I'm SO bad...

Our neighbor, Patrick, his brother and his brother's girlfriend (maybe wife?) decided to go out for a "two hour" tour this afternoon.  When he told Dock Master Paul what he was doing, Paul said a "three hour tour?" (you know, from Gilligan's Island).

Well, Patrick hadn't been gone very long when he called Paul to tell him he had run hard aground.  Unfortunately, he had left the dock when the tide was going out and made a small miscalculation in depth.  I guess that happens from time to time.  Now, if this was a sandy bottom area, it would be no problem to hop overboard and push off, but there are several feet of mud on the bottom, so there's nothing to do but wait for high tide.

Well, to make matter's a little worse, Patrick is supposed to be leaving with the "pump out boy's" (the one's who sit on the "boy's dock...Paul, Steve and who knows who else) to go the Fantasy Fest in Key West tonight.  High tide isn't until just before mid-night...  I'll say no more;-)

Not being able to get the Gilligan's Island song out of my mind...and having a few glasses of wine (that's a key factor to my strange sense of humor), I had to "fix" the words to suit myself...then I printed out several copies to share with the other marina neighbors...and posted them on the main bulletin board.

Anyway...here's what I came up with:

The Tale of Patrick's Shake Down Cruise

(set to the tune of Gilligan's Isle)

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale,

A tale of a fateful trip

That started from this river port

Aboard a tiny ship.

The mate was a skinny sailing man,

His brother strong and sure.

Three passengers set sail that day

For a short quick tour...a short, quick tour.

The tide, it started getting low

The tiny ship was beached

If not for the courage of the fearless crew

The minnow would be breached.

The ship set ground on the shore of this muddy strip of land

With Patrick...and his brother too

His girlfriend...or his wife?

The beer was gone

No food was packed

No ice was on board

stuck on muddy ground.

So this is the tale of the grounded crew

They're there for a long, long time

They'll have to make the best of things

It's a long time til high tide...long time til high tide.

The captain and his brother too

Will do there very best

To make the girlfriend comfortable

In the heat and the muddy mess.

No phone, no light, no dinghy ride

Not a single luxury

Like most boaters tales; this tale

Will be part of history.

So hurry up and get adrift

You're sure to get a smile

From your buddies here at Rivers Edge

Waiting for the “festival tour”

Interesting sailing quotes...

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed in the things that you didn’t do than the ones you did do, so throw off the bow lines.
Sail away from the safe harbour. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover!”
- Mark Twain


“In rough seas, sometimes it’s too dangerous to boil water. But as I’m a girl, my nutritionist acknowledges that I have to eat chocolate each day!”
- Samantha Davies

"Trying to have wisdom without application is like trying to catch the winds without raising the sails!" A sea quote by Thomas Russell


"Great people are not affected by each puff of wind that blows ill. Like great ships, they sail serenely on, in calm sea or tempest!"

"To me, nothing made by man is more beautiful than a sailboat under way in fine weather, and to be on that sailboat is to be as close to heaven as I expect to get. It is unalloyed happiness."


“The beauty of those immense rolling waves is endless and there is a kind of eternal feeling about their majestic rolling that will live forever!” - A sea quote by Ellen MacArthur

"The winds of grace are blowing, but it is you that must raise your sails"

"The fisherman know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient for remaining ashore." - Vincent Van Gogh

My tarp is my friend!

We've suffered with just the small bimini (sun shade) over the cockpit for the past few weeks and I want some shade!  Maybe a little protection for when it rains?  Talk about a pain in the fanny when it rains!  You can't open the hatch without it raining inside the cabin!  Ugh!  We have a tarp that can be used as a cover, but it's around the hatch where the air conditioner is to keep the rain out of the v-berth.   We need a solution!

The view from below decks

Well, it can't be said that necessity doesn't breed solutions!  Bob took our inflatable air mattress and sealed in the v-berth hatch around the a/c unit.  Not only is it thicker and provide better insulation, but it's heavier and doesn't rustle when the wind blows.  Hey, that was a good idea!  Thanks baby!!!

The air mattress covering the hatch where the a/c is installed.  Taken from the main hatch.

The a/c unit is actually better insulated now and the boat is cooler. 
Necessary now that the refrigerator is heating us up so much!

Now, I had thought that I would purchase a couple of long PVC pipes and attach (read tie here) two sides of the tarp to a piece of the pipe, drape the pipe over the boom (that's the long thing that sticks over the cockpit where the sail is attached Ms. B) and then anchor the PVC to the sides of the boat.  That would provide a "bowed" effect and keep the tarp nice and tight while providing shade and rain protection. 

