This email is being sent to you because you were on our email list last year during our winter sail in the Bahamas and the Turks & Caicos. If you would prefer not to receive these goofy emails, please let me know.

Why this email? Well, we are getting ready to sail to the Florida Keys. This is a recent decision based on some important facts: (1) it is cold in Virginia and we are tired of it (although it was in the 60s today and a great golf day); (2) our youngest daughter is going on a cruise during Spring Break (her last one!! She graduates from Longwood University in May) and will stop in Key West for a day in March. We can sail down and say "hi"; (3) We missed sailing to Maine last summer due to my spine surgery.

We had really decided not go South this year for a variety of reasons: (1) the rotten economy. Last fall, I was vacillating on whether to go or not in view of the lousy news every day. I watched the markets and found (in hindsight) that I had good days if the S&P didn't go down and rotten days if it did (more rotten days than good days). Every day that the markets stayed even or went up, I would announce to Shirley that we were going. On days that were bad (most of them) I would announce that we were staying home this winter. After a while, she got frustrated and demanded to know definitively "are we going - yes or no?". She asked this on a day when the Dow was off more than 700 points and the answer was "no". Then it got cold; (2) Our oldest daughter moved to Va Beach after a divorce and stayed with us for a few months this summer before getting her own place. We were able to help her out with a home purchase, and that combined with the declining markets was another reason to stay put this winter - then it got cold; (3) Our youngest (the one graduating) complained that we were never home for her birthday (Feb 10) so we thought we should stay around as we hope she is gainfully employed and no longer into birthdays by next year. And then it got cold.

There you have it. Chrissy is coming home this weekend to celebrate her birthday (at least we think that's why she is coming home). As soon as we can get her on her way back to school, we are out of here. Unless we get a great weather window, we will go down the ICW (to avoid Hatteras) to Moorehead City and then head out for an ocean sail to South Florida. A lot will depend on the weather and our plans may change day to day. Shirley and I have reconciled that a few chilly days on the ocean are better than a few months of cold. We have packed for the warm weather in the Keys and for cold weather (lots of ski stuff, but no snow we hope) Unless I hear back form you, we will send emails from time to time sharing our adventures. We plan to just relax in the Keys, be in Key West to see Chrissy, sail out to the Dry Totugas for some snorkeling, and then goof off on the way back. We plan to get back by mid-April (unless it is still cold!!).

More later.

Bob & Shirley