Retirement Plan Phase II

After talk and contemplation, we have decided to move on to phase 2 of our retirement plan--land cruising.  The SV Tumbleweed is for sale.

http://www.grandslamyachtsales.com/core/listing/pl_boat_detail.jsp?&units=Feet&id=3238965&lang=en&slim=broker&&hosturl=grandslamyacht&&ywo=grandslamyacht&

America's Great Loop--The Retirement Plan

With Doug's impending retirement nearing, concerned friends and relatives are asking "What is America's Great Loop?" America's Great Loop is an adventure designed to take about a year--or more exploring the Eastern United States by waterway.  The route will take us south to the Florida Keys, north up the East Coast through the Intercoastal Waterway, up the Hudson River, through the Great Lakes, through Chicago, and down the Mississippi River--with lots of stops along the way.  Much of the way we will use our inboard motor (a Yanmar Deisel), and hopefully we will get to sail. The trip will be slow (about 5 miles an hour) and there are a couple of places where we will have to remove our mast to pass under bridges.  This route will keep us close to land and is traveled by many people every year--there is even an association for these folks, commonly referred to as "Loopers."  After that we may opt for the Bahamas and beyond . . .

Answers to Common Concerns:

1. How can we contact you? We will still have phones and internet in most places.
2. How will you prepare meals? We have a propane 2 burner stove with an oven and we also have a propane BBQ grill. (We also kept a portable charcoal grill.) We have a water tank, water heater, refrigerator and a very large ice box. 
3. Do you have heat/air-conditioning on your boat? We have a small Honda generator, a portable airconditioner and space heaters. 
4. What kind of safety equipment do you have? We have 3 flare guns (and lots of flares), several life vests (even Trouble has a personal flotation device), 3 working marine fire extringuishers, smoke/noxious gas alarms, weapons, 2 vhf radios with distress signal buttons, lots of tools and spare parts for our vessel.
5. What if your boat becomes disabled? We will have insurance for towing us to a marina to get repairs done, much like AAA for your automobile--and we have a dinghy with a small electric motor (12 volt) that also has sails and can be rowed as well.

America's Great Loop Map - https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1nV-lUkJ4eTi51hm1LH3wr5vCu20&hl=en&usp=sharing

Originally published on www.tumbleweed84.wordpress.com in November 2016.

Scary Stuff Under the Bed

I finally decided how to start a thorough stern to bow inventory of our sailboat contents.  Sounds simple enough, but if you are living aboard while trying to do the inventory, you have to find a place to put the stuff that is in the way of getting to the stuff you want to identify, count and maybe even photograph.  I decided today was the day.  I removed all of the bedding, including mattresses and memory foam pads on top of the mattresses.  This is an opportunity to vacuum and clean the berth (bed) platform which houses storage lockers.  There are three storage lockers under our bed in the aft cabin–starboard, center and port.

Our starboard locker houses one of our batteries, old life lines, and scraps of teak wood for repairs or leftovers from previous owner alterations.

Central locker: holding tank and rudder mechanism.

The center compartment holds a fairly new plastic black water holding tanks (yes a holding tank for poo), the depth sounder and steering mechanism for the rudder.)

Port locker sans contents

.The starboard locker holds more old life lines, and something that appears to be our knotmeter (boat speedometer.)

I take photographs as well, because I may have misidentified an item that my husband is looking for and there are just too many mystery items on a boat to identify them as thingies. The port locker has items that may not respond well to shifting heavy objects, so I have opted to store our winter blankets there along with dry bags and duffles.

So, along with a list and a map of areas and the names I have given each locker, the inventory continues.

Spice Storage on SV Tumbleweed

We love spicy food, but when storage space for spices in a tiny galley is a big issue, so how do you keep those spices on hand?  

I scoured the internet.  I questioned other boaters. And then I started experimenting.  Maybe a small container with multiple spices would do.  So when I saw this at one of y favorite stores and used it onboard.  It is good for a short camping trip, but an unsatifactory solution, but it fits in a very small space.  

Next I tried a wee little multi-spice cabinet box--cute, but just not enough for our purposes.

I tried a solution this great solution proffered by a boater that worked well for her.  She used clear bead storage jar units with boxes. I had to stack the units in my cabinet, which required putting silicone on the bottom of one unit so that it didn't slide around. I was constantly refilling the jars and needed to take both units out every time I cooked taking up valuable counter space.  The jars also were not as airtight as the jars you purchase spices in, so my spices began clumping.  So, I began searching for anothe solution on the internet.  My criteria: 1) easy access, 2) uses jars available anywhere, 3) room for lots of variey, 4) fits in my cabinet, and 5) doesn't rust.

