Photo Tour of Club 22

The secret is out. We're landlubbers, for now at least.

This change is due largely in part to the fact that Felicity is still not ready to pull the plug, as in the shore cord. Possibly the biggest undertaking (aside from the decks and the fuel system) on Felicity will be modernizing the electrical system. Now please, bear with me because most of this stuff confuses the heck out of me but I'll try my best to explain as much as I understand. Hatteras used a 32 volt system with several boats, randomly, during varying years. AND not even just Hatteras, many boats with Detroit Diesel have 32 volts systems for at least the engines. The project consists of us converting the entire boat to a more functional 24 volt. Which means new starters, stop solenoids, alternators, batteries, windlass, bulbs, gauges and pumps. (I might be missing a few things)

What happens when boats don't have batteries? Well, they don't have power. And when they don't have power, things don't work. Sounds like a problem, right? Well, not anymore. Since we are currently residing in the house (which we've dubbed Club 22*) we will not miss out on things like refrigeration, air condition, a flushing toilet or even something as simple as a light. Sometimes it's the simplest things that matter most.

We have a ton of reasons why the house works for us for now. We also have a few shots of our new pad we are so excited to share with you!! Without further adieu...

Room for Felicity & a Friend!

Screened Pool & Patio Area

Avocado Tree, Hammock & Small Boat Lift

Pool Deck with Dart Board, Grill & Plenty of Chairs

Open Kitchen and Dining Room

Our Furniture from Felicity Fit Perfectly

Welcome.

View of I95, Amtrac, Tri-Rail and ICW traffic!

As you can see there is plenty of room for friends, so when do you arrive?

Home is Where Your Boat is...

So, I eluded to something on my Facebook page over Labor Day weekend about finding a new place.

About a week earlier, I opened up a fortune cookie that read...

The irony of receiving this "fortune" was it was absolutely not telling me something  I didn't already know. Unbeknownst to anyone else, GR and I were toying with the idea of renting a house with a dock. See, you wouldn't think in "the Venice of Florida" it would be very difficult to find a slip however, I beg to differ. We've used a variety of ways to search for dockage including but not limited to:

• Craigslist.com
• Docksearch.com
• ActiveCaptain.com

These resources are ones that I rattle off almost daily to those seeking aquatic accommodations. To be more specific check out "bridge height clearance" and use the term "live aboard" in your search to weed out the gorgeous yet, unattainable.

In order to understand our decision a little better there are a few things you should know. If you have been following along please forgive the recap. We have lived in Fort Lauderdale for about a year and a half; in that time we have "parked" in three vastly different settings.

• "The House of the Sun"* - This was a small two story, short term rental building that mainly catered to vacationers. Located literally a stone's throw from the ICW just North of the Sunrise bridge it had space for 5 boats. Live aboard was okay and they provided a laundry room, a shore side restroom with shower, a pool and BBQ area as well as a parking space. This place was super convenient and was essentially empty most of the time.

• "The Pier"* - Staying at the  "The Pier" made life at the dock seem like a vacation with ample parking and ALL the amenities one could ask for including, Pool, Spa, Hot Tub, Laundry Facility, Taxi Stand, Gym, and three Restaurants.

• "The Dirty South"* - The yard, located just off the infamous State Road 84, offered us a safe haven during hurricane season to complete the work we were knee deep into on Felicity. Although, we lived aboard at the yard, we actually only lived aboard while she was floating, once we hauled out we escaped to a nearby hotel. The yard was a Do-It-Yourself, services were reasonably priced and several craftsmen conveniently offered services on-site. As much as we grimaced as we trudged through barnacles bits to reach our floating oasis, the people there made our stay that much more enjoyable.

We live on a boat. Isn't that proof enough that we LOVE change?  After our "release" into the "wild" we decided to seek out something unlike our past situations. Each one of our previous docks had wonderful and less than attractive qualities that we wanted to both emulate and eliminate. Now we were armed the perfect list in which to find our new "home".

