Blue Holler, Ky 2014

RZR Riding at Holler, KY 2014

Preparing "Mystic Lady" Oct..Nov 2014

It's been a very busy summer, after months of boat shopping we finally found the boat that fits us best.
She's a 53 foot Navigator Classic, a California built Pilot House Motor Yacht.
We found her on the East Coast at Hutchinson Island. We contacted the previous owners and she seems to be a great boat that has had lots of TLC.
We will spend the next two months preparing her for our journeys that will include cruzin' the Gulf Coast and hopefully another trip or two to the Exumas, Abacos, Eleutheras, and Berry Islands.
Join us as we venture into unknown waters and meet some interesting people along the way.

After leaving "Mystic Lady" in Stuart, Fl. for two months to get her bottom painted we have arrived at RiverBend for some prepping. Lots of systems to check out and get familiar with before any serious cruising.
This shot is from the River Clubhouse deck. Chairs were leftover from a wedding ceremony earlier in the week.
We will stay here until mid-November...what better place to call home for a while.

The sunsets from our dock are true Kodak moments.

We have water skiers, jet skiers, float planes, bass fishermen, and lots of huge yachts passing by to keep us company while we continue our projects on "Mystic Lady".

Our Riverbend Family come down to the docks on occasion to check on our progress. We have updated the interior with new window treatments, compliments of the talents of Judy McCauly. Also upgraded the entire entertainment electronics and added a WiFi booster system.

Our projects included taking the tender "Mystic Girl" for some test runs. Seems she was a little sick, so I rebuilt the carburetor, new fuel lines and filters, new spark plugs, rebuilt the fuel tank and gave her a complete service.

Annie says "Mystic Girl" is ready for action. She loves to go for rides and let her ears flop in the wind.

"Mystic Girl" is a Boston Whaler Sport 1100 with a 25 hp Mercury outboard.

Well, it's been long enough hanging around here so we planned a departure date of early tomorrow. Guess what, less than 1/4 mile visibility in heavy fog on our planned day.

Oh well, thanks to the help of our good friend Don McCauly we load up and leave anyway.

Just crank up the radar and take her easy, no problem. We motored down the river for several miles before the fog cleared.

Still foggy as we approach Franklin locks.

Click on the picture to enlarge (any pic) and see the river on radar.

Not much traffic this morning, duh!

Good two day cruise up to Long Boat Key.

Weather was snotty the first day and had some issues with the anchor the first night but other than that all systems performed beautifully and she ran flawlessly.
We anchored off Useppa Island for the night and went outside at Boca Grande Pass. "Mystic Lady" was built for the waters off California so the Gulf chop was no challenge.
By the time we got to the Venice Inlet the Gulf had layed down as the winds dropped to 5-10 knots.

As the man across the walkway from us was preparing to go sailing for a couple hours he hollered over "You wanna go sailing".

Being one who never turns down an opportunity to learn I said " Love to"...

As we were departing the fairway of the marina Ol' Harvey says "It's your boat" take us out.
Now remember, this is a 58 foot WindDancer Sailing Yacht. And, I have never sailed one of these things.

It didn't take long for me to figure this out. Just keep the wind at about 60 degrees and let Ol' Harvey handle putting the sails out.

I sailed her across Sarasota Bay and back, no problem.

Two of the things we like about boating.....You meet some really cool people and you never know what tomorrows adventure will be.

Thank You Harvey for the invitation and a neat experience.

As we approach the dock you can see "Mystic Lady" patiently waiting for her Captain to return.

Hope she doesn't get too jealous of the Big Sailboat....she has nothing to worry about.

I like speed and these things just don't offer much of that. All in all it was a great experience and I certainly enjoyed the company of "Captain Harvey".

Thanks again, Harvey.

Aside from a foggy start, a rough night at anchor, and a windy day on the Gulf of Mexico we had a great ending to our stay at Long Boat Key.

Seems there was a Golf Tournament here this week and it ended with a cool fireworks display right at the Marina.

We invited Dave and Kelly for dinner and cocktails aboard "Mystic Lady" and the fireworks was just icing on the cake.

Storm coming thru tonight so we will sit tight until that passes, then who knows what is next. Stay tuned...................

Last day at Long Boat Key we hop the shuttle van and head over to St. Armand's Circle for dinner with Dave and Kelly.

The "Columbia" is Dave's favorite spot and I will have to say it was very good.

A cold front is moving in tonight so we will head back to Ft. Myers tomorrow.  Gotta get to my surgeon pretty quick as the Ol' Knee is acting up big time. May have to have it replaced and don't want that to affect our "Island Hopping" plans in March.

Camp RZR at Brimstone...2014

September 19, 2014.....Alison unloads her new RZR for some awesome off-roading at the "CAMP RZR" event held at Brimestone ATV Recreation Park in Huntsville, Tennessee.

