Sailboat Family Diary

Update - Moving On

2011-08-07T21:29:00.000-04:00

Dear Diary,

3 months ago today we shared that we were taking a big step back and re-evaluating everything. I'm happy to share that we've completed our review and are fully entrenched in our next phase of life.

Since the last writing, we've traveled to Cambodia, Thailand, and Loas, boated up the Mekong river, rode a motorcycle from Iowa to Georgia, went to Disney 2 more times, gone camping in a canyon (twice), hung out on St. Simon's island, took a cruise to Cozumel (only to be re-routed to the Bahamas when we were 50 miles off shore from Mexico), and sold Ariel. Yes, we sold our beloved boat. We held a giant ceremony to capture her spirit in a container, which we now have, and we will be releasing her spirit in our apartment very soon.

KJ and Dy have both been enrolled in school and that starts tomorrow morning.

Val has re-started her small business support services company (Forge Power LLC) and I've started a Life Coaching practice (XXXLifeCoaching.com) that is focused on helping people achieve their goals.

Life is wonderful, and we are still having fun. We do miss the boating life, but we learned that for our family, at this time, the dynamics just weren't right. That's okay, we move on. We don't live in the past, we live in the now.

There are many lessons from this adventure, and one of the best ones is an affirmation of something we realized in the pursuit of the goal: if it didn't work out, no big deal we would just pick up the pieces and make a new picture. Please don't let the fear of failure or our inability to execute stop any reader of this blog from attempting a grand goal.... the worst that can happen is you don't achieve the goal, at least on that attempt. ;)

Our family has settled back in the fine city of Atlanta GA, in our own little place. Our family and friends have been super, extending their homes, support, and love.

Well, that's about it diary... our lives are so incredible .... what shall be the next goal our family goes after???? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm....

Curiouser and Curiouser!

2011-05-07T07:21:00.020-04:00

Consulting an expert in finding our way

After a family discussion on what to do next, we decided to seek the help of an expert.... Alice. So, we loaded up Rock and headed over to Disney in Orlando to seek an audience with her.

"Would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go from here?", I asked Alice
"That depends a good deal on where you want to get to," said Alice.
"I don’t much care where--" said I.
"Then it doesn’t matter which way you go," said Alice.

So very true. With this sage advice, Val and I have decided to head over to Cambodia and Thailand for a few weeks while KJ and Dy spend some time with family.

We did also meet up with our other friends at Magic Kingdom too, Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

The Sailboat Family with Mickey and Minnie

After declining their offer to stay at their house, we left Orlando and headed back up to Atlanta.

Time to prep for Cambodia!

Back to Atlanta to Re-Evaluate

2011-05-06T07:58:00.026-04:00

Where to next?

As good fortune would have it, a wonderful boating couple (Allan and Marcia) were putting up their car for sale.

In a conversation with Marica, she shared that they were working to sell their car to someone whom wanted to take it to Haiti, but there had been many hoops and bumps in trying to make the deal happen.

Well, heck, maybe the universe had destined us to have this car.

So we shared with them our situation, and interest in the car. Sure enough, the car was really intended for us. If the Haiti deal hadn't been problematic, and been taking a few days, we would have missed this gem. Plus, cash in hand talks a whole lot louder than maybes and hoops and schedules and cargo shippers and such. :)

Rock, our new transport mechanism

We bought Rock, KJ named the car that, a 1996 Nissan Pathfinder, and loaded up what we needed for a trip up to Atlanta, a 10 hour drive.

Rock, stuffed with stuff

The plan is to hang out with Aunt Jenny and Aunt II for a week or so, figure out how we want to proceed going forward, and then execute.

Pause and Re-Evaluate

2011-05-05T08:45:00.044-04:00

Leaving the boat shoes on deck for another time

“Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” - T.S. Eliot

Dear Diary,

After spending a few days at Fort Pierce, Val and I have made the decision to hit the “Pause” button and re-evaluate our approach to traveling as a family. While there have been many wonderful moments, the overall net for the family and our family dynamics is that, at this time, it is best we adjust how we Expand and Explore the world. Many families have young children on a boat and are able to roam the world, but ours, it turns out, isn't of the right make up and temperament to make the journey safely and enjoyably at this point.

Our family has found out how far it can stretch as a unit, and in which ways. We will use this information to optimally expand and explore. We know how far we can go.

The Sailboat Family will continue its journey to see the world, but we will modify the approach. This will include more family adventures, including sails off to the Bahamas, journeys via different modes of transport, and trips of finite duration and fixed locations.

Ariel in her new slip

Ariel is being kept in Ft. Pierce, Florida at a nice marina. We will be buy a car, drive back to Atlanta, stay with family there, take stock of the situation, and then make our next move.

Excitement continues to build as we figure out how to Expand, Explore, and Enjoy this amazing world we live in, in ways that are the most suitable for us.

It has been an amazing 50 days ... I wouldn't trade them for the world.

We tried, it didn't work this way for us. So we will "Pause", reflect, and try again. Not every adventure works on the first try. We will share our learnings once we've let all this set in.

I wonder where we will go next, and how........

-Bill

Vero Beach FL to West Palm Beach FL : Day 1 : Computers and Ft. Peirce FL

2011-05-04T08:18:00.023-04:00

Leg 3, Day 1

Vero Beach, FL to West Palm Beach, FL : Ft. Pierce

(20APR11)

After a week at Vero Beach, it was time to move on. The area is fantastic, but we need to make it down to West Palm Beach to make the jump to the Bahamas (West End).

Would we have a buzz or not? That was the big question. We wouldn't know until an hour or so had passed.

Shaun, one of the dock hands at Vero Beach, helped us push off and I must say I did the backing out as an old pro. We left without incident and made our way under the bridge.

Val began KJ's schooling stuff while Dy sat with me in the cockpit. Dy told me multiple times to stop Mommys boat and bring it back. She really doesn't like leaving a place. The familiarity of some place is very important to her. We've begun to really understand that about her.

After an hour of motoring, no Buzz! Wahoo!!!

2 hours in, no buzz. :)

After a few hours, Val got on the phone and called around; we decided that we would stop at Ft. Pierce. We could stop there, at a marina, and home base a few days before the jump.

We pulled in at Harbortown Marina, a nice big facility with walkable access to many boat stores.

Vessels Along The Way

2011-05-03T08:08:00.000-04:00

SS Manatee in Jacksonville, FL

While making our way, we've seen some pretty interesting vessels. Here are some of the photos we've taken so far of the more curious and/or interesting ones when we had a camera handy.

S/V Lollygag

Unmarked Blimp Flew Right Over Us In Jacksonville, FL

HUGE Trimaran

As we came into Vero Beach, we saw this one

Guy was poking along doing his own thing

Enormous!

And loud!

Home sweet home for someone

Vero Beach City Marina, Vero Beach Florida

2011-05-02T07:39:00.026-04:00

Vero Beach City Marina, Vero Beach Florida

We had a super week staying at the Vero Beach City Marina. Lots of walking and bus riding for us. There were 3 different playgrounds that we were able to enjoy, lots of restaurants, and the beautiful beach.

Pros:
Number of bathrooms plus a family bathroom
Lot of washing machines at marina
Gas and Diesel at marina
Staff is friendly and helpful
Grassy area with covered pavillions on premises
Marina was not noisey anytime during our 7+ day stay
Captains room was clean, well apointed, and had lots of good local information in it with a good trading library
Free city buses with bus stop at marina
Vero beach is 1.2 miles away
2 playgrounds and 3 parks all walkable
Great dog park within 0.1 of a mile
Close to a number of reastaurants
Close to many financial institutions (Fidelity, Scottrade, and more)
Lots butique shopping opportunities (not our thing, but notable)
Ace Hardware is 0.5 miles away
PakMail ship center is 0.4 miles away
Island streets near marina are on a grid so it is easy to navigate
Very close to the Intercoastal Waterway

Cons:
Number of dock carts is too few
Grocery store is 5 miles away (but is on the bus line requiring 0 bus transfers)
Marine store is 5 miles away (but is on the bus line requiring 0 bus transfers)
Walmart is 15 miles away (but is on the bus line and requires 1 bus transfer at main station)
Propane isn't reachable by foot or by bus line (even if you wanted to sneak it on the bus)
Can be congested at the channel turn in since channel turn in is at a bridge

Neautrals:
Price of marina for a slip
Laundry is of average price

Ariel at the slip at the Vero Beach City Marina

Half of the Captain's Lounge at the marina

Dinghy Dock at the marina

Fuel Dock

KJ Jumped off this stump, the Jumping Stump, no less than 83,171 times

Plenty of washers and dryers at the Vero Beach City Marina
as well as a dollar bill changer! Wahoo!

Rock wedged into a tree

KJ and I discussed how long ago that rock must have been put into the tree, given that the tree has now grown around it. Some day KJ may return and still see that rock!

Multiple picnic tables at the marina

Vero Beach City Marina receives the Sailboat Family seal of approval.

Diaper Head

2011-05-01T08:18:00.000-04:00

Diaper Head

So, your little sister finally gets out of diapers .... what do you do with all the left over diapers? Put them on your head!

KJ sporting the latest fashion of the waterway

We thought the whole Diaper head fashion show was over, but that night we not only found Dy sleeping next to her big sister, but KJ was wearing a diaper on her head again!

KJ wearing a diaper to bed

Wonderful memories, and now I've captured them on the Internet for KJ. I'm sure some day she will regret wearing this diaper on her head (and be mad at her dad for sharing these pictures!).

Quickie Snubber Line

2011-04-30T08:47:00.000-04:00

Quickie Makeshift Snubber Line

Our main, number 1, anchor is equipped with 100 ft of 5/16 BBB chain. Really good and really heavy, especially for our sized boat.

When setting the anchor, best practice is to pay out 4-7 lengths of your anchoring line to stay put.... but when you are in 3 feet of water, even 7 lengths results in only 21 feet. No big deal other than with 100 ft of chain, that means we have all chain between us and our anchor making for a very jarring experience when the boat moves around.

So what does one do? You add a snubber line.

The first night of anchoring we made one that would suffice. We simply tied some line between a link of chain and the cleat. When the boat jerked around (due to current, wakes, or winds), all the jarring was removed as it was absorbed by the line. If the line were to break, we still had the chain itself connected to the boat.

Those 2 marks on the chain (yellow and white), indicate 40 feet of chain.

Vero Beach Farmers Market

2011-04-29T08:14:00.016-04:00

Val, KJ, and Dy exploring the Vero Beach Farmers Market

During out stay in Vero Beach, we were fortunate enough to visit their out door farmers market. The gathering of local produce and shops was quaint, and we were able to secure some good fresh fruits and vegetables at very reasonable prices. One of the more interesting ones is the Bananamango. We've never had one and we sure look forward to trying it!

Under the eye of security

While visiting one of the vendors, we found we were under the scrutiny of a heavy, their security guy. See the menacing looking dude in the white hat? He is on Mango theft watch. No, really ... he was the booth security.

About $10 later, we had a great assortment of stuff.

Provisioning via Miata

2011-04-28T08:20:00.014-04:00

Totally full!

With Val's dad visiting, we had access to a vehicle! Score! Time to make a run and load up. Funny thing was, Val's dad drives a Miata!

