The In-Betweeners

What's it mean to be in between?

 I sure feel stuck in the middle. 

How about you?

photo cred

Society puts a label on everything and everyone. We all want to know where we stand. What is our place? It used to be so simple. I was a sailor, a cruiser, a live- aboard, a traveler. Now, I'm not so sure this round peg can fit into such a square hole. Could I be having an.... Oh, look, another label - identity crisis?

Sailor? Nope, our only sheets are the ones I sleep in.

Live aboard? No. I don't live in our boat.

Cruiser? I'm not traveling and have no date in mind as to when we may begin.

Traveler? Only in my mind.

When I became a mother I was instantly "in the club." Similarly, when I became a cruiser I was able to associate myself with that group, after sailing some major passages I felt I earned the "street cred." (GR had the street cred from day one!) Now I feel as if all that doesn't matter, how ABSURD!? Discrediting our accomplishments is just another bad habit holding good people back! During times of growth I need to give credit for all that we have done.  Although, we aren't set to cross any oceans we are covering new ground. With the past behind us, we will meet people along our future path with whom we can relate and hopefully our past experiences can help those newbies on their journey.

Living in the age of the internet has made having a social life that much easier; most of our friends live scattered all over the world! At the moment, ironically SO many of my fellow blogging friends in the cruising community are in the middle of some big transitions. I'm happy to have these friends to commune with. It's as if we are currently in the pupa stage, together yet separately. Like the life cycle of a butterfly we are preparing ourselves for something. During butterfly development the adult structures of the insect are formed while the larval structures are broken down. Essentially, we are disconnecting with our larval structures, the portion of ourselves that we for so long, used to identify who we are.

Neil Gaiman said,  “You're always you, and that don't change, and you're always changing, and there's nothing you can do about it.” - The Graveyard Book

Many of my gypsy friends are experiencing some loss. The loss of the familiar. This post is for them and me. Some are selling their boats and moving on to some other amazing dream yet to be fulfilled. Another is expanding their family unit in leaps and bounds. And yet another is doing the shuffle from up north to back down south before winter's crippling cold creeps in. The one thing we all have in common is our understanding that life as we once knew it is gone.

Recognize that the only constant is change. A change of hands, a change of heart, a change of pace.

Where do we fit in? What are we doing to adjust? What can we do?

Whether we are in between jobs, homes or just at a crossroads; moving forward is the only way to cross over. Move forward with life as you know it. Try a little pampering. Remember that there is a reason for all this, you may not see it yet. Meditate, read to absorb knowledge, get prepared and keep a journal or write it out on your blog! Help us learn from what works for you!

For the most part....
“Smile, breathe and go slowly.” - Thich Nhat Hanh

Namaste friends.
Jessica  - I, me 
GR & Gia - Us, we

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.

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?

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.

Home is Where Our Boat is

This scenario happens daily. Generally, after the introductions comes the "where are you from" or "where do you live" question.

"You live on a boat?!" they sigh dreamily. "Oh, I've always wanted to do that."

"Really?" I ask, as wrinkles appear on my forehead. "I'd never even heard of people living on boats!"

I'm from South Jersey and the only boats I'd ever been on were *rough* little Whalers. We'd catch crabs with chicken on a hand line. The only boats I'd seen that looked decent enough to live on were, well, tankers! I know, I know, how the heck did I end up living the "dream"? It's all HIS fault!

When I decided to leave my land life behind I had only been dating GR a little over 10 months. Yes, with toddler in tow, I sold what little I owned and told the landlord I was leaving! We had already purchased the boat together, cruised from South Carolina to Daytona Beach and done a shakedown sail to Abaco, Bahamas. I was sun-kissed and sold on the idea of life aboard with sun-downers at sunset!

Yes, my family and friends thought I was crazy. (not that they didn't already know) They had plenty of well meaning things to say, but I've never been one to listen to them. (this they also know) I always jump into things, especially when I'm in love. Full speed ahead, no regrets, just learning experiences. Fast forward seven years and we are still together AND we still live on a boat. Granted the boats have changed, we are on our 3rd if your counting, and I can't imagine life any other way.

