Travel Day

So some friends of ours call up last night and say, "Hey, you want to have a bonfire?" My immediate thought is, "Heck yes!" But then I remember, we are leaving in the morning! There are so many little things we need to do to be prepared and the last thing we want to do is stay up too late, drink too much and forget all those important little things in the mayhem!

The weather is not exactly perfect and we have no other choice but to go today. It wouldn't be the first time we went out without a favorable weather report. Seriously though, it's not a problem. What's a little rain from inside the cushy pilothouse with the windshield wipers going back and forth? What's a little wind when I'm completely closed off and protected in our own little haven? One of my favorite benfits of a day like today and the difference between a sailboat and a powerboat is that we will arrive in less than half the time it would have taken us to go on the inside, even with all the bridges. NOAA calls for 1-2 ft seas building to 5 and winds 10 - 15 gusting to 23mph, so we've decided to go up the ditch (intra-coastal waterway). This means we will have to go slower but it also means no getting tossed around.

As if the weather wasn't enough of an issue we have the Lauderdale Air Show to compete with! I'd like to joke and say I planned it this way so we'd have a grand entrance to our new home, sadly though I did not. The "traffic" on the water should be crazy so our leaving as soon as possible is imperative. Check out the link to the show I imagine it's going to be incredible with Choppers, Blue Angels, and a mix of military and civilian performers we will be entertained! Should make for some great photos!

Thanks for following along, here we go!

The list just seems to grow...

We were supposed to make our way to Rickenbacker Causeway for fuel, but the weather kept us at home. Winds were blowing hard with up to 30 knot gusts, the steady winds clocked at 20 - 25. The skies were an ominous gray and the rain was everything from torrential downpours to soft sprinkles for about 6 hours. It felt very similar to weather associated with tropical storms. In any case, it sure was nice hanging around catching up on our nap time and reading our books. I actually had time to break out the jewelry box to make a friendship bracelet! Haven't done that since Guatemala! Still, in between all that we did manage to fool around with a few things.


Provo helped us print labels for some wires, then she took a nap!


With our upcoming trip ahead, our goals are to perfect the navigation equipment. Since the rudder indicator has never worked, we went through the troubleshooting process and pinpointed the issue to the control box. We began by unhooking the sender wires from the control box, then we attached the Ohm Meter to the wire ends. I turned the wheel at a slow pace and The Captain looked at the Ohm Meter for erratic behavior. Since the meter read at a steady pace we proved that the sender was good. Next, we checked the control box to see if it was translating the signal from the sender to the gauge. That's where the problem was, so we now know we need a new control box. We found one on Ebay for $39, but the shipping is the issue. The timing is off because we are moving at the end of the week and we just wouldn't get it in time. Thank goodness it's not a show stopper! We will let it ride until we get settled in our new location, but now it's on the list!

"One Mile Ray Vintage Boat Search Light"

Next, we messed with the spotlight. This boat search light is original and vintage. It really compliments Felicity's classy yacht look. It sure would be nice if it worked though! Upon opening  the switch housing and we found that the spade had burned out of the switch. We jumped it to 32 volts and "Shazam!" We lit up the Grove Sail Club Moorings like a police helicopter's spot light! While we didn't replaced the switch, we will. It will be an easy fix after a quick trip to West Marine.

Isn't that just how life is? You start out with a couple of things on your list for the weekend but then life has completely different plans for you and your list seems to grow! Ahhh, the life of a boater and we just can't get enough!

Something about sailing...

Yesterday as I was walking home from a short day at work, I called GR to see where he was and what he is up to. He told me to meet him at another pier, that we were going sailing! I hurried over to the dock and as soon as I stepped on deck we untied the lines and were whisked off!

Everyone was along for the ride, all the girls and the gentleman! We motored down the channel and out into the Bay. All the while the girls are running around on deck squealing with excitement.

Being in the Bay and having no particular place to go we were able to sail on every point and we weren't the only boat out having fun. There were at least 10 other sailboats frolicking in the wind. With a steady 15 with gusts higher we were making a steady clip of 6 + knots and heeling over maybe 15 degrees. It quite nice to be out on someone else's boat for a change and a sailboat at that! To be completely honest when we tack and all the things down below fly from one side to another I just look out beyond the horizon and smile because it's not my stuff flying around down there! Seriously, though just being able to turn the engine off and sail was really nice, it's so romantic and freeing. Just because we are on a power boat now, doesn't mean we are done with sailing!

Sea Venture has a special place in our hearts because we delivered this 37 Jeanneau from Tortola, BVI to Miami July 2011. She is a solid little boat that loves to go downwind! (Don't they all) We even got the spinnaker out and that brought back memories since our on 12 day delivery she flew the whole time! All in all it was a great day out on the beautiful Biscayne Bay!