THE 2020 HOLIDAYS

                                                          

                                                                This year's Christmas Tree  

So, we hopped on a plane (a risky maneuver) to head back to Houston for the Holidays expecting to spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with the family. Kristin was planning a mini-family reunion at her home for Thanksgiving with us, Diane's brother John and his family (wife and 2 "kids") from Chicago and San Francisco, Scott and his significant other, Karina, from Alexandria, Virginia and Diane and John's sister Nancy who now lives in our neighborhood. BUT---as the date approached we became increasingly aware of the rapidly rising Covid infection rate. This, along with the fact that a number of us were traveling by air (more on that below) resulted in a decision to just cancel the whole thing and avoid the risk--particularly to us old folks. This decision was met with a great sadness but a recognition that we would all have greater peace of mind if we waited and planned on the get-together some time on down the road.

Needless to say---things have not improved much and, if anything, have gotten worse since Thanksgiving---so---we'll not be spending Christmas with our daughter and the family. We'll take a ride to their home some time in the next week or so and drop off our gifts and wave to each other through the windows. I cannot adequately express our sadness over these developments but know that many, many are experiencing the same feelings of loss and frustration. Who thought back in March and April that we'd still be in the throes of this  situation this far into the year. I'm just hopeful that the end is in sight and we can all get back to what will most likely be a new "normal".

For now---looking forward to getting back to Florida and on the boat. We've got a number of projects ahead of us. The kind of stuff that I truly enjoy:

                    1. We have our new dinghy on our stern davits but will need to get the new 9.9 hp outboard out of its box in the back of my truck and get it up and running so we can do a bit of exploring.

                     2. WE need to trouble shoot our electronics and get our chart plotters all working in sync and  reset our auto-pilot This will require taking the boat out and running it slowly around in circles, as it recalibrates the "fluxgate compass" that is the guiding device for auto-pilot to work. You need calm flat water for this maneuver and this might be hard to find on the ocean side so we may have to do an overnight and head over to the bay side to find flat water.

                     3. Change belts and oil and oil filters on both diesels.

                     4. Check and replace zinc anodes on the engines

                     5.Rig a halyard on the flybridge mast so we can fly various courtesy flags

                     6. I have devised a way to run Navionics (the navigation app) on my phone and transmit (cast) the image to a smart TV. So instead of replacing one of the non-functioning   chart plotters on the fly bridge I'm thinking of mounting a 24 in. smart TV in its place. This will give us a 24 in. screen to look at rather than having to squint, with 73 year old eyes, at a small plotter screen. We'll still use the plotter  as it provides other helpful information. Mounting the TV could prove problematic but I'm sure I'll figure it out.

                      7. Eventually I'd like to replace the aging stereo receiver on the flybridge with a new "radio", one that will accept Bluetooth so we can run our Pandora stations.

                      8. Change out the "hailing port" lettering on the transom.

                      9.  Eventually we want to replace the original carpet in the main salon with some hard-wood looking laminate flooring

                     10. Eventually we want to replace the existing flybridge bimini cover with a new full enclosure like we had on Opus V  

                     11. I need to get in the water and check the condition of the bottom of the boat in re barnacle and other growth . We'll need a new "bottom job" pretty soon. This requires hauling the boat out onto the "hard" for a few days while the old bottom paint is removed and new applied. Fortunately, there is a boat yard not more that a couple hundred yards from our berth and I've gotten good reports on the quality of their work. 

                      12. The metal tray that the generator sits in has some areas showing quite a bit of rust and it will have to be cleaned and painted.

                                                                 😁  

I now all of this sounds like a lot of trouble and work, but it's what has to be done and I truly enjoy these projects. Living on a boat in a beautiful place is not always glamorous. Like anything else it has its ups and downs--its joys and disappointments. We work together pretty well as a team and it is quite satisfying once you've completed a task, a repair, a maintenance item and are able to sit back, have a sundowner and stare off into a beautiful sunset.

