Purging, Provisioning and Organizing...

...the oh-so-fun and familiar "PPO" routine before a cruise has begun! We are finally looking beyond the upgrades, repairs and continuing diagnostics on the ship's systems and focusing at last on the fun part to prepare for our next little cruise. We've taken the opportunity while Equinox is in our home port to go through all the storage spaces and purge the non-essential flotsam and jetsam that has accumulated over the past months aboard.  It's really amazing how you expand to fill the available space on a boat, and unfortunately, usually a day at a time, filling it with minutia and unnecessary items. UGH!! 

We spent the past couple of days doing a harsh inventory of the foodstuffs aboard: what we have and where, what we need, and what we don't need aboard. Every time we provision we get better at it, but it's no less of a time-consuming chore when faced with it before each cruise! We discovered that we totally overstocked on frozen vegetables during our last cruise, as we always found fresh vegetables en route that were more appetizing than what we could find if we went freezer diving. Yet getting the storage spaces emptied, cleaned, restocked, inventoried and organized is an accomplishment, and it's a relief to be actually be doing it! You feel very productive for yourself, as it reinforces that departure isn't that far off, adding to the thrill of anticipation. The hard work is behind us for the most part, with the majority of repairs and upgrades accomplished, and now we're gearing up for the fun part: cruise planning and itinerary ideas, routes and waypoints, plans A and B for various weather scenarios, and so on. 

During the past two days, we've gone over our wish list for menus and dinner ideas, then pared that down to practical portions before we hit the stores to buy what we'll need for our short journey. Frankly, provisioning for a month is easy stuff compared to provisioning for six months, but the concept remains the same: figuring type, diversity and actual portion numbers of meals needed. Ron and Ally did a major provision run for wine and liquor one afternoon, then Ron and I hit  Sam's Club's for dry goods, paper products and meats the following day. It's always overwhelming going into Sam's, as the sheer volume of items is astounding! A list is imperative, or you end up getting way more than you can possibly use, or -- even worse -- stocking up on impulse items that aren't needed at all! Oh yes, what did I say about expanding to fill the available space?

Ron during the (supposedly) dry goods run, if you 

ignore the Listerine bottles and case of beer in the cart 

Today was a more mundane day aboard, as I sorted, organized and stocked the last few items into the pantry closet, galley step storage and saloon bench storage areas. Ron focused on purging his closet and drawer space to get rid of the winter/cold weather clothing that we needed in the northern latitudes. I still have to do that, unfortunately....but there's always tomorrow!

Boat work and bicycling

Back in Florida, back to the daily grind of coordinating boat projects! Wednesday was a full-speed day as we had Martek aboard in the morning and then again in the afternoon, working on the Sirius unit and the SSB. We sea-trialed the boat mid-morning with Darryl of American Bow Thruster/Trac, to check out the hydraulics system pressure, as the starboard engine pump pressure has been oscillating a bit. Darryl adjusted the pressure, and inspected the rest of the system, reporting that the actuator arms are both in great shape. We may upgrade the system a bit later this summer, when we haul out for a bit in August and September.


Unfortunately, the Nitrox compressor remains in limbo; although Coltri Americas finally came up from Coral Springs to diagnose and repair it, they still don't know what is wrong with it. We've not gotten a lot of use out of it -- maybe 30 hours -- but apparently the low pressure compressor side of the system is the culprit. Unfortunately, in order to take it out and bench test it, the high pressure compressor will have to be removed first, since the low pressure unit is behind it. UGH! So...no results yet. There will be more investigation into the low pressure compressor next week, and we'll see how things fare then...

