I think you guys up north don't understand the Florida lifestyle. You suffer unbelieveable heat and humidity all summer, which is from May-November, not just June, July and August like up north. You willingly suffer this heat for one reason only, the winter. Winter is supposed to be "the time" for sailing, golfing, biking, all that stuff that it's just too freakin' hot to do from May-Nov.

Well, this year we got screwed out of that, with temps running 15-20 below "average", and it Snowed in Tampa! This is the first winter in the 13 years I've lived here that I did not sail, at all. At all. Not once. And I live on a lake. With 3 cats in the back yard, two of the mast up, ready to go.

But the heat and humidity (and light air) is on the way, and we'll have to wait another 6mo for next winter, and hope it's a much better year for sailing.

It's about the same as when I lived up in New Hampshire and we relished our June, July and August, but one summer there was a lot of volcanic activity somewhere far off, but it was very cold and rainy all summer. I think it rained 11 out of 12 weekends that year and hardly was ever above 70. They called it "the year with no summer".

This was the same here, but a crap winter. BUT...like I said, today was nice, I was home, the kid was willing, the wind was right, the wife was gone. Not too often do all those things come together at once.

Now, full disclosure, I don't own a dry suit, if it's not warm enough for shorts and a spray top, I'm not going. I sail for fun, not for pain.

PS, the wife actually wants me to buy a new cat...a Gemini cruising cat. Not gonna happen any time soon.