It was a rocky night on the boat. We woke at 4 am to noise of the fenders rubbing against the dock and a scrapping noise. John decided to investigate. He grabbed a little flashlight so he could see what he was looking at. As he was on deck looking down he stumbled and hit the Bimini with his hand and dropped the flashlight into the ICW. WOW of course he had to find the newly purchased magnet with the line on it and retrieve it. He tried but failed now the ICW has claimed another item from our training wheels. Time for a walk to the west marine. It is a nice breezy day on the water. Then back to attempt another sail. More to come.
Life Is Good, Sail On!!!!!
Sea Songs
Tuesday, December 31, 2013
Monday, December 30, 2013
Cocoa Village
We are still at the Cocoa village marina. It's Monday night and New Year's Eve is tomorrow. We are planning to go out on the channel tomorrow for a short sail just to practice. It is a lot of fun but I am discovering that keeping a small boat clean is quit a task. I am constantly wiping up water and germs on the floors and tidying up stuff. I am picky about being clean and it is worse in a small space. I told John please no shoes in the cabin :)........
When we returned from our family land visit tonight we returned with a magnet :) among other things from the tool shop. Budgie cords, another mini flashlight, a new red line for flags, bath mats and peanut butter. John love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When we arrived our final package had also arrived from Dad and Lynda. So now we have a new rug and silverware and John has a chart book to record our destinations.
Once we arrived on Moondance and put some things away John tied a line on the hook attached to it the magnet he picked up at the tool shop. Guess what he is attempting to retrieve the winch handle. He tried and tried but no winch handle. He was disappointed. So we went to town for pizza and a walk while a movie downloaded for us to watch tonight.
Life Is Good, so sail on until the next time.......
When we returned from our family land visit tonight we returned with a magnet :) among other things from the tool shop. Budgie cords, another mini flashlight, a new red line for flags, bath mats and peanut butter. John love peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. When we arrived our final package had also arrived from Dad and Lynda. So now we have a new rug and silverware and John has a chart book to record our destinations.
Once we arrived on Moondance and put some things away John tied a line on the hook attached to it the magnet he picked up at the tool shop. Guess what he is attempting to retrieve the winch handle. He tried and tried but no winch handle. He was disappointed. So we went to town for pizza and a walk while a movie downloaded for us to watch tonight.
Life Is Good, so sail on until the next time.......
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Training Wheels part 2
Wow, thought I had already disclosed all the fun adventures on Moondance, aka Training Wheels, until our land trip to visit family today.
We began laughing while discussing all the things we have experienced this holiday season which reminded us of the power of human perserverence :) Realizing we forgot a few things ......
As John and the boat captain readied for the first sail from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale on the choppy Atlantic, they put everything on the floor they were sure it would all land there any way if they didn't. Once their sail began all of a sudden BAM!!!!!! John went to the salon and there was the microwave on the salon floor everything BUT the microwave had been down. When I arrived on Moondance there sat the microwave on the countertop CRACKED. After several attempts I was unable to turn it on when I plugged in.
At Sea
Other News:::
Moondance was not the only one in need of a band-aide this trip. When John came saying "dog gone I just dropped the winch handle in the water" he also proceeded to say I need a band aide. He had cut his finger trying to retrieve the winch handle prior to it landing at the bottom of the ICW... John is contemplating its retrieval. Options include getting into the 6 foot of channel water. Or get a large magnet attach it to a string and drop it down.
Unfortunately breakfast this morning was mcdonalds due to the new coffee maker and toaster not being able to keep power. Evidently when the Miami marina failed to service the boat as planned and the batteries died from dehydration they have really never fully recovered or maybe the plug was not plugged in correctly. There is definitely a discrepancy between land and water living.
What a wonderful holiday in spite of all the Training Wheels adventures. May have helped if we had learned to sail prior to buying a sailboat :) You only live once...... Life Is Good, Sail On!!!!
We began laughing while discussing all the things we have experienced this holiday season which reminded us of the power of human perserverence :) Realizing we forgot a few things ......