• A dedicated parking space
• A side tie
• A wide berth (we are 15' 6")
• A space for storage.
• Room for the cats to roam
• Privacy 
• A common area, to host guests

Why wouldn't we have the best of both worlds? I mean it's not easy living on a boat. I mean the day to day living, the get up and go to work daily grind. Isn't the only reason people put up with life on a boat is that someday they plan on really living? Throwing off the proverbial chains that tie and sailing off into the sunset? Our lives aboard are misunderstood and oftentimes scrutinized. Trying to find the "perfect" dock was proving difficult. This is how our search  for a "House for Rent with a Dock" began. We've pretty much covered every square inch of this town in search of new restaurants, hardware stores, specialty shops, kid play dates and random bike rides. We'd meander through neighborhoods and dream of the homes, scoffing at the ones that didn't have didn't have dockage. "It'd be perfect if..."

We looked at several places before deciding on the one. We have several things planned for the next several months and we will be sharing, of course! For now, we have officially moved out of Felicity and although, it feels quite strange (yes, I was land sick for a few hours) Felicity is still our main goal and focus.

BUT, no matter where we are, home truly is wherever our boat is.

* - The REAL names of these places have been changed.

3 Is a Magic Number

Ever heard the saying  "things happen in threes"?  There is much debate over weather this could be a law similar to Newton's, but the things is it'd have to universal. For us it's merely coincidence. There's a song from the old Schoolhouse Rock series, that's where I got the title for this post. Things are just better in three, I mean our family is 3 people. Felicity is our third boat together. The list could go on but I digress...

First, we tackled the fly bridge. The decks and seating area were neglected and peeling. We sanded and filled and then began painting.
Second, we re-cored our decks using balsa core and tons of fiberglass and epoxy which we then painted. Third, we completed a very swift and successful bottom job in less than a week!

To say we've been busy would be the understatement of the year.

Suddenly, the dust settled and we were able to clean up our living space. Man, I tell you, hind sight is 20/20 and we see soooo clearly now. The past 3 months are mostly a blur. Why? Where were we? All I seem to recall is lots of complaining, lots of receipts and LOADS of supplies and belongings piled EVERYWHERE!! In order to cope with the stress that came with the clutter and home construction, we wrapped ourselves in a cocoon. We were into these projects so deep at one point that we literally spent any off time, in bed, watching previous seasons of "How I Met Your Mother" on rotation. Thanks NetFlix.

The sight of this became too much for us...

Our Salon full of Everything. Ugh.

However, the last  three months we've tackled 3 major issues with Felicity thus significantly upgrading our lives aboard. AND that is super exciting! Once we were finally done with the decks and the paint and the haul out this view of our salon was much, MUCH better!!

Which brings us to a stopping point, for now, a resting place. As much progress as we've made requires a certain level of money, attention and dedication all of which our levels are showing LOW. We are going to take some time to recoup mentally, physically and spiritually (3) in order to get back into the game with our wits about us, with the full dedication and excitement that boats demand!

Make Bottom Painting Fun!

Definitely my #1 - Favorite Boat Yard Thing!!

It was all GR's idea. We began this tradition years ago with our first boat, a  1981 42' Pearson in Daytona Beach, after we painted the bottom a royal blue he suggested we grab a can of white paint to decorate the keel so that when we were snorkeling and swimming in the amazingly clear waters of the Bahamas we could reflect on the fun we had working on our boat. It was a great project that we all had fun doing, we put paint on our hands and made hand prints, we wrote our names and drew little fishes.  These memories  allows those "blood, sweat and tears" moments associated with many bottom jobs fall by the wayside and replaces them with these magical memories of creating artwork with your family. It's like a visible time capsule!