At Sam's Club

In another stoke of luck, Sam's Club happened to be having their "try us out" membership drive going on. (note: After the hassle we went through with whomever was the person in charge of the check out lines, we don't plan on being members. What an asshole. Anyway, we sure did load up!)

Miata Trunk Loaded Up

We also swung by a Walmart to get a few other things Sam's Club didn't have.

Can't See Out The Back

And we were on our way! Setting up for our jump to the Bahamas, we had read and heard that certain things are hard to get over there. Once we run out of this stuff, we will be eating local!

PawPaw Visits!

2011-04-27T08:05:00.016-04:00

KJ Doing a CandyBall at PawPaws Hotel

(4/15/11-4/16/11)

The past 2 days we've had some special visitors .... Val's Dad, Charlie, and his friend Barbara. They were on their way down to West Palm Beach and were able to stop by for a couple of days and visit us in Vero Beach.

As is tradition, Pawpaw brought in treats and presents for the girls.

Pawpaw is a master at Barbie dresses

The big hit was the Barbie clothes and the Barbie movie.

The girls ended up spending almost all of Saturday with Pawpaw and Barbara while Val and I borrowed Pawpaw's car for a provisioning trip.

Barbara holds Dy while Dy looks anxiously on
as KJ prepares for her next CandyBall

We were so happy they could stop off and see us. The girls had an absolute blast and have been asking about when they will see Pawpaw and Barbara again.

Vero Beach Buses

2011-04-26T08:43:00.030-04:00

KJ and Dy on the city bus

After a day of fun in the sun, plus walking more than 3 miles, what does one do in a new city without a car? Ride the FREE public bus!

Vero Beach has a wonderful bus system for folks to move about the area, and it is FREE. Yes, really free ... like cost nothing. There is a donation box for those wanting to put money in (I did give a buck), but nothing is expected.

Known as the "Go Line", the Go Line Bus System has 14 routes throughout the county. They run from 8am until 5pm, Monday through Friday, and reduced hours on Saturday. Oh, they are free! (I love free).

KJ, Dy, and I headed out at 10AM to see where the bus went. KJ brought along her field notebook to take notes of our finds. We found a Publix, West Marine, a number of restaurants, and more. The driver of the bus was a fantastic helpful guy who himself had lived aboard a boat at one point. He and his wife docked at Vero Beach and decided they liked it so much they became residents. We can't blame them. (Vero Beach is known as Velcro Beach because many folks get "stuck" here).

After riding the bus its entire loop, we got back to relay the findings to Val. For lunch we all hopped back onto the bus and hit the local mall. A fancy lunch at Chic-Fil-a was in store for us.

On the way back, Dy had an "accident" (read between the lines for a 3 year old being potty trained and wearing big girl panties). Fortunately the very next stop of the bus we were on was WalMart, so we decided to hop off and not subject the rest of the passengers to Dy's freshly created aroma. After a quick change, we did some light shopping and then got back on the bus to get back to the boat for a nap.

It was a great day all around.

Vero Beach, Florida

2011-04-25T08:30:00.032-04:00

KJ, Dy, and Val enjoying Vero Beach, FL

First full day in Vero Beach. The family decided that we needed some good beach time. We walked from Vero Beach City Marina to Vero Beach (about 1.25 miles away) carrying all the tools of the beach trade (pails, shovels, sunscreen, and a towel).

Dy picking out Vero Beaches finest shells

KJ the master sand castle creator

Interestingly, Dy didn't want to get in the water. She only wanted to play in the sand. KJ, on the other hand, couldn't wait to get in the water so she and I did go in and enjoy the surf.

The immediate area around the beach feels like it is geared more towards retirees than families, although there are lots of families here. Many of the shops close down at 5, and a number of the food places are only open on certain days at certain times. We found lots of neat little shops and confectioneries. I'm sure we will try one or two!

Right off the beach is a nice park area with showers. We just had to try out the playground here too.

KJ made a new friend

Great and tiring day. Tomorrow we will explore the bus system.

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach FL : Day 7 : BUZZZZZZING Ice Cream Leg Complete

2011-04-24T08:31:00.004-04:00

Choices, Choices, Choices

Leg 2, Day 7
Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach, FL : Ice Cream! Leg 2 Complete
(12APR11)

Today is testing day … will the buzzer sound or not? With last nights strong winds, I ended up letting out 80 feet of chain, so today's anchor removal was more of a work out than usual. We had anchored in 6.5 feet of water.

As we took off, we held our breath and waited. No Sounds! I enjoyed the morning coffee while Val got out KJ and Dy's school books. 30 minutes into reading a story about Nan's Cat that sat on the mat, BUZZ!!! The horrendous, hideous, grotesque, vulgar sounding ominous tone of death started again. The glances to one another were thrown and Val got back on the phone, this time to a Honda dealership.

While they talked, I decided “F-It”, and rather than dropping the RPM, if I'm going to hear the damn thing, I'm going to throttle up and get us to Vero Beach Marina sooner rather than later. It was 25 miles away.

I pushed the throttle up to 4500 RPM, we hit 6.5 knots, and we buzzed for 3 hours straight! I envisioned all sorts of wonderful punishments I would have for the buzzer.

During our travels to Vero Beach, we did have some good winds along the way that came across the beam, so we put up the main sail and got an additional 0.5 knots. It was nice to be sailing some, even if it was motor sailing.

As we approached Vero Beach Marina we encountered the largest percentage of rude powerboaters we had since starting the journey down the ICW. These guys would blast past and create enormous wakes for us. I will also note that nearly all of them fit the profile of Rodney Dangerfield in Caddyshack, except they weren't funny … just assholes.

Docking was a bit tricky as the winds were blowing pretty good. We had heard over the radio that there was a chance of thunderstorms, so the winds were probably at the head of that system. I slowly walked the boat in, and the dock line handler from the marina told me that I had done better than most (extra $1 tip for that comment!) and that they've had a few folks hit really hard today.

Docked safely now, our first order of business was Ice Cream! Thank you Virtual Crew Members!

Dy enjoying chocolate chip

KJ enjoying "Superman" flavored ice cream

We will be here about a week; Val's dad will be coming out for a few days.

While we are in Vero Beach, Val will be replacing the main engine's thermostat. (one possible cause of the buzzer with no lights is that there is a very small piece of trash in the thermostat... just enough to trigger the buzzer but not the light …. this is what the mechanic and the Honda dealership shared).

Time to relax and explore Vero Beach.

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach FL : Day 6 : Damn Buzzer!

2011-04-23T08:35:00.015-04:00

Val begins to take things apart

Leg 2, Day 6

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach, FL : Damn Buzzer!

(11APR11)

Anchor up and we were on our way nice and quite like. They day started like all others, but then “Buzz!” The damn engine buzzer went off again. We hadn't heard it since the very first day.

Val and I looked at each other, and we both looked for the pee. Yep, engine was peeing like it was supposed to. Maybe it was some glitch.

20 minutes goes by... “Buzz! Buzz!” Ugh. Then no more buzz.

Closer we got to a bridge, “Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!” UGH! POS! I became really worried the engine was about to die as we were going under a bridge, and the wind was right on our nose. Oh, what I wouldn't give to get back to those uneventful days.

Holding our breathes and praying to the Honda engine gods, our eyes opened wide and nothing came out of our mouths. We passed through the bridge with the horrendous Buzz sound but the engine kept going. Once we were clear of the bridge, Val and I went into diagnostic mode.

None of the engine indicator lights were on. Unlike day 1 when we could see the engine temperature light come on (because of the lack of cooling), all we got today was a buzz sound. With the engine still running, I back down the RPMs from 3500 to 2500 while we opened up the manuals to find out what would cause the buzz. Nothing of value in the SELOC manual. We decided to call 1 of our life lines.

On the phone to my sister I went. Her prowess as a master Googligriphier is legendary. She did some searching using Google and the most common culprit of the problem was water in the gas. That could certainly be it.

We kept plugging along, and I toyed with the throttle. Amazingly, if I kept the engine at below 2000 RPM, no buzz, I go above it BUZZZZ! (and it is a heinous vomit inducing buzz).

Ariel plodded along at a speed of 2.8 knots … about 3.25 MPH! Stress levels were high as we didn't know for sure if something was going wrong with the engine. We decided we would cut the day short and anchor up after cover about 27 miles. This would give mechanic Val some time to work on the problem while the sun is up.

After anchoring up, Val made reservations for us at the Vero Beach City Marina.... we should reach there tomorrow. Worst case, we spend the night there and find a mechanic. Best case, we fix our problem ourselves still go to the marina and enjoy a nice shower.

Val then called Dennis, the guy whom worked on Ariel while we were in Savannh. This guy was fantastic, and talked Val through what he thought the issues could be. He zeroed in to water in the system too. The guy is hundreds of miles away and not on the clock, yet he helped us. Thank you so much Dennis!!

After talking with Dennis, Val when into her mechanic mode and took out the water separator and the fuel filter.

Is there water in there?

New fuel filter going in

Once the pieces were replaced, we started it all up. It ran, but we didn't run it over 2000 RPM. That we will do tomorrow morning.

It was a full day indeed. So much to learn!

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach FL : Day 5 : Shuttles and Parks

2011-04-23T08:18:00.033-04:00

KJ and Dy enjoying Cocoa Beach Village Splashground

Leg 2, Day 5

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach, FL : Shuttles and Parks

(10APR11)

Up early today, and I totally suck at steering the boat in the dark. Ariel must have looked like a whirling dervish as I tried to get us out of our anchor spot on onto the ICW. Zigzag and back again … back and forth. Eventually I just handed the steering over to Val whom did a splendid job of getting us on the ICW, in the dark, and keeping us in the channel. Go Val!

As dawn broke, it didn't take long for us to learn why Mosquito Lagoon is named Mosquito Lagoon. We had these blood sucker passengers!!! All of us had a number of bites. Ugh. Dabs of hydrocortizone to keep the itching to a minimum.

Bastard Blood Sucking Mosquitoes

There were a number of small channels to contend with today, and KJ helped keep watch as we went down them.

KJ helping keep eyes on the narrow canal

We also found more folks camping along the river backs. They must have a lot of Deet or something to keep the bugs off.

Folks camping along narrow canals

We also saw our first island full of "in the wild" natural Florida pink flamingos. (PLEASE NOTE: a person reading this diary shared that these are not Pink Flamingos, but Roseate Spoonbill birds. Thanks James S!)

Island Full Of Pink Flamingos

One of the highlights was getting close to Cape Canaveral where the Space Shuttle is launched. From our reading, the shuttle was supposed to be on the launch pad for a launch next week, but we were never close enough to see it. We did glimpse the Shuttle assembly building though, with its huge NASA logo.

Space Shuttle Assembly Building

Since we couldn't get a good view of the space shuttle, we decided to push on towards Cocoa beach. We ended up anchoring in Cocoa beach tavern area, right by the bridge, near 2 city parks. Besides the 2 jackholes whom kept racing their jetskis through the anchored boats, this was a fantastic anchorage.

Once anchored up, KJ, Dy, and I deployed Flounder (our tender) and I rowed us all to shore. We were happy to find not 1 but 2 playgrounds … plus a splashground!

