Well, we are getting closer and closer to being ready to take our first big cruise south.
We got a new toilet in the master head (yippee), we've run new wiring for surveillance cameras (two on the stern, seeing the back deck and the dinghy) (one infra red in the engine room), we've added a new Garmin 3-D Chartplotter that is touchscreen and oh so slick to operate which incorporates the view of the cameras, a new dome radar, and a new VHF/AIS radio. We are having the watermaker services, we've had the liferaft serviced and recertified, Ed has changed all the oil and put new filters on the 3 generators and the main Cummins engine and we're putting up new punched tin ceilings in all three heads and in the galley which will really brighten things up.
We've started provisioning and we will hopefully start around the 3rd week of April. We will depart Sarasota, head south to Key West, spend the night there (because we love Key West), then cruise on to the Bahamas, hit Nassau, on down to the Great Exumas, Rum Cay, Great Inaguas, and Turks and Caicos. It is there we hope to pick up Emma so she can cruise with us from there. (she graduates in May) From there we will cruise to the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. (St. Thomas, St John, St. Croix, etc.) From there we will go on to St. Kitts, St. Maarten, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Lucia, Georgetown and The Grendadines and on to Grenada. It is from there we will head on to Trinidad and Tobago. We've talked with a shipyard in Trinidad already about reserving a spot to have Great Mates hauled out, new bottom paint and have that thruster we bought last year installed. I won't know how to act with a thruster. I'm certain Eds blood pressure will be lowered while I dock with a bow thruster.
"Loco", my cat, is with us. It will be interesting to see how he does cruising. He has his own life jacket but he doesn't think much of it. He walks backwards when it's on trying to get it off I guess.
We plan to be home sometime in June for the summer while Great Mates II is stored on the hard in Trinidad.
There's much to learn but we are anxious to do so.
Blessing and Peace to all!
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Learning via new friends
Wow, I just read the my last blog entry and apologize for all the misspelled words. I did that on my iPad and don't know how to spellcheck on that and I was writing while sitting in the sun on the bow so I could see all that well. I'll do better.
Since being in Sarasota, we've met so many new boat friends. Jean and Bill from Cincinatti OH, Steph and Paddy from Ontario near the 1000 Lakes area, Robert and Cathy from Toronto and off course Steve and Lynn from St. Paul MN.
It's been said before that when you live on a boat, you develop friendships fast. Indeed. We all have a love of water, the boating lifestyle and the sense of freedom that living aboard offers. Of course, part of that freedom is being retired BUT, when you live on a boat there are just a few things that dictate;
What time you ea, what time you go to bed, what time you get up, when you do chores, etc. That the dictates is the weather and your own sense of whats important.
Is it more important for me to do the dishes or sit on the bow with my husband and watch the sun go down? Is it more important for me to get those emails caught up or release the lines and get underway?
We met some really cool people yesterday. Robert and Cathy. They are sailboaters and they shared a story about, I believe when they were in New England and they had watched the weather reports and he told his wife....we've gotta leave by 9:30 a.m. to beat this system thats coming in. She said, no, I've gotta email the kids, etc. first. So they pulled up anchor and left at 12:00. They got a good ways out and saw this huge wall of water pouring down from the sky and they were headed right for it. The winds were laying them down on their side and obviously they turned back and got back to port safely. Soaking wet, standing safe and exhausted, she said, "next time, we leave when you say". Robert and Cathy, if you're reading this, I apologize for the lack of exact facts. Your story taught me a good lesson thought; I thank you for sharing.
Steve was telling us about some of his ventures while in St. Thomas as he was going over some of his charts that he gave us. These stories may save us from a mishap. Thank you Steve for sharing.
Steph and Paddy were sharing about their adventures as a Canadian flagged vessel and the fact that when they got into the New York harbor they were boarded by the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. Steph spent a few hours showing records and documentation to the DHS to their satisfaction but still for the next several days until they reached Canada, she had to call in to a 1-800 number to "report in", to which everyone she spoke to gave her a different story as to what she had to do. Typical government, hugh?
Then one evening, Paddy and Steph gave us a historyy lesson about Canada. WOW, I never knew all that. Steph and Paddy, thanks for sharing bits about your life with us.
One of my favorite sayings that I learned from my old friend Willis Adams, Sr. is:
"We are a part of all whom we have met".
Blessings and peace, Lisa
From aboard Great Mates II in Sarasota FL, H dock
Since being in Sarasota, we've met so many new boat friends. Jean and Bill from Cincinatti OH, Steph and Paddy from Ontario near the 1000 Lakes area, Robert and Cathy from Toronto and off course Steve and Lynn from St. Paul MN.
It's been said before that when you live on a boat, you develop friendships fast. Indeed. We all have a love of water, the boating lifestyle and the sense of freedom that living aboard offers. Of course, part of that freedom is being retired BUT, when you live on a boat there are just a few things that dictate;
What time you ea, what time you go to bed, what time you get up, when you do chores, etc. That the dictates is the weather and your own sense of whats important.
Is it more important for me to do the dishes or sit on the bow with my husband and watch the sun go down? Is it more important for me to get those emails caught up or release the lines and get underway?
We met some really cool people yesterday. Robert and Cathy. They are sailboaters and they shared a story about, I believe when they were in New England and they had watched the weather reports and he told his wife....we've gotta leave by 9:30 a.m. to beat this system thats coming in. She said, no, I've gotta email the kids, etc. first. So they pulled up anchor and left at 12:00. They got a good ways out and saw this huge wall of water pouring down from the sky and they were headed right for it. The winds were laying them down on their side and obviously they turned back and got back to port safely. Soaking wet, standing safe and exhausted, she said, "next time, we leave when you say". Robert and Cathy, if you're reading this, I apologize for the lack of exact facts. Your story taught me a good lesson thought; I thank you for sharing.