So of course, this boat was no different. The more practical side this project is that we cover every thru hull and highlight every transducer and/or grounding plate and zinc, that way they are easy for a diver (or us) to locate. Tide and time dictated our splash time so I wasn't sure if Gia wanted to participate in this tradition since she was technically supposed to be in school. "Of course, I want to Mom!! It's a family tradition!!" She said and my heart welled up with joy because maybe, just maybe she still loved all this boating stuff after all!!

So with dirt under our nails and paint on our hands and knees we hunched under the belly of this beast and painted our little hearts out! We had a blast and we can't wait to swim under Felicity in the Bahamas sometime soon!!

The End. Thank you!!

Felicity's First Haul Out in Photos

Here's a brief photo tour of Felicity's haul out, August 2013. Haul out projects included up sizing generator water intake and air conditioning raw water intake, removal of three (yes 3!) non-functional transducers and addition of new transducer, trim tab actuators, bottom paint and of course our artwork!!

This was the first time we have seen Felicity out of the water AND the first time we've hauled out a power boat making it very exciting and nerve wracking at the same time. I held my hand on my heart the whole time they lifted her and carried her a short distance before she was on the stands. I mean, this is our whole life, our home.

All in all it was a smooth yard period with no errors or interruptions, which is really all we could hope for in this situation.

Enjoy the show.

Seriously, We Are Painting?

So we really had no intention on painting at this stage in the game; I mean there are bigger, more imperative fish to fry, like getting 3 new toilets, hooking up our water system and installing new batteries! But after we moved from one end of town to the other (so to speak) we found ourselves in the very thick of the "fancy pants club." Our marina is home to some of the biggest yachts in the industry, ever heard of 7 Seas? At our previous marina, Felicity looked the best of all the girls at the dock. Yet as we tied up, surrounded by million dollar boats we felt a bit like the Lauderdale Hillbilly's! So, we made some calls, found an amazing, hardworking guy who began the long, slow process of updating the exterior for a fair price!

Felicity's fly bridge midway through her "facelift."

Beginning top to bottom with tons of supplies, epoxy, filler, lacquer thinner, sand paper, brushes and blue tape. Two weeks later it looked incredible. It's amazing how fast progress goes when someone else is doing the work! In boating, as in life, there are times when you will have a little money and no time or a little money and nothing but time. Thus, we hired  the painter who really has impressed us. He has sanded, filled and faired, primed, prepped and painted Felicity into a shiny classy lady! Each day we see a little bit more progress and it's been keeping us motivated! Check out these pics!

Before the "moon dust" colored stripe.

We used Awl Grip's Matterhorn White and Moon Dust. We are also using West System Epoxy and Fillers.

Before the new non-skid.

Here are the completed non skid decks. We mixed the Moon Dust with the Matterhorn to make a lighter version for the deck in this area. In the sun, it's super white up here.

While painting the boat may not have been in our immediate plan, it sure does look nice! AND hey, we usually sell them after they look so good, this time, NO WAY Jose!!

Boarding Ladder *or* Sea Stairs

Marquipt Boarding Ladder - A fancy and super, convenient and SAFE way to board Felicity.

Over the past month at our "new" dock we've done a ton of small projects. One of the first major pocket crunches was this little number. Ever heard of Marquipt? After 40 years of sales and service they are pretty much the industry standard for this type of boarding ladder (sea stair) and many other yacht related equipment including cranes, gang planks and elevators. They are proud of their product and nothing reflects that better than price!!! Felicity had this boarding ladder aboard upon purchase, however, she, like the rest of the boat, was in need of a bit of attention. The wheels were worn down and somehow the aluminum was mangled and twisted  in a manner that made boarding awkward and dangerous. The purchase price of a new ladder would be in the $2,000 range. Financially, just not a priority. However, when you are spending all your time at the dock, getting on and off the boat in a convenient and safe manner becomes a priority pretty, darn quickly!

The bottom step was somehow or another smashed up and bent and the wheels had deteriorated over years of riding concrete docks. We took the bottom step to a machine shop for repair but sadly they reported they were not only unable to repair but they had ruined the aluminum step during rehabilitation! Alas, we were pleasantly surprised that we could buy replacement parts! Marquipt has an office in the Lauderdale area so I drove over and picked up the parts and GR installed them with ease! Now we are riding the tide in style and safety!!

