Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Dinghy Engine Mount For Our Gemini 3200 Sailboat
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Settee Cushions Redo - Part 1
Monday, June 28, 2010
Disney was AWESOME!
We spent Wednesday at the pool and Downtown Disney, which was an easy walk from the Holiday Inn. We had a late lunch at T-REX. The food was good, but the scenery and animaltronics were fantastic. After lunch the girls played in the dino dig area.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Windex 15
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Masthead/Steaming Light
Friday, June 25, 2010
No Savannah This Weekend
Unlike every weekend for the past 6, we are not making our way down to Savannah to work on the boat. We are still in Orlando enjoying all things Disney. We trust Ariel, our sailboat, doesn't mind us staying and playing a bit longer. We visited her namesake yesterday, Princess Ariel, and she said to pass along a warm ocean hug.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
Mousing Around Boats
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Life Modes With A Boat
This past weekend, the entire family enjoyed 3 days on the boat. With each moment aboard, we feel more of life, the life. The life of enjoying each moment on its own merit, the life of an unhurried pace, the life of caring for ones place of residence not just for sleep but for physical safety, the life of being so close to nature, the life of flowing with the tides, and the life of being. The shift in attitude between being a professional, modern world denizen, with many parts of life abstracted away to one of a water dweller whose focus is on simplicity is quite profound and it has taken me a few days just to reconcile.
The responsibilities are still present in both worlds, but the hurdle of what constitutes importance changes: on the boat, fewer of life's tasks are deemed as “important.” When one tries to artificially inflate the importance of an effort, the effort pushes back and slows everything down. There is a pace to boat life, and it will not be altered. The consequence is that those tasks marked as important get more of the present moment focus and each one is more fully enjoyed.
After the 3 days, we drove back to Atlanta and that evening I boarded a plane for a work trip to Orlando. There was no grace or warming up period. I jumped from one extreme to the other and this made the contrast between the 2 types of life, and how it manifests within me, clear. My mood, my thoughts, my food, and my drink all are complex and wrapped in artificial (read: man made) importance in the non-boat world. Given societies machinery, non-natural stimulus for importance is intrinsic to its functioning and has its place. The bigger question for me is, do I have a place within it? At times yes, and other times no. Today, I am straddling both worlds.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Soldering Iron - Its Many Uses
Monday, June 21, 2010
Igloo Water Cooler For Boat People Hydration
Our plan, for the family daily drinking water, was to have a gallon jug of water out every day that family members can use to fill their individual cups as needed. Alas, the thought of KJ, let alone little Dy, trying to pour from a gallon water jug into cups on a rocking boat just doesn't seem reasonable.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
Fathers Day On The Water
Saturday, June 19, 2010
State Of Perfection
Friday, June 18, 2010
Back to Savannah for Boat Time
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Costs To Do Bottom Paint On A 32 Foot Catamaran Sailboat
This week we received the bill for all the boat work done in Sail Harbor Marina's boatyard. We thought it would be helpful for others if we shared the portion of the costs related to all the bottom work. For reference, this was done on our 32 foot, Gemini 3200 Sailing Catamaran.
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Honda EU2000i Companion Generator Ordered
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
Family Trip to Health Clinic for Yellow Fever and Typhoid Vaccination Costs + Advice
Monday, June 14, 2010
Replacing a Steering Splash Well Plate on a Gemini 3200 Sailboat
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Should We Sail Away Today?
We spent Friday night on the boat. It was glorious! The sounds, the smells, the relaxation, the new life. Ariel is getting closer and closer to being ready.
With our sailboat on the Atlantic ocean, the big question, “Should We Sail Away Today?”, gets more action. Each morning, Val and I look each other in the eye and make a conscious choice that day about sailing off in the sunset.
When we started the journey back in 2007, we thought it wouldn't be until 2016 that we could go. Over the past 3 years, however, we've learned that in actuality we can go at any time. One by one, a myriad of false assumptions have been stripped away (amount of money, type of boat, age of kids, etc.).
Many mornings, when we talk of the big question, I ask myself, “in one year from today, if I found out I was going to die within a week, would I rather have spent the previous year working a bit longer or embarking on this journey to sail around the world?” Easy answer. This mental exercise helps set the stage for the bigger question.
So, Should We Sail Away Today? Not today. There are a few more modifications to the sailboat that we want to make before we go. But once those are done, then the probability of answering “YES!” on any given morning goes up a lot. … and the blog post of that day, the “YES!” day, will be quite spectacular to say the least!
Happy Sunday everyone. We're working on "YESifying" Ariel.
Saturday, June 12, 2010
Boat Composting Toilet/Head Conversion Page
Friday, June 11, 2010
Abby Sunderland and Back to Savannah GA to work on the Sailboat
This morning we were grateful to learn that Abby Sunderland has been found and that she is fine. Her sailboat, Wild Eyes, is upright but her mast has been knocked down.
We have been tracking Abby and her quest since its start so when we learned of her being feared as "lost at sea", our hearts and best thoughts went to her. Val and I had it in the back of our minds that Abby would be found, but we couldn't tell if that was hope or intuition. Fortunately, Abby has been found and she is safe. Yay Abby!
We commend those taking bold quests. Bold quests stretch the soul of the individual and of mankind. We know the fervor of "she is too young" is about to whip up (and probably already is), and we know the fervor of "sailing around the world is too dangerous for kids" is about to be stoked. Life, itself, is an adventure. Those whom don't get this are already dead.
Young people have been taking adventures since they could venture past the cave hole. Adventurous young people serve as inspiration for so many others, both young and old. Was Abby in danger? Yes. She was in a danger of her, and her parents, choosing. She was well equipped and well prepared. I don't know too many 16 year olds that can have the same thing said about them and their daily lives.
With Ariel in the water, it is doubly hard to resist seeing her on the weekends; we want to spend every extra moment we can on her getting her prepared. The sooner she is ready, the sooner we would be able to go on the sailing trip. To this end, I've taken today off from work and we are on our way to Savannah to make some progress on the boat. This weekends tasks include putting the boom back on, getting the sails back up, install the new splash well plates, get the engine running (it hasn't been started in over a month), and begin installing the radar system.
Of course, the draw of the beach will be strong. Tybee island is only about 20 minutes from the boat so KJ, Dy, and I may make our way over for a few hours. This will allow Val some quality uninterrupted time on the boat.
Interestingly, with the news reports of the BP oil spill in the gulf, there seems to be a push by vacationers to make their way to the Atlantic for their summer holiday and Savannah/Tybee island seems to be one of the more popular destinations. We may see lots of folks in the area!
Oh yeah, Yeah Abby! Go Abby!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
Tropical View Year-Around for $11
Wednesday, June 9, 2010
Great Omens - Sunset - Sunrise
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Ariel Makes a SPLASH!!
Monday, June 7, 2010
Trojan 6V 145s Installed In Boat!
With one final double check of the connections, I deemed that the batteries were in. Switching from battery bank 1 to bank 2 to both to off, while operating the electronic equipment gave a quick and dirty proof of correct wiring. I also put a Volt meter on the wires and it showed the proper numbers.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
Hepatitis A& B and Yellow Fever Vaccinations
Saturday, June 5, 2010
Extending The Sailing Trip's Timeline
"Just looking at your route map on your website. I could have sworn it used to be a four or five year plan, did your family recently change it to the 9-10 year plan? Looks like a really long-term commitment!"