Bob decided to drape the tarp itself over the boom and tie it down like a tent.  I have to admit that it works just fine this way and the results are the same.  It doesn't leave as much space to get into the boat, but I didn't have to do the actual work, so I'm pleased with the results~lol

He finished just in time for a nice rain storm:-)  I left the hatch part-ways open and had a wonderful nap listening to the rain.  Not one drop of water inside the cabin.  I think it may stay like this!

My sun shade tarp from the front of the Mystery.

Where we board is a little limited on space, but we ARE in the shade and we ARE dry when it rains!

Have refrigerator...will make room!

Sara, in front of the refrigerator and over the storage compartment.

Now I have made it no secret that we live in a "sardine can", so it's should not be surprising that adding a tiny, 1.7 cubic foot refrigerator is a HUGE production.   I have removed the cushion in the quarter berth (thus kicking Sara and Bert out of their "bed") and have decided to extend my "galley counter" by adding the refrigerator just inside the entrance to that space.  The new refrigerator is narrow enough that the dogs can still pass by and get to the back, where they like to sleep.  So, I have everything ready to now install my much missed refrigerator (I hate hauling ice for the cooler!).   This should be an easy thing to put together, right?  Well....

Now that I have removed the quarter berth cushion, the door to the refrigerator won't open.  The cushion to the settee is in the way.  That's a fairly easy fix, I can get some of the scrap out of the lumber pile and raise it up.  Wow, this is going a little easier then I thought it would!  So, I now have my scrap wood, my refrigerator door opens and closes with no problem and all is good.  Wait, now Sara and Bert won't go into the quarter berth and they are sleeping on the settee?  What's up with that?!?!

Evidently, the new refrigerator puts off so much heat that we will never need to buy a heater for the boat:-(  This isn't good.  The dogs won't go back into that nice, cozy space I saved just for them!  It's too hot back there now!  Grrrr...time for yet another plan...

Bob has now been recruited to help me.  My refrigerator is now back about half way into the quarter berth (I've lost my extra "counter space", but can now access the storage compartment...sort of).  Sara's bed is now at the entrance to the quarter berth, right at the foot of the settee, which she seems to approve of.  Bert has taken to sleeping in the v-berth with Max and the dogs are situated.  Except for Sara when I actually need to get into the refrigerator.  She has to move then.  Or when I want something in that handy little storage compartment that I found.  She and her bed BOTH have to move then. 

Yes, my refrigerator has become something of a pain in the fanny, but I don't have to haul ice anymore (unless there's beer in the cooler), so I guess everything has turned out a little better than it was~lol

Now normally, I'd be a little miffed at myself for not having a better set-up, but Bob has come to the rescue, yet again:-)  While working, Bob took it upon himself to make the space around the refrigerator a little "friendlier" for me.  I've worried about where to store items so they are more convenient and easier to grab when needed.  He's put all the electrical cords (to charge the camera, cell phone, etc) into a cigar box with a drop front lid on top of the refrigerator (that's pretty nifty since it fits just perfect) and he placed a piece of wood in that wasted space where the boat has the molded cockpit seat to store my much "lost" towels.  Ahhh, the search for my misplaced towels is at an end.

We still have a decent amount of space behind the refrigerator.  I have not decided what I can use it for, but I'm sure there's going to be some little-used item stuffed back there before too long.  Maybe that electric griddle will fit there....

Sara's bed covers the storage compartment.

The refrigerator is held up with scrap wood.

Bob's improvised towel storage.  Not exactly pretty, but it works!

All my cords and cables fit into the cigar box on top of the refrigerator.

The electric outlet still needs a little wok, but it's better than sitting on the galley counter!

My still unused space behind the refrigerator (notice the dent we found when unpacking the blasted thing!)

Money, storage, food and all our "stuff"

When moving onto The Mystery, we choose to rent a storage room locally to keep everything we "might" need while living aboard, but didn't have room for.  I have to say, after 2 weeks I don't think we need nearly the amount of things we saved.  Most of the items there are slowly going to be sorted and we'll only keep the essentials.

We are learning a whole new simpler (and frugal) way to live.  We only buy food that we are going to eat within 2 days (limited cooler space), so our food bill is slightly smaller because I'm no longer buying those bargains I couldn't pass on that sit in the pantry for weeks on end.  We are eating healthier foods since I'm no longer buying precooked items that need to be stored in the freezer.

We've been living out of a cooler, but have decided to remove the cushion from the quarter-berth and install a small, dorm size refrigerator to cut back on the ice expense.  Since the opening to the quarter-berth is fairly wide, Sara and Bert will still be able to get into the back of the quarter-berth to sleep, I'll just have to give them an old blanket to use as a bed.

I've found that I carried way too many towels and sheets than we actually need onto the boat.  All the extras are being given away to other boaters that need them, so our linen storage is half what I though I'd need (leaving more room for other things).  I'm also going to replace our regular towels with microfiber ones.  My neighbor has some that have a terry finish and they dry quicker and more efficiently than regular towels and take up much less space when put away. 

