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.

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.

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!!

Raft Up: No Man is an (I)sland!

My mother used to say that our family was like a mobile above a baby's crib, each of us connected. If one was "out of whack" the rest of us would be affected, maybe wiggle and jerk around. We were  encouraged to think about each decision we made and the impact it would have on the rest of our home.
John Donne's poem, " No Man is an Island" reminds us that we are in fact all one, connected and the impact is that much greater for cruisers due to the fact that we live in such close quarters!

There are quite a few other factors that make cruising and relationships more challenging than NOT.

• The biggest challenge being the lack of real space we have to separate ourselves from one another. Nothing makes the boat feel smaller than tension! We have instituted the 5 minute rule. Once a conflict has presented itself, the two parties have 5 minutes to resolve it. There is no room on board to continue with the typical silent treatment. Get all your issues out on the table, respect each others opinion, see things from the other parties point of view. Learn to agree OR learn to agree to disagree, period. The end. In the event that this just can't work, try a ride in the dinghy. Sometimes a change of scenery like quiet time on the bow or cockpit. These rules apply to all parties, regardless of age. How quickly things are put into perspective when suddenly the two of you have to work together to deal with a dragging anchor or drifting dinghy. You are then thrust into your familiar roles as team players and all the tension falls away!

• Time spent apart becomes less and less as you shed the financial responsibilities. With no job to report to, no school, no Grandma's down the street to babysit and no real schedule seems to leave everyone wondering what to do with themselves. It takes some time to learn to enjoy yourself, your hobbies or make plans with other cruisers. Fill up your days with boat projects, or home-school followed by an onshore play-date. Keep moving. It's easy to fall into a lazy pattern that can breed stress. As far as romancing your significant other, if you have been together long enough you know that you can make "things work" anywhere with very little noise and movement even while the children and/or guests are less than 20' away! Sometimes, that's all we really need to find relief! Believe me, somehow we always find a way, right?!

• Now that we have covered two main reasons for tension as a live aboard cruiser, Space & Time. Let's talk about how much fun it is to be ALONE!! I loooove me some alone time. AND I don't actually have to be alone to enjoy it.  I can hop into the head and spend an hour by myself plucking my eyebrows, painting my toenails or re-organizing our toiletries! I enjoy reading for hours in a hammock on the foredeck and can completely separate myself from what's happening on the boat even with the sound of the drill screaming in the background! A deserted island isn't often thought of as a dream come true but it seems to be all we keep searching for! As cruisers, by definition we are aiming to be different, to be separate from the rest. Savor your alone time, use it to enhance who you are and then spread your happiness out into the world that surrounds you, don't become a curmudgeon!!

Thanks for reading our thoughts on Relationships on Board! Please check out what our other bloggers had to say by clicking on the icon below.
Namaste.


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

Beautiful Things

I just love this song and wanted to share it with all of you! Hope you like it as much as I do! Namaste.

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.

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.

Ahhh, the Book Exchange

A lot of people ask what we do with "all that time" on our hands when we are cruising, well, I read. I read - a lot! Before we left Miami I stocked up on all those classic authors I never had time for like Ernest Hemingway, Herman Hesse, Charles Dickens & Ayn Rand. When we were sailing long, slow days I dove head first into tales that needed my full attention. Something, I couldn't do when I was caught up in the ho-hum of the daily grind(much like I am now). The first thing I did when we'd get to a new spot was find the book exchange! Packing up my good reads in a canvas bag and unloading & then re-loading with new titles and a BIG grin on my face! Free, Free, FREE! It seems nothing in life is free, except book exchanges!;)

Most every marina office or cruiser lounge has one, sometimes even the local marine shop. Personally, I feel a book exchange is a great courtesy that creates an intellectual space; allowing people to share fiction and non-fiction in a way that is old fashioned, friendly and leaves a warm feeling in my heart. When Gia was a baby, I got books for her that had names inscribed in the covers, sometimes paint stained the torn pages. They were once another child's books and for me that meant something. I have a thing for hand-me-downs. Gia, too, has left several books for other children to enjoy all over the places we have traveled. Once, in the tiny island of Nevis, we donated a few books to the local library and months later when we returned home there was a letter addressed to a 5 year old Gia, thanking her for her donation. I think I shed a tear of happiness. Books are powerful instruments that teach, encourage imagination and inspire us everyday.

