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!!

A list...For Those Who Love Numbers

Our cart is full and running over...

Logistically speaking our current inventory of supplies is quite comical, especially since it's spread out among every room in our boat. It seems no matter the size of the ship - if your under construction -  your swimming in products! We've stockpiled like we are preparing for a refit apocalypse. For those who like numbers here's a quick list of what our receipts have looked like lately!


5 Fiberglass Mat Sheets 38 x 90
3 Roving Fiberglass Sheets 50 x 24
9 Gallons of Lacquer Thinner
3 Gallons of Denatured Alcohol
4 Quarts of Matterhorn White Awl-grip Paint
1 Quart of Moon Dust Awl-grip Paint
31 Mixing Buckets (1, 2.5, 5 and 10 Quart)
28 Paint Brushes
160 pairs of Disposable Gloves
10 Tack Cloths
3 Pallets of Balsa Core
Innumerable amounts of sanding discs, sand paper and grinding discs
Copious amounts of foam rollers, paint trays, duct tape, plastic covering...


This is bare essentials. This is also just what got us through the fly-bridge paint job and down to the point where we started purchasing gallons upon gallons of West System Epoxy. Now that the deck work is done, we have resumed painting. Hopefully we have enough to get 'er done!!

Pardon Our Mess.

Deck Work: Re-Coring

Here is a glimpse of what our entire deck looked like piece by piece over the course of 10 weeks.

Microscopic flakes of opalescent dust dance threw the air to the unpleasant screech and squeal of a grinder. Magical and toxic; exhilarating and exhausting. Quite easily the most difficult process of Felicity's facelift. Encompassing just over 10 weeks we were riddled with itchiness, played musical rooms, we struggled to create space for an amazing amount of supplies and we mentally limped along hoping to see an end in sight.  Financially, this project commanded our attention and we had no choice but to suffer boredom as we couldn't afford to do much else.

In reality, we did manage to get a few things done but none of that came to mind until just this moment, as I am now able to stand up from the rubble and smile at our accomplishments. If you are into numbers, I'll follow up with a post of just how much product we consumed. If you are into wallowing in sorrow, you won't find that here 'cause at the moment, I'm freaking ecstatic!

As I've had time to think about why this project seemed so difficult for us there is only one answer I can come up with.

We had to pay for someone else to do the job.

Typically, we do ALL our own work. (I use the term "we" lightly, mostly GR does the hard stuff.) I mean on previous boats, we painted our bottom, painted our decks and installed our on engine even, BUT this time around we had to (4 letter word) work. (Ahhhhh) The work we get paid to do, so we could afford all the products and the dockage and well the list goes on. With our last boats we were able to stop working, focus solely on our boat and seemed a whole lot happier to go to sleep with bits of wood and paint in our hair. This time, we were just going to work all day and spending our nights buying supplies. "What's he doing drinking the lacquer thinner?" I asked G one day after a particularly crappy day of driving South Florida's deadliest stretch of I-95. I mean we were buying 5 Gallon containers of it?! While I am sooo thankful that we didn't actually have to crawl around on our hands and knees in paper suits grinding fiberglass and pouring epoxy in between spells of torrential downpours and 92 degree scorchers there is a large portion of me that thinks we were cranky that we weren't working on our boat.

Satisfaction comes rolling in when you are able to touch and feel the progress being made on your floating home. That's what we'd been missing.


I'm happy to report the "worst" of it is over. We can now resume painting which is nothing compared to  fiberglass work.

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!!

Reality Check

Well, hello out there! (echo, echo, echo)

It's been FAR too long since I've logged onto this blog to make a report on our progress (or lack thereof).

I feel like we've been completely consumed by the "real" world. The life of responsibility. Wake up, look presentable (is this clean? sniff), feed everyone, make lunches, beds, clean  the cat box, toss the garbage, drive Gia to school then me to work in traffic - Work - WORK, then drive back home in traffic, Traffic - TRAFFIC!! Make dinner, do homework, feed the cats, clean the lunch boxes, do some kind of boat project, shower?? Have I mentioned it's been a LONG time since I had a 9 - 5? I wasn't just working 5 days a week either, I was picking up gigs left and right for charters. Days that can last up to 15 hours. I was tired. All work and no play.