It hasn't always been easy, or glamorous, but the sacrifices we make to live this way don't really feel like sacrifices anymore. I've learned more about different cultures and languages during our travels than I had in school. I became a part of an incredible community of men and women who live aboard.  Everything we own is floating around with us; our cats, our daughter, our precious few material items. We don't own anything else except this boat, our bikes, our car and the scooter. No land. No house. We have been living this way for the past 4 years. We pay for everything (almost) with cash. We try to keep our kitty (living expenses for "cruising") separate from our living expenses while attached to shore (jobs, school). Our plan with Felicity is to 1) fix her up 2) cruise the Bahamas for the full cruising permit time allotted and 3) come back to the US and cruise the East Coast.

Before I lived on a boat, I was not who I am today. Leaving behind the "known" for the "un-known" was the only way I found myself. My true self. I think we are all the best version of ourselves when we push each other to seek out our dreams. Sure, it was his dream to start out but it's our dream to continue.

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!

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!

Traditionally - Nontraditional

Yup, it's *REAL* and it smells soo good!

This year things are a bit different around here but then again every year has been kinda different. I mean that each year we have celebrated the holiday we have been in a unique location generally in the midst of gearing up our boat to head off cruising. We haven't really kept too many "traditions" of our own aside from the usual - wake up Christmas morning with presents from the Big Man and then eating an incredible breakfast. This year GR and I sitting back admiring our super-cozy, floating home all light up and sparkling and said to each other, " So what will we do for Christmas Eve this year?" I was literally speechless. Here in "the real world" we don't have an anchorage full of close friends planning a list of activities for us. We're going to have to come up with something on our own. (scoff) *Also, although we are in Florida, we are still about 4 hours from our "old hometown" full of  family and friends. (We may get the chance to sneak up there at some point but not Christmas week, driving and Christmas just don't sound fun.) So, this year, like many others will be traditionally nontraditional. We picked up a *real* tree, a real BIG, Douglas Fir at that (with the car). She's about 5' tall and smells heavenly. Gia picked the color scheme of our ornaments; silver, blue & white. Reminiscing about where we've been over the years was fun, here's a list of our crazy, mixed up Christmas's as liveaboard boaters.

Christmas over the Years 

2007 - Warderick Wells, Exuma, Bahamas -  Anchored out, dinghied into the park headquarters for a "Proper" potluck (Turkey, Ham, Potatoes, Pies all free) hosted by the park ranger. We had a construction paper tree taped to the bulkhead. Santa called us on the VHF and dropped Gia's Christmas presents on the deck of the boat from his sleigh. (Pearson 424, San San)

2008 - Ponce Inlet, Florida -  We moved back into our house in preparation for the final liquidation of our property. We bought a 12' tree from a guy on Craigslist and didn't have enough ornament to make it look quite right! We invited many family and friends over to celebrate with us while we had the "big" house one last year. Gia got a boombox for her room. (Recently boat-less and in the market)

2009 - Marathon, Florida, Boot Key Harbor -  On a mooring surrounded by totally cool liveaboards our cockpit donned LED, multi-colored lights and handmade decorations. Several friends got together on various boats for different gatherings, that community was the best, lots of kids around! We picked up a tiny, table-top tree and made most of our ornaments by hand. It was a cold, cold winter that year and we actually had to buy a heater! YES, in Florida! (36' Ericson, San San)

2010 -  Miami, Florida - On a mooring at Dinner Key Marina, we still had our table-top tree and our cockpit decorations with lights. This time, I worked ALOT and so did GR. We were so focused and had Guatemala on our minds! (36' Ericson, San San)

2011 - Miami, Florida - New boat for us, the start up with this one was hard since we sold everything we owned (yet, again) with San San . Thankfully pulled into the slip a few days before and grabbed a Rosemary tree from local market in between trips to and from work. New boat, new $kitty$! (50' Hatteras, Felicity)

2012 - Fort Lauderdale, Florida -  Docked, covered in lights, nice tree and working but not TOO much! All three of us are home together and will consider this one of many years that we are super blessed. Gia will make the cookies for Santa all by herself this year. (50' Hatteras, Felicity) 

It's fun to think back on all the places we have been and where we "think" we are heading but the truth of the matter is all that counts is where you are right now and loving every minute of it! Happy Holidays to you wherever you may be, from all of us on Felicity.

