Boat trip 2012 - part two

Monday 2- 6 -12

A fun weekend – settling back in to a routine. As the one with great ideas, and a very capable husband of turning those ideas into reality – Jon was just thrilled about my newest idea. I am on the constant quest to make functional use of space. I noted there was lots of space over the counter, and decided I just needed shelves built, that could also be removed when underway. After convincing Jon (it took some doing on my part) that this really was of grave necessity and not one of my ego indulgences, Jon reluctantly gave into me. After a trip to Home Depot for wood, a new drill and power saw, Jon built a great new storage shelf for me. I had been storing all of my small appliances under the port bunk, but now they are out and easily accessible. The plan did back fire on me a bit because Jon pointed out that now all of my appliances are readily available, perhaps I would like to actually use them and cook once and awhile, I was not counting on that ….. The second project, to completed soon is to replace the motor on the head. It now requires the use of a screwdriver to flush because the motor ahs a flat spot in it, and we are blowing fuses faster that I can say fuse ! Luckily until the repairs are complete, the marina facilities are just a one minute walk away. One upside of this is that while Jon was discussing head issues with the sale person at West Marine, the sales person was singing the merits of a self composting toilet. We will stick with the flushing toilet for Sundance, bit after lots of researching on line, we have decided to go with an Airhead, self composting head for Moondog. Saturday night was a marina pre super bowl party. Very fun – as always with marina parties, lots of great food ! We really love this marina. It is small, only about 25 boats, but most people are like us and return year after year, so we have a close little community here. Sunday we went to Hurricanes for lunch. We were undecided whether to “go public”, or stay home for the Super bowl. Because our Patriots were playing, and Jon really wanted to watch the game ( read: yell, backseat quarterback etc……) we stayed in. We had rented a car on Sat., so I did a Super bowl junk food shop, Jon got to watch the game, and we were both happy ! We found out today, that kind of by default, we won $20.00 to boot from the Marina pool – yippee ! we were supposed to return the rental car today. We had already decided to rent a car next weekend and go back to get our car, but Jon decided to go ahead and drive up today to get our car. Crew and I are on own till tomorrow.

Super bowl party - I only got a few pics then my camera battery died.....

Biddy, Karie and Danny

Karyn and Jon

Ah - the look of love........ Larry and Bonnie

My new shelfing unit - only OK'd after Jon was assured it would not interfere with the ice maker !

Ice maker ok ? check.......

A gray sky sunset

Tues. 2-7-12

Crew and I are getting along quite well except………

In July, we were expecting a hurricane and the kids were coming for the weekend. There was a great chance that if the storm did come, we would loose power. I woke up that Friday morning in July with all I can describe as a “Craving” for a Ukulele. I knew nothing about a Ukulele, so I did a quick internet search, then ordered one to be shipped overnight. I have not actually played it very much which brings me to how Crew and I are getting along. I decided with Jon gone, what a perfect time to practice. The problem was, I had to close the boat up tight, so no one else would hear me. With the boat closed up, the sound just kind of reverberates round and round in the boat, and it dawned on me, that Crew was not actually enjoying my practice session. I have assured Crew that I have no place to go but “up.” He just gave me that, “oh really ?” look of his. I must say, I have also enjoyed just staring at my new shelves, and appliances all neatly organized – it must be the Virgo in me. I have talked about the wind we had on the way down. For about four days now, we have been mostly cloudy with gray skies, and off and on again showers. That is unusual for here, usually you have a good downpour, then it clears up. In checking the weather forecast, I read the following dated 2-6-12:

"Our calendars may say it's February, but Mother Nature's calendar says it's more like May in the waters of South Florida, where the year's first significant tropical disturbance is drenching the Keys. The disturbance, designated Invest 90L by NHC late Sunday morning, has dumped 1 - 3 inches of rain over much of the Florida Keys this morning, with Key West receiving 4.34" of rain on Sunday, a record for the date. The storm was close to developing a surface circulation last night, thanks to wind shear values to fell to 20 - 25 knots, and NHC gave 90L a 30% chance of developing into a subtropical depression in a special Tropical Weather Outlook issued last night."

So, that explains some of the weather we have been having !! Jon should arrive back in town late afternoon, that gives me all day to torment Crew with my Ukulele, and to think of new ideas for Jon !

Rain

More rain.....

A bored Crew using our delivered mail box as a pillow

Crew checking out my Ukulele - I thought he was thinking about raising his leg but no.....

When Crew thought I was not looking - he gave my Ukulele a kick !

Trying to do his innocent, "Who me ?" look when I scolded him !

Thurs. 2-9-12

Jon made it back with car – we celebrated at Hurricanes for taco night ! Wed. we continued to celebrate Jon’s return with lunch at Hurricanes while discussing the pros and cons of our latest potential project – a self composting head (toilet). We looked at one at a local store, and researched whether to get an “Airhead” or “Nature’s Head. It was a damp/chilly/windy night so we ate on board, played Yahtzee, and continued to talk about the “head.” Anyone who has owned a boat, with an electric head, knows what a pain in the *** they are. It is always a broken motor, macerator, cracked line, need of a pump out etc……. Once in need of repair, rarely is it a neat and tidy job either. The self composting system is really simple, the main compartment has coconut mulch in it, that you rotate with crank after making a deposit, and the liquids separate into a separate container that you just empty out every couple of days. The main composting chamber only needs to be emptied about once a month – or so they say……… We woke up today optimistic that the composting head was the best choice for us, then went and bought the “Airhead” because they had one in stock. We are keeping the electric head for a couple of days just in case……. Also, if this proves successful, we will be buying a second one for Moondog. After the purchase, we went to Burdines to celebrate,( I think it was also an attempt on Jon’s part to postpone the inevitable, which was having to remove the existing head). We got back to the boat, and true to head form, the removal of the old head was not neat or tidy ! As Jon removed the head complimented by his colorful vocabulary (following a couple of burps and hiccups from the sewer line) – I reviewed the instructions. I particularly enjoyed the sections, Type one –usage (liquids), followed by instructions for Type two usage – (solids). For Type one usage, directions are as follows: Women can use Airhead like a standard flush toilet. Men, may stand. Avoid targeting trap door directly, to avoid spatter. The best results may be achieved with a banking shot, aim for bullseye, do not aim directly into any of the three holes !” Usage “-two, much simpler: 1. Depress lever to open trap door 2. Provide donation, (reunited with mother terra via gravity). 3. Place toilet paper in the hole 4. Close trap door and 5. Repeat as necessary. Voila !– how to use a composting toilet !! As I write, Jon is removing the Airhead from the packaging, so hopefully, since the old head is out, the new one will be operating soon !