Dy Running Out of the Splashground

Tug Playground Equipment

After the girls played for a few hours, I took them over to a pizza lunch at some “Irish” place. The pizza sucked, but the service was fantastic and the girls, well, they just loved eating lunch out.

Pizza break after hard play

Time to row all the way back to Ariel.... alas, the damn current wasn't in my favor. It was definitely a work out.

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach FL : Day 4 : Hot Air Balloons

2011-04-22T08:10:00.013-04:00

Hot Air Balloons Being Filled for lift off

Leg 2, Day 4

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach, FL : Hot Air Balloons

(09APR11)

Today we began our journey down the Indian River... this is the water way in Florida that is pretty famous for Oranges and such. There was a lot of traffic out and about, and it was beautiful. Lots of families on the water way enjoying the Saturday. We saw a number of folks camped along the river banks.

Families enjoying the river

Nothing like an afternoon on a pontoon

Good way to spend the day

There was 1 scheduled opening bridge today, and we saw lots of sailboats coming through. From the radio traffic, they boats appeared to be a part of some regatta.

As we passed the New Symerna Beach area, we could see lots of hot air balloons being filled up. There was the usual Remax one, but then we saw a giant Godzilla looking one and also a large Sun one.

While heading down the ICW, we noticed a helicopter buzzing real low along the river coming towards us. As it came in close, KJ and I stood on the front of the boat and danced for it. As it swooped past, it had a logo on the side that read “www.BoatPix.com”.... Neat business for sure.

As we passed marker 55 on the ICW, a boat called Incognito called out “South bound sailing vessel passing 55 this is Incognito, we plan on passing you to Port.” As I reached for the microphone to respond, someone else responded! It was crazy. We listened to the 2 boats talk back and forth, and then I watched as Incognito did indeed pass us to port. Funny stuff. They had a wonderful conversation about how to pass, but it was us that Incognito really intended to talk to.

We saw lots of manatees today along the river too. They floated right on the surface and watched us as we passed.

Our anchorage today was in Mosquito Lagoon. The anchor point was out in the middle of the lagoon, far from any shore. However, it turned out to be fantastic as we all were able to jump in the water and swim around Ariel for hours. It was a fun filled day for sure. No bugs in the cabin yet, so we aren't sure why Mosquito Lagoon is named Mosquito Lagoon

From our current location, we can see the Space Shuttle assembly way off in the distance. That is tomorrows anchorage, Cape Canaveral!

Val and I plan on starting off early tomorrow to take advantage of the tides.

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach FL : Day 3 : Private Beach

2011-04-21T08:37:00.012-04:00

Small beach KJ, Dy, and I played on for a few hours

Leg 2, Day 3

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach, FL : Private Beach Visit

(08APR11)

3 Days in a row of no big issues! This could be a trend!!!

Today we made our way to Daytona beach. Our original anchorage for the night was quite crowded and didn't seem to offer as much as it appeared to on the map, from a “let's get out” perspective. We elected to continue south looking for another spot. We ended up in a great place about another mile down the ICW.

Dy, KJ, and I headed off on the dingy (rowing of course!) for a seemingly deserted little island that had lots of sand. The quarter mile row was easy and we played on the beach from 11 until 12:30. During that time, Val cleaned the boat and prepared lunch. By 1:15, we were eating grilled hamburgers and sitting on the front of the boat enjoying a beautiful sunny day in Daytona.

View 1 from Daytona anchorage

View 2 from Daytona anchorage

View 3 from Daytona anchorage

After lunch, it was family nap time and then the evening went into KJ and Dy schooling mode. After dinner, we sat outside and watched the sunset while a few dolphins played on the side of our boat. With the sun down, it was movie time and we watched a Star Trek movie, the Wrath of Khan. Ahh, it was good … and we were treated during the movie intermission to a wonderful fireworks display.

Another good day. We continue South tomorrow morning before all the Saturday Daytona beach boaters come out and blast up and down the ICW.

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach FL : Day 2 : Timing Bridges Openings

2011-04-20T08:24:00.035-04:00

Day break of second day on leg 2- Jacksonville to Vero Beach

Leg 2, Day 2

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach, FL : Timing Bridge Openings

(07APR11)

Another uneventful day! Dy didn't even pee in her panties! Wahoo!

The big challenge today was “timing” a bridge. There are many bridges along the ICW and a large number of them open up when you ask them to. Other bridges, however, only open up on a schedule. Today we hit our first scheduled bridge. The bridge only opens up on the hour and the half hour, except for during rush hour and lunch.

Using the advanced skills I picked up while earning my Physics degree in college, I computed the speed we would need to travel to arrive within 5 minutes of the bridge opening. I didn't want to arrive too soon and try to linger around in position waiting for an opening, my prowess to hold the boat in a position for a long period has much to be desired. Much to our surprise, we actually did get within 5 minutes of the opening time.

Next issue was the etiquette for such a bridge. Our we supposed to let the bridge tender know that we would be going through? We put on VHF Channel 9 (the bridge station) to listen in to see if others were doing any such thing. It was completely silent, although we could see boats queuing up on both sides. Okay, so nothing needs to be said. But how do the boats all know who goes first, whose next, etc.? We would find out very quickly.

Within 3 minutes of arriving at the bridge, we could see the arms that stop traffic from crossing the bridge come down. This is it, the moment of truth!

As soon as the bridge started going up, it was like a mad dash, all the boats on both sides raced towards the center. It was like at a pig farm when the farmer opens the piggy gate and all the pigs squish through, but in this case the piggies were coming from both sides!

I told everyone to hold on and I throttled up to barrel through just like everyone else. I did have the tide running in my favor, which allowed me to pick up some extra speed. By the grace of the bridge gods I interleaved other boats, some coming from the opposite direction, and we wove out way through! Wahoo!!

We were now passing an absolutely beautiful port town, St. Augstine. It looked like it had been lifted right out of Europe.

Continuing South down the ICW, we saw many beautiful homes. Some of the docks of the homes were spectacular in themselves. One dock, however, made us all laugh as the owner of the dock decided a toilet out in the open would be a good move.

Commode on a dock on the ICW

After what felt like a very long day (and it was, especially given the 8h40m of yesterday), we finally came up to the little creek we would be staying at for the night. On the creek is one of the Sea Ray plants (a boat manufacturer). We turned in to find another boat exactly in the spot we wanted to anchor in for the night. Oh well, first come first serve. We stayed in the creek but anchored a little bit closer to the entrance to the ICW than we had planned.

View from our anchorage out to the ICW

Today we boated for 7 hours and 30 minutes, covering about 40 miles. It helped that we rode the ebbs and flows of the tides.

See the Octopus and Alligator?

Ever stare up at the clouds and play the game of “Do you see?” We do that game a lot, but with tree stumps. Tonight we spotted an interesting tree stump duo along the banks, an Octopus and an Alligator leaving the creek.

Tomorrow we head to Daytona Beach!

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach FL : Day 1 : 1 Wrong Turn

2011-04-19T08:50:00.009-04:00

Our neighbor for the night... we hope he keeps it down

Leg 2, Day 1

Jacksonville, FL to Vero Beach, FL : 1 Wrong Turn

(06APR11)

Today was uneventful.... and that is great! Today was the easiest day of the journey thus far. Departing the marina was incredibly easy, and we were fortunate that Paul H came out and send us off. Thank you again Paul!!!

The challenges today included 1 wrong turn (which was quickly recognized and corrected before we ended up out of the ICW) and 1 tricky bridge. The bridge was tricky only because it was narrow and at the bend of a river making the currents very swift. As I motored the boat through, it felt “squirrelly” a few times.

Tonight we are anchoring up in a fantastic little area just off the ICW. There are 3 other boats sharing the anchorage with us, although they all chose to anchor closer to the ICW itself. We tucked in quite far taking advantage of our shallow draft. Our immediate neighbor was a bird.

The only downfall of the day was that Dy peed in her big girl panties 3 times today. The first time in 5 days. It is probably due to us having spent the day motoring and away from the marina.

Total time going down the ICW today was 8 hours and 40 minutes. We cover 42.64 miles and burned about 8 gallons of gasoline.

Ortega Yacht Club Marina in Jacksonville, FL

2011-04-18T08:15:00.000-04:00

Paul Howe (Dockmaster OYCM), Lady Bug, KJ, and Dy

The concluding point of Leg 1, Savannah GA to Jacksonville FL, was Ortega Yacht Club Marina (OYCM). We found the marina though an ad in one of the guide books we used to help us get down the Intercoastal Waterway.

OYCM was one of a few different places Val called while we were at our last anchorage. OYCM's Dockmaster, Paul Howe, was the most friendly, knowledgeable, and helpful.

Our plan was to stay at OYCM only for a couple of days, to re-provision us and the boat. However, after just a few days, we found out what a true gem this marina is and then we elected to go ahead and stay a week. As the week came to an end, we fueled up, watered up, and got food aboard the boat for Leg 2. The weather decided for us that we would stay another few days. This put us into a date zone that Dy's birthday could be celebrated at Disney if we stayed just a few more! This put us at a total of 2 weeks!! And we enjoyed each day very very much.

We cannot thank Paul enough for all his great help. He treated us so well, and made us feel a part of the marina. His knowledge of the area, plus the areas we would be cruising very soon, we so appreciated. Paul is the man!

If you are looking to stay in the Jacksonville area for a few days, the OYCM has got our SailboatFamily seal of approval. We would most definitely come back and stay here.

Here are the Pros:

Paul
The restrooms/showers were always clean and working
2 courtesy bikes
Rates for marina were outstanding
Walking distance to Publix, West Marine, Pier 17 (another marine store), a number of restaurants, and 2 playgrounds (one is 0.25 mile away, one is 1 mile away)
Enterprise Car Rental really close (I walked over)

Here are the Cons:

4 hours off the Intercoastal waterway (at SailboatFamily speed anyway)
No Gas/Diesel at the marina (you can easily dinghy, or walk, to another marina that has fuel)

Here are the Neutrals:

Only 1 shower for men, only 1 shower for women
Only 1 stall and 1 urinal for men, 2 stalls for women
Only 1 washer, but 2 dryers

My Stick Is Too Big

2011-04-17T07:53:00.000-04:00

While talking with Paul, the dockmaster of Ortega Yacht Club Maria (OYCM) and one really cool guy, he shared with us the boating possibility of going further inland towards Sanford, Florida .... a place not too far from Orlando (practically a suburb of Orlando). The crystal clear water, manatees, sand, and more sure sounded good and perfect for us. As we looked at the route, we saw one problem.... a fixed bridge. This particular fixed bridge is at 45 feet.... exactly the height we are from the water line. We spent a whole week discussing the options and talked with Richard and Debbie (others in the OYCM whom lived very close to the bridge at one point) to get their take. We could wait for an extremely low tide, and sneak through. We could always try to go through/under tipping the boat (in a catamaran, you really don't gain much doing this). We could hope that the bridge is actually just a bit taller than listed. We could have the mast taken down (not a trivial or cheap proposition). In the end, we simply decided that we didn't want to take the risk of hitting our mast on the bridge. That is one consequence of going with the sailboat that has a fixed mast. The "free" wind energy has been traded off with the freedom to go where we want by boat. Given that we've spent 98% of our time motoring thus far, it makes us wonder about the choice of sail. We suspect that once we are traversing larger crossings, the sail choice will really make sense. Also, it is hard to share the thrill of the sails being up, engine off, and being propelled silently.