We also have had work continuing on the gensets: the leaky water pump on the 12 kW has been replaced, and we had the exhaust elbow upgraded to stainless steel. We did the same to the 20 kW, so all is good there. Unfortunately, with the 20kW, it seems like getting one thing resolved leads to another issue! For instance, the engine mounts for the 20 kW also support the clutched pump/PTO for the hydraulics that run the windlass and bow thruster. Unfortunately, one of those mounts is in such a place as to prevent the removal of the raw water pump (or you have to disassemble the entire thing, simply trying to get the water pump off!). Upon closer inspection, our mechanic discovered that one of the mounts itself had a hairline crack, so that needed to be replaced as well, to prevent a catastrophic break down if the the mount failed. The faulty mount was replaced with Northern Light's "upgraded" version of the original yesterday, so progress is being made on that front.

We also replaced the defunct battery monitoring system with a unit that actually works! We now have a Victron Battery Monitoring system so that we can keep track of the house battery usage and charging status. The former unit was supposed to keep track of both the house battery bank and the nav/com batteries, but in conjunction with our inverter and battery equalizer, only one side of the system worked, and even then, it would lock up at times. Hopefully, this new system will work more efficiently and provide us with the information we'd like. 

The remaining issue is with the alternators, as the center-fielder apparently isn't doing its job to synchronize their outputs. One alternator becomes the dominant regulator, depending on which engine you start first vs. second, even though the center-fielder says they're in synch So, back to Balmar with that question...always, another issue!

But, we're not all work and no play! We've been relieving the boat repair monotony with a lot of bicycling each morning. The weather has been unseasonably hot -- we've been told this is August/September weather, not June weather, so we've been riding in the mornings when the temperatures are cooler. Yesterday Ron and I did over 30 miles, and this morning, another 16. We're really enjoying the biking here, as the scenery along the Indian River or on the barrier island along the Atlantic is just gorgeous. Between the sun sparkling on the water, the diverse types of palm trees, the banyan trees and birds, there's always a view!  

The red cap on a sandhill crane

We passed a beautiful pair of sandhill cranes feeding this morning as we rode along the Savannas Preserve State Park, one of our favorite areas. Stretching more than 10 miles from Ft. Pierce to Jensen Beach, this preserve is one of the largest and most intact remnant of Florida's east coast freshwater marshes, or "savannas". It's a beautiful ride! We also saw the usual herons feeding along the Indian River, and white ibis along the marshes -- always pretty, and I never tire of seeing them. 

Ally is now home for the summer, after a couple days at the beach in Ocean City, MD with her OS girlfriends. She's been busy unpacking all the boxes that she shipped down from school, and is now focused on getting a job. Today she's working for a friend with a boat detailing business, but is anxious to get a true full-time job. While it's not the easiest time to find work, Ally is definitely persistent, so we have no doubt she will find something! 

Hectic week of work and travel!

Work, work, work....boat work, that is. It continues apace, and Ron and I are still coordinating it all, from generator repairs, electronics issues, compressor diagnostics (since the low compressor side of the Nitrox system is still not working properly) to upgrades and repairs on the tender as well as the center console. Ron has no idea how he ever had time to work before, when being the "Boat Work GM" now consumes most of his time! It's been a crazy week, with a lot of running around and phone calls, but...progress is being made! From large issues (12 Kw water pump replaced) to small triumphs (summer kitchen grill cover repaired), we're grateful that it is all coming together. It's definitely one piece at a time, of course, along with a few stumbling blocks thrown in for fun. What can I say? It's a boat.

However, as a much-welcomed and highly-anticipated respite from all the juggling of boat-related activity, we spent this past weekend away, as we were up in Baltimore celebrating Ally's graduation with family and friends. It was a GREAT time; wonderful to be with family again, fun to be back in Baltimore, and the graduation ceremony was beautiful. Ally was all smiles walking down Graduation Hill at Oldfields, looking radiant in the sunshine! While all the girls at the school participate in the graduation ceremony each year, we'd never seen it before ourselves, as Ally wanted her senior year to be the first time we saw it. Seeing it for the first time was a heart-felt delight, as the OS traditions were beautiful, and the whole ceremony was a happy, memorable time! 

