Let’s Go!

It’s April, and Exhale is on the water again! Buttercup says, it’s been a long time, been a long time, been a LONG time!

First, a little catch up. In our September 2025 post – Chesapeake Summer – Hello Gravity – we reported the bizarre boating accident – on August 29 – on Tangier Island, Virginia. The next day, with the first mate out of commission, Capt Rick moved the boat from Tangier to Onancock, by himself. Thank you for the escort by Tonto’s Reward.

The diagnosis was a fractured tibia plateau – fancy medical words for a broken leg. On September 5 surgery was performed to realign and elevate the knee cap, and to insert a total of 10 metal screws!

The ortho surgeon told us to hold still for another two weeks in Onancock. Meanwhile, Rick and Buttercup were just waiting to Exhale …

This patient was sustained by a lot of yummy grilled cheese sandwiches, with pickles and fresh fruit, thanks to Chef Ricardo.

We were cleared by Ortho to travel on Sept 19, a total of 21 days after the accident. Next up – Norfolk, VA.

SeaBee Ray Houle climbed on board to help! A true hero, after securing Exhale in Norfolk, Ray drove with Rick and I back to Fort Myers, a grueling 950-mile road trip. The next morning, the men said goodbye to Buttercup and me, then drove back to Norfolk to retrieve Exhale, with a helping hand from Caryl, who flew in to the St. Augustine area to join the men.

In Rick’s absence, a BIG thanks to the many friends and neighbors who walked Buttercup, drove me to medical and physical therapy appointments, and helped me hobble around.

Exhale is On the Move!

Fast forward to late March of 2026 … it’s time to get back on the water, but first,

Summer Breeze

a little tribute to Seals and Crofts, one of the great soft rock bands from the 70s. Sadly, Austin, Texas singer Dash Crofts passed on March 25 at age 87. They wrote “Summer Breeze”. You probably know the sweet lyric, “Summer breeze, makes me feel fine / Blowin’ through the jasmine in my mind”; and, you might know that my daughter, Alisha Jasmine, is named after that song.

Florida Boating in the Spring is Heavenly

On April 16, 2026 Exhale left the home dock, stopping for one night at St. Charles Yacht Club.

What’s the Float Plan?

Early on April 17 we travel in tandem with Tonto’s Reward, heading first to Pelican Bay.

This boating season we will visit the Florida Council Clubs! There are 36 in total, let’s see how many we actually reach.

First, we will spend about six weeks exploring the west coast of Florida – going north from Fort Myers. Our destination is a bit north of Clearwater, to Tarpon Springs. On the map below it’s a little north of Tampa. After a short return to Fort Myers, we will head south towards Key West, then loop around towards Miami, heading north on the east coast of Florida, towards Jacksonville and Melbourne. Boating friends, please join us when you can!

Here’s a map and a list of the clubs

For now, say hi to Danielle’s new mascot from the birthday trip to Orlando.

Celebrations: Recent Birthdays include April 7, Ryan Mendoza;

April 8, Grandson Tyler Hendry turned 10, to celebrate in style, nine of us gathered in Orlando. He’s such a cool dude.

A shout out to Anders, can you believe that 10 years have passed since we took delivery of our first Exhale, time has flown by!

April 10, Dale Morgan; April 13, Piper Jackson turned 18! April 14, Meghan Reese; April 18, Rachel Gill; and April 19, cousin John Gill, Jr.

Congratulations to our sweet friends, Ray Houle and Caryl Moulder on their new boat, a Mainship 350, soon to be named “Sideways”.

Special Shoutouts – Thanks for the new bridge – Joyce and Dr. Bennett! Congratulations to Bill Greggs and our VITA team – it was a great season!

Next Up: Cayo Costa, looking forward to lunch at Cabbage Key and anchoring out in Pelican Bay with Tonto’s Reward.