Posted 14 years ago
bahamaboy
(224 items)
When I'm not messing with my antiques and I don't have a job going on, this is where I spend my time. I live in the country inside the big city but having the best of all worlds is an "understatement. You can see in the background of pic one my property backs up to a heavily wooded area which is a Federal State Park, and out in those wood is where I found all of those Timucuan Indian artifacts I posted a few days ago. My neighbors and I live on a private lane & I am one of 9 houses nestled among the oaks, holly and the magnolias and all around us is either river, wetlands, or preserves. As far as that old real estate location saying, this particular location is way past unique. Boy oh boy was I blessed by my parents building this house back in 1974. After my mom died, I purchased my sisters interest, and I'm here to stay. The city is 20 minutes west, the Atlantic ocean is 7 minutes east and the St Johns River is a stones throw X two north. And the best direction is the Bahamas, which is 500 miles to the south east.
I know this boat if far from being an antique but if officialfuel can post a pic of his gorgeous Vette, then I can post a pic of my Seadoo Sportster. Just got 'er tuned up and cleaned up and gassed up and I'm planning a 500 mile trip down the Intracoastal Inland Waterway that runs from NY to Miami. My trip down south to Miami and the Florida Keys will be an approx 4-6 week journey and I'm going alone, camping out each eve on the banks of the waterway. I'll be catching my own fish and cooking them over a fire each evening with an occasional stop here and there, to a "sit down" meal at a local waterfront restaurant whenever the urge strikes me.
I'm doing a "casual" trip and not going "flat out" because at almost 60MPH, I could be there in a flash. Once I do leave, depending on how close I am to hurricane season, I may strike out the 60-70 miles further east and do the Bahamas as well. Just have to wait and see on that one. I have some friends that are very jealous of my going and I have others that think I've lost my mind. But I don't feel they should be thinking either. I was all set to go next week but just landed a couple fair size jobs that will take a month or better to complete, so I'll be restricted to weekends on the water for the next several weeks anyway. But I'm telling ya, it just doesn't get much better than this. Life is a "sure nuff Hoot" down here in Florida.
P.S. I figured I'd post this under the "Tools & Hardware category as that was the closest fit.
Good looking girl bahamaboy! I see she goes topless also!LOL
If people are jealous so be it. Anyone I would think in there right mind would think that this is an awesome adventure! A memory that will last till you leave this world! You go for it and have the time of your life!!! Your friend Michael Jones! :-)
Have at it! You only go around once Live it & Love it! Sounds GREAT stay safe my friend.
Thanks guys (and gals) for taking a look at my significant other. She's only had a "headache" just once, but it wasn't a migraine. As I'm sure any of you that have owned boats before know, boat is an abbreviation for, "break out another thousand". Actually her only headache was not but $.25 on that dollar figure to cure. Now with the supercharger system installed my coast guard buddy clocked me at 62mph with just myself in the boat. Only about a third of what Michael's girl will do, but trust me, 62 on the water feels much faster. Just a couple other stats that are interesting are, 0 to 60 in 17 seconds and she can do a 180 at top speed, inside 20 feet. And lastly, she's designed that you could cut her in half and both pieces would float. Truly an unsinkable craft. I actually went out with a friend who has the same exact boat and we sat adjacent to a small sand bar and had small waves continue to crash/lap over the bow until she was completely full of water and then just slowly motored away and watched as all the water was sucked out through the scupper valve, and inside 120 seconds, there was not a cup-full of water remaining inside. And the last enduring quality is that I can go anywhere I have 12 inches of water or more. And if I'm at full speed, it actually morphs into a skim board that will reduce the draft to a couple inches. Only thing deadly as far as motoring is, if I suck up a plastic bag of any kind, which so far I've been able to avoid, she goes into "limp mode" and I have to motor at 2-3 mph back to the dock or someplace I can go under and remove the bag from the intake.
Also I made an error in the initial description. The view of my backyard meeting the park land is in pic one, not pic three. Thank you all for taking a look and once I'm able to start and complete my proposed trip, maybe I'll have some true vintage "pirate loot" to share. Also thanks for the encouraging words that agree with my view that I am indeed, still sane.
Enjoy your journey, it will be a geat accomplishment with a lot of memories that will be with you for a lifetime.
There are only three things that could ruin my day while undertaking this trip. A really bad squall that would keep me from outrunning it, due to large waves. Or. Capsizing in shark infested waters, and lastly, running into some present day pirates that have superior "firepower". There could be other things as well, but these three are the only ones I have preplanned for in the "how would I proceed from here" category. Thanks for the "well wishes". I'm gonna keep a journal and possibly write a book about the trip. I know that all my numerous trips down through the islands were "book worthy" in themselves, so I'm kinda of the mindset that this particular trip would exceed those travels in excitement alone. Not to mention some very real dangers thrown in for good measure. Nothing like a few "rounds" with a good hurricane or a throw-down with a group of pirates to get the blood pumping, not to mention some pretty fair reading. Thanks again for your comments.
Glad your back bahamaboy! Did you have a great summer?