As John and the boat captain readied for the first sail from Miami to Ft. Lauderdale on the choppy Atlantic, they put everything on the floor they were sure it would all land there any way if they didn't. Once their sail began all of a sudden BAM!!!!!! John went to the salon and there was the microwave on the salon floor everything BUT the microwave had been down. When I arrived on Moondance there sat the microwave on the countertop CRACKED. After several attempts I was unable to turn it on when I plugged in.
Other News:::
Moondance was not the only one in need of a band-aide this trip. When John came saying "dog gone I just dropped the winch handle in the water" he also proceeded to say I need a band aide. He had cut his finger trying to retrieve the winch handle prior to it landing at the bottom of the ICW... John is contemplating its retrieval. Options include getting into the 6 foot of channel water. Or get a large magnet attach it to a string and drop it down.
Unfortunately breakfast this morning was mcdonalds due to the new coffee maker and toaster not being able to keep power. Evidently when the Miami marina failed to service the boat as planned and the batteries died from dehydration they have really never fully recovered or maybe the plug was not plugged in correctly. There is definitely a discrepancy between land and water living.
What a wonderful holiday in spite of all the Training Wheels adventures. May have helped if we had learned to sail prior to buying a sailboat :) You only live once...... Life Is Good, Sail On!!!!
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Training Wheels
On December 15 John arrived in Miami to pick up moondance. That was the beginning of what John now has nicknamed moondance. :) .....The Training Wheels adventure..... I now know why :)
When he arrived the marina had not serviced the boat as promised. NO power to the dry batteries meant no light. Good thing at the last minute John brought 2 mini flashlights. The refrigerator would not work, but why well not sure could be no power or uhhhh no propane. Time for a new refrigerator.
John hired a captain out of Miami to help him sail up the coast towards West Palm Beach where I would be meeting him to begin out voyage.... Along the way on the not so rough seas John fell on the table in cockpit and that was the end of the table but not the aluminum pole sticking up in the cockpit area which would remain until.......
Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
I arrived on Dec 21st excited for our adventure. The plan for us to continue up the Atlantic to Sebastian. We left out before high tide the next morning. The sea was rough but we keep going. Once we motored out it was time to put up the main sail. John tried and it would not go. But I was also having a hard time keeping it in the wind. :) ... John tried several more times and I tried twice while attached to my lifeline scared of the high waves while John kept it in the wind :). On Johns 4th attempt his lifeline came unattached. Soon he realized his new life jacket did not have a lifeline harness so what was he attached to???...... So he put my life jacket on for the next attempt at raising the sail. The next day he bought a harness :).... Needless to say we could not get the main to go up. We sadly and slowly motored up the intercostal way to Sebastian. Arriving 2 days later having never sailed. While on our long motoring journey we were able to learn a lot about moondance. She will not pump water out of the shower. No propane means no cooking or refrigerator which John doesn't mind anyway as he enjoys eating out. I was able to convince him when I arrived to take my taxi I had when I arrived at the marina in west palm, to take us to the grocery for some food that would save in a cooler. So we have sandwiches for our long slow motor up the ICW :).
Once arriving at Sebastian John and my fathers attempt to get the shower to pump working failed :(. But we now have a coffee maker and a toaster on board.
Our next attempt to raise the sail and play was not until today, my brother-in-law Ed joined us at
Cocoa village marina to attempt another sail. While motoring out through the channel marker Ed reached and removed the free standing table base that remained from the first sail out of Miami when John fell on the table.......... While Ed was removing the table base John was watching him and not the markers. This was curious as we had been afraid to remove it due to the unknown....Should I say more ..... Poor Moondance was bitten by the marker she buckled as we motored by.......Waiting for the bill from the marina to fix the #4 marker or maybe they missed that. Not sure but Moondance was scuffed and a bit of displaced rubber along her side but no fiberglass damage like she suffered at the last marina when John ran into the dock...... Moondance is waiting for her band aide in the form of the mini fiberglass repair kit sitting in the salon ready to fix her up. Luckily the hole was not all the way through. There is a God. Ok back to the ICW experience today. We did make it past the rippled channel marker and got the main sail most of the was up. But as I looked up the mast it was not quite straight and the main was only a up about 3/4 of the way. But John continued on pulling out the second sail. We did sail about an hour practicing. It was fun and we only lost one of our flags the
code flag "j" that I had got John as a Christmas gift.