Have you found your local book exchange? What are you reading these days?

“Books are a uniquely portable magic.”
― Stephen King, On Writing

 

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.

Cruisers Laundry Etiquette 101

Laundry has always been one of the necessary evils of cruising. I don't know about you but I have found that the best way to do laundry is to go to the laundry room on a Thursday night with an *alcoholic beverage* of choice; load the machine and plop down with a good gossip mag! But, as we all know sometime life gets in the way and it just doesn't happen like that. WARNING: This may not be pretty and I may make some  people mad but, "Hey, the truth hurts sometimes." Also, while we should all really know this already; we could all use a kind reminder. I have come to the conclusion that there are two kinds of people in the laundry room. Inconsiderate *or* Considerate. Here is a list of things that will help keep you in the good graces of the laundering Gods (and your neighbors). 

1. Handling Other People's Stuff - While I am one who will absolutely NOT touch other people's laundry there comes a time when you need the machine that someone has long forgotten about and you just have to move it. If you have waited a reasonable amount of time, at least 10 or more (use your own parameters) minutes since the machine stopped, it's time to decide your plan of action. When removing people's laundry remember this - SH*T happens and sometimes people get hung up, the timer doesn't go off, kids get sick, whatever the reason people do not intentionally leave their laundry to piss you off, so be courteous. Put the laundry in a basket if it's dry or the dryer if it is wet. But DO NOT start the dryer. You are not doing them any favors as some people like to line dry. If you are there when the person arrives be nice, smile, introduce yourself and mention that you are sorry you touched their stuff and you hope they don't mind but you needed the next machine. Generally speaking, that person (if it is you, listen up!) will be thankful and remorseful. The most important thing to remember here is to "treat others as you would like to be treated!" 

2. Don't Be That Guy! - Okay so as you read above, no one wants to touch your stuff, so please be timely about your laundering. Set a timer, bring a book, join the club, we have other things to do too! If you don't want people touching your skivvies then get your butt back to the laundry room on time, or don't even leave. Focus solely on the task at hand and GET 'er DONE! 

3. Clean the Lint Trap - Nothing worse than checking the lint trap and finding animal hair, pieces of crumpled up paper and who knows what in the screen. The unwritten rule is clean it immediately after you remove your dry clothing. While I don't mind finding $money$ in the machine I do mind that fact that I have to touch (eww) whatever it is that you wanted to wash OUT of your stuff. Thanks, but no thanks.

4. NO SMOKING. Seriously, I was in shock when I saw people crowded around the door of the washroom puffing away on those things! While I'm trying to make things smell clean they are right at the doorway stinking it up again. Geesh! Besides, my health I am interested in keeping my clean laundry smelling like the Tide I walked in here with, thanks.

5. Be Organized -Nothing worse than waiting for a machine with a person standing in front of it sorting the whites from the colors. Get your laundry in order. Get your quarters or tokens in advance. Have all the supplies you need before you occupy the machine. You may have walked into an empty room but don't take that as your que to spread out and call it home.

 6. Remember You Are a Guest - This is not your washing machine. This is not your boat or your house and you will have to "share" this space. Be kind, be courteous and be clean. Thankfully, this space was here so you could go have clean clothes. Treat this space as you would better than your own. Wipe down any spills immediately, put garbage in proper location and remember to check and re-check that you have all of your materials and clothing before you leave.

Laundry can be a very touchy subject and hopefully, I haven't offended anyone but this does need to be said. I am no angel I have been "that guy" - believe me. That being said, I totally had a good reason for showing up late and thankfully the person who waited patiently for me to return to my work was super nice. Hence, my affinity for treating people the way you wish to be treated. In any case, I think you will find that you'll have a great laundry experience if you remember this advice. Happy Washing!!!

Wishing you your own felicity.

It's FRIDAY!

When we were cruising and I could never remember the day, I just had to log on to Facebook and see all the posts about it being Friday. Now that we are working "real" jobs, I am fully aware of what day it is. Today, I am happy it's Friday tomorrow I have the day off. But I won't be sleeping in. We will be getting up early to take the boat over the to Rickenbacker Causeway. There we will meet a fuel truck and receive about 160 gallons of fuel. The best price we could get was $4.08 per gallon.  Once we are fueled up we will mosey on back to the marina and do a good wash-down. We need to work on the VHF radio and may need to replace the antennae. So what projects are you doing this weekend?