Last week, I had a breakdown. I should have stopped to use a restroom as soon as I felt the urge. But I was in a rush, right? Got to get to work on time! To my surprise the highway suddenly turned into a parking lot, a horrific accident shut 95 down at midnight - it was now 8:30am. After 2 hours my eyeballs were yellow and I'm pretty sure I developed a twitch in my eye! I didn't realize how much I was wrapped up in this hustle bustle shit! My blood pressure rose; my nerves were shot. I had premonitions of a major wreck on highway 95 with every tap of the brakes. Because I wear my heart on my sleeve everyone noticed. I didn't know how to turn it off. I wanted to throw in the towel. What was the root of the problem?

I wasn't living in the present moment. All the projects that need to be done, the supplies to be purchased filled my mind. I held my breathe  and clutched the wheel as I pushed pedal to metal rushing to make some deadline, to punch a time clock. What the heck!? I haven't felt this - EVER! What could I do? Well, for starters I decided to get the heck off the highway. Now, I take a nice leisurely cruise down US1. The speedometer doesn't reach 50mph. I hit every light. And I don't give a flip. In fact, I crank up the tunes and chill out. After taking this step back I see other vehicles filled with "rushers"; zigging, zagging in and out only to end up beside me. I say a silent pray that they too will slow down.

Que Sera Sera - Whatever will be, will be. There will always be things on my mind, projects to do and lists that need doing but as long as we stay in the here and now, the future can wait.

A big part of what's going on right now aboard Felicity should be recorded and it will, eventually. I mean it's pretty major stuff! But I'm so tired, I'm so pulled in other directions I haven't been able to steal away. The reason there aren't more blogs out there that describe every detail all the amazing things that take place during a boat refit is because it's time consuming, it's hard on the body AND the mind! So, please be patient with us and me as we slowly pump out updates.

Namaste!
Jessica
xox

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.

A Long Awaited Ride

Can you believe it's been over a year since we took a ride on our old Livingston dinghy in Guatemala!! We can't either. When we brought Felicity from Ocean Isle Marina in North Carolina back in November of 2011 we were tender-less all the way until Fort Lauderdale 2013! How did we survive? Ugh, well we've been dock-dwellers. We have learned to get used to living the dock life but we haven't lost sight of our goal to make Felicity a modern day, energy efficient, cruising machine! Even if it was an impulse buy getting our dinghy set up was a major step in leaving dock life in our wake.

Although, we aren't quite ready to trade in our dock lines for anchor or mooring line, we are able to move forward with our next phase of life. We will soon have a new location complete with new scenery and better access to many of the contractors who work on boats including a woodworkers, fabricators and general labor to help us with removal of the old generator, installation of new batteries, installation of our new windlass, varnishing the double doors in the main salon etc.

This weekend was THE perfect weather for a long, lazy ride down the ICW and up the New River. Check out some pictures from our adventures.

Gia & Savannah - Boat Kids

Captain & Me and our 12T with 20 Hp Yamaha

Our friend, Sandy with her 8' Livingston, even her small outboard gets her on plane!

Day of purchase, delivering the boats down New River - GR, Adam & Sandy following.

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!!

Boating Stigmas

Image found here.

After two sailboats and two distinctly different cruises through the Eastern & Western Caribbean we purchased a power boat. (Begin SCOFF) Felicity, a 1968 50' Hatteras was (in our minds) the end-all-be all. The. Perfect. Boat. (for us) Honestly,we were a little anxious to reveal this monstrous boat that lacked a mast, sail and a deep draft. Why? Well because for centuries sailors and power boaters have not seen eye to eye. It seems your either one or the other NOT BOTH! You  can't straddle the proverbial line between laid back sailor and stuffy, wake throwing power boater! Yet, here we are. Decidedly in love with both types of boats and the lifestyles that accompany them. We are able to talk from both sides of the coin thanks to experience and quite frankly, we may "someday" become sailboat owners' again.

So what's it like to be a rag-bagger and a stink-potter? A blow-boater and a WAFI (wind assisted F****** idiot)? Well, really it feels no different. I don't mind being both. But I do mind the fact that while we haven't changed peoples' reaction to us sure have. I've met losers and real winners from both camps. It doesn't matter the type of boat, AT ALL!

I don't like the stigmas. To each his own. Yet, from the fly-bridge I sure do see things differently. I see that regardless of the boat we surround ourselves with we are one and your actions speak louder than words. That being said I have advice for both sides,

Please wave "Hello!" to all vessels that pass.
Please know & follow the "rules of the road!"
Please use your VHF, communicate with traffic.
Please use common sense and compassion.
Please practice patience, for your own good and the good of others.
Please be aware of your wake and know that you ARE responsible for any damage left by that wake.
Please be aware of your vessel at all times and keep annoying sounds to a minimum (halyards, noisy generators).

