Celestial, a 27-foot Island Packet with Little Dipper
The Island Packet is a high-quality sailing vessel. I never thought I would own one, but she became available when all the stars correctly aligned. She was located in a marina on Pensacola Bay. After a couple of trips and a sea trial, an agreement was reached, and Celestial became my next boat.
I hired a professional skipper to bring her as far as Clearwater. The Big Bend area, where the landline turns south and gives Florida its West Coast, is very shallow, and one needs to be familiar with that area to sail in it. My friend Ed and I took over in Clearwater and sailed her the rest of the way home. I had reserved a slip at Burnt Store Marina on the east side of the harbour.
Celestial in her new home at Burnt Store Marina. We had many good sailing days on Charlotte Harbour. She was a solid cruising boat and easy to handle.
Eventually, I was able to find a private-party slip in PGI – Punta Gorda Isles an area where homes were built along the canals. This was only about five miles from home and had excellent access to the harbour.
Eventually, I had to give up sailboat owning and skippering. I had been involved in a car/bicycle accident. I was on the bicycle, and my injuries were severe enough to not get around on a sailboat well enough to take responsibility for the boat and crew.