Steve was telling us about some of his ventures while in St. Thomas as he was going over some of his charts that he gave us. These stories may save us from a mishap. Thank you Steve for sharing.
Steph and Paddy were sharing about their adventures as a Canadian flagged vessel and the fact that when they got into the New York harbor they were boarded by the Coast Guard and the Department of Homeland Security. Steph spent a few hours showing records and documentation to the DHS to their satisfaction but still for the next several days until they reached Canada, she had to call in to a 1-800 number to "report in", to which everyone she spoke to gave her a different story as to what she had to do. Typical government, hugh?
Then one evening, Paddy and Steph gave us a historyy lesson about Canada. WOW, I never knew all that. Steph and Paddy, thanks for sharing bits about your life with us.
One of my favorite sayings that I learned from my old friend Willis Adams, Sr. is:
"We are a part of all whom we have met".
Blessings and peace, Lisa
From aboard Great Mates II in Sarasota FL, H dock
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Lots of numbers and reacquaintancws
Well, today is March 16, 2011 and it's been nearly two years since we purchased Chartwell, now Great Mates II.
We are upgrading our electronics as We are uncomfortable with the dated electronics aboard. Now, if we were experienced like Captain Larry, we would be fine. But, we're not. So with new electronics to include a new radar dome, a new chart plotter (that is touchscreen), new infra red cameras (that my old right hand, Sid, helped me select), and lots of other wire, etc, we are getting all set up via local electronics expert, Bill Bishop.
Ed has worked like a son-of-a-gun doing the prep work....and I have helped to! We've been drilling holed, cutting holes, crawling under cabinets and climbing up the cry stack to mount new stuff. Master Bill will come aboard to program and make everything work together. (yes, that WILL happen).
Meanwhile, life goes on living aboard in Sarasota. I love this life!!!
Oh, also, we got a new really cool toilet in the master head. It's so neat!
Then yesterday evening we were walking the dock to go to dinner and we saw a new boat on our dock that had just pulled in. Low and behold, it was Jim and Robyn who we were across the dock from last winter in Marathon Key .
Then, we saw a boat anchor out just a bit behind us and it's "Lifes to Short" who we talked to via radio while on the Tom Bigbee Waterway last year. We were trailing "Just Rosie" from Texas and chatted on the radio with "l
Lifes to Short". I ask them, where are you from, to which they responded, "well, home is where the boat is". They have their boat for sale
after putting 22,000.miles under their belts. Going back to work.
Now about numbers.
I registered today for yet another nu ber. A MMIS number. Here's a list of number we have:
A hull number
A US Coast Guard number
A KY state registration number for our dinghy
A Beacon number which relates to our EPIRUB
An FCC number
And, last but I'm sure not least is our Boat US number
Whew....God help us if my PRE crashes!
All this being said, our plan current is to finish up the new electronics and also carpentry work....that's another project, and then drive home for a family visit. Then we will fly back to our home away from home (I think) and begin our spring 2011 cruise.
We plan to go along the back side of the Bahamas, head further to the Virgin Islands. We have talked to a boat yard in Trinidad about a reservation to have her hauled out and have her bottom sanded and painted and have that bow thruster we purchased last summer installed. Yippee, I will not know how to act with a thruster but I'm ready and willing to try.
Gods peace to all of our followers,
Lisa
We are upgrading our electronics as We are uncomfortable with the dated electronics aboard. Now, if we were experienced like Captain Larry, we would be fine. But, we're not. So with new electronics to include a new radar dome, a new chart plotter (that is touchscreen), new infra red cameras (that my old right hand, Sid, helped me select), and lots of other wire, etc, we are getting all set up via local electronics expert, Bill Bishop.
Ed has worked like a son-of-a-gun doing the prep work....and I have helped to! We've been drilling holed, cutting holes, crawling under cabinets and climbing up the cry stack to mount new stuff. Master Bill will come aboard to program and make everything work together. (yes, that WILL happen).
Meanwhile, life goes on living aboard in Sarasota. I love this life!!!
Oh, also, we got a new really cool toilet in the master head. It's so neat!
Then yesterday evening we were walking the dock to go to dinner and we saw a new boat on our dock that had just pulled in. Low and behold, it was Jim and Robyn who we were across the dock from last winter in Marathon Key .
Then, we saw a boat anchor out just a bit behind us and it's "Lifes to Short" who we talked to via radio while on the Tom Bigbee Waterway last year. We were trailing "Just Rosie" from Texas and chatted on the radio with "l
Lifes to Short". I ask them, where are you from, to which they responded, "well, home is where the boat is". They have their boat for sale
after putting 22,000.miles under their belts. Going back to work.
Now about numbers.
I registered today for yet another nu ber. A MMIS number. Here's a list of number we have:
A hull number
A US Coast Guard number
A KY state registration number for our dinghy
A Beacon number which relates to our EPIRUB
An FCC number
And, last but I'm sure not least is our Boat US number
Whew....God help us if my PRE crashes!
All this being said, our plan current is to finish up the new electronics and also carpentry work....that's another project, and then drive home for a family visit. Then we will fly back to our home away from home (I think) and begin our spring 2011 cruise.
We plan to go along the back side of the Bahamas, head further to the Virgin Islands. We have talked to a boat yard in Trinidad about a reservation to have her hauled out and have her bottom sanded and painted and have that bow thruster we purchased last summer installed. Yippee, I will not know how to act with a thruster but I'm ready and willing to try.
Gods peace to all of our followers,
Lisa
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