Belbrize is back up under the carport. The keel is a little dinged up where we scraped the rocks last time we took her out. Nothing horrible but I remember the sound when we hit.

March 17, 2015. I sent this description to the kids. “Took the boat out finally yesterday. We are laughing about it now but yesterday it was a cluster. We are very boat inept but guess we won’t get proficient unless we take her out. First while taking her out we hit something, the bottom. It didn’t sound good. We were just a little off from where we normally run her out over the sandbar. We managed to float off whatever caught us and went on. Went to the Blue Iquana and anchored her out (a first for us) and took the little dinghy we built and rowed to shore. Rowing is a skill I need to work on but the waves were with us and helped carry us in. On the way back to the boat we were going against the wind and the waves so it was more difficult. We made it to the boat where we promptly flipped getting off. I believe we were screaming at one another at that point. : ) Yam-Yam (our home built dinghy) floated because of the foam and plastic pop bottles we put under her seats. We towed her home half full of water but still floating. Poor Yam-Yam. So….we had left after one and stopped for lunch. The sun went down while we were still on the way home. We should have started the motor a little sooner. Hindsight is always better than foresight. ; ) Sigh. The situation was further complicated by the fact that we had no running lights. WTF! Maybe our batteries are dead. Who knows? We are such rookies. We dropped anchor rather that try to hook up to the mooring ball in the dark and the boat is still here in this morning so all is well. David skinned all the knuckles on one hand, we both feel beat up and I think I chafed my ass sliding on the wet seat and along the deck. Everything pretty much no worse for the wear (we hope). We decided taking the motor off and on is such a total drag that we are going to leave it in place on the boat…thievery be damned. We’re going to put a cable through the motor housing and also through the hull of the boat with a 120 decible alarm attached. If you cut or pull on the cable it will wake some neighbor somewhere depending on which way the wind is blowing. Sick of hefting that 50-60 pound weight over the railing to get it into place. Other wise it’s sell this baby and get a boat with an inboard motor. (P.S. the 48 footer is off Fb so must be in contract.)”

You know what I remember? Sitting up on deck with David after we were safely anchored, having a beer, holding hands and looking up at the stars.

I miss looking out at Belbrize now when I get up in the morning. I miss greeting you when we stumble from the bed into the kitchen to make our coffee.