Playing with Our Toys!

Two Kayaks, a Kneeboard & Two Livingston

It's taken me a week to even post this! We had great weather and friends visit from Daytona Beach during Spring Break and we took FULL advantage!! It seems like we have just been hunting and gathering all the toys, and not really using them so getting over to Lake Sylvia with the kids and towing them around was a BIG step in the direction of fun.

The Florida Promise

 

Image here.

It must be the blinding sunshine. Maybe it's the sensational beaches with endless bikini clad bodies emitting the scent of tanning oil. Could it be the laid back lifestyle or the lure of fishing just a few minutes offshore? Whatever IT is...IT SUCKS!

IT, is the Florida Promise and it's been happening for a LONG time. It began when droves of Northerners began the exodus from the chilly weather to the incredible, natural "Disneyland" the is the Sunshine State. Basically, contractors (local or not) make you a promise by saying they will show up and then never do! OR when they do they are either drunk, hungover or have a wicked tan from their day out surfing instead of working for you!

I've changed the names to protect the innocent or not-so-innocent in one such scenario we've experienced. Let's say, "Tom", the painter tells you he will show up Tuesday to look at the boat and give you a price. Well, he never shows up and he doesn't even call. Being the good communicator you are, you call him and say, "Hey Tom, Don't worry about coming by today, it's a bit late now. Thank you". "Tom" replies with some excuse about how busy he was and he will come by tomorrow. BUT he never comes!!

This seems to continue until you've called about 6 different people until you finally get a "good" one. Someone who shows up when they say the will, performs the job with little to no errors, charges on or below the estimated amount and gives the results you were after. Unfortunately, that's just the way it is. There are an amazing amount of boats (mega-yachts mostly) here and these contractors know how in-demand they are. It's as if they don't really give a sh*t about their name or reputation. WHY? Because they know they can charge insane amounts of money and people will pay it(not us but some people don't know about the "working man's price") -  and they know that there will always be those folks that are in a rush to get cruising that just want the job done and pay because they can't wait any longer.

My advice to you:

• Don't Be in a Rush  - Contractors can smell your fear and your money. If you are pushy, hurried and riding them they will charge you for it!

• Be Proactive/Handy - Doing the work yourself not only helps you understand systems better it allows you the freedom of knowing how to fix things when your "out there" where it can be exponentially expensive! If you really can't do the work yourself it's not the end of the world but it may cost you more in time and money. Two things we rarely have at the same time. So if you have time - SAVE MONEY & Vice Versa!

• Get Several Quotes - Get as many contractor names & company's as you can, ask everyone you know, use forum and prepare yourself to be confused. You will get opinions and ideas from different ends of the spectrum by stick with what you know and keep it simple!

I'm sure several yachting and boating town's have similar issues with handymen and such but here in Florida we refer to the issue as "The Florida Promise." The best weapon is awareness! I hope you found these tips useful. Best of Luck!

Namaste!

Dinosaur Removed: An Update

So if you have been following this blog then you know "work" has pretty much been at a stand still for the past, well, a solid 2 months. GR began removing the "dinosaur" 1968 12 kw Onan (original, factory installed) piece by piece trying to salvage many of the parts in case someone wanted to have them. Sadly, it actually ran when we decided to replace it but we were getting coolant in the oil; which is typically a head gasket. Normally, you would get the head checked but the parts are obsolete so we decided it wasn't worth sinking our money into!

How did we get it out you ask? One word. YOUTH.

 "Youth is wasted on the young."  George Bernard Shaw

God, it's so true!