All the OS girls and the May Court assembling for graduation

Dinner that evening was in a private room at La Scala, our favorite Italian restaurant downtown in Little Italy, where the food was fabulous, the conversation continuous, with everyone celebrating happily. It was a great family time; after being aboard the boat this spring and cruising far from home, it felt very special to be together! Friends and family are what it's all about!

The view of downtown Baltimore from our hotel

Long weekend with Nicky!

Well, after a haul-out for Equinox on Wednesday, and fit and adjustment of the boat trailer for Tingum on Thursday (lots of running around there, from the trailer storage place to boat ramp to trailer store and back again), we finally took a hiatus from coordinating all the boat work this past weekend. The reason? We had a good friend from Baltimore visiting, Nicky, Ron's long-time former "day wife" aka his professional executive secretary from his former working life. It was great to see her and have her join us here in Florida for a few days! Her arrival didn't mean that all boat work stopped, for Mechanic Dave continued his efforts down belowdecks inspecting and replacing the water pump on the 12Kw genset and changing an exhaust fitting to the air filter on the 20 kw. Thus, progress was being made!

Heading out aboard Tingum Saturday morning with Nicky

We had a great time showing Nicky around. We went out for lunch and/or dinners at our favorite spots from Mulligan's to Ian's, to Conky Joe's to Crawdaddy's. We found good music and did some dancing, along with the great food! We went out in Tingum both Saturday and Sunday mornings to do some fishing in the Gulf Stream and generally just enjoyed being out on the water. While we weren't entirely successful in our efforts at fishing, we did get one mahi-mahi, although it was just a small one which we released. Nicky was happy to experience it, although with the waters being so calm and the days so bright, we should have been bottom-fishing if we wanted to be more successful. With the weather being so hot, hot, hot, we all wanted the breeze from trolling though, so enjoyed that! Maybe next time we'll stop and bottom-fish...

Nicky at the helm!

Ron skirting some ballyhoo

Saturday, on our return to the St. Lucie Inlet, we saw an absolutely huge leatherback turtle that was at the water's surface. At first we weren't sure what was at the surface, until we saw its huge helmet-shaped head and the very distinctive ridges on its leathery carapace. Out of the many, many turtles we have seen, either while diving or aboard a boat, this was our first leatherback sighting. According to the NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, leatherback turtles are the world's largest reptile, and the largest turtles in the sea, typically weighing in at 600-1000 pounds. Mature adult turtles can reach 6-7 feet long and some have tipped the scales at 2000 pounds! They are highly pelagic animals and make long migrations, so can be found in tropical waters to more temperate latitudes. I'm just sorry I didn't grab my camera in time to get a picture of it before it dove down and away from us, but for us, just seeing it was a treat and very cool!! 

After fishing for a bit Sunday morning, we took Tingum around to Sunset Bay Marina where we enjoyed a great lunch with our dear friends off the Miles Aweigh. More boat talk, good food and fun times there, then we cruised a bit more, exploring Manatee Pocket with its scenery, marinas and restaurants. We passed a floating "Coney Island" -- shades of the pit beef boat from Hart-Miller Island days of years ago! Between catching glimpses of dolphins and watching the pelicans along the St. Lucie River, we had quite a nice cruise! 

The floating hot dog stand, Coney Island!

We enjoyed showing Nicky around our new hometown, and were glad she came to visit. We also were delighted to speak with Ally, who is now back from her Argentina May Program trip. That was an amazing experience, and a great way to wrap up her senior year. She has one more week at Oldfields School before we all join her next weekend for graduation. Friends and family...that's what its all about!

Haul-out and a river run with dolphin escort!

Another couple of whirlwind days here, working to get the boat back in shape. Not that she is out of shape, we just want her to look her best! So, after Richard and his crew worked all weekend, we were delighted to see the results. Equinox is lovely! We were very happy with the way she looked, gleaming and glistening in the sunshine. They will be our go-to folks when we need the boat detailed in the future, for sure.