Stopping to make our mark

Gia is growing so fast...

The saying goes, "growing like a weed" but I venture to say Gia is growing "like a tree", strong and tall! We walk past this park everyday in a bit of a hurry on our way to get home and throw down our bags and our cares from the day . Yesterday, something inside me made me just stop and throw my bag down right there at the park. "Let's just hang here," I said.

We sat in the park and chatted about the events of the day. We reflected on the way time flies and the beautiful sea grape tree leaves that surrounded us. We talked about what it must be like to be a tree, having seen so much change happen around you. At that, I told Gia how much I loved her and that many things in life will change but that will not. In this crazy, busy, uncertain life we lead our impact on the world around us is like that of falling leaves. Someone will see the leaves we have left behind and gauge who we are as a person by them. What kind of leaves are we leaving behind?

We decided to make our mark on some ofthe leaves that surrounded us. Gia took a moment to leave her mark on some leaves.

Crunch Time?

I'm so glad I have you all following along so that I have someone to share this crazy thing we call life with! We got the stove Monday night after we were supposed to have received it Friday night. No harm, no foul right? We were just as happy as clams to get it period. The anticipation was killing us. So we opened the box.

Hmm, something just didn't look right. So we took a closer look. One of the knobs popped off and rolled to the floor.

So, yes, we are in talks with the company and the shipping company to see what we are to do next. Hopefully, they will make it right and we will be up and running in a short time.  The saga of Project Galley continues..

Good Times

Doing a little catch-up on the blog. Here are some photos from Friday night. It was sort of a send off for our friends, Shawn & Curtis on SV Papillon. After hanging with these guys for three months we had to say goodbye. They are going to head north nice and slow taking time to smell the salt air along the way to St. Augustine. Follow along on their blog.

Shawn & Curtis

 

 

GR & Me

By the way, Did you know we have been living aboard for 5 months!? We can't believe how fast the time has gone!

Really, Refrigerator?

After living for the past 3 years without refrigeration we have slipped into the world of comfort pretty easily. Currently we have a household fridge on board. It came with the boat, it's old but it worked fine. But, suddenly the fridge lost her cool. Just to give you all a quick update we kicked off Project Galley a few weeks ago by ordering a new 20" range. Isn't it just fitting that the fridge would go on us? This is how one chore turns into a bunch of little ones.

It's almost as if she knew we were getting new appliances and wanted a replacement herself! My first clue  came on Monday morning, (of course not on the weekend) when I noticed the milk wasn't very cold. I mentioned something to G and he said to call the repair man (since he was at work). Here is where is gets interesting. Repair man arrives, he takes one look at the fridge and says, " You need a new one." Really? "That will be $20," and with that he is gone.

Now I have the magnitude of finding a fridge bearing down on me. Have you ever had to replace a broken refrigerator or other major appliance? It's not a quick and easy job. Typically, you would drive around to various appliance stores in search of the right fit, design and price. For us, we don't drive so getting to a couple of places in one night between 5pm and closing was just not going to happen. We set out to our local Home Depot and were told they had no stock, anything we wanted would be a special order. Booo! We stopped to grab a bite to eat and while we sat, we thought... if we are going to have to order something we might as well get something perfect. The Home Depot salesman was searching through inventory on the Home Depot website, I mean, we could do that! So back home we went, sort of befuddled.

Meanwhile, the freezer is still going strong and now has all of the perishables like milk and yogurt inside. GR gets to thinking, if the freezer is still working something must be able to be repaired to cool the refrigerator part. So we sleep on it, work all day and voila! When GR finally gets home from an extra long day at work at 9:30pm he tears into the fridge! I pulled up a parts breakdown of the current GE model we have and GR took a quick peak into where certain items were before he started dis-assembly. After removing the housing and fan we came up with the lazy culprit causing all the fuss! The motor that runs the fan was not running.

Seventy five dollars later we have the part on order and expect it Friday! 'Til then we keep our fingers crossed. I'm so happy we were not forced into buying another household fridge as the goal here to be more self reliant. A 12 volt system would be better in that way, but we sure would lose a lot of space, so we are torn. One thing is for sure, we will not take our luxury for granted! We should have a running fridge and a brand new range this weekend! Woo hoo! Hurray for handymen!