Well, THAT Took a While !

[guyfromiowa]

We bought Paradise Cafe, a Newport 30 MKIII in 2006. Hurricane Wilma washed her into the mangroves near Key West and while being tossed around the fuel tank burst. Insurance paid and the boat was put up for sale by a broker. I built a trailer, drove to Key West, loaded up and dragged her home to the upper right-hand corner of Iowa. I cleaned and repaired and converted and refitted and invented and improved as fast as I could. Given that in the intervening years I got to have cancer surgery and recovery one year, had to have a shoulder replaced another year, had to build a garage on the house one year, one year the Holdam family had to go to the Grand Canyon, my summers have not exactly been good for getting the sailboat back in the water. But now she's in the lake at Lake City, Minnesota. This weekend my wife and I got to spend the first weekend aboard. Paradise Cafe sails very nicely, thank you very much. And we get to keep her in the water until late October. Our weekends will be different now.

Guy

[Khagan1227]

Awesome, congrats!

[seahag]

Way to get it done! Is that lake Pepin?

[Ex-Calif]

Wow - Great perseverance. Well done!

[guyfromiowa]

It is Lake Pepin. We got lucky and have a slip at the Lake City Marina for the rest of the season.

Guy

[seahag]

Beautiful area. Hope you get to enjoy it a lot.
cheers-scott

[seahag]

Btw, ive been thru key west Iowa many times! That's in the upper right area too. I prefer the one in Florida though...

[guyfromiowa]

Originally Posted by seahag

Btw, ive been thru key west Iowa many times! That's in the upper right area too. I prefer the one in Florida though...

So YOU'RE the person that has been through Key West, IA more than once! Actually, I'm about a hundred miles from Key West, IA. I'm only about 40 miles south of the Minnesota border and about the same from Wisconsin.

Guy

[Paul L]

So show us a pic

[guyfromiowa]

Originally Posted by Paul L

So show us a pic

I'll be building a Photobucket album with the pictures of the splash. I'll put up the link when I get it ready.

Guy

[SkiprJohn]

Aloha and congratulations!
Well done.
kind regards,

[Celestialsailor]

Congrats...You have accomplished what most men dream of.

[Butler]

Well, aren't I just a big cry-baby!!!
Well done! Your story inspires. Looking forward to the pictures.

[impi]

I like your attitude ...
Perhaps I can learn to appreciate what I have more from good people like you ...
Thanks for sharing that ...

[lateral]

Mate....sounds like you just climbed Everest! Well done! Enoy it all the more for the journey. Sailing is the cake, your improvements and inventing are the icing!
Salute!