Unfortunately, we have come across more "dudes" that give the *"Florida Promise"! GR slowly dismantled this 1200 lb monster. Piece by piece trying to salvage the parts and give them away to someone who could use them. Some of the parts include the heads, the exhaust manifold, the stator, the rotor, alternator and water pumps. All of which can be conveniently recycled at DJ's Recycling up the road for a few cents on the pound.We posted on the Hatteras Owner's Forum, Craigslist and even some Onan Discussion Forums. Hopefully, someone's will put them to good use. Along the way G  painstakingly reported his attempts to dock neighbors that anxiously await to hear our progress on Project Motor Boat. Graciously, one of the yacht owners organized guys to muscle it out. (translation -  youth)

As I walked up the dock, I saw one of the boys (5' 5", 160lb of pure muscle) walking away from Felicity. I jokingly called out, "Hey, Did you get that thing out of there?" To which he humbly laughed out a "Yea." I thought, he was being sarcastic and we were back to square one but as I got closer to our finger pier I saw that ugly, hunk of junk OUT of the boat!! At the site of it, I jumped, squealed in delight and ripped open the 12 pack of beers I brought home, just in case. I gave one to Alex, the "young muscle", took one to GR and one for myself. I quickly snapped a pic and posted it to Facebook. I was thrilled!

Next up is major renovation of the generator room all 100 sq. ft of it! First, clean up all the grease, scrape the paint, removing old fuel lines and just a whole lot of cleaning and sanding to prep for all the new goodies we will install!

Seriously, this is a momentous occasion for us. We were really beginning to think we were in over our heads. Power boating was just not for us. We longed for the simplicity we once had. Now, we are are encouraged once again, that the seemingly impossible - really IS possible! It just takes good old fashioned hard work, perseverance and youth, looooots of youth.

*The Florida Promise is a promise made to you by a local contractor to show up and do work, to which they never do.

Impulse Buys

Image origin.

It seems like we are prepping the boat completely out of order. It's like we are just grabbing at opportunities as they pop up. We have a long, laundry list of items to purchase and when we see a good deal we jump thus leading to an accumulation of goodies on-board that are just sitting around collecting dust until their turn rolls around.

After researching the differences between our Ideal vertical windlass and the Lofrans horizontal  we had confirmed our choice. GR experience with the  Lofrans Tigres on his old, 48' Soveral (sister ship), he already knew he wanted to get one for Felicity. Since it costs just as much to modify the current windlass as it does to purchase our preferred model windlass, brand new we decided to go with our preferred design.

A friend was at Sailorman and called saying they had one brand new for a great price, cheapest we'd seen $$ and GR said, I'll take it. It's the first time I ever saw him buy something over the phone sight unseen. I was somewhat shocked. Alas, we just aren't ready to tackle that project as we still have yet to remove the generator!

We know it will all happen, one day. But for now we are doing a lot of impulse buying!! Are we alone? Do you find yourself getting ahead of schedule and purchasing products for the boat that you know you'll use but just aren't ready to start working on??

Removing a Dinosaur

Okay it's really not that BIG, but it might as well be! (Image found here.)

Removing Felicity's original generator, a 1968 12KW Onan, has become a very daunting task. Similar to removing a dinosaur. It's huge, heavy and OLD!! A dinosaur in that the technology has advanced so much in the last 44 years that many of the parts are obsolete. A major factor in why we chose not to fix it; spending money on something that in the long run, could cause headaches.  It's also a dinosaur in that it's monstrous, considerably larger than many new generators and almost double the weight. While GR has spent many a night, crouched down in the generator room below our galley disassembling the engine, we have managed to get the bulk of the job done. However, the actual "removal" has become another beast entirely. We are still in the concept stages of how we will 1) lift a 1000lb generator  out of the hole and remove the hunk of metal our of our galley, up 6 steps that round a corner and out of our salon without ruining carpets or walls. 2) THEN WHAT?! What do we do with this thing?? We have no way to transport it.

Our biggest issue is that we just don't have the right kind of equipment. We don't really want to put out the expense to build a framework to lift it up and move it out. Then we have all that wood left, to what...store it? No. Normally, we are do-it-yourself-ers but on this project we need someone that already has the equipment AND the manpower!