We arrived back to the dock sails down as well a bit of rain. We were scurrying to get everything tied
on, zipped up, buttoned down and here comes John saying I dropped the wench handle in the water. It's not really funny but it is because you have to take it in stride. Now the ICW has claimed johns favorite hat, his "j" sailing flag and now a winch handle. Onward we go next week to the cape for upgrades and repairs so Moondance aka Training Wheels is ready for our spring adventures as we continue north late march 2014.
Hoping the repair list doesn't get much longer between cocoa and the cape.
Life Is Good, Sail On!!!!
When he arrived the marina had not serviced the boat as promised. NO power to the dry batteries meant no light. Good thing at the last minute John brought 2 mini flashlights. The refrigerator would not work, but why well not sure could be no power or uhhhh no propane. Time for a new refrigerator.
John hired a captain out of Miami to help him sail up the coast towards West Palm Beach where I would be meeting him to begin out voyage.... Along the way on the not so rough seas John fell on the table in cockpit and that was the end of the table but not the aluminum pole sticking up in the cockpit area which would remain until.......
I arrived on Dec 21st excited for our adventure. The plan for us to continue up the Atlantic to Sebastian. We left out before high tide the next morning. The sea was rough but we keep going. Once we motored out it was time to put up the main sail. John tried and it would not go. But I was also having a hard time keeping it in the wind. :) ... John tried several more times and I tried twice while attached to my lifeline scared of the high waves while John kept it in the wind :). On Johns 4th attempt his lifeline came unattached. Soon he realized his new life jacket did not have a lifeline harness so what was he attached to???...... So he put my life jacket on for the next attempt at raising the sail. The next day he bought a harness :).... Needless to say we could not get the main to go up. We sadly and slowly motored up the intercostal way to Sebastian. Arriving 2 days later having never sailed. While on our long motoring journey we were able to learn a lot about moondance. She will not pump water out of the shower. No propane means no cooking or refrigerator which John doesn't mind anyway as he enjoys eating out. I was able to convince him when I arrived to take my taxi I had when I arrived at the marina in west palm, to take us to the grocery for some food that would save in a cooler. So we have sandwiches for our long slow motor up the ICW :).
Once arriving at Sebastian John and my fathers attempt to get the shower to pump working failed :(. But we now have a coffee maker and a toaster on board.
Our next attempt to raise the sail and play was not until today, my brother-in-law Ed joined us at
Cocoa village marina to attempt another sail. While motoring out through the channel marker Ed reached and removed the free standing table base that remained from the first sail out of Miami when John fell on the table.......... While Ed was removing the table base John was watching him and not the markers. This was curious as we had been afraid to remove it due to the unknown....Should I say more ..... Poor Moondance was bitten by the marker she buckled as we motored by.......Waiting for the bill from the marina to fix the #4 marker or maybe they missed that. Not sure but Moondance was scuffed and a bit of displaced rubber along her side but no fiberglass damage like she suffered at the last marina when John ran into the dock...... Moondance is waiting for her band aide in the form of the mini fiberglass repair kit sitting in the salon ready to fix her up. Luckily the hole was not all the way through. There is a God. Ok back to the ICW experience today. We did make it past the rippled channel marker and got the main sail most of the was up. But as I looked up the mast it was not quite straight and the main was only a up about 3/4 of the way. But John continued on pulling out the second sail. We did sail about an hour practicing. It was fun and we only lost one of our flags the
code flag "j" that I had got John as a Christmas gift.
We arrived back to the dock sails down as well a bit of rain. We were scurrying to get everything tied
on, zipped up, buttoned down and here comes John saying I dropped the wench handle in the water. It's not really funny but it is because you have to take it in stride. Now the ICW has claimed johns favorite hat, his "j" sailing flag and now a winch handle. Onward we go next week to the cape for upgrades and repairs so Moondance aka Training Wheels is ready for our spring adventures as we continue north late march 2014.
Hoping the repair list doesn't get much longer between cocoa and the cape.
Life Is Good, Sail On!!!!
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