She can't wait to hit the trails with Jimmy in her new toy....

We'll see how she likes dust, mud, rocks, tree limbs, creek crossings, hill climbs, gullies, ticks, chiggers, mosquitos, and port-a-potties......
This should be a hoot.

Click on any picture to enlarge.......

Well, they're off....but still clean..
It gets better as the day goes on

Well, let's start these newbies off on a nice dusty trail up to the RZR Oasis.

This is part of the group ride with Country Singer Josh Thompson. We are going to the Oasis for a private little concert and free food gig on top of the mountain.

It looks like she enjoyed the ride up the mountain, now for a hot dog and country music.


Hope we can find some mud holes on the way back down........

Just can't find any real deep mud holes this week, it hasn't rained here in days. Lots of dust and shallow mud holes.



But we'll keep lookin'

The big "Red Bull" 4 x 4 brought all the gear and sound equipment up the mountain. Polaris did a great job of setting up the seats, Josh banged out a few good country tunes, the view was breathtaking, and the hot dogs were...........well they were hot dogs.

Thought we best get back to camp after that group ride so I can cook up some fried potatoes and sausage.

Austin and Alison want to go night riding after supper so let's get this over and get back to the trails.

Well, our night ride didn't go quite as expected. Austin had a bit of a mishap on trail #83.

He hooked his right front tire in a gully and it sucked him right into a huge ravine. The only thing stopping him from going over the mountain was a little 4 inch sapling caught under the front axle. The ravine was deeper than the buggy. The RZR would have slid under that big log and could have been real bad.
He was OK and we were thankful that God was his co-pilot tonight.

Sorry for the picture quality but I was pretty busy rescuing the driver.

It took several people, two winches, and a fellow off-roader to get this RZR out of this situation.


We felt really blessed when it was all over but that's just the excitement that goes along with night riding in the mountains.

A better shot of the ravine with some lights on it after we pulled Austin out.

We were all real glad he was OK and also glad his dad didn't come with us on this ride. I think he would have had a heart attack seeing the boy go over the side of a mountain in the dark.

I always tell Austin "If you can't run with the big dogs, then stay on the porch".
He can run with the best of em'...

Saturday morning breakfast in the "Big Skillet"....How about I whip up some fried potatoes, scrambled eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls, orange juice, coffee, and sliced banana.


Wow, the crew took to that like a hog to slop. Now let's get back on the trails and find some mud holes.

Click any picture to enlarge..

Looks like we found a little creek crossing but still looking for that big, deep mud hole for Alison.

Got lots of trails to explore. This is one of the best trail systems we have found so far. The North Cumberland mountains are top notch..
and Polaris has done a fabulous job of putting this all together. Only two of these "Camp RZR" events in the U.S. One in California and this one in Tennessee.

We rode trails for about three hours but had to get back to the Event Center in time to enter the races.

The Chafton's just can't let a race take place with out us in it.

This shot is Austin lining up for his second drag race. We entered the drags and also the obstacle course races.

Lots of fun, Polaris was giving lots of prizes and accessories to the winners.

Jimmy as he starts the obstacle course. He turned in an impressive time of 103.4 seconds to take third place. He wasn't concerned with the prize but thrilled to beat his dad.
Enlarge this pic and check out the teeter-totter in the back ground, all part of the course...

Almost time for out next night ride. Leaving out as the sun goes down. We hooked up with a couple from Oregon that won an all expense paid trip to the "Camp RZR" event. Since they didn't know anyone here we took em' in and showed em' what Tennessee was all about. Ted was looking forward to the night ride as he had never done that before. He was excited..........

Other than getting somewhat lost and spending two hours in the mountains finding our way back all went well on this night. Austin jumped back on the "horse that threw him" and came along too...maybe a little more observant this time.

Back in time to catch some of the "Dierks Bently" concert. Wow, what a performance. Some said over 12,000 people attended, some said it was 20,000. Who knows. I just know there was a sea of RZR's, 4-wheelers, rangers, and 4x4's in the crowd. Thankfully our campsite was only a few hundred yards from the stage. I had an awesome time with the kids and Polaris deserves a high-five for their efforts.

This Polaris Video shows some of the action and moments from the Camp RZR 2014 Adventure.
If you look closely you can see Austin's RZR getting autographed by Country Music Star Josh Thompson. Also, some shots of Jimmy, Austin and I racing in the competition events. It was truly a  memorable experience and we are all looking forward to next years Camp RZR. I think Alison already has reservations......

Ridin" Royal Blue" with Greg, Becky, and Austin..Aug.2014

Beautiful weather and great trails await the "Red Baron", "Blue Deuce", and "White Lightning"....


Royal Blue is part of the Sunquist Area of North Cumberland mountains in Tennessee, an Off-Roaders Paradise, built and maintained by Tennessee Wildlife Resources.