Yeah.

So that's what we are up against. Any ideas? Have you done something similar? Please leave your comments below!!

What's the Reward?

Image found here.

Best Buy. Winn-Dixie. Pet Smart.

All have what in common??

They all have a rewards system. Who doesn't these days, right? You only need to open your wallet to see the tiny plastic cards plastered with brand names. There seems to be the idea that everything bears a reward. Especially things we spend our money on! So when dreaming of sailing away someday on a boat you don't often think of all the working time you will spend; covered in grease, grim, or paint. Using your boat helps you appreciate all the time you spend working on her. It seems for the past, well, year and a few months, we haven't gotten to do very much playing!

Well, today we went ahead and cashed in some of our rewards!! We needed a change of scenery but we won't be docking anywhere else, anytime soon, so we flipped Felicity around! Funny, how such a small adjustment can turn a the stench of routine into the spark of adventure! We are now looking out over the canal. I can hear the sound of a wake as it slaps under each dock before it gently rolls Felicity in her slip. I needed today something serious!

I'll never forget the first time I sailed out of that first inlet. Lake Worth. I was so excited and nervous I was glued to the port side railing the whole trip. In the morning as the sun blinded my bloodshot eyes, I saw dolphins in insane blue water. It was precisely that moment when I realized I would suffer that pain again in a second (if given the chance) to make this memory one more time!! That is the reward my friends.

The reward of cruising varies for everyone. What are some of your favorite rewards of cruising?
The perfect tan.
Cooking with native produce.
More family time.
Bonfires!

Spread Thin, an update!

Image found here

I swear I'm just NOT happy unless I have a zillion things to do!!! Currently, I'm spread thinner than light mayo on a dieter's BLT!

Besides, the fact that I am blogging for ourselves here at Project Motor Boat. I'm Kids as Crew "Topic Coordinator" for The Monkey's Fist, which means I am reading a (bleep)-ton of blogs sorting through them to find kids displaying their knowledge for navigation, provisioning, driving the tender etc. Got any links?? Share them in the comment section!!

I'm doing data entry for my local Bikram Yoga studio, AND washing those sweat-soaked yoga towels (yea. eww.)  all in order to continue my membership and continue my practice, so that I might go to Teacher Training, hopefully in 2013!!!

I'm working with a friend/yacht broker on my Yacht Broker Internship (2 years) so that one day I can sell more than just our own personal boats!! Didn't know a yacht broker? NOW you do!!

I'm also still writing with Raft Up (soon to have a new website) so stay tuned for my next post, February 2nd, I'm the first up on a very touchy subject!!

This weekend I'm looking forward to unplugging (just a little bit) when GR's mom comes to town (tomorrow) and we get to play tourist on Saturday by taking on ride on the infamous Jungle Queen!!!

So if you were wondering?? Now you know!! Enjoy today.

"Winterfest" 2012 Boat Parade

Jungle Queen, pic courtesy of MondoVacilando

This year was our first Fort Lauderdale Christmas Boat Parade and man did we have great seats!! Without even having to leave the comfort of our home because our canal, just off the ICW is where all the boats go by! We had drinks, music and good friends aboard as we sat back and enjoyed the show for a good two hours! It was fun to look out for friends of ours, who also live aboard, that were lucky enough to be in the parade aboard 160' motor yacht, "Caprice", that was fully decorated, sponsored by the Galleria Mall. Overall, we learned it's not the size of the ship that counts but just how many lights you had and how good your sound system was that counted the most!!

