Morning Tea. Hatchett Bay, Eleuthra

The Morning Tea posts are a just a brain dump of random thoughts related to this cruising life. I have not done one in a while and that's because I have not had too much on my mind lately. We spent way too much time in Coconut Grove to have anything worth writing about. Don't get me wrong, we had fun, but it got old fast. Thankfully we had friends there to break up the monotony.

• Coconut Grove/Miami is an expensive stop
• The line between poverty and wealth is clearly defined and visible with just a short walk south.
• Two cycle outboard engines are fairly reliable until they're not. Then you want to set them on fire.
• It's better to buy a new carburetor then to spend a week cleaning an old one.
• After you've been tied down somewhere for a couple of months it's tough to get going again.
• We are so done with Miami. Always thought I was a big city person. Nope
• Lot's of cruisers are social butterflies, floating from boat to boat for sun downers and dinners.
• We are more like social owls. We sit and watch people. When someone asks about so and so we say, "Who? Who?"
• We have met some really nice people along the way.
• I'm concerned about the garbage we generate. No, it's not all beer cans and bottles.
• Weather windows. What some call a window of opportunity I call a door to hell.
• Our trip up the Miami river was exciting. Narrow with lots of bridges. Don't do it on a weekend.
• Boat yards are like car repair shops. They always want to sell you something you do not need. When you decline you are now shit to them, which means you get launched at the very end of the day just before the last bridge closes for rush hour.
• Instant oatmeal sucks
• We watched the super bowl. Is it me or does the whole thing seem too polished and scripted?
• We put away the TV for a long time.
• People come into a mooring with all kinds of flags flying. What's up with the flags?
• Why are pens so expensive? Must be the gel technology.
• I switched from British breakfast tea to Irish breakfast tea. My pinkie finger was cramping up
• I messed up my shoulder from pulling that damn starter cord on the outboard for a friggin week. Maybe it's arthritis. Maybe it's scurvy.
• Fresh fruit and veggies just don't last aboard the good ship Kelly Nicole.
• The Coconut Grove bus is only 25 cents to ride. It's like putting a quarter in a slot machine. Most times it's mixed fruit but every now and then it's totally bananas
• The boat next to us has rounded Cape Horn. I feel so insignificant.
• The boat on the other side of us has been sitting here 9 yrs. I feel so adventurous.
• The rat race is a tough thing to purge from your brain. Some folks are still in it.
• If I were raising a kid today I would steer them towards a skilled trade.
• A cruising couple zoomed past me in their dinghy while I was working on installing the carb. Their wake caused me to stop what I was doing and brace myself. They waved and smiled despite my thoughts of drowning them.
• One night a fishing trawler steamed through the mooring field trying to find the channel. They were apparently close enough to know they forgot the old spice that day. Drunk and stupid works for some.
• The waterways are still safer then the highways.
• Can openers just don't last. 
• Everything aboard is showing signs of rust. Even my glasses, watch and belt buckle. Hopefully the plate in my head is OK, though I keep that well lubricated.
• When we were day sailors, big wind was associated with fun times. Now that we are cruisers it's associated with sleepless nights and rough passages.
• The cruising guides tell you if you enter this cut at the wrong time you will surely die. You get to the cut and think, "We will surely fking die." You go through the cut and you think, "Those assholes who write this shit should surely die!" Kidding. They should be fired instead.
• I expected more palm trees in the Bahamas.
• No pictures can do justice to the clear blue waters of the Bahamas.
• It's way more fun sailing then motoring but sometimes you just have to burn some dinosaurs.
• My engine makes me nervous just looking at it.
• What is it with these Teva sandals and the stink?! No wonder dogs like me. My feet smell like their paws.
• I want more solar panels. Another 200 watts would be perfect.
• It seems some cruisers bring their entire life with them. A life of consumerism.
• Never ask to borrow tools from the boat with all the toys. They never have tools. 
• Canned asparagus is disgusting
• The iridium Go is working out well so far.
• We miss face timing with the kids. It's not enough to text or to just hear their voices. We need to see their smiling faces.
• Our grandsons are growing like weeds. "Mom, Dad, Who are the old sun baked people that smell funny?" Those are your grandparents dear.

Been too long since I felt like blogging. Maybe I'll do more now that we are...

CRUISING THE ISLANDS!


Cheers!
PB