Voila!

Manufacturers photo

I scoured the internet again.  I found a product that seemed to fit my criteria, but it seemed too good to be true.  It wasn't cheap, but if it would work, I was willing to pay.  I found a store in town where I could look at the cabinet,and if my measurements were off, I could return it.  It worked!  I can access my spices while I am cooking without taking up valuable counterspace.  I have been using this for more than 6 monts, and I love it! 

My spice cabinet aboard SV Tumbleweed.

Florida Summers--Trying to Stay Cool

Living in Florida, on a sailboat, in a marina, in summer makes having air conditioning close to a necessity.  Our current unit has stopped removing humidity from the boat interior and is only cooling the boat a few degrees.  When our interior temperature 86 degrees inside, and it was about 90 outside.  We have successfully employed multiple strategies to keep the interior cooler than the exterior, even though our air conditioner was failing:

• Boom tent
• Bow tent
• Fans, strategically placed to move air through the interior
• Insulation
• Retro fit car window shades
• Portable air conditioning unit
• Shade hatches

We have recently purchased a newer, more powerful airconditioner that keeps the indoor temperatures comfortable during the day despite the temperature and humidity--oh, what a few more thousand BTUs can do.

A Random Bit of Knowledge: Zinc Fish

After living aboard for a little over a year and a half, we have learned that we need to have sacraficial zinc anodes hanging over the side of our boat to keep the electrolysis from erroding our propellor. Not only do you need the anode, you need to know which one to buy, and how to attach it to your boat properly.  
So what is electrolytic corrosion?

According to Defender: "What is Electrolytic Corrosion? If you've noticed corrosion on the metal parts of your boat located below the waterline, you are the victim of "galvanic corrosion". The scientific term "electrolytic" or "galvanic" corrosion describes the type of corrosion that anodes are intended to absorb. This corrosion is normally caused by different metals being near each other in salt water. Galvanic corrosion, an electromechanical action, causes metal parts to decompose. This destructive process is caused by electrolysis, an electric current set up between the metal parts of your boat, with salt water as the electrolyte. The effect is like a flashlight battery -- an electrical current is created and continues until one of the metals is eaten up -- the battery goes 'dead'." 

There are three types of sacraficial anodes, and you cannot use two different type anodes on the same vessel at the same time. The anodes are categorized by water type:
                Salt water: use a zinc alloy anode
                Salt water and brackish water: use an aluminum alloy anode
                Fresh water:use a magnesium alloy annode
These anodes need to be attached to a ground. 

We are currently living in a marina in salt/brackish waters where conditions for electrolysis are optimal, so--our sacrificial "zinc" will arrive in the mail next week.

More information can be found at: http://www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/sacrificial-zincs.asp

What is Impeachment?

I keep seeing references to impeachment of the incoming President after the election from both sides of the political fence. Most Americans equate impeachment with removal from office, but impeachment does not always result in removal from office, so what is impeachment? It is the formal charges of wrong doing passed by the House of Representatives.  The Senate serves as the court judging the alleged crimes.  A verdict of guilty can result in removal from office. This link to the House of Representatives webpage explains things a bit further.



http://history.house.gov/Institution/Origins-Development/Impeachment/

Finally!

I finished our cookbook--volume one, yesterday.  The book features original recipes alongside old family favorites.  We plan to update the cookbook annually, adding recipes as we experiment and travel.  Our Cookbook

Rest Area Shennanigans

Sometimes we still travel on land, and when we do, we stop at rest areas.  Sometimes you have an unintended adventure--it's just Murphy's way.

So, for those baby boomers out there . . . you remember what your mom told you about using public toilets right? Never touch the seat, squat over it. I was following my mother's advice at a rest area, when the paper got stuck. I gently tugged the end of the paper, and the entire roll jumped into the toilet behind me, roller and all. In my mind, I can hear my dad saying that you can't flush that because it will clog the toilet, so . . . I whorl around to see the damage just in time to hear the automatic flusher kick in. I scream "noooooooo!" Then I do the unthinkable and grab the roll from the tainted water and hurl it into the trash can across the room, just in the nick of time. I then wash my hands very thoroughly several times and exit the lady's room nonchalantly, confident that I have averted a near disaster.