Clothes seem to take up most of our extra space.  With 3 people on-board, that's a huge amount of clothes even IF we only keep 1 weeks worth here.  I've started buying travel bags to store 2 days worth at a time.  Since the travel bags are clear, you can see what's in each one.  I simply pack our clothes into them as I do laundry, squeeze out the air and carry them back to the boat.  They are much more compact, water tight (in case of a leak we still have not found) and easier to store.

Bath articles are also a storage problem, but I have not figured out an efficient way to deal with that yet.  Everyone has their own "bath bag" with soap, shampoo, etc.  Unfortunately, the bags themselves take up way too much room.  I bought them large enough to fit a change of clothes and a towel for the walk to and from the bathrooms, but I'm thinking about simply buying smaller bags and forgoing the convenience of the larger bag.  I'm also considering buying travel bottles of shampoo and conditioner (a must for the salty-air for me) and pouring what is needed into the travel size bottles and not keeping a separate shampoo for each bag.

Now to the big "storage" problem.  The dogs food takes up a huge amount of space.  Since Sara and Bert are so large, I have been buying dog food in large bags to save myself a little money and trips to the store.  I need to come up with a storage solution for the food...fast.  During the day, I have been keeping it in the galley sink (it's very deep) with the cover over it, but this is turning into a pain when I actually need to use the sink.  I considered a large storage container in the cockpit, but our living area above decks is already very limited, so I don't see that that will be a good solution.  My neighbor suggested a deck-box.  Since we won't be going cruising, that may be the way to go.  I may get one large enough to hold all the food and still have room left over for any over-flow items that stray this way as I empty out the storage room.

Cooking utensils have been pared down to a minimum now.  I seem to need the crockpot (easiest way to cook here), 1 large pot and a skillet.  I am going to get my cast-iron skillet from storage since it can be used on a burner or placed into the grill with the grill closed (cornbread that way is fabulous).  I may even go so far as a cast-iron dutch oven for use on the grill, but have not decided for sure yet.

I can see that this may be a never-ending task, but have already decided that if something else comes on-board, then something on-board must leave.  That means no more shopping for that extra top or pair of pants unless we are willing to donate an item.  Talk about putting a spending limit on yourself!  Once we're settled in, we should be able to save enough money to up-grade to a larger boat quicker than we thought.

Getting Settled

V-Berth

For those of you who don't know us, let me tell you that my husband and I are both tall people.  There isn't much head-room on a 26' sailboat, so we are having to learn to adjust. 

The biggest obstacle so far is sleeping.  We were so happy to move into the v-berth, but after 2 night I was miserable.  Where it is long enough for one of us, we cant both fit our legs and feet into the "v".  Time to change our sleeping arrangement!

Quarter Berth

My son has been sleeping with his lower half in the quarter berth (Sara and Bert have to deepest portion for themselves) and we are trading with him now.  I sleep on the small starboard berth and Bob gets the port berth (with the dogs at his feet).  I have plans to purchase thick plywood that will be cut into 2 portions to make a larger, full-size berth, between the 2 smaller ones.  I did this in our Minnie-Winnie with the 2 twin beds in back, so I am going to try the same principle.  The only difference is that I will have to store the ply-wood pieces under the settee cushions during the day.  I'm also getting foam to cover the plywood, so it will have to be rolled up and stored when not in use.  Not sure how this is going to work out yet, but it'll be better than sleeping away from Bob every night!

I am considering getting one of the memory foam pads to help with comfort, if I can find one at a reasonable price.  The foam in the cushions is SO hard, it's almost like sleeping on bare wood at night!

Living Aboard with Dogs

Luna, watching our neighbors

The first comment I hear whenever I tell friends we moved onto a sailboat is "With the dogs?".  Yes, we are slightly crazed and have moved our 2 German Shepherd Dogs (Bert and Sara) and the Belgian Tervuren (Luna) onto the boat.

We had a feeling that Luna, who was pack-raised and practically feral when we got her, would have a hard time adjusting.  I had made previous plans for her if she couldn't adjust, which she isn't.  Luna does extremely well on the boat, but walking her through the marina is a nightmare.  Every person she sees is a "threat" to her and she is simply not settling down.  The kindest thing we can do is take her to my friend Brandon, who already knows Luna and is comfortable with her little "quirks".  After a full week of painfully watching her try to become "invisible" to everyone, we are making plans to take her to Brandon's where she can be much more comfortable.

Bert and Sara have settled in nicely.  Both are extremely social dogs and don't know what a stranger is~lol  They are happy being below decks and have both worked out how to get on and off the boat with very little problems.  I don't think we'll ever be able to get them into a dinghy, but we'll worry about that when the time comes.