Off to our next destination!

Big Kudos to Publix in Jacksonville, FL and Peter Muller

2011-04-16T07:45:00.000-04:00

Being a boat centric nomadic family, our method of getting around in port is limited to our feet. At current capacity, we can comfortably cover 2 miles each way. This restricts our shopping options to say the least. So write that we were pleasantly surprised by the walkable Publix near Ortega Yacht Club Marina would be a massive understatement.

The Publix located at 4495 Roosevelt Blvd in Jacksonville, FL (904-388-0512) is the best grocery store we've ever been to. The food selection is fantastic, the produce is fresh, the store is very clean, the staff is friendly, AND it is walkable for us. They give the kids free cookies each time we show up and there is always free coffee on tap.

If you are in the area and need stuff, we cannot recommend this Publix enough. Hats off to you, Peter Muller, the manager of the store. You don't know us, but we really appreciated having your store nearby.

Captain Charlie

2011-04-15T08:20:00.000-04:00

Captain Charlie Freeman, Dy, and KJ

While we prepared for this trip, there were a number of Internet forums that Val and I joined. One that I became a member of is called "Living Aboard." The focus of the forum is living aboard your boat, from the perspective of those doing it, those whom had done it, and those whom want to do it. This is the most positive, congenial forum I've ever been a member of.

Of the many seasoned water way veterans that tread the board, one guy in particular stands out as very funny.... Captain Charlie Freeman. Charlie is a licensed USCG Master Captain whom will get your boat from point A to point B. He has done all sorts of other commercial boating activities to include fishing. Charlie also happens to live in Jacksonville, FL and so I asked if he would stop by.

Captain Charlie came over, met the kids, and Val asked him a billion questions about going South. His detailed, local "Been There Done That" knowledge is incredible. We are very grateful for his time and obvious experience.

Captain Charlie's Prowess as a Grandpa came through

If we find ourselves in some weird predicament with our boat, there is zero doubt about whom we would call.

If you find you need someone to help you transfer your boat over a waterway, you really need to reach out to Captain Charlie. His number is: 904-704-3627 ... and tell him the Sailboat Family said Hi!

BOOKS!!! LOTS OF BOOKS!!!!

2011-04-14T07:59:00.000-04:00

Chamblin Bookmine in Jacksonville, FL

Still going through withdrawals from the great book purge, excitement coursed through my veins when a 5th person told me about Chamblin Bookmine book store. Being bound to transportation by foot power only, ones options are quite limited.... and having Bookmine be within reach is a true treat.

Floor to ceiling and aisles and aisles of books!

This place is FANTASTIC! So many good used books on every topic!

More books

The Chamblin Bookmine website contains a partial catalog of books in their inventory and they will send them to you.

So many good juicy books

The bookstore warranted multiple visits of course. I'm quite limited in what books I bring along, due to the carrying capacity of our boat, so judicious selection is key.

This is another place near Ortega Yacht Club Marina that is worth a visit.

Washing the Car

2011-04-13T08:13:00.000-04:00

KJ earning some extra pocket money

So there you are, your kid wants money but you don't give out allowances. In many families, if you want some extra cash you go wash the family car. That is exactly what we do too, but our car is the tender.

KJ did a fantastic job and earned her $0.50... plus got a $0.25 tip. We decided we would let KJ offer her services as a dinghy detailer for $0.10 per foot. She liked that idea. :) Maybe some tenders out there in the next marina need her services. Oh, I got the family rate. ;)

Bumps and Bruises

2011-04-12T08:24:00.000-04:00

Having a toddler means having occasional bumps and bruises. Heck, living on a boat means occasional bumps and bruises. Hell, living means occasional bumps and bruises! :)

This past week, we suffered our first good bump as Dy had tripped and hit her cheek. Uncle David (my brother) and Aunt Nancy knew such a thing could happen and gave us some wonderful, practical, departure gifts including a couple of Ice Pack Penguins. These nifty things can be made cold or hot.

Fortunately for us, Uncle David is a chiropractor and he was sure to send us off with a few cool things that we will be sharing in the diary as they are needed/used. Plus, Uncle David and Aunt Nancy have been sure the girls get some Ice Cream! :)

Thank you Uncle David and Aunt Nancy for taking good care of the girls!

JagDog! in Jacksonville, FL

2011-04-11T08:43:00.060-04:00

J.A.G.DOG Jon and his hot dog stand

Another walkable gem we found close by Ortega Yacht Club Marina in Jacksonville, FL was Jon and his "J.A.G. Dog" hot dog stand. (J.A.G. = Just Another Great)

Jon of JAG Dog

Jon is out Monday - Saturday, in the same spot, from about 11AM until 5PM. He offers some fantastic hot dogs, cooked right on the grill and made to order. For $1 you get a regular dog with ketchup, mustard, onions, and relish. A great deal especially with little kids whom love hot dogs!

Jon's super deal is his Hot Dog buffet, for $5 you get all you can eat hot dogs plus chips and a can of soda. Jon told us that many folks do the buffet meal.

Jon telling KJ she is wearing her dog

KJ and Dy loved the hot dogs and wanted more so we sent KJ up to get another couple of dogs from Jon. Jon hold KJ she was wearing her dog, and KJ busted out laughing. There was a bit of Ketchup on her face.

Jon wiping off KJ's face

Jon is a fantastic host, and was very gracious about what to do in the immediate area. If you find you are near Roosevelt Blvd and Lakeside Drive in Jacksonville, you would be well served to stop by Jon's place.

From the Google Earth view, you can even see Jon's stand!

A Day at the Races

2011-04-10T08:54:00.000-04:00

Discussing race etiquette, protocol, and procedure

You are a kid whom is living aboard a boat, and you find an open field. What do you do? You create a day at the races!

On your marks!
Get set!
Go!

And KJ takes the lead!

Crossing the finish line first is .....

KJ!

And winning the 2 year old 11 month and 23 day division:

Dy!

As any parent might guess, we did this race enough times that the kids simply couldn't run any more. Sleep that night was fantastic! ;)

This field is right next to the Ortega Yacht Club Marina. We ended up having races nearly every day.

Coolest Thing Ever

2011-04-09T07:54:00.001-04:00

Selling everything you own, walking away from the corporate executive ranks, a super job at a great company, and leaving amazing friends to step aboard your boat sailing away to an unknown destination with zero time line to be with your family 24x7 requires a serious gut check.

For the past 30 days I've been completely focused on this new life style. So many incredible moments have already happened with my girls. Watching them absorb the world and interpret it in their pure child way is priceless. Teaching them about math and stars and tides and boats and spelling and reading and colors and people and food and exercise and everything that life brings has been the most rewarding thing I've ever done.

Taking this path, going for it, regardless of what happens along the way, was/is the right thing to do. I'm grateful to have this opportunity in life. When the waves of doubt come through, I just hold on and play with KJ and Dy.

Bryson, Melissa, Austin, and Emmy Visit

2011-04-08T08:34:00.001-04:00

26MAR11

Austin and Emmy hanging out with KJ and Dy

Today we had special visitors! Bryson and Melissa, friends of ours from Atlanta GA, happened to be passing through Jacksonville and paid us a visit. This was great as it meant that KJ could reunite with a couple of her friends, Austin and Emmy.

Byson and Bill catching up

Emmy and Dy discussing world politics

KJ drawing a picture for Melissa to guess at

After showing the boat, we all headed to lunch

It is good to see old friends

And sad to say good bye

It was fantastic to see some of our good friends from Atlanta. They brought a lot of positive energy with them, and it was good for KJ and Dy to play with their friends again. Thanks for visiting Bryson, Melissa, Austin, and Emmy! Who knows where we will rendezvous next?!

Busted by the FUZZ!

2011-04-07T08:09:00.001-04:00

Ahhh Shit ... what did I do wrong?

How do you know if you are on a good road trip? You are busted by the Fuzz! Yep, that's me being pulled over by the local police.

I did a dinghy run to a fuel place about a half a mile away from our current marina. On the way back, this officer decided I needed to be checked out. My tender (dinghy) didn't have a Florida registration number on it.

Here is my registration

It turns out that in the state of Florida a tender (or dinghy) regardless of size must have a registration on it. Ariel, our main boat, is registered in Georgia and in Georgia main boat tenders less than 12 feet don't need them as long as they are noted as tenders (with a label on the side as T/T Ariel ... which ours is). So, as the officer explained the law, we were clearly breaking Florida law. (as an aside, Ariel is registered in Georgia and is a US Coast Guard documented vessel)

The officer was very kind and explained the Florida law to us. Any vessel with a motor must have a registration. He told me that we will probably get stopped each time we use the dinghy so it is best that we get it registered.

Friendly Guy

While it sucks to get pulled over for anything, the guy was just doing his job and enforcing the law. No biggie.

Just a warning!

In the end, the officer simply issued us a warning. Fantastic!

It is unlikely that we will register the dinghy here in Florida. We are only passing through, so that means we will be going into Gondola and Oar mode a lot. I've removed the engine from the tender and mounted it on Ariel.

This is one of those incidents that help make trips memorable.

Fuel Run

2011-04-06T08:13:00.000-04:00

Getting Ready For a Fuel Run

One of my jobs on the boat is to ensure we have enough fuel. So just before leaving Jacksonville, I loaded up the dinghy to make a run to a near by marina to load up our gas cans.

Based on the fuel we had used, it was going to take me 2 runs to Lambs marina. Normally one would simply fill up at the marina they are normally in, but the Ortega Yacht Club Marina no longer sells gas.

Off to get Gas

This was the first time we've needed to fuel up since leaving on our trip.

All went well except for one thing .... and this one thing required me to have to do the next round of fueling on foot!!! Talk about heavy ... each can, when full, weights over 30 pounds! What could have been so bad as to make me walk a mile for gas? You will see tomorrow!

Family Station Wagon Issues

2011-04-05T08:21:00.002-04:00

Working on the dinghy engine

When we left the local park, our dinghy engine wouldn't spin the propeller. The engine would start, but just not go when we put it in forward. It would rev fine, just no propeller spinning. We went into Gondola mode with me serving as the propeller system and 20 minutes later, we were back to the dock.

That night Val went into her mechanic mode. She is totally in her element tinkering with stuff, and she LOVES it. Being raised by a mechanic, she is comfortable tearing stuff down and building them up. Yeah for me as I suck at such things. I know all the theory and can explain every law of physics involved, but getting the mechanic parts together, no f-n way. Go VAL!

Pulling out the shear pin

Val had reasoned that the shear pin had sheared. The shear pin is a small piece of metal that keeps the propeller attached to the spinning shaft of the engine. When the propeller gets hung up on anything and cannot turn, the shear pin breaks (shears) to protect the engine. It is a great approach of keeping the engine safe.

Broken Shear Pin on bottom, New Shear Pin on top

Yep, it was indeed as Val suspected ... the shear pin did shear. In the photo, you can see the shear pin had broken into 3 pieces, just as it was designed to do. The top of the photo shows the new shear pin Val is putting in. Notice how it has 2 score marks in it... those are the break points if it were to break too.

