Water bored

Three days or more of horizontal rain and whipping winds kept me sealed in this plastic tub, gasping for fresh dry air and some sunshine. It could have been longer, but my brain was mush by the end of the day Thursday. When Deb arrived home from work I was ready to go somewhere, anywhere that would take me off this vessel for a while. We ran to the car, and found a nice Irish pub to relax in. This may not have been the best choice, as it was a typical dark wood pub with minimal lighting. The food and beer were tasty, and we stayed for trivia night, which was a blast. Deb and I are not good at trivia, but we managed to hang in there at the top for a while. Always go with your first answer! What California vegetable has a crown and a heart? I wrote artichoke, crossed it off and wrote avocado. What the hell? My brain was so waterlogged that our answers became comical to the MC after a while. I really needed that escape. Too soon, it was time to head back to the washing machine.

There was a low pressure system stalled over us for many days, and you would not believe the amount of rain that fell. If anyone tells you not to bother with a cockpit enclosure, don't listen. It was the only way to get  out of the stuffy cabin without getting soaked. Saturday we sat in the cockpit listening to tunes well into the night, with the rain pounding the canvas and the boat at a 5 degree heel. We were nice and dry and having a good time. We had a wind gust that night of 62 knots!

The whole time we were getting pounded, both Debra and I were imagining this at anchor. Yikes! We've been in some squalls before while on the hook, and have had a few scary moments, but it's not the anchor set, or other boats dragging down on us that we were thinking about. Those storms came and went pretty quickly. We were thinking about being locked up on the boat for three or four days of hellish weather with no real place to go to escape it. At the dock we have power if we need it. At anchor, with many days of no Sun, we would be running the Honda to keep us topped off. That means power conservation, which also means no electronic entertainment. No movies, games, music, etc.  We would have to break out card and board games I guess. There is always some naked fun, but filling three to four days would be...
quite an accomplishment for fifty somethings. Hell, twenty somethings would get a trophy for that. Books, bring lots of books.

There are always projects to be worked on, and rainy days like this seem like an appropriate time to accomplish something. Well, after the first day I started to get bored with projects. Maybe it was the feeling like I was working on a submarine in the North Atlantic. I would do a little something, then check the weather. A little something. Check the weather. I started organizing, which is what I do when projects are stalled for the day, or because I don't have the energy to do much, but still feel guilty just laying around.

The morning walk to the facilities was interesting. By the time I got there and back I was completely soaked through. No way I'm wearing complete foulies just to take the Browns to the SuperBowl. At least I learned to wear as little as possible when venturing out and back. The second morning I had a bathing suit under a jacket with flip flops. Cold? Yes, but when I got back I didn't have to peel off layers of wet clothes. Guys, always make sure your shorts are longer than your jacket. Not an issue for the ladies, but guys look like pervs. Just saying. We have a guy in the area we call shorty shorts. He wears the 1960's version of gym shorts all the time. Add a nice foul weather jacket to the ensemble, and it looks like he's ready to flash his birthday suit at you.

When the Sun finally came out Sunday afternoon, we scrambled out of our sarcophagus, and ran to the public market. We needed to see people, sunshine and bright colors. We also needed to pick up some fresh veggies to provide some much needed energy. After the market we drove up to Fernandina Beach and found a table near the shore at Sliders Grille. We savored a Margarita in the Sun, with the ocean in view, and the band playing some island tunes. Ahh.

Cheers!
P

Sand Traps

Something I never gave a thought to is how we would manage living on a boat if one of us was hurt or injured. What if one of us sprained an ankle? How would we manage the long walk from the car, down the dock, the sloping ramp at low tide, and the climb into the boat? I honestly never ever gave it a thought until now.

Debra and I hit the bike trail again, and didn't she ditch the bike in the very same spot where she fell over the time before! There is a pile of sand in that spot, and it seems to nail a lot of people.  I came close to ditching a few times, but can usually find them quick enough to dismount or go around. Deb on the other hand...

She was getting off the bike to walk around the sand, but as she was dismounting her wheel caught and she went down, twisting her ankle. A trooper, she continued on solid ground, and biked up the trail to the ICW for a rest on a picnic bench. She was determine to get a good view of the water I guess, either that or she felt sorry for me not being able to bike much that day. Nah. Water view.