Home for the Holidays.....Or Not.

Happy Holidays!!

When was the last time YOU were home for the holidays? Cruisers, yachties and many others such as ourselves are often subject to spending the Thanksgiving, Christmas, and even New Years in unique locations surrounded by *new* faces. It can be fun and exciting to dine "potluck" style and to be introduced to new traditions but it can also be hard for families to cope without their loved ones.
 
Being in the yachting industry (or any service industry for that matter), holidays and weekends just aren't the same. Typically, we ("yachties") work every weekend and every holiday; it's just expected. It just comes with the territory. We work for people who work hard and want to play hard with their families aboard their *awesome* yachts, can you blame them?! Thankfully, owners' are using their boats. keeping us working and keeping us in the green. A recent study by The Triton, a local yacht crew publication shows crew perspective regarding working through this time of year. Some don't mind, some hate it but either way there's no getting around it.

Through the years we have found ways of getting around the separation.
You could celebrate at another time of the year when time off is more acceptable.
You could celebrate in unique ways like by using modern technology to be a part of your family party via Skype or Facetime.
Or you could just quit your job and go home! (At your own risk, of course)

Seriously, this year we are super thankful to both have great gigs that allow us more freedom during the holidays, meaning we will both be home on the "big" days. All three of us will go to sleep on Christmas Eve and wake up together to open presents, eat an incredible breakfast and spend the day playing with our new things and just plain enjoying ourselves. This year we are doing it right!

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!! ;)

Travelers with a Boating Problem.

The question is Sailor? or Traveler?

• Sailing - The fine art of getting wet and becoming ill, while going nowhere slowly at great expense.

• Travelling - To go from one place to another, a journey. 

The answer is ....

I have always been a gypsy soul; prone to wandering and unable to stay in one place for a long period of time.  Sailing only came into my life in the last 10 years, when I met my soul mate. (awwwww!) When we met I really had no idea how to sail or how the change of lifestyle would affect me.  He told me his dream of sailing through the Caribbean and living on a boat. We spent countless hours on Yachtworld.com looking for the perfect boat. (We are still looking by the way.) Well, that sounded right up my alley! Little did I know I would dry heave for an entire 8 hours while we slogged along at a painstakingly slow 6 knots on our first Bahamas shakedown sail. (I now know that 6 knots is actually a great speed, as long as your not ill.) Once the sun rose and that unmistakable cerulean blue water illuminated the sea before my eyes I knew my yakking was not in vain. As the dolphins breached and danced in our bow wake I thought to myself, “This is so worth the pain and embarrassment of seasickness.” Over the past 7 years of cruising we have been to over 15 different countries and seen too many cultures and landmarks to count. That my friend is living! 

Sailing is fun, but I could just as easily hop on a plane, train or in an automobile if my goal is simply getting there.  Not to mention sailing is still the most inexpensive way to travel considering the cost of fuel these days. I’m not sure I would sail around a lake or just go sailing every weekend just to “get out there”. I mean I didn’t do it before and living aboard doesn’t allow for very many “leisure sails”. To me, traveling is what boats were meant to do. I have often asked, “Why would anyone want to live on a boat that doesn’t travel?”  The cramped quarters, the lack of shower, refrigerator or air condition are all things that personally I have only gone without only as a compromise to the simple fact that I was living in paradise; even if it was temporary.

