprey just to name a few. The preserve overlooks the Manatee River and the 1200 year old Indian mound is the largest in the Tampa Bay Area. How lucky are we to be able to explore such history.

Mother Nature at her best.
Quite the windy choppy ride across Tampa Bay. In the horizon we noticed what looked like very large birds only to find, as we approached a little closer , lots of Kitesurfing activity. It looked like lots of fun.

NH arrived at St Pete’s just in time for a wonderful lunch onboard while watching the beautiful skyline of the city. The perfect afternoon to sit outside relax and enjoy boating at its best. A stroll downtown to purchase some postcards at the Museum of Fine Arts where we returned that evening for a wonderful performance with piano,flute and voice. What a treat. Dinner top deck onboard was excellent .

The Nevins arrive Feb 26th to Mar 1st

Ailish, Aveline, and Ollie pack up their bags to have a sleepover onboard NH. What a great way to spend time with your family sharing all that SYC has to offer and despite that the weather was a little colder than expected we even took a short boat ride over to Marina Jacks.

Nandad has a fun time teaching Alish, Aveline and Ollie how to play dominoes. 

Three more crew members recruited.

Monday February 24th Renea and Nicole visit SYC

A fun day with Renea and Nicole who drove all the way from Bonita Springs to spend the day with Nana and Nandad. Although the club was closed, and the winds were too strong to go for a boat ride we were able to show them around and introduce them to St Armand’s Circle. Always a fun spot to explore and of course there’s always the beautiful Lido Beach.

Nandad really enjoyed this piece of art while onboard another members boat. Nana has promised she will pay attention to what it states! 

February 19th return to NH & SYC

New Horizon with her new lettering and hailing port Newport RI which is hidden by the dingy. Nana and Nandad return after celebrating February birthdays in MA. Feb 20th through Feb 23rd wonderful cruise to St Pete’s where the weather was a little cool however a fun time with lots of boats cruising from SYC. A wonderful trip to The James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art - a must - and of course The Dali is always a most interesting visit.

Nana and Nandad looking quite at home at The James Museum.

NH hailing port change to Newport RI

After a good wash down and cleaning inside Nandad launched the dingy for the first time. A dingy ride around the bay to check out other boats with reference to the font size as NH will now have Newport RI as her hailing port. All documentation is ready for having her officially documented with the coast guard - quite the process!Successfully put the cover over the dingy after several attempts - we will see if it will stay on with the potential wind and rain.  Heading to the Asolo Theater tonite to see The Lifespan of a Fact then back to Franklin for some family time. Will return to NH Feb 14th.

The Doneski’s Jan 22 to 26 th

Nana and Nandad enjoyed some very special days with Aideen, Cillian and Liam. Unfortunately due to the school schedule Chris had to remain home. The weather cooperated most days and there was plenty of time for beach, pool, SYC, Mote Aquarium, Jungle Paradise, The Ringling with its magical Banyan tree maze, and of course a sleepover on NH. Cillian and Liam were quite the mystery detectives in helping us sort out how the diesel tank cover may have come loose. For a while Nana and Nandad were not too sure if Nana had put water into the wrong tank - now that would not have been a good thing. No boat ride this time around but definitely next visit. Nana really enjoyed sitting on the bow of the boat with Cillian all wrapped in a warm blanket looking up at the stars and finding Orion’s Belt. We also discussed light pollution, planets and satellites - what a treat. Wonderful times we are so blessed.

SYC Boys with Momma

A successful sleepover on NH

Cillian was so patient and finally lured a butterfly with his cue tip soaked in Gatorade at Jungle Paradise

Nandad with the boys strolling safely down the dock

January 17th South Seas Captiva

Nana and Nandad join the SYC cruise to South Seas and have a fantastic few days with great company, lots of boats, and great food. NH cruised very nicely on the outside from the Venice Inlet into Redfish Pass. Captiva is always such a beautiful spot and this time we had dinner at the Captiva Yacht Club with a very large group from SYC. Nana enjoyed a little golf, pool time, beach time, walking and of course the sunset shell wish. This time the telescope was on the beach and Nana got to see Venus. Very cool.The first picture is the sand shoal on the way into Redfish Pass with the Pelicans perched on top - a little intimidating!

Sunset at South Seas where they have the Wish Upon a Sea Shell Ceremony.

New Horizon at Sarasota Yacht Club January 15th to Jan 19th

After a wonderful Christmas and New Year Nandad returns Jan 6th to NH and Nana follows Jan 15th. Helen and Jeff stay for two nights and are our first guests onboard. A beautiful short cruise to the Field Club.

December 17th New Horizon arrives at SYC

New Horizons change of crew took place. David and Nandad had a successful cruise from Halifax Yacht Club to Sarasota Yacht Club. They stayed  at New Smyrna Yacht Club, Eau Gallie Yacht Club , Sunset Marina in Stuart crossing Lake Okeechobee to stay at Clewiston then St James Yacht Club at Fort Meyers. Finally reaching  David’s hometown Venice to stay at the Venice Yacht Club before heading into Sarasota Yacht Club - their final destination. Thank you David for you time and commitment and to Carol for taking such good care of you both with her home cooking.