Happy as a clam, Val is putting it back together

Well done Val. Hats off to you. The Ford (Val's maiden name) gene pool definitely runs strong in you. I love you!

We have no idea what had hung up the propeller to cause the shear pin to shear. It worked fine to the park dinghy dock. Another crazy ocean life mystery.

Family Day At The Park

2011-04-04T07:53:00.000-04:00

Flower crown at the park (made by Dad)

A 5 minute dinghy ride away from Ortega Yacht Club Marina is great little park called Stinson Park & Baker Point. It has a few slides, great climbing challenges, 2 swings (one for baby and one for kids), super grassy areas, wonderful shade coverage, plenty of park benches, and 5 picnic tables. The only down side of the park is that there are no bathrooms. Be that as it may, we had a lot of fun.

KJ and Dy were totally ready for a day at the park, and were quick to jump in with the neighborhood kids.

KJ making a new friend

Cool looking Dy checking out the action

We packed a picnic of sandwiches, pretzels, water, soda, and M&Ms.

Val met a number of other moms whom were very gracious. One even offered us a ride to WalMart! :)

All went well until we left the park when our family station wagon engine wouldn't go into gear. The engine would start fine, but forward wouldn't engage. Good thing I practiced Gondola mode back at Cumberland Island! Now to figure out whats up with the dinghy engine.

At Disney!

2011-04-03T10:00:00.001-04:00

Today the Sailboat Family is enjoying a day at Disney to celebrate Dy's 3rd birthday! Happy Birthday Dy! (and my 41st birthday!)

Going to Disney!

2011-04-02T08:50:00.005-04:00

This is why we stayed another few days

Our plan was to leave Jacksonville, FL on Wednesday, but the weather Wednesday and Thursday were such that it wouldn't have been a pleasant boating experience. The consequence is that we are staying another few days. This gave us another great opportunity, to drive to Orlando and visit Disney for Dy's birthday!

Sunday, April 3rd, is Dy's birthday so why not make it extra special by going to Disney. Orlando is about a 2 hour drive from here, so we got a rental car and are heading out shortly.

Oh, it also happens to be my birthday on Sunday too. :)

Inside the Sailboat Family Boat

2011-04-01T08:38:00.000-04:00

The center of family activity

After 3 weeks, the inside of the boat is finally taking its living form. We've been moving things around, finding proper spots, tossing stuff out, and cleaning. This diary entry is to capture what our boat looks like, on the inside.

View from kitchen across the inside of the boat

Kitchen

Plate Rack

Pantry

Inside Refrigerator

Can storage

Master Suite :)

Dresser

KJ's Room

Toy Wall

KJ's Library

Head Sink Area

Head

Hot Water Shower

Family Station Wagon

We trust you enjoyed the tour of our home. :)

Savannah, GA to Jacksonville, FL : Day 8 : Jacksonville, FL

2011-03-31T08:45:00.044-04:00

Cargo Ship Under Guard

Leg 1 : Day 8 (23MAR11)

Big Boy Day

Today we made our way to Ortega Yacht Club Marina..... in Jacksonville, FL! Leg 1 is complete!

The journey was another serious learning curve as we faced new obstacles and challenges.

First big hurdle was communicating with bridge operators (called tenders) to open up to let us pass.

Bridge Closed at Sisters Creek

"Sisters Creek Bridge, Sisters Creek Bridge, Sisters Creek Bridge this is Sailing Vessel Ariel, Ariel, Ariel over" I confidently hailed.

And through the magic of radio, there was a guy on the other end! We were polite and respectiful, and had zero attitude from the bridge tender. We had been lead to believe that we could face attitude.

The operator told me to make my way towards the bridge and he would open it. Taking a deep gulp of air, I plowed forward at 5 knots. The bridge wasn't going up yet, I just trusted that it would all work.

WOW! It is actually opening on MY request!

As we approached, magically the bridge started to go up. Am I aligned? Am I centered?

Moment of truth, going through

We made it through!

Once through the bridge, we made our way towards Jacksonville and entered a manatee zone. Sure enough, we spotted manatees!

Then we went into tug and working boat land. At one point, we had a big tug on our front and each side! Holy Shit! It was intimidating to say the least. They are big, powerful, noisy, and rough beasts.

Once through the working boat area, we passed the Jacksonville Jaguars stadium.

The glory of going down the waterway through a city was finally ours, with big buildings on either side.

Then we saw it, a big bridge with only 38 feet of clearance! This was the main street bridge, the blue bridge.

The Main Street Bridge is closed! How do we get through?

Do we actually ask the main street bridge to open up?

We did a pass looking things over, and decided that after 4 hours, big tugs, cargo ships, and manatees, what the hell.

"Main street bridge, Main street bridge, Main street bridge, this is Sailing Vessel Ariel, Ariel, Ariel over."

After a few particulars, the bridge actually started to open up and all the traffic began to back up.

Main Street Bridge Going Up!

Yes, we were those folks.... those folks whom stop the traffic to let our boat through. :)

Racing under at 5 knots, we then found we were hemmed in! There was a 5 foot rail road bridge. Were we to ask for this rail road bridge to open up separately? Oh shit.

Crap! A train has hemmed us in.

Ding! Ding! Ding! And the low rumble of a train could be heard. At the moment we had decided to traverse the bridge, a damn train was making its way.

Boxed in, we motored slowly around in front of Jacksonville Landing, between the now closed Main street bridge and the closed train bridge providing a major part of the ambiance.

Train has passed and now the bridge is going up.

The train passed after what seemed like an hour (it was 20 minutes), and the bridge went up!

We were on our way to the marina, to meet Paul ... the dockmaster. A totally cool guy whom helped us all the way in.

One last bridge to get down to the marina, the Ortega river bridge. Damn, this one was more narrow than my car, the tide was going out, and the wind was blowing us sideways.

The final bridge, the Ortega River Bridge.

We made it through and docked just fine! We can't thank Paul enough for the help to get in.

Leg 1, Savannah GA to Jacksonville FL complete. Time to provision, rest, repair, and enjoy Jacksonville Florida for a few days.

Savannah, GA to Jacksonville, FL : Day 7 : Submarines

2011-03-30T08:47:00.002-04:00

Kings Bay Navel Submarine Base

One of many patrols to pass us

Leg 1 : Day 7 (22MAR11)

Today was a long day, covering 37 miles in 7 hours.

The most fascinating part was transiting the Kings Bay Navel center, the home of 6 Trident Nuclear submarines. The area is heavily patrolled and

Our navigation system showing Kings Bay as a security zone.

monitored. We listened as lots of pleasure craft were hailed by the Navy and Coast Guard folks. We were never called, and I'd like to think this was because my obvious good captaining (and following every channel rule, no erratic course adjustments, and slow speed).

We also crossed a number of commercial traffic lanes, a first for us. Watching the ferry go back and forth, plus seeing tugs go back and forth was really cool. We also saw some awesome looking dredgers, with 4 smoke stacks. We were a part of the water way show today, and it felt good.

Great Lakes Dredge And Rock Company Dredging Vessel

As the hours drew long, we decided to find an anchorage just off the ICW, marker 55. The little place we tucked ourselves into is very very shallow. We are totally taking advantage of our 18 inch draft tonight! In the water we can hear all sorts of creatures..... ones we've not heard before. They sound like underwater wood peckers. I sure hope they don't eat through the hull.

Tomorrow our plan is to make landfall in Jacksonville Florida.

Savannah, GA to Jacksonville, FL : Day 6 : Land Ho!

2011-03-29T08:32:00.013-04:00

Todays workout - see Ariel waaaay back there?

Leg 1 : Day 6 (21MAR11)

Today was a land excursion day, the first day the family has touched
land in 6 days. Everyone was excited about going to Cumberland island
and exploring. The plan was for me to take them over in the dinghy
and then for me to return to the boat and wait until 1pm. At that
time, I was to return to the drop off point and pick them up.
Everything went to plan!

When I dropped off the family, we were near the camp site of those sea
kayakers .... they had stayed the night. On the way back to the boat,
I decided to bring the dinghy back gondola style. Standing up like I
was riding a surf board, I took the long oar and slowly worked from
side to side propelling the dinghy and myself half way back to the
boat. Then I elected to start up the dinghy's engine and enjoy fossil
fuels. Rendezvousing back with Ariel was nearly perfect. I had come
up behind Ariel (going into the current) and the dinghy engine cut off
as planned.... I glided to within 3 inches of the grab point! I just

KJ and her field journal

missed, so as I floated back away, I started the engine back up and made another pass. Perfect amount of throttle this time as I just drifted into reach of the boat's boarding ladder.

After the girls returned to the boat, I got the run down of the days adventure. I had asked KJ to draw pictures for me of the things she saw. These were to be drawn in her field book. I required 1 animal,
1 flower, and 1 building. From KJ's pictures and her description, my job was to guess, for example, what animal she elected to chronicle.

Working water pump on Cumberland Island

My guess was wrong today, but it was a lot of fun. KJ had highlighted an Armadillo. I was surprised to learn that those little buggers have made their way onto this island! I remember them making their way
across Texas, but how did they get here? There are no bridges to this place. Anyway, today was a good adventure day.

Savannah, GA to Jacksonville, FL : Day 5 : By the Numbers

2011-03-28T08:22:00.007-04:00

Is the bridge high enough?

Leg 1 : Day 5 (20MAR11)

26.2 miles covered (a marathon!)
2 bridges
1 catamaran
3 islands
2 sounds
1 horse
7 sea kayakers
12 dolphins
83 pelicans
171 seagulls

It was listed as 65 feet!

On the way over, we crossed under 2 bridges. That was a first for us.
The bridges listed their clearance as 65 feet, and our above water
mast height is 45 feet. Regardless, it was still one of those pucker
moments as we went under. Talk about a potential disaster!

Cumberland Island is one of those islands with horses roaming free. We
were fortunate enough to catch a glimpse of one of the horses grazing
near the banks. Quite a treat.

On the look out for horses on Cumberland Island

Tonight we are anchoring up behind Cumberland Island. The Atlantic is

just on the other side and we can hear its low rumble. The moon is

full and providing an amazing dark orange glow.

After anchoring for the day, at around 4pm, 7 sea kayaks, with their
pilots in them, slowly paddled by. I nearly offered them a drink, but
they were doing their own thing. They pulled their kayaks up on shore
and are spending the night. Pretty cool for them!

Tomorrow the plan is to stay put for the day and rest. We need to do
some more schooling with KJ, plus we want to go explore the island
ourselves.

Breakfast was, you guessed it, oatmeal! :) Plus Frosted Flakes. Lunch
was Asian pasta (e.g. ramien noodles). Dinner was burritos.

Savannah, GA to Jacksonville, FL : Day 4 : Sailing in my underwear

2011-03-27T07:45:00.006-04:00

Leg 1 : Day 4 (19MAR11)

After pulling anchor, we headed out of Tom Sawyer land further down
south. We had to make it through Little Mud River during high tide,
otherwise the depth would have made it possible for us to run aground
(even in our catamaran).

