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.