Early this morning, Ron and I zipped south in Eclipse over to the Hutchinson Island Marriot where Equinox was getting spiffed up; we needed to get the tender stowed back atop Equinox anyway, and it saved us the drive over. From there, we took Equinox west on the south fork of the St. Lucie River towards Lake Okeechobee to American Custom Yachts for a "fast haul-out" for a bottom power-wash and zinc change. It was a long trip -- two hours from Stuart, with the current against us, but pleasant with the scenery gliding past us. I have to say, I love Florida!! Palm trees, quiet canals lined with mangroves and pretty homes on the river....all good!!

A typical Florida river view: lovely!

We actually arrived at American ahead of time, but we were hauled out promptly after the launch of the boat scheduled ahead of us. Very efficent! Thankfully, Equinox's bottom wasn't so bad as I feared...the hull was quite clean, although the running gear had a bit more growth that needed to be removed. I do think our cleaning and scrubbing in the Exumas helped keep the growth to a minimum! The zincs were in need of replacement though, which was to be expected. So...a productive haul-out and we were delighted to have made the trip, happy to get to know the route and the lay of the land, and to have seen the facility. It's well-run and the guys are definitely professional in their work!

Equinox awaiting the launch of the boat ahead of us

Ron lining up Equinox before heading into the haul-out bay

She's a big girl out of the water!

Of course, the afternoon squall clouds arrived as we were leaving, and threatened showers all the way back to Outrigger Harbour. Thankfully, though, we had sunny weather and nary a drop of rain, despite the clouds ballooning about us. Even better, we had a pod of dolphins that escorted us along the way, from the Roosevelt Bridge down to the crossroads of the St. Lucie River and the Indian River. They were a cheerful bunch; I swear they each rolled on their sides to get a better look at us as we looked at them, especially when I waved and smiled at their antics alongside Equinox! It was a lovely moment in time, sharing the waters and appreciating their company!

Coming up alongside Equinox

Leaping and cavorting!

Just having fun!

Once secure and tied up at OH, Ron and I indulged in a hot tub before an early dinner in downtown Stuart at the Black Marlin. An old-time Stuart restaurant, we relaxed in the laid-back ambience and enjoyed the delicious food quite a bit, before the much-anticipated rains finally arrived. It was an appropriate ending to a satisfying and productive day! Never fear, we have more to do to tomorrow!

Memorial Day Weekend!!

Please remember those veterans or current members of our armed forces. It's due to their sacrifices that we enjoy our freedoms. Gratitude, truly.

As for us...it was, oddly enough, the first weekend we haven't been out on the boat in 15 years. Thus, it  felt very,very strange indeed!! In the distant past, we'd have been skydiving our butts off at big boogies (The Herd comes to mind, but I'm dating myself) or, in recent years we'd have been have with our friends Paul and Muriel aboard one boat or another, with their two girls and Ally, but...this year, Ally is in Argentina with her school May Program doing language immersion community service along with cultural programs and sight-seeing, so we aren't together with friends this year. :( So...definitely not the norm! 

Not that we've jumped in about 10 years...but the memories remain! In the meantime, in the last 15 years, boating, cruising and living aboard have been our focus. Thus, last year at this time we were aboard Equinox on the Chesapeake watching the Blue Angels practice their Memorial Day routine over the Patuxent River, aboard with Paul and Muriel, but this year, Ron and I have spent the weekend land-locked in Florida and, kind of lonely! Albeit, we are in our beautiful new condo and while it's a change of pace from being aboard, it does feel strange not to be aboard commemorating Memorial Day with friends and entertaining. We've had a quiet weekend, just the two of us....we got out to do some bicycling in the mornings (16 and 23 miles respectively for the weekend) as well simply doing other needed chores. 

Watching the Blue Angels practicing over the Patuxent River 

for their Memorial Day 2009 show while aboard Equinox

The boat has been getting detailed and waxed this weekend as we speak, and we are happy with how it's turning out. It's looking fabulous...Richard and crew are meticulous, doing a great job! How nice it is to have Equinox back in fighting form, for she is gleaming!! On the home front, Ron and I kept busy with cleaning out our storage room in the condo garage, rearranging items and bringing up the last 6-8 boxes of books, office supplies, odds and ends and photos/negatives that were stored and still cluttering up the space. We're trying to purge all the non-storage items from the area and keep it for boat stuff and other long-term storage stuff. 