Several Projects Underway

Having GR home for *good* is an amazing sigh of relief for us. It seems that over the last few months we have done more projects than in the past year we have owned the boat. Since our change of scenery he has significantly cut down his travel time to and from work AND now he will no longer have to leave for charter trips! A recent change allows him to only work Monday - Friday with no trips and weekends are just for US; meaning more completed projects aboard Felicity! (clap, clap, clap)

When I last wrote about our head project we had just begun painting, well painting is complete. We are now in the process of researching products and prices for flooring and counter tops. On Friday, we were able to go shopping together at a couple of the local places to check out laminates. Then we measured the floors and counter tops in all three heads and came up with our numbers. After some comparison we have narrowed it down and have two winners! Alas, the ordering is on hold because we have a much BIGGER project underway at the same time!

Did I forget to mention on fuel system is currently inoperable? Hmm, yea well, something we have struggled with since the beginning is the fuel system. A pretty serious issue to have is we want to actually "cruise". By far, the longest hold up of this progress has been traveling (for work). GR did an amazing job re-configuring the entire manifold and even added a fuel polishing system. Felicity, built in 1968, has mostly been untouched and much remains original including original fuel valves and copper fuel lines. Of course, this was state of the art equipment 44 years ago but time and technology have advanced rather quickly and it's time to adapt! We were able to remove the old manifold, prep, paint and install the *new* manifold. Designed by GR using bronze shut off and elbows etc, he had the panel made by Ward's Marine. Here's a picture for now but I will go more in depth in another post.

Fuel Manifold from 1968

Fuel Manifold from 2012

Small advances were made including the addition of a hand crank pencil sharpener! (Yes, I am old enough to remember these) This little addition makes life just a little easier and astheticallly, it brings a little vintage feel back to the engine room!

Two Yachtie Tips You Can Use!

Those "mega" yachts sure are pretty and man, do they spend a lot of money to play with them! BUT I will say this, they still keep to the" basics" when it comes to cleaning! I work on a classic Burger here in Fort Lauderdale and find I use these two products more than any other cleaning supply. They are cheap and safe to use for anyone, anywhere!

There are a number of reasons why using natural cleaning products in your home (floating or not) is a great idea! We could start with the fact that these chemicals are absorbed by your body, end up in our waterways AND can cause lasting damaging effects on both human and animal life! Just because your turning over a "green" leaf doesn't mean you'll need to spend a bunch of "green" either, let's just consider going back to the basics!

1. Vinegar -A simple mix of white vinegar and water will work wonders on windows, ports, hatches and any other clear or glass surface! No more blue dyes or streaks baby, this is it! Designate a small spray bottle for this use specifically and keep it full and handy wherever you will use it most. Don't like the "salad dressing" smell? Add a few drops of your favorite essential oil like calming lavender!
2. Alcohol - Yup! Straight up rubbing alcohol. Just put it in a spray bottle and use it on just about any hard surface. It's not a deep cleaner but it will cut your workload in half when you use it everyday to clean lightly. Showers, stainless, mirrors, toilets even floors can benefit from the germ killing powers in plain, old, inexpensive rubbing alcohol!

Now, I'm off to work, Happy Friday!!

Forward and Reverse

So I know I've been blabbing about how awesome it is that we don't have a car and haven't for three years (2009). How we love the exercise and how we never live too far from anything...well, that has all ended. In Miami public transportation was a breeze but in Fort Lauderdale things aren't so easy.

On one hand, I really wanted a car, like in the way a little girl really wants anything! I wanted it because I felt I was "too old" to be riding my bike 20 miles a day and arriving any/everywhere looking like a sweaty, disheveled mess. I wanted to be able to bring our daughter to play dates and help out the other Moms who so graciously traveled both ways in order to make up for our lack of transportation. I wanted to be able to sneak down to Miami and visit GR when his boat moved from one marina to another to await the arrival of owners. I wanted to be able to drive up to Daytona Beach for the holidays and see my Grama and other friends we miss so much! I wanted to hop in the car and drive to work when it was raining and/or cold, not bundle up into a bunch of layers and then shove all the extra clothes in my backpack because by afternoon it's back up to 80 degrees here!