During the transit through Little Mud River, we experienced our first
Ship to Ship hail. Someone heading northbound asked if we had a
reflector at the top of our mast, or perhaps did we leave the anchor
light on. A quick check of our circuit panel showed that the anchor
light was off, so we suggested it was just the angle of the light.
This back and forth helped assure us that our radio system works as it
should.

Our intent today was to make it to Altahama river to anchor for the
night, a nice 16 mile boating day (just on the other side of
Buttermilk Sound). However, we had made such good time through that
we elected to keep going and make it down to Fort Frederica, on the
North end of Saint Simon's island.

At ICW Mile Marker 666, flashing green 229 shows up indicating our
river to the fort. We went port, around the sand bar, and made it
into the river. We wound our way back near the fort and anchored up
around 1pm. The river is muddy making anchoring really nice and easy.
The current was running pretty strong when we set up.

There are lots of homes along this water way, some are incredible.
Along with homes, of course, come the other boats and we've been
buzzed by many of them.

The big meal today was burritos. They were fantastic.

I wanted to wear shorts today, but the "clean" shorts are packed way
deep so into underwear mode I went. I boated for about 2.5 miles
wearing wonderful black underwear. Very liberating for sure.... and
there really isn't much difference between underwear and shorts other
than how we choose to label it. As the Coast Guard patrol boat went
by, I was sure my underwearniss was completely obvious as we all waved
as we passed. Lots of smiles, and looks of awe, from the coast guard
folks. ;)

Savannah, GA to Jacksonville, FL : Day 3 : Tom Sawyer

2011-03-26T08:24:00.003-04:00

Leg 1 : Day 3 (18MAR11)

Anchor up at 8:30 without a hitch and off we went down the
Intercoastal Waterway, a water highway that runs from Virginia down to
the Florida Keys and over to New Orleans.

We wove our way down and around numerous marshes, wrecks, and shoals.
At many points it felt like we were on a Tom Sawyer type raft
exploring the little rivers off the mighty Mississippi.

We poked along at around 4.7 knots, covering maybe 5 miles every hour. The nice
leisurely pace allowed everyone to enjoy the scenery. There was no
rough water to speak of, and blue skies all day long. We past a few
boats going the other way, headed North.

At the end of the day, we made our destination of New Kettle Creek. The
anchor set nicely in the mud, in about 10 feet of water (at low tide).
We all sat on the deck of the boat and admired the beautiful day.

For showers tonight, we decided to do them on deck at the front of the
boat (rather than in the head). Each kid went into a bucket and got a
nice refreshing outdoor shower out in the middle of nowhere. Dad did too. :)

Tonight for dinner we are having ham, beans, and macaroni and cheese.
Lunch was hot dogs, and breakfast was Frosted Flakes and Oatmeal
(maple and brown sugar). Snacks today included an orange, mixed nuts,
and some Pringles chips.

Savannah, GA to Jacksonville, FL : Day 2 : Rest, Rest, Rest

2011-03-25T08:35:00.015-04:00

Dinghy Ride

Leg 1 : Day 2 (17MAR11):

Breakfast: Maple and brown sugar oatmeal + bananas
Lunch: Salami + baby swiss cheese sandwiches, Pringles Chips, and pickles
Dinner: Mashed potatoes topped with chili and cheese
Treats: M&Ms
Snacks: Oranges, Apple Jacks cereal

We stayed anchored off of St. Catherines Island on Walburg Creek.

KJ and I exercised on the deck, and the whole family spent a lot of
time on deck watching dolphins swimming by and watching and listening
to bird calls.

Thanks to its special climate, the he island is used by the New York Zoological society to breed colonies of rare and endangered animals like gazells, parrots, and Madagascar turtles although we never saw any of them.

We took the dinghy out for a ride, testing the engine repairs Val and
her dad made. PERFECT!

Todays most over used daddy refrain: "Girls, clean up your room!"

Tonight's sunset was gorgeous.

Savannah, GA to Jacksonville, FL : Day 1 : Bump, Pee, Puke

2011-03-24T07:47:00.002-04:00

Day 1(16MAR11):

This day isn't at all what we wanted in our first day.

It all started with the cast off .... it was horrendous! The tide we wanted to
ride out pushed us so hard that we almost side swiped another boat.
As we went sliding toward the other boat I yelled, "Oh shit Val we are
going to hit her!" and I, like a jackass, went over to try to stop the
collision with my arms. The result was that my shoulder popped out.

Pushing the arm back in, Val and I did some quick maneuvers with the throttle and we were able to get out of the situation. No damage to any other boats, but in the process of pushing off we bent 2 of our side stantions, and the base of one stations
fiberglass backing cracked.

We were not going to stop now, it was time to lick our wounds and go.
As we motored out of Wassaw sound, we were making a good clip thanks
to the tide. Before we knew it, we were at the mouth of the sound
ready to face the big pond.

Sails up and it is time to motor-sail out.

"IT'S NOT PEEING!" Val yelled out. Looking down, I could see that our
main engines cooling mechanism wasn't working. Oh shit. This was the
damn thing we had fixed back in port. Was this another sign to turn
back? If the engine doesn't cool, it will lock up leaving us
engineless. Sure we have sails, but in and out of small confined
areas, an engine sure is handy ... especially if there is no wind.

We had to do a serious gut check... multiple options were thrown out
then Val went down to the engine and pushed a rod up the pee hole.
Some water started to trickle out .... that was good, that would help
the engine cool some. BUZZZ! The engine temperature alarm went off.
We were hitting critical, Val kept shoving the rod up that hole.
Trickle trickle ... up went the sails to try to help us move forward
so we could get out of the main channel. Trickle trickle. In what
seemed like 30 minutes of BUZZZ on BUZZZ off, trickle trickle, and
trying to catch wind, Val's voice trumped, "SHES PEEING LIKE A RACE
HORSE!" HUZAH!

"Let's push on" I declared.

We aimed Ariel and got out of the 3 mile ring buoy and the channel, and we
shut off the engine ... sails fully deployed.

After a few hours of motor sailing, we elected to go back to just engine mode.
We could see that we were not getting enough South bound direction to
make it to St. Catherines, which was today's goal. The wind was coming
directly from the South.

We fired the engine back up and the pee flowed like Niagra Falls.

"Ughhhhhhh mmmugahhhlyaahhhh", "MOMMY!" out came a deep shrill cry...
I looked in and saw Val looking up at me... Dy got sea sick and shared
her breakfast all over herself and Val's clothes.

Val cleaned up Dy and everyone sat in the cockpit. We rode South and
listened to the radio chatter. We heard someone calling for Sea Tow
asking for help because they had grounded their Catamaran (42 footer)
on "Ossawaw" sound. Val and I looked at each other ... ugh.

Continuing South, we pushed on...

Plotting as we went, we approached the 6 hour mark, a full 2 hours
past when we had planed on making to St. Catherines Island. We still
had about another hour to go. Both girls were asleep in the cockpit.

Finally we made it to St. Catherines sound. We watched diligently for
the green can number 9 to help guide us in. The can was gone! As we
approached where it should have been, we could see that someone had
hit it and knocked it off. Dangerous as the rest of the can's
apparatus was still there, just submerged.

Turning in, we made our way back behind St. Catherines, found another
boat anchored, passed it a ways, and then sent down our anchor. We
don't have a windlass, electric or mechanical, so it is all brute
force strength.

After it felt like it set, Val went about shutting the boat down and
the kids danced and played. They were happy that we stopped. We were tired.

At this moment (as I write this), Val is cooking dinner (Chinese food) and I just heard
KJ say, "Oh look, wieners!" followed by giggles. They are looking at a
human anatomy book we brought along.

Today was a very stressful day. We are glad we've gone for the trip.
Today did test our resolve. Living the moments in real time make for
lots of pressure. For years we dreamed of this day, it is finally
here, and we are exhausted.

Tomorrow will be a new day. We will get to choose what we do. Stay
here, enjoy the island, go North or go South. Which will it be? We
shall see.

Jacksonville, FL! Leg 1 done!

2011-03-23T19:42:00.000-04:00

The first leg of our adventure is now complete. After traveling for 8 days, we are now in Jacksonville, FL at the Ortega River Yacht Club Marina. We have lots to log into our diary, and we will over the next few days. Suffice it to say, the shower felt ohhhh sooooo good!!!

The girls did great, by the way. Our second order of business at the marina was securing Ice Cream!

Wilmington Island Local Stuff

2011-03-19T11:04:00.014-04:00

We took a walk Tuesday the 15th and visited a few of the local services of Wilmington Island. First up with the local Firestation wherein we met Fireman Wilkins. He gave the girls the lo down on the fire house, the number calls the service, all the work firemen do, and a tour of their brand new fire truck which can hold 3,000 gallons of water! He was obviously passionate about being a fireman and we felt good knowing he was always on call.

We also went to the local library. It sucked. Well, it sucked if you were a kid. It is definitely not kid friendly. Sure they had a “kids” section, but the library itself wasn't inviting if you were or had kids.

Chef Wan

2011-03-18T10:23:00.006-04:00

We found an awesome delivery Chinese Restaurant on Wilmington Island called Chef Wan. We ended up eating the Chef's food 3 days out of the last 5 before setting off on the sail. The prices are fantastic, and they deliver to the Maria. The Teriyaki Chicken Sticks Combo was Val's favorite, while I enjoyed the Beef with Snow pea. We topped off our selection with a few egg rolls. There was so much food that the we simply shared with the girls.

Chef Wan
912-897-0203
432-B Johnny Mercer Blvd
Savannah, GA 31410

Food quantity

2011-03-17T10:32:00.000-04:00

We've gone through and checked out how much food we have on the boat. Our calculations show that we can go for 2 month on what we have! Water, on the other hand, can only make about 15 days at our current consumption rate. If we ever had to stretch it, we could make it 20 days but we would be STINKY!

It has begun!

2011-03-16T10:30:00.003-04:00

This morning we pushed off!!! We are currently sailing South! Wahoo! We are journeying! The winds were out of the West, SouthWest and the tide is going out. Nearly perfect conditions to start this. The weather over the next 10 days looks fantastic.

Morning Of Push Off

2011-03-16T05:35:00.000-04:00

Time to start the day. A quick check of weather shows that everything looks good, the high tide is coming in, and the moon is a beautiful orange this morning. I think it is a go! The excitement is swirling around and making everything twice as vibrant in the moment. Time to test all systems one last time, wait for the sun to pop up, and then we are off!

I SEE THE LIGHT!

2011-03-15T16:10:00.000-04:00

And it isn't a train!!!

The light came in as promised by Dave. :)

Randy has installed our light. Thank you Randy! (Randy is one of the amazing boatyard guys at SailHarbor Marina that can do anything. We've learned a lot from him, and we are fortunate to have met him.)

High tide tomorrow morning is at 5:45AM.

Our plan is to be pushing off the dock as soon as sunrise happens and ride the tide out to sea! We will finally be making some miles South.

We will go South for 4 or so hours and see how we feel. Maybe we will keep going, maybe we will stop and anchor for the night. Who knows!?!

We will be using our Spot tracking satellite system to let everyone know that we are fine.

No clue about Wifi access as we go, so some of the blog updates may be spotty or of some of the other material we had wanted to share that we've queued up.

