The Admiral has retired!

October 12^th 2012

 

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Position N 27° 22.225’.

               W 82° 37.075’.  

Longboat Key Club Moorings, FL 

Lavinia is now a full time Admiral! At long last she has given up her nursing job at Sarasota Memorial Hospital; last January was her 20^th anniversary. This is ‘big’, the ultimate test for us lays just ahead, can we put up with each other in close proximity all the time? While living on ‘Partners’ full time for the past year every morning at 07:00 I have walked ahead of HT up the pilot house steps to open the door and see her off the boat and off to work. A routine that marked our separation for the day, the beginning of our own worlds, the part of the day where each of us had the options of what we did and then communicated about later. Now each of us watches the other all the time, is aware of where the other is at all times, both of us are listening and deciding to say something or not. It is different and I know both of us are conscious of not stepping on each other’s toes. This is just an adjustment however and both of us knew it was coming. All couples have to experience this sooner or later and it is a new era. It is like the ‘vacation’ test but forever! We are very compatible and have long ago found our place, very few words are needed any more to discuss various tasks and the division of the same, the duties each of us have just seem to fall in place when the task presented itself. I am sure we will be okay although the new dinghy which we want is very important to Lavinia and she has, many times, said how it must be easy for her to use as she will need to go ashore by herself from time to time not only to shop but to get away from me! It’s okay; a little separation is fine from time to time.  

 

My oldest friend from England is visiting Sarasota at the moment. Pete and I virtually grew up together from the time we got married and began our course along the road of life. We had started families at the same time and continued to live in the same area. We drove sports cars together on Sunday afternoons before we had young families. In other words we were close and continuous friends. Before too long I bought a boat and then a bigger one; we took vacations together and generally enjoyed each other’s company. Pete and his wife Melanie came cruising with us as we took vacations to the British Channel Isles and France. We had fun and of course in those days there was no GPS only paper charts a depth finder and a compass, oh we did have radar. Somehow we made it everywhere we wanted to go. In fact I remember the calculations I had to do for the strong tides in the English Channel in order to arrive at the harbour entrance for Cherbourg; I surprised myself on more than one occasion by actually getting very close to where I had planned to be! Many times the English Channel was rough but we were young and, after all, we were on vacation, so we crossed anyway. Somehow we survived and live to tell the tales. Pete’s bother Dave is now a Canadian having immigrated to Canada 45 years ago. Well, he and his wife bought a holiday home here in Sarasota which I helped them buy. So, after many years of only occasional visits to UK to see each other here Pete is in Sarasota visiting me. Sadly (happily) HT and I will be sailing off soon so will not be in the area any more to take advantage of Pete having somewhere to stay in Florida, such is life. I am hoping that Pete will take advantage of his brother’s accommodations nevertheless and enjoy some R & R here in Florida.