Oh yeah-----I said I'd discuss more about air travel----------We flew home out of Ft. Lauderdale Int'l. Airport. When we arrived at the airport all was good--everyone practicing social distancing and wearing masks--not too crowded. But as we approached the carry-on belt and radar detector everyone started crowding together and jockeying for position to where everyone was bumping into everyone else---It was no different than before Covid. On the plane every seat was taken--no empty middle seat---and everyone wore a mask until it was time for them to eat or drink. Pretty soon the whole plane had their masks off. On arrival, it was even worse--everyone, again, jockeying for position in the traditional dance to see who could get off the plane first--bumping and elbowing (despite the staff efforts to create an orderly process--all efforts completely ignored.) Thus---air travel is a risk. Since we flew home, we'll be flying back to Florida and I'm not looking forward to it. Just hoping our luck holds out. 

I wish all that read this (and all that don't) a very Merry Christmas and a hopeful future as the new year approaches and we look forward to the new normal.

WHITE MARLIN MARINA, MARATHON, FLORIDA---VACA KEY

 Here's some pics of our new home for the winter. We arrived last Monday after an uneventful trip down the islands. Marathon is approximately 1/2 way down the Keys with Key Largo about 50 miles to the Northeast and Key West about 50 miles to the Southwest. We'll base here for the winter and spend as much time as possible exploring  the numerous islands.

                                          Entrance to our dock from the parking lot

                                                     The fire pit area

The Tiki Hut gathering area

                                                        M/V Endeavor in her new winter home

 We probably won't be posting again until we return in January after spending Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays with the family. We hope you have a safe and happy holiday as well.

                                                  LIFE IS GOOD

A FEW PIC'S

 Here are a few pic's of the marina where we're "stuck"---and one of our new boat:

                                     The Tech. working on the engine controls in the engine room

                                                Our boat---M/V (motor vessel) Endeavor

😎

                                               Boatworks---- a boat dealer in the marina

                                                            Above----- The Marina

                  I promise I'll be posting some more interesting pic's in the future😁

Side note----The tech just left the boat after completing the installation and calibration of the controls. He says, "I know the controls are good". Still we want to do a sea trial this afternoon. 

THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE UGLY

 Let's begin with the UGLY-----The weather-----It's been raining and windy since we got here. We probably wouldn't have gone out even if all the boat systems were functioning. On Monday after we got here the previous Wednesday a strong gale started blowing with 30 to 40 mph winds. Fortunately this marina is pretty well protected and we didn't really feel the full brunt of the winds--but it was noisy and uncomfortable for the next 3 days. After that the wind continued for several days at around 20 mph. Still noisy and a bit uncomfortable. (We came here expecting perfect weather--perhaps our expectations were a bit optimistic?). Finally the weather has moderated and the breeze is gentle and conditions just right for a departure from this marina---but----

THEN came TROPICA STORM ETA--- This crazy storm went all the way into Panama and Nicaragua then did a 180 and headed for Cuba, then North into the Florida Keys and made landfall about 10 miles south of our boat. We had secured it and left to go to my cousin's in Ft. Lauderdale where we actually encountered worse weather than what hit our boat. Torrential rain for 2 straight days with winds gusting to 40. At the marina the marina remained inside the eye and received very little impact. One of the guys who stayed on his boat said the winds never got over 40 knots---the max sustained winds of the storm were 60 to 65. So this was no more than what we had encountered with the gales that blew through here earlier. My cousin lives on a canal--actually in Plantation, just west of Ft Lauderdale. THe canal, Sunday night, overflowed its banks and was about 1/2 way up her back yard--a bit concerning to say the least but by Monday morning the water was beginning to recede and we felt comfortable leaving her and returning to our boat. The boat suffered extensive damage consisting of one of the windshield wiper blades being blown off. Oh the misery!!!

The BAD------The other day, after installing the new controller at the upper helm (Glendinning Engine Controls) the technician discovered what he believed to be a problem at the control box down in the engine room. After discussion with the manufacturer and with Yachtworks it was decided to send the units to the manufacturer in S. Carolina. This was last Tuesday. So here we have sat since Tuesday with no engine controls and unable to move. (It has been our goal to move out of this marina and get a little farther down the Keys to White Marlin Marina. Our new dinghy is there waiting on us. The new Honda outboard for the dinghy is in the bed of the truck waiting on it's union with the dinghy. We want to get to White Marlin well in advance of Thanksgiving and, hopefully, in enough time to catch a flight back to Houston to celebrate Diane's and Anna's birthdays.). The technician is here as I write this installing the refurbished units and soon we'll test them here at the dock and then go out for a quick sea trial. The plan, if all goes well, is to leave here tomorrow and head west to White Marlin. The weather is supposed to be perfect for the trip of about 50 miles. We'll travel on the Gulf side of the Keys down about 20 miles and then pass under a bridge to head over to the Atlantic side (Either Snake Creek Bascule Bridge or the Channel Five Bridge). Once in the Atlantic we'll head west on down the islands to the north end of the town of Marathon. This is where the Atlantic-side entrance to White Marlin marina is. The marina is actually inland a bit, down a 1/4 mile channel to a little square shaped island which is the marina. We've stayed here on our previous boat (see prior posts from 2016 with description and pictures).