Now I have a limping co-captain, that has to make like peg leg around the marina, and be able to climb in and out of the boat without wincing and falling in the water. You forget how agile you have to be at times to live the sailing life. Is this why people buy trawlers in their later years? I'm not sure how Deb is going to handle this. She's not one for pain tolerance. In fact one time she slammed her finger in a door, and I wanted to check to see if it was broken. I touched it, and she went out like a light. Her eyes rolled back and out she went. Yikes! I thought I killed her!

I started thinking about the consequences of this happening while cruising. The climb from the dinghy to the boat would be next to impossible. How do you climb on one foot? Would you want to be on a boat if you were disabled in some way? How safe is that? If I broke my leg, I would be out of commision, and Deb would have to handle the boat at anchor, or we would have to hire or get a volunteer crew to help move the boat somewhere secure. I shouldn't be thinking about this stuff at all really. You react when and if it happens as all situations will be different. Injured while on a mooring in the keys is quite a bit different than being injured at anchor in the Bahamas. I saw reference to the Divers Alert Network recently, and I think I'll do some research on this before we head out full time cruising. Just another thing to think about as I watch my girl limping about.

Deb's faking it. She's actually gritting her teeth.

Debra is banned from entering that park on bike. From now on we walk the trails. If she's going to do any biking it's going to be on paved roads.

Cheers!
P

It's your attitude

With a head full of shampoo, and a body covered in soap, I hear the familiar sounds of the water pump running dry. "Are you F@#$&*^ kidding me?" The bad luck continues. Eyes burning, soap dripping from my extremities, I stood there wondering what the hell to do next, and about all the little luxuries of life that we used to have, like unlimited running water. Our life is different now. All of the luxuries were cast aside for this rather Spartan lifestyle that we now live. Sometimes I think I miss those little comforts that most people take for granted. But do I Really? 

Do I miss unlimited running water? Yes, but only when I'm stupid enough not to monitor the water tank level. Do I miss regular household toilets? Yes, when ours decides to spit back at us because the tank vent is plugged up with spiders and the joker valve needs replacing. Do I miss a regular sized kitchen? Yes. Only because I'm a slob and use every utensil and pot/pan that I have for any simple meal. I'm learning.  Do I miss having a closet full of clothes? No, I'm an engineer, we are not fashion conscious. I think I had computer parts in my closet. Do you miss all the room to move around in? Yes, when Deb is in a "mood", or mad at me for some silly reason because, well, what could I ever do or say to... Yes, extra room would be nice at times. There is the boaters lounge here at the marina that I can run to.  Smells like cats in there. 
Do I miss a regular sized shower? Yes. More room for my large head would be nice, but it’s OK with your eyes open. Do I miss just walking through a door from a garage to get inside my home? Sometimes I do, like  when it’s pouring rain and lightning is threatening to fry my ass. We have to climb into our boat, from a step stool on a floating dock, and span a water gap onto a moving boat. Depends on the weather and how limber we feel. Not really a problem and I think it helps to keep us agile. Do I miss having a workshop? Yes. Every project I have requires a good workspace and some quality tools. We have limited space for tools, so I get by with what I have, and sometimes the work is marginal in quality. Though it's been said that my projects were always marginal in quality.

There are many other changes to our lifestyle too numerous to mention. Are any of these deal breakers? No, I never thought they were. But sometimes it gets frustrating living like this. I hear many times from many different people that they could never live this life. I'm thinking, hell we're still tied to a dock! Imagine what they'll think when we're in the dinghy full of empty water jugs, looking for a good spigot.

Is this lifestyle really so bad? Is being naked and covered in soap with no water really that bad a situation to be in?  Is running out of propane with a pizza in the oven intolerable? Is stepping off the boat and missing the step stool and falling into the boat next door really that embarrassing? Is schlepping your laundry twelve miles to a spanish language laundromat with judge whatever on the TV all the time really that migraine generating? Is getting your butt wet from toilet backsplash really that bad? Yes. That one is really that bad.

This sailing lifestyle is our dream. We knew what we were getting into. This is the life we want to live, and we know just how lucky we are to get this far.  How many can even get close to their dreams without some calamity happening in their lives? How many get distracted by careers, or get sick? How many live in poverty with no foreseeable way out? How many dreams get snuffed out every day for no reason?  We are blessed to have achieved all we have accomplished so far in this life. We worked hard for it, and planned for it, but we are lucky to have been born into a life without poverty, in a nation where dreams can become a reality. 