In our case this lifestyle is truly about the journey, learning and fixing and growing along the way. Ghosting along under a full moon with all the wind Gods shinning down on you can be magical.  And pulling into a new harbor with excited eyes that just soak up everything the island has to offer is what keeps me cruising. However, you can’t be in a hurry and you have to be ready to expect the unexpected.

Originally, sailing felt like vacation.  We sailed through the Eastern Caribbean stopping at every different island experiencing their cultures, food and landscapes. Yet in the back of our minds there was still a home to go back to; a King sized bed to long for, a walk in closet, a garage, a yard. So when the sun beat us down, when the leaks came through the cabin, when the bugs ate us alive we had something to dream about. Going home. But then, being home left us restless, we knew that we could never be content in one place for the rest of our lives. The search began for another boat. We sold the house and the cars and moved aboard full time. With nothing to look back at we were able to come to terms with our new home and our new lifestyle with wild abandon. We learned to adapt to the changes that come with leaving your homeland and entering  strange new countries with different values, foreign languages and unique foods.

Sailing, like we see in the movies rarely happens. When it does, yes, it is magical and perhaps that is why we all keep going out there. Over my experience there are some things I have learned about myself. What I do and don’t like. I do not like the jerking motion associated with rough seas. I am a fair weather sailor. Generally speaking that means we leave with light winds because heavier winds mean bigger seas. Lighter winds mean we run the engine. We have never ever felt bad about the fact that we are motor sailors, let those other wind junkies go slogging out there in 6 foot seas, not me, not me. I do not enjoy spending days on a constant heel. I do not enjoy taking spray over the bow without the comfort of a dodger to hide behind or inside steering station. Been there, done that, got the t-shirt!!

Hence the fact that we now live on a power boat. Yes, we gave up our deep keel and white sheets for Detroit Diesels. We still want to travel, we don’t want to commit to a house on land, nothing could keep us away from boating. Having our experiences and our choices we also now want comfort, space and speed. Felicity affords us all of that. For us, we have lived on the sailor’s side, we loved it and we learned many things. For now, we are on a different path but we are still traveling and we will never stop.

Travelers? Yes. 

Travelers with a boating problem? Definitely!

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

I got a "new" kind of feeling!

May 1st, new day, new month, new location, so much newness in the air...

Mother's Day stickers plastered tiny, wrapped chocolates and perfume jars, lotions and teas shouting a guilt laden spiel to children of all ages! I thought to myself quickly, "Did I get something for our moms?" forgetting that I had.

Pictured here with "new" duds and her budding morning glorys.

Gia and I walked around the local "fancy", cluster of shops on Sunrise Blvd. We were bombarded with material possessions on display. We buzzed in and out with a new backpack for Gia's debut at the new-to-her school; a bright blue VANS job did the trick. The next day she picked out a new helmet for the commute. There is quite a bit more traffic moving on these roads compared with that of Coconut Grove. We painted her nails with a new, blue nail polish.

She is growing in leaps and bounds.  I never thought nine years would seem so short. Can you believe it's been six months since Felicity? May is a busy month for me. First, my youngest sister has her birthday, then Mother's Day, then GR's birthday, then my own day of birth celebration! It's also the last month of school for Gia until fourth grade! Seriously folks, I wasn't kidding.

Welcome May. I got a "new" kind of feeling, how about you?

Wishing you your own felicity,
Jessica, GR & Gia

Change of Scenery

I'm so happy to release our BIG NEWS!

It's official - we are moving to Ft. Lauderdale! 

After 5 months of living aboard Felicity in Coconut Grove, we are moving to be closer to GR's work. Can you believe he has been commuting by bicycle and public transportation for almost 5 hours just to get to & from work? Me neither! Five months of getting up at 5 am just to get to work at 8 am. Five months of arriving home at 6 pm when his day is finished at 4 pm. Wow, what a guy!