Lots of Mountain Streams to cross, Rock Creek, Stinking Creek, etc..


The trio crosses this one early in the day before the deep mud holes and steep hills that soon follow.

Becky Jo says this little creek looks like a good place for a "Snack Break"...

She has been a trooper so far, but we haven't been in any deep mud yet.

Becky and Austin at this beautiful little waterfall and swimming hole in the hills of Tennessee.

"Night Ridin" the hills is a totally different experience than day riding. Every rock, gully, hill, tree, and mud hole becomes a challenge. Feels a little like a Jungle Safari convoy..really cool.

View from the "Royal Blue Cafe" up on the hill. Great breakfast to start the day and friendly folks.

Me and "White Lightning" are ready for some steep hills and deep mud holes.

Maybe we can find some on the way over to the "Elk Viewing Tower"..that's our next stop before lunch at the "Creekside Cafe"....

A fun trip down "Stinking Creek Car Wash" before heading back to camp. Please excuse the poor filming but holding onto an I-Phone in a creek is a little risky. Maybe Austin will remember his Go-Pro next time.

"Chef Austin" frying up his favorite dinner recipe......Taters and Onions.
MMM good..The boy can cook about as good as he handles that RZR.

The burgers are on the grill, beans in the microwave and a couple of Jack Daniels and coke with a splash of "Kentucky Clear" on the table....
It's hard to beat a family outing in the hills.

Boat Shopping USA..Summer of 2014

Our shopping spree starts in Mobile, Alabama. After a long cold Harley ride to Mobile this is what I found. A nice 87 Ocean Alexander. It looked like a keeper until I got into the engine room. What a mess. Seems the owner didn't know what maintenance was all about. So we will pass on this one.

We heard about this fresh water Michigan boat that just arrived in Palmetto. What else are you going to do on a rainy day. This one had been redecorated inside but far from our liking. We'll keep looking.

After looking at several local boats we drove to the East Coast and looked at this 90 Offshore that was described in the listing as Pristine. Well, it might have been pristine a few years ago when the ad was placed but she needed a lot of TLC to bring her back in shape. We'll pass on this one too.

Next on the list is a 96 Nova Tech. A high end Taiwan built boat with a good reputation. This one however, was not what we were looking for. Learning that in 2001 several major modifications were made to make this model more user friendly. The fact that it was an "Aft Cabin" style boat (not what we want)..........We kept looking....

Another Nova Tech, this one a later version with the improvements. Only problem is it was too new to fit the budget. Also, this one in North Carolina was a little too rough for the asking price. So we moved on.

This 90 Nordic Yacht 50 footer really caught our attention while in North Carolina. It was the style of boat we were looking for and priced within our budget, had reliable engines, and was well built by a company in Washington state. Only problem, it had been upgraded by the owner and some things just weren't done to standards. We won't go any further with this one.

We were hoping to get our hooks into this beautiful 86 Ocean Alexander Pilot House. Did a lot of research on this model, very desirable lay-out and just the style we are looking for. We made an offer sight unseen but the owner would not budge. The engines would need overhaul soon so we made a low ball price. It was beautiful but we passed based on the future expense of overhauls.

We found "Braveheart" in Athens, Alabama. A very unique boat built in NW Canada for the rough waters of the West Coast. This same company  "Canoe Cove" built several of these hulls for the Royal Canadian Navy and Patrol Boats. Very tough built boat but not cruiser friendly. 

On the road after leaving North Carolina. Found a nice 90 Offshore Yachtfisher on the Tennessee River that we just had to go see.  Stayed at this beautiful campground on the river while making arrangements to see the boat.

This gorgeous 90 Offshore Yacht Fish was my favorite so far. Even though it was an Aft Cabin style I still liked it enough to tolerate the multiple steps. She was all original, 3208 Cat engines, low hours, teak interior, nice. Boat was hauled out a few weeks later and determined that the hull was severely delaminated and blistered. Estimated cost to repair hull = $30K to $40K. This is what can happen to an otherwise great boat when it's bottom isn't painted regularly.......We passed again.

Sixteen boats later we find our dreamboat. She is a 2005 Navigator 5300. She came outfitted just the way we would have done it. Complete with 11 foot Boston Whaler tender with 25hp Mercury engine, a 900 gallon per day water maker, 10kw generator, Inverter, and more options than I can list here but set up primarily for offshore and island cruising. Can't wait to put this jewel on the high seas.

Both upper and lower helm stations outfitted with E120 Raymarine Chartplotters, Auto-Pilot, Bow Thrusters, VHF, Tri-Data, and Digital Engine Controls.

She passed her survey and sea trial in flying colors. No blisters or delimitation on this one. Twin Volvo diesels checked out good, everything up to par. We'll take this one.....damn we're picky....