The GOOD---- All the other issues have been repaired and are, for now at least, working the way they're supposed to. (But this is a boat---stuff goes wrong all the time--you just wait for the next system to fail. I like projects so this doesn't bother me---I just don't care for the expense part of it).

As I sit here the new controllers are being adjusted---seems like there's a glitch or two but hope they can all be resolved. I'll let you know. They're very sensitive and if the adjustments are off just a smidgen they don't work right---so adjust away Mr. Technician!!!!! We want to get out of here.

"BOAT" SHOULD BE SPELLED--------F-R-U-S-T-R-A-T-I-O-N

 First the good------We took off for FLA on Monday and had perfect weather and light traffic all day, 700 miles to Tallahassee where we spent the night after enjoying delicious fried chicken and broiled rainbow trout for dinner at the infamous Cracker Barrell. Next day, more good weather and light traffic and arrived in Ft. Myers around 3 PM on Tues. Our broker is located there and we needed to meet with him and sign off on a few more papers before we took possession of the boat (located in Tavernier on Key Largo. Diane arranged for us to stay at a beautiful new Marriot property right on the Caloosahatchee River at the City Marina. See below for the view out our window. Next day on to Tavernier.

(Sorry---for some reason couldn't download the picture---I'll figure it out)

Here's where the frustration begins. As we approached Tavernier we called ahead to the boat company that sold us the boat---Yacht Works. I was informed that there were still some issues with the repairs that we had required based on the boat survey tat we did a couple weeks earlier. Namely--they were waiting on delivery of a new raw water pump for the air conditioning system--thus, no staying aboard. And a new volt meter at the upper helm had not yet been installed. All the other systems, we were assured, had been addressed (including the toilet system and the sump pump that drains the shower ((had been draining directly into the bilge)). When we got to the boat we were met by Ryan who went over all the repairs with us to our (then) satisfaction. We booked a room at another Marriott for the night expecting to be able to move onto the boat the next day----NOT---. But, while we were sitting on our patio at the hotel a guy walked by and asked us how long we were planning on staying. Turns out he had his room booked for 3 days but had to head home right away for a family emergency. Marriott wouldn't refund his money and he offered us his room for $100 bucks for the next 2 days. Turns out he's a Circuit Court judge in Kentucky--nice honorable guy---so we took him up on the offer and moved into their room after arranging for new linens. This worked out perfectly as it gave us a couple days to clean the boat and move all our "stuff" in.

Here's where the really bad stuff begins. One of the items on our punch list was the malfunctioning engine control unit on the fly bridge. Ryan assured us it had been fixed--simply a loose wiring connection. We went up to check it out but it didn't work. Ryan called out for his fix-it guy who had "fixed" it previously. While he was messing around with it the boat (at the dock) suddenly went into gear and the engines roared in forward, straining all the dock lines. It took about 30 seconds for them to shut down the engines. Very Scary!!! The next morning a guy from a local diesel repair shop came and determined that the control unit was faulty and Ryan ordered a new unit---still has not been installed but expected to arrive tomorrow. We are cautiously hopeful that this will fix the problem---can't leave the dock until it's fixed.

Meanwhile we're moved onto the boat at the dock and then the following litany begins:

           1. The forward A/C unit quits working---fixed quickly by a boat mechanic that lives on his boat here at the marina.

           2. Yesterday, after using the head (fortunately just a #1) I smelled something fowl and discovered that the pipe from the pumping unit that carries the waste to the holding tank was cracked and the "contents" from the toilet were spewing into the bilge. Immediately shut down the system and called Ryan. Still have not heard back from him but I'm confident he will get it fixed. No toilet use right now so we have to walk to the marina facilities.