Gia has been studying her butt off at school to pass a state mandated test called the FCAT. This week is her opportunity to show the state exactly how hard she has worked since November when she began her 3rd grade public school experience. Gia is so happy that she got the chance to meet up with her friends from Coconut Grove Elementary again, but she is definitely ready for a change. The rigorous schedule that her class has followed has allowed her to see that Home-School is awesome! Maybe next year we will continue with that plan for 4th grade.

As for me, I have given notice to both The Bookstore in The Grove & Sale Rack. I'm sad to leave them but also excited about what lies ahead! Oddly enough the girl who is taking my position at The Bookstore is also taking my position at Sale Rack too! So I think everyone is happy with the seamless transition!

Coconut Grove is one of our favorite places to live but we have never lived in Ft. Lauderdale. Our new dock will include, WiFi, Cable (with 5 HBO channels), a Swimming Pool, and it's only 3 miles from GR's job! We will be spending more quality time working on Felicity, instead of commuting! The grocery store is only 1 mile away and the beach is about 5 blocks down the road! All of the conveniences being close by is helping u avoid purchasing a vehicle, which we are really against. We don't want the expense and we love the exercise we get from biking everywhere!

This weekend was big in getting us ready for our trip up to our new home. Our official moving date will be April 28th.

Wishing you your own felicity,
Jessica, GR and Gia

Stove Options

When we bought Felicity one of the exciting things for us was the ability to turn a boat that was originally set up to stay put, at a dock, into a boat that could thrive "unplugged". Today, as we ordered our brand new 20" gas range we made a big step in that direction! This will be the first of many Project Motor Boat PROJECTS. It wasn't easy making the final decision and there were a couple of hangups along the way. Here is a short list of the things we were confronted with in making our choice. 

1. Ordering - Once we found the model we liked we looked up dealers in our area. The dealer would not take our credit card over the phone and wanted us to mail a check or deliver one personally to his showroom. Well that was totally inconvenient, so the online ordering began.While I haven't minded buying parts or books online I had a few reservations about buying such a big ticket item through a company that I didn't know and wasn't sure I could trust. I made sure to shop around looking carefully at each website for secure looking features. I even called each website that was a possibility just to hear their customer service and policy information.

2. Shipping Costs - I thought shipping a stove that weighs 110 lbs would be astronomical but I was wrong. Thankfully, the cost was about 18% of the cost of the unit. One company estimated just $26 for shipping and a red flag flew up for me with them, I figured the end result would not be good. Reasonable rates for shipping portray some semblance of legitimacy, for me anyway.

3. Style - Basically, there are 3 colors black, white or stainless and I feel strongly about each. In our galley we already have a white fridge so if we were to go stainless the fridge would feel a bit out of place. Black is dark and would totally not match with our cabinetry, our wooden walls or our small open space. So that left white and simple.


After I felt confident with our choice we pulled the trigger and expect delivery by March 25th. The two main brands we were interested in were Danby and Avanti. We went with the Danby DR2099WGLP as seen above! Before we put in the new stove we need to also install some 20 lb propane tanks as well as sand and varnish the floor! Hip, hip hooray for projects! Projects inevitably lead to more blog posts!

Until next time...

Felicity's Five Favorite Items to Drool Over

"Good plans shape good decisions. That's why good planning helps to make elusive dreams come true." - Lester Robert Bittel

To say that we look at West Marine or Lewis Marine catalogs very often would be an understatement. I venture to say we are not the only ones though. I mean who doesn't love scanning through the pages of all that fancy gear and dreaming of having it on their own boat? Why not dream big, right?

Since it's Miami Boat Show weekend, I see it only fitting to mention our five favorite items to drool over:


12' Livingston Dinghy w/ a 30 hp Yamaha - Yes, we will absolutely get another Livingston dinghy! We had so much fun with our last one we can't think of a reason not to! We are excited to go a size up because the 10' was great for the three of us or even another full size human, but if we had two extra adults along for a ride we weren't able to plane. Since we plan to have more guests along in our now bigger boat we plan to be able to get up on a plane and hit the beach in style!


