The simple life we lead is not quite so simple.

A camera captures moments of beauty but to be in the moment requires dedication, sweat, and tears. Thousands of miles have passed beneath our hull, no plans nor claims bind us. We are simply “living adrift.”

– Claire Insley Holmes

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Our Life in Cortez, Florida

As winter passed, real heat came back quick, and the busy season abruptly slowed down.   February and March 2016 we enjoyed visits from my mother and also Claire’s parents and siblings. This is exactly why we chose to trailer our home up from Mexico to Texas, and sail it to Florida.  Now being this […]

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Day Trip: Florida East Coast

With the winter and holidays of 2015 behind us, we were working through the busy snowbird season on Longboat Key. My father, Michael Sr. came to visit for a while in January. Our chocolate siamese Comida China took off for exactly one month.  Frail and withered, but thankful for her return.  We believe she was […]

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Emerald Antoinette Cison – November 19, 2015

Emerald Antoinette Cison, my niece, was welcomed into this world.  My sister Christina and brother-in-law Johnny honored myself to be her Godfather. While living aboard Splendid Isolation on the Gulf Coast of Florida.  I took off work December 4-7 and drove the drive northward for her baptism. Claire and myself made another fortunate return to […]

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California Wedding – October 23, 2015

October 14 – 24, 2015 Almost three years and thousands of miles later, Claire and I returned to our home port. With Splendid Isolation docked on the Gulf Coast of Florida, we flew back west to celebrate our great friends’ wedding! Early morning November 6, 2012 was when we last stepped foot in Dana Point Harbor. […]

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Maintaining our Vessel

More from October 2015 through May 2016. After repairing the bow and painting the decks, things were looking good. A lot of metal was removed top-side.  That way I could glass over unwanted holes, refinish worn out areas, and get a clean new surface for future metal.  Splendid Isolation still sits in this condition, a […]

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Living and Working in Cortez, Florida

Well Hello there! Time to get this Ship’s Log up to date. Let’s take it back to October 2015 through May 2016. Claire and I were living aboard in Cortez, while working over in Longboat Key.  This area holds a “snowbird” season of tourism basically from Thanksgiving until Cinco de Mayo.  We both picked up […]

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Repairing the Bow & Painting the Decks

August/September, 2015 Claire and I said farewell to my Father.  A great asset once again to our cruising lifestyle.  He has helped us both out so much.  Now time to clean out the boat, stow our cruising gear, and pull out all our tools. The rest of August and into September was extremely hot.  Beautiful […]

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Crossing Tampa Bay to Cortez, Florida

August 8th, 2015 was a day of foul weather.  Another front came through while my father and I sat at Marker One marina.  Around 7:45 AM on the 9th we were back on the ICW southbound.  The stretch gets narrow and shallow, as we pass Clearwater, Indian Rocks Beach, St. Pete, etc. A lot of […]

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Dog Island, Florida – The Island that Time Forgot

August 4th, 2015 With the heavy weather clearing out, it was time for us to do the same.  Pulling out of C-Quarter marina early that morning, we headed back down the Carrabelle River and out into St. George Sound.  It’s about 5 miles to Dog Island. Not much is let out about this island.  The […]

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