Hot Ice Issue

We were informed by email on Saturday that another of the liveaboard ammenities is being taken away. Ice, which was to be included in our liveaboard fees (1 10 lb bag a day), will now cost residents a bargain price of $1.50 a bag. The charge for everyone else has gone from $2.25 to $2.50.  Many of the liveaboards in our marina are elderly and/or on a fixed income. If those same folks are depending on that daily ration of ice, their cost for living here just went up $45 a month. This is not right.

Yay! The New Stove Arrived!

We purchased a propane stove to replace the CNG stove we culled because we could not find a tank or fuel for it.  The heavy-duty homemade crate it came in was heavier than the stove.  We still need to test it and put the noxious gas alarm in place before we use it.

Christmas in Florida

Merry Christmas!  We put up the tree last week.

We also finished our first edition of our cookbook, sending copies to family and friends before publishing online next month: "Phred & Mnchkyn’s Most Excellent Cookbook" I will post the link next month.

Changing the Oil--Sounds Simple Enough

     Nothing is as simple as it seems when there is a deisel engine in the center of your living space.  Our 2GM Yanmar engine is walled in on all 4 sides, with access located in a narrow hallway, beneath the navigation station table top (a desktop large enough to accomodate nautical charts.)

The engine


You then stick a suction hose into the dipstick hole, pump and voila the old oil is removed--provided that the oil suction device works.  The one that came with the boat didn't work. The new oil sucker is in the foreground.

Stowing the Stuff

Stuff headed for Goodwill.

 Stuff in the V-berth ready to travel.

Moving Day Approaches Swiftly

We looked at several marinas to move to this week and decided to go with Regatta Pointe Marina in Palmetto, FL. It is close to Doug's work and has nice amenities. It is further inland, so we are now 5 miles to rhe beach, but still fairly close.  I am sad to leave our friends at Cortez Cove, but a bit excited for the clean showers, onsite laundry, pump outs at the dock.

http://www.regattapointemarina.com

Eviction Notice

Being evicted from Cortez Cove Marina:

August, 31st 2015

To our Live aboard tenants,

We, at Yachts Solutions, have recently received letters from both the US Coast Guard and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding the current live aboard status for Cortez Cove Marina.

Recently some waste was found in the water by the EPA and it was to their conclusion that it came from our marina. US Coast Guard and the EPA checked into our live aboard accommodations and it was found that Cortez Cove Marina is not a registered live aboard marina. At this point, Cortez Cove Marina does not meet the necessary accommodations requirements to be, nor become a live aboard marina.

It is with great regret and heart felt apologies that due to the findings from both the US Coast Guard and the EPA we have been noticed to dismiss all current live aboard persons residing in our facilities.
All our live aboard tenants are required to leave the Cortez Cove Marina by December 31st, 2015.

Sincerely,

Yachts Solutions, LLC

State of Emergency: Tropical Storm Erica

Our first possible hurricane.  A state of emergency has been declared before Erica gets here--better planning by FEMA perhaps.

Time to put everything away, inside and out.
Checklist:
__ Food, water, and snacks for 2 adults and a cat for 5 days
__ Nothing loose on outside of boat
__ Car filled with gasoline
__ Generator and extra gasoline prepared
__ Clean out cockpit loose items
__ Charge boat batteries & fill tanks
__ Check tie Lines



http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/news/article.html/content/news/articles/cfn/2015/8/28/governor_scott_decla.html

Spice Corral

i have discovered that even a small wake can disorganize your rotating spice rack in a hurry.  After speaking with several ladies, and researching, I am trying out bead storage jars.  Not sure it will be practical yet, but it sre takes up alot less space!

 

Soggy Laptop

I always place my computer in a protected area overnight, especially when it rains.  The torrential rains that came last night found a way to get to my laptop.  It had beads of water in it when I opened it this morning and I have lost the use of a few important letters like L, P, F and H. I am placing it in a 2 gallon baggie with the foot of a pair of pantyhose filled with rice in the hope that it will dry out and I'll get my full alphabet back.      