I merely write this post to remind us all that when stripped of our sails and engines we are all just brothers and sisters with a passion for adventure on the water!

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!

Guest Head Project

To say we needed a new look in our heads was the understatement of the year!! With one wall painted  faded robin's egg blue and the other two walls bright white, blue, marbled Formica counter top, fluorescent lighting and gold towel racks it felt like an out-dated hospital room. Visiting first thing in the morning and last thing before bed this look was really on my last nerve! Our little girl loves to gather paint swatches from Home Depot so when I told her I was going to gather some myself she was thrilled to have a "partner in crime!" My idea was obviously to warm up the room with some earth tones but I also wanted to find a "brown" that could give the illusion of wood. As much as I'd love to tear the room apart, we do live here and we are just trying to make do with what we have NOT re-invent the entire space! So... after weeks of looking at the swatches on the wall and embracing our vision we decided to take the plunge and commit already!!

I wanted to try out the colors in the guest head first, that way if we needed to make some alterations we could learn now and then our heads would benefit. Typically, I am the one that does anything aboard that requires a brush. Brushing our hair, scrubbing our shower, floors, decks etc and painting or epoxying are all my favorite!! Seriously! After all the materials were purchased and set up in the head I was pleasantly surprised to come home and see my  handy (& sexy) man was already getting his hands dirty! First, we had to remove the terribly tacky gold-plated, brass towel bars. We filled any holes, sanded the walls and then prepped by wiping down with alcohol. The rest is history because we used up a whole date night to finish it up. Yeah, we were THAT excited!

I'm really pleased with the colors and can't wait to see how it will come together once we change out the counter top with colors that will match and modernize hardware. So, now that the guest head is painted and the Captain's away, I get to dig in myself and take care of our head!! On that note, I'm off to get that DONE!!

"Locked Out of Heaven" - Bruno Mars

New Favorite Song Here!

Lately we've been doing a whole lot of working, the kind we get "paid" for AND we are in a holding pattern. We each have our little routines; little one goes to school everyday, I go to yoga and work and Cap'n is scarcely seen as his yacht is on two trips within the next two months. That being said work aboard Felicity is at a stand still. On my "off" days I'll be prepping and painting the engine rooms or prepping and painting our heads. Two major projects that will *hopefully* be finished sometime in February are the completion of our fuel system (more on that in another post) and the addition of a shiny, new head (that's marine speak for toilet). That is about as far ahead as I can forecast our lives. In the meantime, to make up for our lack of interesting posts here is one of my *newest* favorite songs to listen to as I tinker aboard! Bruno Mars is really showing us his influences in this track with flavors reminiscent of The Police and even a lil' Bob Marley! Check it out, hope it makes you wiggle a little!! ;)

Workbench & Drawer Complete!

Here is the "final" photo of our latest project. We began this awesome improvement about a month ago when we replaced our water heater and found we could really use the space above to create a workbench and drawer. The drawer's only hardware is the handle as it slides on it's on "hull" if you will between two grooves that act as a track. Along with this project came the task of painting the engine room and I worked on that the other day. We are using Rustoleum's oil based white paint  ($15 per Q) that acts as a much more economical version of Awlgrip ($95 + per Q) without the hassle of mixing two parts. Considering that we are painting TWO engine rooms from top to bottom we prefer to "watch our pennies so our dollars can take care of themselves!!" Thanks Ben! ;)

"Watch the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves."
Benjamin Franklin

Update: Workbench Project

After an awesome night of tricking & treating, I'm catching up on some house, er...boat-keeping. So, here is a little collage of the work we've been doing in the engine room above the water heater we installed a couple weeks ago. This is one project that seems to have come together rather quickly! Turning misused space into a great use of space complete with a drawer for organization and a workbench that can help us finish more projects! Every time, I turn around another piece is coming together, maybe it's because we've been lucky to have the use of our neighbor's table saw this week and making cuts has been a whole lot easier! Check out the design of the drawer, there is NO HARDWARE!! Nothing to rust or corrode or break! *BONUS* Of course, an engineer would think of that, right!?

Gear we are drooling over now....