For the Virtual Crew members, we've been updating the Virtual Crew member only data page with lots of the details. Enjoy!

Lights may come on!

2011-03-15T08:56:00.000-04:00

Here is the light that has decided to hold us up a few days. It normally sits atop the mast, but we had to take it down to investigate what was going on. After lots of testing by the boatyard people and by us, we are convinced that the light is simply broken and that there is nothing wrong with our wiring.

Here is the story as it is today:
Val spent yesterday trying to get in touch with Orcagreen, the company that manufactured our mast light. She left messages, but they never got back to her. Val then called SailorsSolutions, the online company we bought our light through, and she talked an incredibly helpful person named Nick. Through the conversation Val learned that there were talks between Orcagreen and other LED mast light companies (Signalmate and another) to create a whole new company.

Val then called SignalMate and talked with the SignalMate owner, Dave, and verified that a new company was indeed forming. The new organization is called MiSea. Dave then did something awesome, he offered to honor the warranty of Orcagreen and send us one of his companies products as a replacement .... not only that, but that he would cover the cost of overnighting the light to us so we could get on our journey!!! THANK YOU DAVE and SignalMate!!!

Today our new light may arrive, and the fantastic folks at Sail Harbor Marina Boatyard will install it. This would allow us to push off tomorrow morning, just after high tide.

We are simply going with the flow.... to do otherwise would just result in being tired and frustrated. :)

Breakfasts

2011-03-14T09:02:00.004-04:00

Here is a list of what we've had for breakfast the last few mornings:
Corned beef hash
Corn Flakes
Oatmeal (Apples and Cinnamon)
Fruit Loops
Oatmeal (Maple and Brown sugar) and bananas
Salami and Cheese
Breakfast Burritos (sausage, egg, cheese, tortilla, salsa)

Each morning starts off pretty much the same. First task is to boil some water and make coffee with it. The hot water is then used for other stuff like potentially making oatmeal, or hot tea, or even instant milk, all depending upon what's for breakfast that day. Any hot water left after this is then put into a thermos for the remainder of the day. The thermos has been fantastic at keeping the water hot for almost 20 hours.

Lights OUT

2011-03-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

Our efforts today resulted in ...... NO LIGHTS! The anchor light still doesn't work. During the day it is really hard to tell if it is working or not, but at night you can tell for sure.

First thing in the morning Val will go and secure some assistance from the boatyard folks.

We won't be leaving in the morning. :( Maybe Tuesday! :)

How long to travel on foot for 5 miles with 2 kids?

2011-03-13T17:11:00.000-04:00

After working on the anchor light, we decided we would go for a walk. It is beautiful out today. Our plan was to pack a backpack and walk to the playground here on Wilmington Island. From previous trips in the car, we knew it was exactly 2.5 miles each way.

Off we went! It took us nearly 2 hours to get there. All along the way, we stopped to look at beautiful flowers, houses, and animals. Once we got to the playground, the kids played hard for about an hour, we ate lunch, and then started the journey back. Val and I were determined to come back at a much faster rate, one targeting 20 minute miles. It took us 56 minutes to cover the 2.5 miles. Not bad!!! Mom, dad, a 5 year old, and a 2.9 year old. The girls did great.... and are now taking naps. :)

Today is our first full day without access to a car. We did just fine.

Lights Out

2011-03-12T22:04:00.000-05:00

Tonight's pre-sail inspection of our lights revealed that neither our anchor light nor our tri light (a light used under sail power) was working. One can get by without the later, but the former is very important when you are spending the night on the hook (at anchor in the middle of nowhere).

I whipped out my multi-meter and I can see that the fuse box terminals and the base of the mast has power for these lights, yet they are still not on. This means that we will need to shimmy up the mast and inspect the unit at the very tip top. That event will have to wait until the morning.

Such is the life of voyagers!

KJ's Bedroom

2011-03-12T11:30:00.000-05:00

Ever wonder what a kids bedroom looks like on a sailboat named Ariel? In this shot, you can see a portion of KJ's room .... the bed area. She has elected to sleep perpendicular to the direction most people would sleep on the bed. :) The area in the upper left is a window (hatch) into KJ's room, but her drapes are drawn in this photo. Val did all the decorating, and she has received raved reviews from all those whom have seen it in person. The picture doesn't do a good job of catching how vibrant the colors are. I suspect that when KJ is 15, all those figures on the wall will be pictures of some boy bad icon. Not sure I'm ready for that!

Go, Go, GO!

2011-03-11T09:12:00.002-05:00

From the start of February til now has been go, go, go. At the start of February, we had 2 cars, an apartment half-full of stuff, Bill was still employeed, and a boat not ready to go and with engine trouble. Now that we are almost at mid-March, we have no cars, no apartment, only the stuff we kept for the boat, no employment, a full functioning engine, and a boat that could push off the dock at anytime. Wow, it's amazing how much can change in one month!

All of this could have not been accomplished, as quickly as it was, without the assistance of Bill's sister Jen and her spouse Iris. Jen kept KJ and Dy during the last full week of February, so that I could spent that week at the boat, getting her ready and Iris let me borrow her suv for a month.

During the last week of February, I was able to get the engine was fixed, transducer and fish finder installed, water system flushed, girl's room redecorated with Princess and Fairies, the boat cleaned from bow to stern (on the inside), adjust the location of stuff for weighting purposes, and gas tanks and propane tanks filled.

Bill was hard at work that last week, as well. He was still working and empting the apartment of stuff.

After all of the hard work, this week has been the finale. Monday we turned the apartment back over to its management, visited my dad in Alabama, and it was Bill's last day at work. On Tuesday, we drove from Alabama to Savannah and started putting the last of our stuff away. Wednesday was another day of hauling stuff from Iris' suv to the boat and Thursday was spent on the galley and putting stuff away, ending in a nice visited from Bill's brother David and his wife Nancy.

Today and tomorrow we have a few more loose ends to tie up, ending with a visit from Jen and Iris. We are soooo close. If the weather stays as predicted, we will be shoving off from the dock on Sunday morning, headed South.

Thank you, for everything Jen and Iris!! We love y'all!!!

David and Nancy visit

2011-03-10T21:03:00.001-05:00

This afternoon my brother David and his wife Nancy came out to visit us. KJ and Dy had never met their uncle and aunt, making this an extra extra special visit. After catching up a bit and giving a nickel tour of the boat, we went out to dinner and talked about the similarities between David and I... quite amazing how many there are given that we were not raised together (David and I share the same biological father, but different mothers). We enjoyed learning more about David's chiropractic business, and we enjoyed sharing more details about our trip with them. KJ quickly built an affinity for Nancy, while Dy was connected with David. We are so glad they made the drive out to see us.

First Night

2011-03-08T23:01:00.000-05:00

After a 6 hour drive, we arrived at Sail Harbor Marina at 4pm and boarded Ariel for the first time as full time residents.

We all wanted to celebrate, alas everyone was so tired after the weeks of pushing so hard and the long drive today. By 8:20pm, Val, KJ, and Dy were asleep. Our celebration activity was a pizza from Papa Johns. I had an adult beverage to spice up my celebration a bit.

There is a lot in Aunt II's car still to unpack. The car was so full, in fact, that Val had to sit on stuff for the whole ride.

It is very hard to believe we are now fulfilling our dream. We spent years planning and saving to make this possible, and now it is really here. Like really, really real. Incredible. Surreal. It is like a dream state. Maybe that is from the tequila. Time to go to bed. :)

Support from work

2011-03-03T04:19:00.000-05:00

The amount of support that I'm receiving from my company and co-workers, to make this trip, has been nothing short of astonishing. Even though my departure makes life hard for so many co-workers, I've received nothing but grace, love, and support. This has come by way of emails, hugs, tears, gifts, and so much more. IHG has even given the SailboatFamily the gift of a much needed SSB radio to stay in contact!

There is no way I can express my gratitude to every one and every thing IHG is. It is truly a great place to work. If you are ever fortunate enough to join this remarkable company, you should. If you are ever looking for lodging, consider our Holiday Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Indigo, Candlewood Suites, Staybridge Suites, Crowne Plaza, or Intercontinental brands, because the people behind them (from the hotel all the way down to the CEO) really care about people.

I love you IHG. Thank you for everything. You truly do make great hotels guests love.

March March March March March

2011-03-01T06:25:00.000-05:00

One week from today, we will be living on the boat full time. This is so hard to believe. At work yesterday, when folks asked about the trip, my response was, "yep, next week we will begin our journey." My mind focuses on the "next week" part. For years we've been planning this trip and right now we are in the transition from dreaming into doing. This transition is surreal.

Last night the TV was sold to a nice, and very talkative, guy in our apartment complex, and the second couch (known as the ugly old couch) found a new home. We have 2 beds left, and we are using KJ's in the living room as a make shift couch. These final items, along with the wii, will probably be gone in the next couple of days.

Bye Bye IHG

2011-02-24T23:25:00.000-05:00

HUGE day today …. today it was announced at my company that I was leaving to take this trip. Huge swirls of emotions raged through me all day long. I've spent nearly a decade of my life involved with IHG, and I love the company very much. Lots of good people creating a great product for world. My last day in the office will be next Friday. I'm going to miss this work place so much when I go. Bye bye IHG, thank you for everything.

Pirates Exist, They Do Pose a Risk

2011-02-22T20:54:00.000-05:00

Today we received a number of emails pointing us to the story about the 4 American's killed by the pirates just off the horn of Africa. Interlaced within the emails were loving sentiments of concern. Thank you for all the concern. We want to chronicle in the diary what our thinking is on this.

Pirates are real, and not just as some fad because of Jack Sparrow. There is a large population of people whom make their way through this world through piracy. I suspect their have been pirates about as long as there have been people taking to boats.

There is risk in taking this journey. There is a risk that we could be captured and killed by pirates, like the 4 Americans who died today, or that we make a mistake and sail into a horrible storm.

It is our belief that there is no more risk taken by this journey, as it relates to mortality, than there is staying in the US living normal lives. It may be possible to argue, in fact, that it is safer to go on the trip.

I pulled up some interesting data from the CDC:
http://www.cdc.gov/NCHS/data/nvsr/nvsr58/nvsr58_19.pdf

Deaths in the US attributed to homicide in 2007, according to the CDC, was 18,361. This means, on average, 50 people a day are killed in the USA. Every day, on average, more than 2 people every hour are murdered in the USA.

Deaths in the US attributed to accidental causes in 2007, according to the CDC, was 123,726. This means, on average, 339 people a day accidentally die in the USA. Every day, on average, more than 14 people every hour die from an accidental cause in the USA.

4 American's were captured by pirates and killed. Tragedy. How many American's have died this way in say the past 10 years? I can't seem to find the answer, which in and of itself is a directional arrow that it isn't that many. We know that none have made the news in the past few years, which is why the 4 recent deaths are getting so much air time.

Loading the family up on the sailboat and venturing off into the world is a risky proposition. I would submit that it is no more risky than living the typical American life. If something happens to our family on this trip, it will be devastating. If something happens to our family while not on the trip, it will be devastating. Not taking the trip because of a fear that something might happen, and that something is super remote, that is devastating.