Three Transmissions Later . . . More Life Changes

 
   Life is never predictable, but sometimes it is more unpredictable than usual.  We delivered recreational vehicles from the manufacturer in northern Indiana to dealerships throughout the United States and Canada.  We started working for the company when we were still living on 3 acres in rural Michigan, just a 2 hour drive to the office.  January 1st we moved aboard the S/V Tumbleweed in northern Sarasota Bay, a couple of days drive to the office.  We took several runs to Florida and were often able to stay at the home of one of our friends or relatives along the way.  Life was grand, and our boat seemed so much larger when we lived on the road in the back of a pickup truck.  And then--the transmission on our dual axle pickup truck began to slip, so we took it in for repairs.
     We received good news from our trusted mechanic that had done work on our diesel truck before--it seemed to be a part in the transmission that could be rebuilt, not the failure of the entire transmission as we had feared and it would cost us less than a$1,000.  The truck was repaired in a week and half and we were on our way, stopping in Indiana to pick up a trailer and a motor-home bound for Houston.  We had provisioned for a long haul, planning to make deliveries for several weeks to make up for lost income and the repair bill
     Just as we crossed over the Texas border, the same gear began to slip again.  We called our mechanic and decided we needed to replace the transmission after all.  We waited for two weeks while a newly rebuilt transmission was ordered from a local dealership and installed in our truck.  Success, it would be expensive, now totally about $6,000, not including even more than that in loss of income, but our finances could handle it--not setting us back too badly.  We called our dispatcher, and were told that not much was available, so Doug accepted a single run since that was all that was available.
     I could hear the frustration in his voice when he called me from the Georgia-Tennessee border--the transmission was failing.  The newly rebuilt transmission was failing after 600 miles.  Yes, it was under warranty for parts and labor, but to say it was a major disappointment would be an understatement.  He turned around and came home to return the truck to the mechanic.  We lost the cost of the fuel and were now facing more down time.
     The mechanic looked the transmission over for a few days and decided that we needed to take it to a local dealership to a particular mechanic.  We waited a week before calling, and the guy said he had it apart trying to detect if the transmission had totally failed, or if it could be repaired, explaining that is was a warranty issue.  We called the following week and were told that he was still investigating.  We called at the end of the week and our contact was on vacation.  We talked to the service manager that told us it had not been taken apart, but that they had replaced our faulty recalled airbags (what?) and that they could not work on the transmission. We called and returned the truck to the original mechanic.
     The original mechanic ordered a replacement transmission from the local dealership where he purchased the first replacement.  Another week and half went by before the final repairs were made. Doug set out again for Indiana and called in to the company's dispatcher to be told that they were short of work, there was nothing really available.  We called to resign and were told  by the boss that there was at least one run we could take, but it hadn't been offered to us because our dispatcher was frustrated because nobody would take that delivery. We would have taken the delivery, but it had just been "the last straw."  Our ability both mentally and fiscally to sustain such a major financial loss without deliveries was quickly dwindling.  It was time for a change, time to regroup, time to get off the road.
   

 We began discussing the possibilities.  Doug had enjoyed his career in sales before he began driving big rigs for a living, so we began looking at local employment ads for furniture or garden store sales positions.  So, with a newly updated resume in hand, Doug set out to seek a local job.  He decided to stop by the stores in order of preference.  The first store asked him to come back for an interview.  Then the second interview, followed by an invitation to attend a two-week long, paid training session near Orlando with the company providing a hotel suite for each individual and their families. Two more day left for training and then the job begins.      It will take a while to get back on track, but life goes on . . .

Living on Island Time

Seems like we are already in the island time mode.  We've stopped delivering RVs and Doug is seeking a local job--prospects are good.  Living at the marina on the boat makes time just seem to slip away.  part of it may be staying below to escape the killer heat this summer--yes we have air-conditioning on the boat.

Life Near the Mangroves

Living near the  mangroves calls for drastic measure in the heat of the summer.  This week we draped a screen room over the cockpit for added shade and a bit of insect relief.  Still working on getting it to look better, but its nice to have a closed in space that still has moving air.

Bird Watching Me Sleep

Earlier this year I awoke to an unfamiliar call.  Looking out my open hatch over the aft cabin I spied this bird doing a dance on a nearby piling.  I watched him for about 30 minutes, preening, calling and doing his dance.  I love the wildlife all around us and its always something new each day!

Trouble the Boat Cat

Our 10 year old cat, Trouble seems to be adapting well.  He has taken over the navigation seat, but his all time very favorite place to sit is on Doug's computer.  Sometimes he jumps on it when it is open and somehow pushes all the right keys.  Sometime last month he "fixed" Doug's computer so that the keyboard didn't function for awhile. So, if you come aboard, don't leave your computer open for Trouble to sit on.

It's Official

May 22, 2015 we held our DeNaming and ReNaming Ceremonies using the Bluewater Sailing Ceremony (http://www.bluewatersailing.com/documents/renamingceremony.pdf) aboard our S2 92C that we call home. It was a great celebration with friends.

Let the ceremony begin.

Pre-Ceremony BBQ in the net shed with friends: Lucky, Dawn, Isabelle, Rick, Tiger, Bryan, and Laurie helped us celbrate.