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!

Felicity's First Fourteen (knots)

It has been far too long since we took Felicity for a serious ride but after our haul out that's exactly what we did. Although, it was a quick one just before sunset (we are in the process of replacing our Nav. Lights) this ride was exactly the gratification we'd been longing for after all the hard work we've been doing!

This clip shows what our wake looks like at about 14 knots. This is the first time we've actually had her up to this speed. The reason being is she had some fuel issues, which we resolved (at least we think so) back in January.

Here are some more pictures from that quick trip out the inlet.

Did I Just Do That? - Side Effects of Cruising

Symptom #1) New Habits Die Hard

Some people do fist pumps.
I do foot pumps.

At my Grandmother's gleaming white, kitchen sink I pumped my leg up and down searching for the pedal.

That wouldn't have been such a big deal if I had actually been on a boat, where foot pumps are the norm at the galley sink. Noticing her collection of roosters staring at me I swept the dishrag over the counter, oops...that rooster was asking for it.

True story. 

For me, this return to terra firma kept proving just how much I'd changed.  Once recovered from the rooster attack I smiled, I couldn't remember how to act in a land based home. Leaving what I knew and starting anew brought on many emotions. Changes took place in me while I was away that may made me more sensitive, alert, happy and courteous.


Symptom 2)  Slow is the new fast.

Earlier in the day, I was told I could drive the car. (Gram's southern.)

Gram: Jessica.
Me: Yes?
Gram: Honey, you got to drive the speed limit child!
Me: I feel like I'm going so fast!

Yes. Walking can be faster than sailing, did you know that? Our most recent trip we'd done 4 knots all the way to Jamaica. Aboard Felicity, I joke that my cheeks flap at 10 knots!! Seriously though, driving in cars going high speeds wig me out. I rode a bike for 4 years!


Symptom 3) Budget, Budget, Budget

Running an economic cruising boat is something you learn as you go. Budget talk makes me cringe but GR is the money man. Thankfully, for us (me) he enjoys this task. He is constantly figuring costs when planning our next anchorage or our monthly projects all in order to keep our dream alive. When we are cruising we have learned to live more simply and work together as a team as each dollar is viewed as a fuel for our adventures! That being said, life on land becomes this constant negotiation of dollars and cents. Are we spending money that is supporting "the dream" is a question we often ask ourselves.




If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms like these or others, you may need to seek a local happy hour or cruiser's potluck and start sharing stories and laughter!!

I'm sure I've missed a few other symptoms, have any to add?

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.

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!!

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.

It's Not the Size of the Ship...

We've all heard this line before...

It's not the size of the ship but the motion in the ocean.

 Well I'm actually talking about boats here not... well, you know.

I'm going to tell you right now, it most certainly IS NOT about the size of your ship ESPECIALLY at first. The excitement that builds around the very idea of cruising is insurmountable. A floating piece of Styrofoam might seem like the perfect boat after you've been feening for it long enough!  Desperate times, desperate measures?!

In our experience we spent literally thousands of man hours scrolling through boats on the various web sites; YachtWorld, Sailboat Listings, The Florida Mariner and more trying to find our "perfect boat". AND we found it, 3 times!! Once in a 1981 42' Pearson, loaded with generator, A/C, pressurized water, auto-pilot the list goes on. The second time we feel in love with a 1979 36' Ericson that had recently been douched with St. John's river water and left on the hard for a few months (can you say mold, eww!). She was bare bones and we did a complete re-fit. Third times a charm right?? We'd like to think so, Felicity is our 1968 50' Hatteras MY.

All 3 purchases were different times in our lives, different cruising grounds. We felt we had different desires, needs and wants. When it came down to the nitty gritty we just wanted to get "out there"! We liked the looks, we could see past the projects and we went for it. Enjoying the journey along the way regardless of a 20 degree heel or hot food and lukewarm water served up at every meal! We've lived the cruising life from all sides of the coin, power or sail, big or small, it's really all about your personal preference with ships and... well, other things.

Years ago, when I heard other folks talk about how they "needed" refrigeration or a/c  - I laughed. Not gonna lie. Inexperience told me I'd be happy to take off on a Styrofoam raft, boy, was I wrong. I went for 3 years without refrigeration or a/c or even running (pressurized water). At the time, it was "fine." Some days I wished for more but I never "hated" it. The turning point came in Guatemala after a particularly HOT, MUGGY, BUGGY spell. I realized that we really were going to do this for the rest of our lives. I turned to GR, with a sincere look of desperation on my face..."Babe, I'd really love to just get up and walk to the fridge for a cold drink. I'd really love the option to turn on the a/c on a hot, buggy, sticky night. I think I need these options." "Options are nice," he agreed. And with that we began our search for the next boat, Felicity was our answer. We had more reasons for wanting a bigger boat but it wasn't all about space it was more about the utilization of said space.