Bye Bye Buick

2011-02-14T06:45:00.000-05:00

The car tags were due to expire last week, so we faced a dilemma: renew the cars for another year or sell them and go car less. We decided to go 50/50; we renewed Val's Hyundai, and sold my Buick. As when I sold my dune buggy, the letting go was harder than I thought it would be.

Driving away, watching the Buick sitting there on the car lot, it felt like we were leaving a family member behind. 5 years of wonderful memories streamed through me; the new baby coming home, trips to Disney, celebrating a promotion, and more very personal moments were relived in a flash. Val and I both felt the sadness tug as the Buick waved good bye in our rear view mirror. Only a few words were exchanged on the way home, and KJ beautifully asked why we were leaving daddy's car. “It is time for it to go KJ, daddy sold it so we can take our trip.”

We wish the black Buick Rainier well and ask that its future owner take good care of it. The Buick will create a world of wonderful memories for you too. Bye bye Buick. Thank you.

We have a winner!

2011-02-04T15:53:00.000-05:00

Wahooo!!! A lucky Friday!!! Today Val won a $50 Gift Card from West Marine! Go Val!

http://www.facebook.com/WestMarine

When West Marine announced Val as the winner, they went one step further and shared a link to our http://www.SailboatFamily.com page. That is really cool! Thanks West Marine!

Pulling The Boat Out

2011-01-28T17:01:00.000-05:00

Bad news this week. We had it confirmed that not only does the impeller on our main engine have to be replaced, but that it cannot be safely replaced with the engine so close to the water. Two choices, have someone come over, take the engine off, ferry to the boat yard, and be worked on ..... or have the boat hauled out to work on it. We've picked the latter. A date has been scheduled and we've asked the boat yard to also put on another coat or two of bottom paint plus install our transducer/fish finder.

Navionics Gold Central and South America Maps for Radar System

2011-01-24T21:03:00.002-05:00

Today our electronic maps for Central and South America came in! We bought the Navionics Gold Central and South America on CF chip to complete our set of electronic maps for the areas we expect to sail in year 1 or so.

Our electronic maps integrate right into our radar system and provide a super supplement to our paper maps. Once we get down below Miami, we will change out the map chips in our C70 Raymarine radar system.

As is typical with models, Dy wanted to hold the product her way, with her pajamas on and holding her water cup. :)

Region Covered

Our 1 BIG Gallon of Bulk Sunscreen came in today

2011-01-22T19:43:00.000-05:00

Our SUNSCREEN SPF30 SUN X PROFESSIONAL LOTION 1 GALLONcame in today! 1 BIG GALLON of Sunscreen!!

KJ could barely hold the bottle up for the photo shoot. The plan is to use this bulk sunscreen to fill the smaller sunscreen bottles we have.

Oh, if you want a gallon of sunscreen, buy it using our link and Amazon will toss the SailboatFamily a few coins :)

Cannon Powershot D10 Underwater Camera

2011-01-21T17:24:00.001-05:00

Today I got my very first underwater digital camera! Wahoo!! We had been discussing buying an underwater case for our video camera, when our friends over at ZeroToCruising.com mentioned that they are using a Canon PowerShot D10 12.1 MP Waterproof Digital Camera with 3x Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and 2.5-inch LCD. After doing some research, I decided that was a perfect camera for the trip. We ordered one and it came in today. Lots of cool features like the ability to set the camera up in auto mode and say, "Don't snap until you recognize 4 faces in the view." This will allow me to set up the camera, join the girls in the scene, and then this little camera will snap away. Pretty cool. The camera is rated to a depth of 33ft (1 atmosphere), which will be plenty for the kinds of diving we will be doing. It does have a movie mode, and uses an SD card for storage. I dropped in a 32GB one and now I can deposit thousands of images on it. The camera is a 12 Megapixel one, so the fidelity of the pictures is impressive. Many more cool features. I can't wait to use it on the trip!

Snow, NFL Playoffs, and Headway on To-Do Lists

2011-01-21T09:36:00.002-05:00

Last week was really interesting. To start the week, Mother Nature dumped 5 inches of snow and 1 inch of ice on Atlanta, which meant that the city was almost completely shut down for the entire week.

This down time allowed us to tackle some of the apartment related tasks, such as painting and the continuous task of sorting (storage, sell, donate). Almost everything going with us is on the boat. I also was able to make headway on the boat related tasks. We ordered the parts needed to fix the small 5 hp engine (recoil starter and carburetor gaskets), contacted an outboard motor mechanic in Savannah to replace the impeller on the Honda 40, ordered Navionic Gold 3XG chip for our chart plotter, ordered bulk sunscreen, and won ebay auction on webbing.

The end of the week, we spent time with the Aunts watching our Atlanta Falcons take on the Green Bay Packers. First quarter of the game was great, but it was all down hill from there. What a downer!

Everything is moving along. Won't be long until we step onto the boat, push off the dock, and sail south.

Bye Bye Book Friends

2011-01-21T07:50:00.000-05:00

I love books. I love old fashioned, non electronic, yellowed, feel the texture of the cover and pages, audible page turns with a sound that matches the mood of the read, meaty, weighty, unique musty scent, pen markable, dog earable books. Unfortunately, I have so many that I cannot take them all.

Each book represents an equal amount of beans, or rice, or water in terms of weight. To protect my intimate friends, I've suggested to the crew that I give up some portions of my beans. Each pound of food stuffs I forgo would result in another soul to take along. Hell, I could afford to lose 20-30 lbs and that is 15 or more books! Alas, my allocation of personal items is the same as the rest of the crew.

4 rounds of a whipping post (picking which of these comrades won't make the journey with me), and I'm finally done. Last night was it. I had to rank order my friends. 13 books. That's it. 9 of which I know intimately, 4 that I will get to know.

Yes, I'm familiar with the Kindle, the Nook, and other such devices. In fact, Val has a Kindle. Hard books, real books, books that you can touch, feel, hear, and smell have a soul. They have a life. They have a journey unto themselves. They make their own passage in life. They go from one person to another. They show their wear as they journey.

It is time for all of my book friends that can't make the trip to go on their way, to new people, to continue their life in new ways.

Bye bye book friends. Thank you for all that you've given me, and all that you will continue to give me even when gone. I will miss each and every one of you.

Certainty of Taking the Trip

2011-01-15T08:25:00.001-05:00

Everyday the certainty of taking this trip grows. Not only is the number of reasons to do the adventure increasing, but the frequency of doubts and concerns rearing their heads is shrinking along with my perceived magnitude of them. This means that I'm shifting, as the reasons have always been there along with the doubts and concerns; I'm just not viewing them from the same place anymore.

I'm 40, have a super career trajectory, hold a fantastic job that easily allows me to support my family, enjoy amazing friends and family here in Atlanta, and yet I know my path in life lies elsewhere. No matter how great the current current, something just isn't right. Where ever I look, I see signs that point towards getting on the boat. The mind always sees what it is looking for.

One of the violent internal dialogs that I am no longer battered by relates to the finality of this trip. Early on in thinking through the adventure, it seemed like this was some sort of final decision. That is, I step aboard the boat and I'm forever leaving everything behind: family, friends, being an IT Executive, owning a house, and so on. Then it hit me- this isn't any more final than my current career. In 1 day, if I don't like the new lifestyle, I can change. In 100 days, I could change. In 1000 days, I could change. I could change back into being an IT Executive, or I could buy a house, or I could move back to Atlanta. I could simply change to whatever I want, just as I'm electing to change to live aboard a boat. There is nothing final about anything.

I am seething with desire to start this next phase of my life. I want to have each day with my family, I want each day to think my thoughts, I want to have each day to read my books, I want to have each day to write my words, I want to have each day to stay put, I want to have each day to move on, I want to have each day to be with the ocean, I want to have each day to maintain my place, I want to have each day to be the full me.

Safety Tethers

2011-01-10T19:30:00.006-05:00

This afternoon I made two safety tethers. Each tether is constructed from 6 feet of 1 inch tubular webbing and 2 brass snap hooks. The total cost of each tether was $6.46.

The tubular webbing has a multitude of uses. I can see purchasing more of the tubular webbing to make a lift harness for the dinghy engine, lift straps for the dinghy, jack lines, harness for each of the girls, and just to have on-hand for emergencies. This is a great boat item!

As a side note: Yeah!! I accomplished something today that was on my to-do list!!!

Unproductive 1st Week of the New Year

2011-01-10T15:22:00.004-05:00

This past week has been very unproductive for me. I have a two page to-do list and can't seem to get motivated. I'm a person who excels under pressure. There is plenty to do and the clock is ticking, but I just can't seem to get myself in gear. This is not to say that I've accomplished nothing this past week, but I just feel like I should have accomplished more.

Beside feeling not particularly productive, the main engine (Honda Outboard) on our boat is not peeing. This is not terrible, we have the parts to rebuild the impeller and to break up any salt deposits that might be clogging up the cooling tubes. My concern is that to change the impeller, we have to remove the lower unit of the outboard engine. Now the engine weights about 250lbs and is bolted onto the back of our catamaran. Our catamaran is in the water and the bottom of the engine,when fully raised, is approximately 8 inches off the water. So we have to somehow remove the lower unit, which is currently 8 inches above the water, while being behind the boat without dropping it into the water. After that we can rebuild the impeller, remove the salt deposits, and reinstall the lower unit without dropping it or anything else into the water. We are all set to attempt this, but the weather is not corporating (really cold/windy on the weekends). So this weekend we decided to punt and ask our boatyard to handle it. This made me feel very confident that the engine would be up and peeing the next time we're in Savannah. However, our boat yard does not work on outboard engines or any engines for that matter. They were able to give me the names and numbers of two people that they would recommend. This is great, but I'm not feeling warm and fuzzy like I was before when I thought that the boatyard could take care of it. My concern is back.

This past weekend we purchased 12 feet of 1 inch webbing and 4 brass snap hooks to make safety tethers. I think that I will go make the tethers now. It shouldn't take very long and will feel good to accomplish something.

Troubleshooting and Thinning

2010-12-28T18:37:00.009-05:00

Over the past couple of days, 3 electronic devices have some sort of issue. The range of issues include: dead, lost to the sea, and lens error. Fortunately, repairing/replacing these device has not cost us one penny.

Direct TV is sending us a free dvr, ours died over the holidays. My iPhone was lost to Poseidon on Christmas eve, tomorrow I will obtain a new sim card for a Quad band phone that was gifted to me. Finally, my Nikon camera that had a lens error was fixed by accident. I was using the vacuum cleaner hose to clean some sand out of the camera crevices and decided to turn it on the lens. The vacuum did the trick. The lens error must have been caused by some debris (sand). In any case, I don't have to send the to Nikon for repair and pay the shipping cost.

Thinning continues. It is amazing how much stuff we have in our 2 bedroom apartment. None of the closets were stuffed or overflowing and we don't have stuff stacked everywhere, but we have tossed over 30 bags of stuff to the garbage, sold a SUV load of stuff at the swap meet, and have donated at least 2 SUV full of stuff to Goodwill. This does not include the 6 tubs of keep stuff we pulled out to store at Jen's, Bill and my clothes, kitchen stuff, and furniture that has to be sold. Now I understand why estate sales sell stuff by the box/bin.