Every day that we are alive and living our dream should be celebrated. This doesn't mean you get slobbering drunk every day, as fun as that would be. It means you laugh when you bite into that half cooked pizza. It means you scream at the toilet, and then laugh when you reach for the handy wipes. It means you laugh about your busted car because it’s got 200,000 miles on it and you haven't had a car payment since 2007. It means you walk your soap dripping pale white little body gingerly through the boat to the galley to get a gallon jug of fresh drinking water, skidding and laughing the way back to the shower. It’s your attitude pal. Your attitude about life means everything.

After hearing the news in Boston, and checking on friends that are there, and friends with family there, it became a quiet night for me. It was hard to find the humor in anything. My minor events of the past week meant nothing compared to the news that day. Everything I was doing seemed so unimportant.

Today I see things differently. I recall watching the people of Boston running towards the explosions, not away, ready to help the fallen. What courage. That’s helping others in need with total disregard for your own safety and the chaos around you. That’s uplifting! I was wrong to feel that everything I was doing was so unimportant. Despite the sadness, the horror and the violence, we live on for others who cannot. We live on for those that have left us with only memories of their existence. We should Smile. We're alive! The best thing we can do right now is to carry on with our lives as they were. Nothing will piss off a terrorist more than that.

All the bad luck, bad Karma, bad Juju or Jinx I have had for the last week now will all be vanished because I figured out how to get rid of it. Keep smiling. Laugh at yourself. Not out loud. People will think you're nuts. Laugh at your predicament. Stub your toe? Laugh through the pain, after you're done swearing. Drill a hole through the freezer wall and into the hull? Laugh after you find something to plug the gushing hole, and call for the travel lift. I figure it this way; if whatever evil spirit is giving you bad luck, they will be very annoyed at your laughter and happiness, eventually getting bored and moving on. Bad luck and evil people will always be around. Bad stuff is going to happen. Maintain a good attitude, help your fellow humans, and live your life. 

Never ever let the bad guys or bad luck get in your way. Pursue your dreams like you would the musical ice cream truck rolling down the street. There are sweet rewards if you can catch it, but there is just as much fun in smiling and laughing with all the others running alongside you.

Cheers!

Signs

You ever have a day where nothing goes right? It starts with something simple like spilling tea, or whacking your toe on something you've walked past for over five years without a problem. Maybe you wake up, stretch, and pull a muscle, or you slide off the bed and step on a belt buckle that jabs the instep of your foot. These are signs. Signs that your day will suck. If you're smart you recognize these events for what they are, and you stop what you are doing, and just grab a good read and lay around the boat all day doing nothing. Maybe you start drinking early. Never, after recognizing these signs, do you attempt to do something that if done incorrectly or carelessly, could lead to disaster, or negatively impact your budget. Small projects can be attempted, but they will almost always end in frustration. The key to avoiding disaster, frustration, or embarrassment is recognizing the early warning signs and taking the necessary inaction. Yes, inaction. Sit there and ponder life until the bad luck leaves you.

In my past life, when I was incarcerated employed as an engineer, we would notice the Bad Juju right away. At first we didn't see it, and we were cursed for that day, but as time went by and we got older wiser, we could spot the signs. Here is one example of what would happen:
You pull into the parking lot and notice your one tire is half flat. "Son of a.." You boot up your laptop, and forget your password. You go to get some hot water for tea, but nobody turned on the pot. You wait for the pot to warm up, and the plant manager sees you shooting the shit. You feel guilty, so you make that software update they've been waiting for. Your software has a bug, the machine goes down, and the plant manager thinks you're a no talent slacker who stands around the coffee pot all day. After things like this happen often enough, you recognize the signs and realize that your day will suck. You lay low, avoiding any serious mayhem. It became well known in our area, that you never, ever make program changes on a Friday. Just like you  never start a voyage on that day. It's just bad luck. Recognize the signs.

This last week that bad aura had descended upon me. I missed all the signs to indicate that my day, or days would suck. I did not realize the fact that I was cursed, and kept plugging away at projects expecting things would improve. They did not.

It started with morning tea. I was enjoying a nice cup of tea in the cockpit, with the rising Sun beaming in. Birds were singing, skies were clear, Deb was working, fish were jumping, and I was oh so relaxed watching it all unfold. The tea was getting a tad cold, so I gulped it a bit, swallowing and choking on the tea leaves that had busted out of the bag. With half a mouthful of leaves that I didn't want to ingest, I stepped out of the cockpit and spit it all in the water, leaving a coating of black leaves on my teeth and tongue.  On the way back into the boat to get some water I missed the last step and fell back into the salon table, knocking over my metal water bottle that scratched the cabin sole finish. I should have stopped right there and recognized the signs, but no. I continued on with my day and everything I touched for the next several, turned to shit.