On the other hand, I hated the idea of spending money on said car, a very temporary item, at least for us. In our bigger view of our future we do not have a need for a car. We will have the scooter, 3 bicycles and our dinghy (soon to come) but definitely -  NO CAR! I hated the fact that most of the reasons for getting the car were "wants" not "needs". Mostly, I hated that I was putting money towards something that wasn't going to accelerate our cruising "shove off" date. Yet, I made the decision anyway.

Here she is ... I'm calling her *Mellow* mostly because she looks like a marshmallow and slightly because I need to be reminded to just - be - mellow. I know this decision will turn out to be beneficial (Christmas tree hauling by bicycle would look quite funny) and there's always the fact that we will sell her before we do take off, because we will. Eventually.

In the meantime, I'm enjoying expressing gratitude for the ability to work hard and get the things we want and experience the freedom of a longer range of motion that "Mellow" provides in forward and in reverse!! ;)

Wine Theater

Being  a natural born BIG MOUTH, I love to support my friends in the endeavors and shout their praises from the fly bridge!. Today, I am promoting Chip. He's a great friend, comic genius and a fellow sailor aboard, SV Cara Mia a 38' Island Packet! We first met Chip & Tammy in Black Point, Exumas, Bahamas at The Scorpio Bar during happy hour. Chip came over to our table where each of us (Gia, GR, myself & my sister)  had a computer in front of our face. We were donning the tell-tale Skype headphones. He commented that we were in fact the future of cruising families! He made us laugh, we were instantly friends. He understood as all cruisers do that while we strive to "get away from it all" but then we still want to be connected to those we love back home. Funny, funny guy!

Fast forward 3 or so years where we bump into them in Coconut Grove. We spent some time chatting over Ribs and craft beer at Flanigan's and even had Tammy over during our Easter Egg dyeing session. Having said all this backstory, we love these guys. Now on with the news. When we found out that Chip & Tammy were moving to Fort Lauderdale about the same time as us we were thrilled! Chip is entering the yachting industry with his "Wine Theater" a unique wine class that takes the snobbery out of wine. Chip is a joke-ster and his presentation will both educate and entertain you all the while helping you become a better host or server!

We will be hosting a Home Show this Saturday May 19th at 4pm, please contact us at MVFelicity(at)gmail.com for more information and directions.
Or to book your own party or class visit Chip's website here.

The " Working Man's Price"!

Just because you have a boat doesn't mean you're not on a budget!

Yachting is Fort Lauderdale's biggest money maker! These mega-yacht owners spare no expense when it comes to their boat. The salaries for a couple full time crew alone can cost up to a million per year, not to mention yacht maintenance and slip fees! Fort Lauderdale is also known as the Venice of Florida because of the hundreds of canals that litter the landscape. One can't go far without seeing boats tied up behind every building and some spectacular million dollar homes. Being here is all part of our "master plan", which is of course, Project Motor Boat. We will be getting Felicity upgraded with some serious cruising equipment like wind generators, solar panels and a generator. Being here gets us much closer to all the connections we have made over the past 4 years with some of the best contractors in the industry!

But today, I bring you a little insider knowledge. Fort Lauderdale is often called the "Yachting Capital of The World" because it is home to thousands of marine businesses that cater to an international community of pleasure craft. What better place to begin to refit your boat, right? If you are a haggler, then yes! Let me let you in on a little insider's secret. These marine vendors are making a killing on the mega yachts! So when you need to rely on a woodworker or canvas shop, remember to ask for the "working man's price"!  Many friends of ours have bad mouthed the area because of high costs and I can relate; sticker shock gets us all. I admit, having a licensed captain and engineer on board sure helps out so we do our own work. BUT Then there are times when we have more money than time or just don't have the professional skill/tools for the job. In that case we still pull the "working man's price" card because everyone has a budget! Most of the businesses we have worked with will negotiate, especially in this economy. Give it a shot, what can it hurt?

Fort Lauderdale seems to go by many names, for us, we are calling her home. Now we can only look ahead to the exciting projects to come.

For now, though, it's back to work!