           3. After showering, Diane noticed that the carpet in the master stateroom was wet. On inspection, I found that the sump pump for the shower was working only intermittently and the reservoir was filling up and spilling over. On further inspection I found that the drain line from the reservoir was split allowing water to shoot up. Thought that's what was soaking the carpet. Still unsure. Will address this with Ryan when I hear from him.

          4. The anchor light doesn't work. Gotta have it for when we spend nights "on the hook". This was supposedly fixed by them.

          5. Before we got to the boat apparently the generator did not work, resulting in them replacing the charging unit with a new one. Haven't tested this yet but will today while Ryan is here.

          6. Turned on the instruments yesterday and depth at the dock was measuring 32 feet on our depth sounder (the depth at the dock is only about 6-8 feet). Gonna have to check that out. 

           7. That area of wet carpet continues to grow despite not having used the sump pump. I think it's the condensation from the forward A/C--(This is supposed to, also, drain into the sump reservoir and be pumped out overboard) I think the drain hose is either plugged up or not connected (They had to move the A/C unit to do some fiberglass repair in the area where it is located--maybe didn't reconnect the drain?)

Thus---FRUSTRATION---These guys seem honorable enough and I fully expect they will make everything good. It's just awfully frustrating when all of this was to have been taken care of before we even arrived.

I'm hopeful that my next post will be a bit more cheerful. Actually, we're doing just fine despite some inconveniences and we know eventually all these things will be behind us and we can move to our "home marina" by this week-end where we can settle in. More later

PREPARATIONS

 We're getting ready to hit the road to Florida. The picture below is of our "staging area"--our study. It's almost like moving into  another house. We'll need linens, utensils, pots and pans, pillows, tools, office supplies, recreation stuff (fishing poles, golf clubs, etc.), computer, printer, of course clothes, shoes and lastly--food incl. spices and condiments.  (Don't forget beer, wine and vodka) I've been making a list of stuff we need to take with us and so far I'm at number 36. Hope there's enough room in the truck.

 The plan is to drive as far as we can the first day, spend the night in a virus infested hotel and then drive to Ft. Myers where we will meet with the broker and "close" the deal; then on to Key Largo to take possession of the boat and start moving aboard. We hope the sellers have completed all the required repairs and have left the boat clean enough for us to move aboard and spend the night. Hopefully we'll be able to work a deal with the marina where the boat is presently to give us a couple of days to get settled before we move the boat to our "permanent" home at the White Marlin Marina on Fat Deer Key, in the town of Marathon. We spent a month or so at this marina back in 2016 (see prior posts for photos). It's a very nice marina--well located in the middle Keys, very well protected and very well run.

The boat is presently on the Florida Bay side (The Gulf side) and we have never really explored that side. Many cruisers stay on this side as it is protected from the Atlantic swells, but it is rather shallow and one has to pay close attention navigating . The marina we'll be moving to is on the Atlantic side (although a bit inland and protected) so we'll need to travel down the Gulf side Intercoastal waterway to a place where we can cross over through one of the passes--probably 5 Mile Bridge. We'd like to spend a few days in the current location just to get settled in and familiar with the boat before we take her out to transit to White Marlin.

This boat did not come with a tender/dinghy, so we had to buy one, plus outboard and will have to drive up to Ft. Lauderdale to pick them up. Made the deal over the phone so all we have to do is go get them.

Interesting fact---In shopping around for the boat, then the dinghy and outboard we learned that there has been a recent run on all things boating---just like motor homes and, apparently, second homes---all brought on by the pandemic and people's desires to get out of the house into some somewhat protected activity. Our boat broker tells us he has never been busier and good boats last only days on the market. We had a lot of trouble finding the boat we wanted. In shopping for the dinghy and outboard I had quite a bit of trouble finding any available---all the manufacturers are back-ordered and it is taking months to get new equipment. I just got lucky (I actually bought the outboard from a Honda motorcycle dealer as opposed to a marine supplier) and was able to get the last dinghy of my specification from the Avon dealer in FT. Lauderdale. His was the only one in town. The dinghy becomes your "car", enabling you to get from anchored boat to shore and also allows for shallow water exploring of coves and islands---it's a necessity. We're looking forward to a lot of fun dinghying around the islands.