The freezer project has a connecting line between plates that is too short, and this was noticed AFTER I mounted the two heavy holding plates. The drill then died and the battery will not charge. I lost the chuck key. I bang my head getting in the shower. I fill the cockpit with shower water because I forgot to open the seacock to drain it. I bang my head getting out of the shower. I wear my t-shirt inside out for most of the day. I caulk the tub/shower, only to find out I bought clear, which comes out white at first so you don't notice. I clean the toilet, only to have it spit back at me when I flush it, and find out I need a new joker valve, and a new shirt. I buy wood for making new screen frames, but forget the screen material. I refill the water tank and spill clorox all over the deck. I spill laundry detergent all over the floor of the van. I lift the laundry basket, and the metal leg breaks and cuts the top of my hand open. I bleed on a shirt. I leave in the van to run some errands, and the steering has a loud bang, and now something is rattling around under there. That something rattling cost me $1300. Another horrible day is almost over, so a beer and pizza in the cockpit sounds really good, and I need to light the oven. After the crappy few days I'm having, I'm afraid to light the damn thing. I get the pie in the oven just fine, check it in 10 minutes, looking good, check again in 10 more, again in 2...why is this pizza taking so long? No propane. The tank ran out.

In the space of two days, not one thing went right and I became a super klutz. Now I have to focus on getting rid of the bad luck. How do you get rid of it? I usually just wait it out, but I find it hard to just sit here and do nothing. I can't believe I just said that. Really, I think it's just a waiting game. Maybe I just need to generate some good Karma? Yesterday I helped the old sailor down the dock by leaving my cart for him. That count? There were little crabs all over the dock and I avoided stepping on them. How about that? I let some old lady go ahead of me in the grocery checkout, which I thought would help, only to have her all confused with her card, and then she needed a price check, and then she whipped out the coin purse because her card wouldn't work. C'mon you old crone! Have your groceries delivered next time!

Yea. It might be a while.

As punishment for the "old Crone" thoughts, I hooked my toe in my bathing suit while changing and fell off balance into a cabinet door, generating a nagging throb of pain in that toe.

Maybe these guys can help me.

I feel so connected to you

Since I arrived in Florida, my electronic world has been available through the use of the marina WiFi. We did not have a WiFi antenna, and would try to connect by moving the laptop or iPad around the boat to get a strong signal. It was comical sometimes, as Deb would be in the aft cabin in the corner, and I would have the laptop perched on the cabin top, or balanced on the companionway to get a strong signal. Very frustrating.

Recently, after much procrastination research I settled on a system from IslandTime PC. I received the package in four days, and it took about four hours to install. Another three hours were required to clean up the mess I made. I don't want to get into all the little details of the install, but I tell you it was pretty simple. The hardest part was running the cable through the boat, but even that went relatively better than I expected. The cable even fit the clamshell with the solar and GPS cables! I got lucky there. I also got lucky in finding a good 12 volt source nearby, so all in all it was a sweet project. Connecting was a snap, and the documentation was excellent.

I got a little cheap with the mount. 

I will go back and clip that tie wrap. I know that bothers some people.

No more roaming the boat for a good signal. When I looked at the available stations within range, the list was at least 70 stations or more. The laptop by itself can only see three. The system really does a nice job of pulling in signals from miles away. The only downside I see, is having our faces planted in front of a screen a little more often, when they should be outside in the Sun and Sea air. I am trying to avoid the electronic life as much as possible, but I have to do my morning blogroll, email and news, and possibly a blog update if I have anything to say. I feel we are too connected at times, but as long as we're stuck in a marina for this season I figure why not enjoy it from time to time. As long as we do not get addicted to the online life, I do not see the harm in having some high speed and reliable connectivity.

So, let's see what's hot on YouTube today...
Ellen announces 'Finding Dory'. So who cares. Kung Foo grandpa in Food Lion parking lot. Meh. Drive thru headless prank. Drive thru pranks are getting old. What if the Sun disappeared? Really? You need a video for that? You get cold and then you die. Is the NBA rigged? Aren't all sports rigged? Golf Cart hovercraft. Now we're talking. This thing is awesome!

Cheers!
PJB