We love to talk about the products we are google-ing in our spare time. Lots of people wonder what we are doing when we aren't doing boat projects. Well, wonder no more! We are doing "research", of course! One of the most exciting things about buying Felicity was the fact that many of the projects we wanted to do would not "require" marine products. Meaning we could just as easily ride our bikes down to the nearest hardware store and purchase any number of things to do the job! Recently, we have been doing more research than anything else, check out what we have found!

• Splendide

Wouldn't it be nice to do a load a day? Wouldn't it be nice to quit lugging laundry around? Tired of guessing at what kind of machine your going to get? Or having your favorite things stolen? If you said yes to any of these questions; I'm on your side. This Washer/Dryer combo saves time and headaches. For anyone with kids, guests, pets or enough room to have one of these babies on board this unit will be a lifesaver!;)

• SharkBite Plumbing Fittings

These are a little pricey but they are cool because you can put the plumbing together and take it apart, in case you change your plumbing needs. There is no need to glue them together anymore!

• Raritan Atlantes Freedom with Vortex-Vac

Originally, we want the Tecma Silence Plus but they do not support a 32 volt system. So, we moved on...This head is like the same thing we have only quieter, more compact and aesthetically pleasing; no hoses exposed etc. The biggest thing for us is that they make it in 32 volts. There are NOT many heads that are made with a 32 volt motor.

• OutBack Inverter

Again the big thing is 32 volts. Almost all the Hatteras owners on the forum boast about this make of inverter. AND they support a 32 volt system, BONUS!

• InSinkErator Evolution Excel  - (Garbage Disposal)

Basically, two things draw us to this model the quiet and the fact that it has three chopping sequences to grind even the toughest island fruit rinds!;) BUT mainly the quiet.

Now, we are back to work so we can keep affording this crazy, fun, expensive habit!

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!

Do you know your level?

One of the things both power boaters and sail boaters can agree on is that the price of diesel these days is getting outrageous! Alas,every year during the Spring and Summer we see prices climb. It seems to happen just as we are about to start having some fun on our vacations! Knowing just how much fuel in your tank can mean extra money in your pocket for all those cold drinks! When we purchased Felicity we knew we would need to replace our fuel tank sensors and gauges. Coming down to Miami from North Carolina we would just fill her up every chance we got and monitored the tanks the old fashioned way, with a dowel. But not anymore...

Recently, we partnered up with WEMA USA Inc. We saw this company at The Miami International Boat Show and contacted them to begin the selection of products we would need. Their website explains in great detail just how to decide the right fit for you tanks, see here.  Dealing with the company was a breeze, we called and they answered the phone, big plus these days when most phone numbers are answered by a voice recording!

GR was able to do the entire job in about an hour! He removed the old gauge from our control panel and the two senders from the forward and aft tanks. The new WEMA reed type senders were the same bolt pattern so all he had to do was line them up. Reed type senders were a nice choice for our tanks because we have a lot of baffles (walls that keep the fuel from sloshing around too much) where the gauge is installed.

Overall we can say WEMA USA Inc. has exceeded our expectations by:

• Being just a phone call away. Knowing we could speak to a real, knowledgeable person.
• Having quality product. They were finished well, stainless steel welds all look nice.
• Giving us options. The gauge had an option for red or yellow light. (It's the little things!)
• Ease of operation, installation took all of an hour!

SPECIAL DEAL FOR YOU!!!

Because we love our readers so much, we are passing the savings on to YOU! When you place you order with WEMA, you will receive 20% off your online purchase! If you have been looking around and are ready to make the change your fuel tanks have been waiting for, now could be the best time!

New Sponsors & A New Project

Have you ever heard of WEMAUSA Incorporated? We hadn't either until the 2012 Miami Boat Show. Our goal  at the show was to seek out the companies that had products we were going to need for Felicity's upcoming projects. When we found their booth we took home the packet of materials and kept in our TO DO pile; until yesterday! WEMA has a whole slew of stainless steel products but our eye was fixed on liquid level sensors, fuel and water tank gauges. Their prices are incredible AND we got same day service; there was no waiting! What made WEMAUSA that much cooler? They agreed to sponsor us, so we LOVE them! Please spread the love, stop by their website & their Facebook page and don't forget to tell them we sent you!

Now, a full review of the actual products there will follow once we install these buggers, which I hope will be this weekend. Knowing the amount of full in your tanks is pretty imperative, especially when you want to do some long range cruising! We are going to be busy, busy this weekend getting ready for a boat ride we have coming up. Want to know where we are headed? Hang on to your hats folks and stay tuned because there's more news to come!