Tecma Silence Plus Heads - Sure two heads are better than one, but we've got three and only one is operable. GR was exposed to these bad boys through the current yacht he works on and he is sold! The design is easy on the eyes with clean lines, keeping all the hose under wraps. They are affordably priced at under $1,000 and operate electronically so none of that hand operated pump action. Guests will feel right at home when they just push a button to quickly and silently flush. The system has programmable flush cycles that even prevent flushing when the tank is full.


Northern Lights 10KW Generator - The difference in the technology of models built in the 1960's and today is enough to want to replace the generator not to mention the difficulty in getting parts that dated. The Northern Lights 10KW weighs less than half of what our current generator does and would offer double the fuel efficiency. The goal of Project Motor Boat is to create a live aboard motor yacht that can be as efficient as a live aboard sailboat. We don't plan on staying at the dock forever and the sooner we get to self sufficiency the sooner we can get cruising!


Magnum MS4024 Inverter Charger - Basically we will need this unit to operate the reefer; something we have grown to depend on! Although, we currently have a household refrigerator I would love to eventually have an RV style counter depth unit that would be more efficient. Our boat is currently on a 32 volt operating system which makes this unit perfect for us to slowly make the switch to a 24 volt system.


Ocean LED Underwater Lighting - You've seen them, those boats that light up the night making their own personal anchorage aquarium show! WE WANT TO BE THAT GUY! I can't tell you how long we have pined over hauling out and installing these incredibly efficient LED lighting systems. To be precise
we need to 2010 HD flush mount model. These models are easily accessible from inside the hull for maintenance and even offer color changing abilities depending on the type of water you are in! It's so cool!

So, tomorrow I will finally get the chance to make my rounds at the 2012 Miami International Boat Show and hope to make stops at these booths for more information and more drooling! See you there!

Parent to Parent

"I prayed God would give me an awesome life; I think he just made me famous!" - Gia

Okay so, after yesterday's post and comments I have to say that not only is Gia awesome, (I mean I am a little biased) but all boat kids are awesome. I got to thinking and every single one of our best friends live on boats. There's Sebastian on Jamoco, Maya & Finn on Tranquility, Arias on Necesse, Jade & Marc Antoine on L'Eau Dace 4, Storm on Cat and many many others I forgot to mention. We keep in touch with these kids through an awesome website, kids4sail.org run by an incredible boat mom as a way to foster play dates and get the kids to keep in touch with their friends even after they sail away!

Kids that live on boats have more responsibilities, they are more aware of their surroundings and learn nautical language as well as boat handling skills on top of their every day studies. Since the sailing lifestyle includes a lot of travel they are able to adapt to change and make friends quickly helping them to fit in anywhere. I'm so happy that we were able to share our lifestyle and education choices with the South Florida region through WSVN Channel 7 and hopefully even further by sharing the link with our sailing friends from all over the world!

Please take a minute and view the video. If you' d like to share it with someone that is interested in learning more about alternative education or sailing with children please do.

Click here

Felicity's Five Favorite Marinas

We have never been a fan of docks. They can take a huge bite out of the cruising kitty; but let's face it marinas can be a necessary evil. Choosing a marina to stay in for one or more nights can be a daunting task. Having up to date information and/or good cruising guides can really make the search easier. Sometimes we would just take a stab in the dark by calling random marinas that were close to where we'd be stopping and ask a few key questions. 

No matter the amenities, price is the biggest factor. Many marinas will have some but not all the amenities included in the price of dockage. That is where you compare the amount of time you are staying on the dock to the cost of the slip. Are you getting your money's worth?

In keeping with the theme of "Sailors gone Power" I must say that in the sailboat, dockage was almost never beneficial for us because we were completely electricity free. There was no reason to plug in, no refrigeration, no air condition and any of our power draws were handled by our wind generator. However, on Felicity, we "need" the dock. We have a generator that doesn't run (yet) and an electric stove, fridge, heat and air conditioning AND 32 volt lighting! Needless, to say when we began our cruise down the inter-coastal we stopped (almost) every night at a marina in order to cook and heat the boat. (North Carolina in November, need I say more?)