We have a busy week ahead though, with lots of boat work to be done. We are hoping to cruise over in the Abacos for July, so have a lot to maintain, repair and tweak after our six months in the Bahamas this past winter. In the meantime, June is upon us, as is hurricane season! Ugh!! Like I said before, we're new here, so we have not experienced any hurricanes, except in Maryland. There, it was simply dealing with storm surge and somewhat high winds, and certainly nothing like what they've experienced here in Florida!! So, we are putting together our contingency plans should a storm arise, trying to be somewhat proactive and have things in place should we need to haul the boat, hunker down at the condo or (worse case) evacuate. Here I thought provisioning for the boat was unique, but folks here make sure they have enough water and non-perishable foodstuffs that can handle an extended camp-out routine that just isn't imagined in the north! So, we're trying to follow suit and be prepared ourselves!! I'll just keep hoping for a calm season here and a gentle learning curve!

Best laid plans...

...are never what you expect. Just after when the detailing started on the boat in earnest, I had the lovely pleasure of finding out that some patrons of the restaurant next door had complained about the view/noise/dust from the buffers. They didn't think it appropriate that their view of the marina was marred by seeing people working on our boat! I have to admit that I was rather taken aback, but...as I didn't want to ruffle anyone's feathers with the condo management nor with the neighbors, work with the buffers ceased, and hand-cleaning and polishing of the brightwork commenced until we could figure out how to handle the situation. We had the legal right to do the work there, and work was being done on other boats at the marina, but...we didn't want to get anyone upset with our being there, either. 

As it turned out, thankfully, the detailing company had ties with another marina that could handle Equinox, so on Friday morning after Ron's return, we moved the boat to get the boat work done. While it was frustrating that we had to move it at all, it was great that we were getting the work done! Of course, moving the boat was no simple matter. While the weather was gloriously calm (for a change!!) Murphy's Law still reigned, as the 20 kW genset refused to start! The mechanic aboard on Thursday had not only changed the oil in the main engines, but also changed the gen set oil (which unfortunately was not needed, as Ron had just done it...my mistake on not realizing that). But, the mechanic had not bled the air out of the fuel system adequately, either, and so the generator refused to start. 

So, we spent a good half-hour bleeding the fuel lines so we could have the use of our hydraulic bow thruster, which is powered by the 20 kW generator. The bow-thruster is a necessity since our hull is hull so deep and affected by currents quite a bit. While bleeding the fuel lines was frustratingly slow, it was a smart decision to get the genset running again, as there was a good current pushing through the other marina when we arrived. Without a bow-thruster, we would have been in a world of hurt trying to pivot and get into the slip!! 

SO...it was a busy day! After moving Equinox and getting her settled in at the other marina, we spent the day dealing with the myriad of other details that needed attention. We had hoped to pilot Eclipse, our inflatable, up the Indian River back home from the dealer, but nasty rain and thunderstorms moving in from the west shot down that idea. So, we returned to focusing on more hurricane preparedness: how to secure Tingum should a storm arise. Ron had done a lot of ground work already, visiting several car dealers and trailer places to find both a strong trailer large enough to handle Tingum's weight, and find an appropriate sized SUV able to pull Tingum. After a bit more running about, by the end of the day, we had a great trailer and...a new Toyota Sequoia with a towing capacity of 10000 lbs! I bid a sad good bye to my beloved X5, which we traded in, and mourned the loss of my much admired, fun bumper stickers:

This was my favorite! I shall miss it...

After a well-deserved soak in the hot tub, dinner was a delicious delivery pizza from Jack and Tony's, along with a good bottle of red wine. After the busy day we had, followed by an early bed time!