Composting Toilet - Get Rid of the Dirty, Smelly Head -

In my last post regarding the sanitation system, I wrote about the 3 main reasons that we were changing out the system. The composting toilet mitigates of all those reasons.

First, with the composting toilet there will be no stinky porta potty smell. This is achieved because the solid waste and liquid waste are stored separately and there is a dedicated vent. From my research, the only thing that we might smell is the earthy aroma of peat moss. Second, there will be no need for water. The composting toilet is a dry system. Finally, no need for pump-out since there's no holding tank. The solid waste turns into dirt after a short period of time and can be disposed of any way we choose. The liquid waste is sterile and can also be disposed of in any manner we choose.

Switching our sanitation system to a composting toilet is a no brainier, but which toilet? Airhead or Nature's Head?

Marina Work

The plan has us trucking our boat to a marina, on the Atlantic ocean, with a boat yard in September 2010, and having the marina do a number of things for us. For example, we want to replace the wind vane on the mast, replace the mast lights with LED lights, have the bottom painted, have the engine tuned up with the serpentine belt replaced, fix a few spots on the bottom side of the hull, replace every line on the boat, and inspect each buckle holding the stays.

Val found a marina, highly recommended by other Gemini owners, in Myrtle Beach SC that we will engage in April to begin the discussions of having them do all the work. This will be a very expensive proposition, but if we get all this work done right, then we shouldn't need to revisit a number of the systems for a few years.

Our plan is to physically visit the marina in May to have a conversation with the marina owner, sharing our story. If we feel comfortable with what the estimates and the people, then we will put some money down to lock in our spot. We will have the boat trucked out in September, and give the boatyard 3 months to get everything ready. Then in December we will go down to pick up our ready boat!

Get Rid of the Dirty, Smelly Head!

We currently have 89 items on our punch list that need to be completed before December 2010. The number 1 item is removing the current sanitation system and replacing it with a composting toilet.

We have chosen to get rid of our exiting system for 3 reasons. First, the smell. No matter what chemicals we used, the boat smells like a porta potty. Second, we have an issue of getting water pumped into the existing toilet. Third, when we arrive at a location, we are planning on spending most of our time at anchor. If we keep our existing system with a holding tank, we will have to always be looking for a marina in order to pump-out our tank or we will have to travel 3 miles offshore to dump it.

So why a composting toilet? Stay tune!

10 Months Until Haul Out

Val and I've been thinking a lot about all the things that have to be done to the boat to get it ready. The trip always seemed so far away with plenty of time to get ready, but with the entry of November it clearly isn't.

One such "in your face moment" came last week when we realized that if we do end up leaving next December (2010), then the boat will have to be hauled out of the lake and trucked to the ocean in the month of September. This puts us 10 months away from the boat being shipped! That isn't long at all.

Each month we have a major task that must get done for us to be ready. For example, this month we must take care of removing the Air Conditioner, then in December the swapping to the NaturesHead toilet, and January will see the new batteries installed. There is so much to do! Wow. Time is ticking.

Indian Dancing

Last Friday, my family was invited to an Indian birthday and birth celebration. The invitation stated there would be Indian cuisine and dancing. We were really excited. Bill and I wanted to try the dancing. It was also an opportunity for me to wear my salwar kameez that one of our friends had made for me, on one of her trips home.

We has a great time at the party! We enjoyed a variety of Indian cuisine and I got to do a little dancing. The dancing was very interesting. I can only describe it was a mixture of hip-hop, line, disco, and Indian cultural moves. I also noticed the respect that everyone gave to each other. No one was grinding or groping another person. It was a lot of fun!

We can't wait until we are on the boat doing this! What a GREAT experience!