We didn't pick her name, she came with it but she certainly describes the period in our lives, we are full of felicity;) Big or small happiness can override any discomfort not matter the size of the ship OR the motion in the ocean.

Click on the monkey's fist to read others bloggers on this topic.

The Year for Yamaha!

Yamaha EF2000iS

Meet our "Get By" generator (today) and our "Back Up" (later)! This was yet another impulse buy made by the Captain while he was "escorting" our friend Sandy to purchase her new 6hp "Yammy"! He just couldn't help himself! Bob Hewes Boats, in North Miami, has been incredible to deal with. Their sales and personnel have answered all our questions and their prices are better than competitors! After seeing them online and comparing them to the more popular HondaEU 2000i  he decided, since he's been on a Yamaha kick lately, why not give 'er a go!

Yamaha Zuma

 Our first Yamaha purchase started off with this little baby! She'll fit perfectly on our top deck, next to our tender (dinghy & outboard setup) and gets 132 miles to the gallon allowing for us to scoot around town for parts and groceries!

Yamaha 20hp 4Stroke

AND last but certainly not least our *water wheels*! We've certainly got many, many more hours to put on this motor perhaps towing Gia & friends on a tube or knee board!? Can you say...Yamahappiness?!

Felicity & her crew are certainly happier with all this new gear. For years, we have heard cruisers sing Yamaha's praise for the outboard. We are going to go ahead and test them for the scooter and the generator while we are at it! It certainly is panning out to be The Year for Yamaha!


*We were not compensated by Bob Hewes Boats or Yamaha in anyway for this post.

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.

Two Hulls Are Better Than One

Livingston 12T

(with our dinghy that is) 

So, after about 2 years of pining over this particular model of Livingston catamaran dinghy we pulled the trigger! Our friend, Sandy, was in need of a new dinghy and was tired of dealing with the woes of the inflatable versions. After talking her ear off over how awesome the Livingston was for us, she decided to try one for herself!  Two weeks ago, on a sunny Saturday we walked onto the lot at Power Cats of Fort Lauderdale and began to drool over our future tender. This was maybe the 50 or 60th time Gordon had been by to oogle her, the salesman recognized him, they shook hands and Travis (salesman) pondered aloud, " You going to take this one home today, man?" We hoped to, but it all depended upon weather or not they accepted our cash offer. He played like he couldn't take our initial offer and we told him out right, "Okay, well I guess we will go home then." He reconsidered and retreated to his office to work some numbers, when he returned his counter offer was $38 higher. Again, we were still just tire-kicking, we weren't quite ready to take ownership of another boat, it was just something we kept dreaming of. A way to get back out on the water in between our day jobs, an escape from the laundry list of projects aboard Felicity. We said we wouldn't pay the $38 in hopes that he'd just dig his heels and we could stay in our dreamy comfort zone. Suddenly, the thoughts of buying a new outboard motor, fuel tank, oars, life jackets, anchor, and dock lines hit us smack in the face! Travis laughed, "Oh man! I can't let you down man, I feel like I'm selling the boat to my brother-in-law, I see you more than I see him!" And with that became two boat owners!!

The purchase of our dinghy is a huge milestone for us and we couldn't be happier!

Livingston Boats is celebrating over 40 years of production right here in the USA (Eastern North Carolina) and over 75,000 satisfied customers!!

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.

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!

Keep Your Cord Clean

Photo: 86' Burger (not our boat).

What is that muck that builds up on our shore power cord? Who knows, but it sure is nasty! It's sticky and can leave black streaks on the deck. Want to keep your cord clean? Here's how:

Marine Strip: As bad as this stuff smells it turns out it's not that bad after all. Their website claims it's environmentally safe, biodegradable, non toxic and won't stain or bleach fabrics. However, use it sparingly because it's NOT cheap!!

Mop & Glo: Mop & Glo®  is a multi-surface floor cleaner that is safe for use on tile, vinyl, hardwood, marble, linoleum, ceramic, and no-wax floors but it works great on sealing up the porous surface of your shore cord keeping the black scum from building up again once you've cleaned it with the Marine Strip.

**You might want to wear gloves if you a) enjoy your smooth, moisturized, clean hands or b) don't want to have oddly, super, shiny hands!

Okay, now that you have the two main ingredients for a clean power cord, grab those rags and let's get started. Again, sparingly wet a clean rag with the Marine Strip and rub a test section to see the amazing results. With very little effort the black, sticky scum will transfer from the cord to your rag. You will need to continually change the spot of the rag that you are rubbing with because it gets gummed up and won't actually remove anything it just smears along the cord. It might be a good idea to work in 3 foot sections. Look at that! I bet that cord hasn't been yellow in years!! Now, take another clean rag and saturate with Mop & Glo, apply liberally. Now your cord will not only be clean and smooth but shiny to boot!

After the whole cord is clean, you may want to do this again in a month. After that upkeep is very minimal, depending upon your location. Let me know how it goes! Happy Cleaning!

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!! ;)