Bert and Sara have taken over a portion of the quarter-berth as "their place" and happily nap there between walks.  Since they are both older adults, they actually don't require as much walking as you'd think.  They are both very happy with 2 decent walks a day and a couple of extra "potty breaks" in the afternoon.

Both have decided where they want to eat and the only problem we are having right now is that of keeping enough water out through the day.  With the limited floor-space, we can only leave out a small bowl, instead of the large bucket we used in the house.  As the days go by, I am certain we will get this problem worked out, but if anyone has an ideas, please let me hear them!

Name that boat....

Everyone keeps asking what our boat was named and I keep saying I don't know.  There was no name painted on her hull and I started trying to get ideas about what to call her.  Nothing seemed to fit.  About 3 days after moving on-board, Bob and I were having our morning coffee in the cockpit when I realized she DID have a name, Mystery.  It was painted on the doors leading into the salon~lol  All this time I had seen the painting over and over and never realized her name was painted on the doors instead of the hull~lol  Talk about "solving a mystery". 

I considered changing it to Mystique, but Mystery just seems to fit.  Neither Bob nor I are sailors, so all of this is a mystery to us!

Finally on-board!

We have finally moved onto the sailboat!!  The house is almost completely cleaned out (thanks to everyone that helped us out!) and we slept in our bunks last night.  Talk about heaving a sigh of relief!  Bob's on vacation now to help finish up the house and getting us settled in.

We had coffee this morning sitting in our cockpit and enjoying the view of the river and salt marsh around us.

Whoever said there's no pirates in Florida?

Whoever said there's no pirates in Florida lied.  We bought the boat with 2 solar panels and a bow rail.  See that outboard engine in the photo?  Well, it's no longer there~lol  When we went to move the boat, all the solar panels were gone, the bow rail was removed and there was no engine.  Talk about pirate's!

Our boat may not be as "put together" as we would have liked, but she's ours and we wouldn't trade her for the world now.  Oh, wait, we could probably be convinced to trade for a bigger boat~lol

Time to move the boat

Max's first real dinghy ride

So it's time to move the boat...finally.  Unfortunately, the woman that was supposed to move it seems to think that whenever she gets to it is fine by us.  I've tried to explain that we have to have it moved and be living on-board by the 31st of the month, but she doesn't seem to get it.  Thankfully, the harbormaster at Rivers Edge has volunteered to help us out.  Smitty (a long-time resident) has agreed to captain our little boat for the move.  I am so thankful for the good people at the marina!

Max and I, along with Smitty and Paul have decided that the best course is to dingy out just before high tide and bring her in with the tide behind us.  I'm a newbie, so that's fine by me!  On the way, we'll be delivering a wooden dinghy to someone in Fish Island Marina.  Sounds like an adventure!

When we arrived at our new boat, we discovered that a little "piracy" had been going on while it was anchored unattended in the bay, but that's a story for another time.  Smitty and I pulled anchor while Max and Paul got our boat tied up to the dinghy for the push to Rivers Edge (did I tell you the engine had disappeared?).

After a lovely trip through the salt marsh, I am happy to say that our boat is secured to the docks and we are ready to start moving on.  Now the hard work begins...

The Accidental Boat

My husband, son and I have been living in a rather pricey rental house near downtown St. Augustine, FL for the past few years.  It's a nice 3 bedroom house with 2 bathrooms and an in-ground pool, but since my daughter moved out, there's too much room for just us.  It's time to look for a new house.

As always, I checked Craigslist and browsed the papers, but after an unsuccessful search, we kind of puttered into our normal routine again and let the search die.  Then Bob saw the ad.  Not just any ad, but THE ad that changed our lives.  It was a boat.

Before I actually saw THE ad, we saw a post from someone desperately trying to get in touch with "the person with the 26' sailboat" and after skipping down a few ads, there it was.  A small, ready to live in sailboat within our price range (which turns out be just less than a months rent on our house).  The wheels started turning and I remembered my misspent youth working on sailboats in the Caribbean.  Ah, what good times.  I miss being free like that and I was willing to try and grab onto a little of that freedom now!

Bob and I made an offer and we now own our first boat!  There are good sails, the boat is solid with one tiny leak (which I have taken care of), a dingy that sank (a total of 3 times~I eventually gave it away) and no engine.  Not much when you think about it, but just enough to make us happy.

Our boat is currently at anchor in the bay and we need to find someplace to move it quickly so we could get out of the house within 3 weeks and avoid another month of the dreaded rent check (did I say our rent was pricey?).  Time to start visiting marinas, talking to friends and checking on-line.

Our boat may not be pretty, it may not be perfect, but it is all ours and we are happy to have it.  We know that it is too small and we are going to be SO frustrated by the time we get a new one, but for now we love her and can't wait to start this new adventure.