Goodbye electric head, macerators, holding tanks, pump outs - we will not miss you....

We have a teeny bitty little bathroom, with teeny bitty litle space for Jon to squeeze in to

Electric head gone

New home on the dock - a planter perhaps ?

Crew guarding the new Air head

Top to the left, compostser in the middle - getting ready to be installed

Jon getting ready for round 2

Always scary - Jon drilling 2 1/2 inch hole in the boat to vent the new head

Voila - project complete - new head - sweet as a daisy !

Sun. 2-12-12

I am pleased to announce that Mr. Airhead is performing perfectly, and we are happy boaters once again ! We have been in our Marathon grove – Chicken burgers at Burdines, Salmon at Annette’s, Blackened fish at Dockside and several more trips to Hurricane’s all in between me cooking on board (if you consider making big salads cooking !) the weather has not been typical Marathon – it has actually been very windy, cloudy rainy, and last night was blowing just short of a gale and the temps have dropped into the 50’s I know for our Northeast clan – this seems wonderful, but trust me, for the Keys – this is darn right cold ! Yesterday I went to several great art/craft fairs with Sharon from our marina and her friend Betty. Shockingly, several pieces of jewelry definitely called out for me to buy them. Today Jon and I went on a road trip to Plantation Key. We stopped at Hog Heaven on the way for lunch, then shopped at a fabulous collection of art galleries in Plantation Key. We will be heading back to the galleries soon, we are having some custom things done. This weather has a put a crimp in our cocktail hour down at the beach – hopefully the weather will settle down this week and we can up our socializing !

Sundance at our Banana Bay home

And the winds were a whistling

The windy point at the marina

Hog Heaven for lunch

Amazing tacos ! Blue corn tortillas, blackened fish, chipotle slaw and oranges !

An idea of what to do on 2-25-12 ?!!

My "Crock" idile Dundee !

Just us - note the jeans and fleeces - it is chilly !

On the wall in the restroom......

The sailboat managed to drag it's anchor, miss all fo the other boats, and land up on the beach - lucky.....

Friday 2-17-12

I do not know how much R and R one person can take – but I can say that I am perfecting the art…..

We had a fun Valentine’s day complete with a celebration dinner at Lazy Days with Steve and Sharon. Yesterday we took a trip to Miami for the boat show. Now, I am no stranger to traffic after regular commutes to Boston for 18 years, but I am here to tell you, Miami traffic is outrageous !! We were 112 miles from Miami. It took us 3 hours and 45 minutes to get there, and three hours to get home. We met up with Steve and Sharon, and Larry and Bonnie while at the show. We spent a good amount of time at the convention center, then at the Strictly Sail, which was in the water. I was thrilled to meet both Bob Rosborough who built our new/old boat for up north- Moondog, and Geoffrey Trott, the Airhead originator. I felt like a bit of groupie…… Geoffrey is out of Portland Maine – we ended up buying a second Airhead for Moondog. It was really interesting talking to Bob and learning all about the history of the Rosboroughs, and why certain things were done and designed. I left feeling both confident and excited to get cruising on Moondog this summer ! We actually really loved Miami and South Beach. We spent a bit of time just walking around some of the neighborhoods and have decided it would be fun to return to for a couple of day to do some serious exploring ! On the way back to Marathon we stopped in Key Largo to have dinner with Jim and Kathy who arrived their new boat Moondance, yes and we are Sundance – it is a celestial theme with all of our boats, even though none of us named our boats ! Our friends Harold and Linda arrive today in their RV, and the rest of my day will be dedicated to planning, I just don’t know what to plan…….

A little visitor - Mr Scorpion !

Crew trying to eat some of the candy he had given me.....

Steve and Sharon, Susan and Jon - celebrating Valentine's day at Lazy Days....

Finally - made it !

Jon and the Rosboroguh at the boat show getting ideas......

Susan and Bob Rosborough

The mind behind the "Airhead" Geoffery Trott

Driving out of Miami

Tues. 2-21-12 Happy Fat Tuesday !

Had a fun weekend – had lunch at Hurricanes on Fri. with Harold and Linda – then dinner on Sat. at Castaways with Harold and Linda. Sunday we hit the Flea market to buy things we did not know we needed yet, then out to lunch at Boondocks. We also did some dinghying about, walks, and the never ending boat chores. Monday nice long five mile walk and lunch at Hurricanes. I started with an official Pilates mat class today – I have been doing it on my own, but like to be in a class so I don’t get totally lazy on whatever slight technique I have. We then headed to Key West with Harold and Linda for some Mardi Gras ing. We enjoyed Key West as usual – lunch at Sloppy Joes – no one makes a sloppy joe like Sloppy Joes, and we toured about in the trolley. Crew is quite taken with “Uncle” Dave who has become his good buddy, Dave took Crew out for walk and to cocktails. Crew did not miss us a bit.