We'll let you know how our "plan" goes in our next post---once we're in and settled. 

Looks Like It's Going To Happen

        Attended the survey of the boat a week or so ago and it went well. As in any 13 year old boat there were a number of items that need to be addressed and the sellers have agreed to make the repairs. Nothing major at all. The yacht surveyor that I hired indicated that the major systems (engines, transmissions, hull integrity, through-hulls, electronics, air conditioners, generator, appliances) all were in excellent working order. For being 13 years old this boat had surprisingly few hours on the engines and generator. That can be good---and that can be bad. If a boat just sits around and doesn't get some regular usage, gaskets, seals etc may "dry out'" All of the "moving parts" checked out just fine despite a rather vigorous sea trial and I learned that the brokerage people that were holding this boat had been using it fairly regularly while waiting on a buyer---that's a good thing. So, it looks like it's going to go through and we will close on the 28th of October, take off for Florida and take possession. We've already reserved a slip at one of our favorite marinas in Marathon--White Marlin Marina--(see earlier posts--early like in 2015) on a month-to-month basis and we will base out of there while we rediscover the Keys.

        But---before we can begin our exploring we need to acquire a new dinghy/yacht tender. Often yachts are sold with their tenders as part of the deal--this one was not, so we'll stop off in Naples or Ft. Lauderdale or Miami to look for a new tender. WOW! have those things gone up in price since we last ventured on the water--and there are very few, if any, used ones available. They have always been a very hot commodity.

        Needless to say, Diane and I are extremely excited and ready to renew our affinity for blue waters and white sand beaches. We pray (and ask for yours) that our health and vitality remain good and we can enjoy to the fullest this new stage in our lives. It was our realization, as we sat on that deck in Vail, that we only probably had a few years left to be able to do this, that led to a rather spontaneous (and surprising) decision to go forward. Wish us good luck.

BACK AT IT

                                                  WELL--------We're back at it. A few weeks ago we were sitting around after dinner enjoying a "sundowner" and after I got Diane goofy on a bottle of excellent Sauvignon Blanc I brought up the subject/topic/dream/possibility/ er ah ah ah, "What do you think about getting back on the water? "What do you mean, "back on the water?"" "I mean ---What do you think about buying another boat?" And she replied----"I LOVE THAT IDEA!!!!!!!"

WELL-------You could have kicked me in the head and I wouldn't have felt it. WOW! What a lady. Since then she's been even more excited about it than I am. (And I'm pretty damn excited We immediately started checking daily on YACHTWORLD.com to see what was out there in the Florida/East Coast area---essentially searching for another (or the same) Mainship 40 that we had sold back in January of 2017. There were a few--a very few--- on the market (As we found out later this particular model of boat has become extremely popular with people that want to do what we want to do). We even called our former boat broker to see if the people we sold Opus V to might be interested in returning her to its rightful owners---No dice. But we persisted and believe we have found a replacement. We've made an offer and it has been accepted---same boat but 3 years newer. This Thursday I will fly to Florida for the survey and sea trial and I really hope all will go well. If so---we negotiate a bit more and seal the deal. We hope to take possession around the middle to late October.

I owe you an explanation-----We kind of left you hanging on our last post, back in 2016. We sold Opus V because Diane was having some health issues and we couldn't see how we could continue away from Houston for any extended time. Since then and after several medical interventions (and a flooded house---Thanks Harvey) she has been in fantastic health and feels quite confident that we can do this. Yes, we're a few years older, but we figure we only have a few years (10 or 30) that we should be fit enough to do the boat thing. So---let's do it.

The plan currently is to take possession of the boat in Key Largo and hang around the Keys until the Holidays approach then park her at a marina until we return in January. Then--mess around in the Keys some more, Then--who knows---Up the Florida Coast----Bahamas---Up the East Coast to cooler climes as summer approaches????? We will not be bringing her back to the Houston area. Galveston Bay and environs is great for sailing but it's not good for destinations/pretty water,etc.

Sorry about not posting any photos on this post---It will take me a while to get back into it. I also hope to be able to post some videos of interesting places and activities.

SO---Wish us luck on this venture and for the survey and purchase going well and we'll start communicating more often.