Since we stayed in so many marinas, I decided to give the ones that were worth our while a little love by recommending them to all of you! If you find yourself in this neck of the woods you won't be disappointed and I'll tell you why not...

Ocean Isle Marina 

North Carolina just 2 miles east of mile mark 335.5

Ocean Isle Marina will always have a special place in our hearts because it was there where first laid eyes on our new girl, Felicity. OCM has all the benefits a traveling cruiser needs, internet, shower and laundry facilities, fuel, and water. There were hardware stores, grocery, eateries as well as thrift stores nearby and car rental was easy! They specialize in winter storage due to their location in North Carolina and their ease of access out the inlet attracts many center consoles and sport fishing vessels. They have dock space for up to 30 vessels but could also accommodate larger vessels as they have a few long spaces. OCM gave a us a very warm welcome into our new venture of power boating. The staff was friendly and helpful in helping us get off the dock and underway. Gia made friends with the resident dog, Toby, a Labra-doodle and even got us a walk on the beach with Toby's pet, Tim.

Osprey Marina

MM373 Myrtle Beach SC

Osprey Marina is by far the least expensive, $1 a foot! Seriously! When we called they weren't sure they had room for us, so we waited for a call back. Sherry, Osprey Marina manager called back to let us know they had "made" room for us. We were a bit curious but found out after we arrived a marina employee who lived aboard moved his boat just so we could have that slip. Talk about accommodation! We were instructed to go to the office and get our "welcome gift". The office shares a space with a well stocked mini market and a cafe/grill. Sherry, the sweetest lady invited us to free crackers with all the jams, jellies and butter we'd like to try! After we settled up she handed us a gift bag filled with goodies! They also offered, free internet that was easy to access from inside the boat.

*Recently, we even received a call from Osprey Marina, to thank us for staying with them.

Port Royal Landing Marina

Beaufort/Port Royal SC MM 539

This marina dazzled us with their excellent customer service. They had internet service, cable, and water. There was a charge for electricity but it was minimal. We called in and were given easy instructions to pull up to the face dock. The same person who spoke to me on the phone tied up our lines and when we were tied off he reached to shake GR's hand and said, "Welcome to Port Royal!" That right there, that small but powerful, southern hospitality struck a chord with us. We have told everyone about the place ever since! It didn't end there. We have always joked about finding a marina with a courtesy car. Well, yup, they had one. Although, we didn't need it, we did giggle knowing we had finally hit one of those marinas!

*Port Royal Landing Marina did not hesitate adding us to their e-mailing list and we even received a post card thanking us for our patronage!

Fernandina Harbor Marina

On the Florida/Georgia Border @ MM716

What a great welcome into Florida. Stopping at Fernandina was a great way for our friends from Georgia to come over and see us! Staying in Fernandina was a fabulous treat! I love the vibe of that old time Florida town. There are many shops nearby house in those old brick buildings that transport you to times gone by. Fernandina Harbor Marina has one of the largest face docks offer 1,000 ft of space and it gets filled pretty quickly. They offer fuel, laundry and internet access as well as cable and water.

Dinner Key Marina

25.43.9 N  80.14.3 W  Mile 1095

We are now able to call Dinner Key our home. Officially, we are tied up to the dock on Pier 7 and we are content. We are so busy with work that we haven't had too much time to dig in to many boat projects but being at the dock allows easy access to shore for work and school. Dinner Key has a friendly staff and water & electricity are included in the dockage. However steep the price, we know that we have it good living on the water. The homes on shore rent for far more than we pay so we feel we are better off since our home can carry us wherever we please in good time! Coconut Grove is an awesome location allowing for us to feel the city vibe of Miami but still be in a small village where everybody knows our name.


Wherever you are, remember that you can always change your attitude even if you can't change your scenery:)