Serenity is Home for the Winter!

Somehow amid all the fun and adventure, Monday arrived - our last full day aboard Serenity.  Let me tell you, Stuart knew we had arrived and dished up the most glorious day for us to enjoy.  Brilliant sunshine, warm temperatures, a soft breeze - who in the world could ask for more from an early December day?  Those of us from the northeast are on our knees giving thanks, that's for sure.

To prepare for our departure from Serenity the next day, we wanted to be sure all the boat "doctors" checked her out after her long trip.  A succession of 3 different types of service folks came aboard and conferred with the captain and I.  We now have a caretaker, who will visit her 2x a week and perform a whole checklist of things; a cleaning team who will keep both her inside and outside pristine; and a mechanical wizard who will make sure all her systems are always in a "go" condition.  Luckily, we are surrounded by other Krogens - many owners I've already met.  They will keep a sharp eye on our little girl.

We left the boat to get lunch with Laura, a beloved friend from Kadey Krogen Yachts.  Though I had been there the night before, we decided to eat al fresco at Sailor's Return again.  Can you blame us?  Check out the view from the restaurant overlooking the marina......
 Looks like the tropical paradise it is!

On the way back, the marina sign came into view.  Holy cow,  I've been waiting many months to finally see this sign up close and personal!

After lunch, the crew and Laura assembled in Serenity's salon for a group photo.  The sun was shining very brightly into the boat, so the faces are a bit hard to see.  Believe me when I say that everyone was smiling!

We still had a little time before the cocktail hour, so Laura and I jumped in her car for a trip to Michael's.  All the boats at the dock were decked out for Christmas with lights, Christmas flags, Santas hailing from flybridges, trees in salons, etc.  How could any respectable mom leave her baby girl without some trappings of the season?  She'd be laughed right off of B dock.  Off we zoomed only to be met with the most pathetic assortment of Christmas decorations.  The shelves looked like the day after Christmas - right after a doorbuster sale!  Not to be daunted, Laura and I scoured the store and finally came up with a Christmas wreath - sort of a Charley Brown type of wreath - but it would do.  We threw in a couple of big red bows and we were in business.  Not exactly the queen of the forest, but still in the game.  The red bows are on the handholds.  It's the thought that counts, right?

Back to the marina we sped.  Typical of the marina lifestyle there, I returned to find 3 other people on Serenity having cocktails.  Granted, Mike invited them aboard since Tom didn't know them, but I had met them at the Rendezvous.  This wonderful lifestyle is the gift those with Krogens give themselves whenever possible.  As I look on from the cheap seats, it's a lifestyle to which I aspire one day.  How can you beat spending your days in paradise aboard a beautiful boat in the company of like-minded people who by the way, feel the same way about their boats?  It doesn't get better my friends.

Way too quickly, it was 10 am Tuesday morning (December 4th) and Laura had arrived to take us to the airport for our flight home.  As we headed towards the car, I couldn't resist constantly turning my head for final glimpses of Serenity.  Though it was soooo hard to leave her, I know at least she'll be warm and in the company of her "sisters".  Sure beats shivering in her winter pjs the way she did last year.  On the way to the airport, I checked the calendar.  Tom and I have identified a week in January when we'll go back to Stuart to be with Serenity.

The countdown has already begun.