by miami | Oct 29, 2013
Day 2 on Yume as our new home.We are all a bit tired at the end of each day as we go from the time we wake to dark thirty.
Just stopping now and watching the sun set. Got the grill going for some pork chops and Shelly is below making some fettichini with Alfredo to go with it.
Ryan is up at the tiki hut where he can get monster wifi speeds to play his games.
He learned about working on bikes today as the boat came with a foldup 6 speed that needed some TLC.
We have been cramming two full pickup loads of stuff on the boat. Yesterday I removed a 110volt ice maker and turned the space into storage for all the grain, beans, sugar and other supplies we have in 2.5 gallon tubs and all the canned supplies we have.
We filled the water tanks with 150 gallons of water (watched the boat sink down with an additional 1050 pounds!) and added a bit of bleach to help keep it sweet. Red wine works too.
Ryan and I washed the outside today while Shelly worked inside to make it like a home.
Tomorrow the plan is to work in the storage of the master head (bath) where there were some leaks in the past causing some rot. We brought plywood just for that purpose.
The next phase is to make Yume ready for sea. We look for anything that would move . Basically you think about flipping your house upside down and see wohat would fly out! Then you fix it…
We are close.
Next – start looking at the engine, steering systems, and anchors and lines and getting ready for some trial runs to see how she (and we) perform!
We have had a great two days with perfect weather, lots of projects completed and a hope we can get on down the waterway before it turns cold again.
Looking down into the salon, I see Goose is getting his dinner so mine can’t be far behind!
by miami | Oct 25, 2013
It’s the last night at the in-laws in NC and the temps are dropping fast. The north wind is howling down the pass between these two ranges and it surely feels like we need be a lot farther south!
We have enjoyed our visit, playing pinochle and eating and trying out our new folding bicycles we will use to replace the vehicles we are selling.But at the same time we are anxious to head south to Yume and start getting ready for sea.
Yesterday when we left Atlanta at 630am to miss traffic (not likely) we got to appreciate the insanity (to us anyway) of millions of people all going to work at the same time.
Hopefully, we will back in time for the horse show at High Country Stables tomorrow so Shelly can offer any help needed for the new owners and say farewell one more time to the great trainers, students and parents.
Then we have a fundraiser for paws4people foundation at Petland in Kennesaw on Sunday afternoon before heading down I75 to Macon and over I 16 to Savannah and Yume.
To say we are looking forward to getting there would be an understatement.
I am sure you can understand?
by miami | Oct 25, 2013
My friend (and provider of my favorite spice!) asks this question…
Will I be able to send stuff to your next port call from time to time? I’ve never considered the logistics of a nomadic naval lifestyle.
Good question sir! Especially when we need that spice for the fresh tuna we have on the grill in some far off cove on a perfect beach in the clear tropical night with a some fruit based libation in hand!
Actually, 90% of the time we are either anchored or at a dock somewhere.
The time we move from place to place is fairly minimal – that is unless and until we have enough resources (money) to be able to pay traveling fees like customs, immigration etc- the taxes each country demands from travelers on ‘rich’ boats. Usually we have an address with someone who will package and forward all mail somewhere ahead of us.
Of course in today’s world most mail is electronic and the mailing part is usually things like parts and spice!
When I get to it – we will have a link to favorite products – and the first one will be brantsspices.com
by miami | Oct 23, 2013
Saturday someone had come over to buy one of the last things for sale – a 12 foot fence gate – when we got to talking. After I told him my last five things to sell, he wanted to see the Saab that wouldn’t run. Long story short he wanted it and went home to get more cash.
Come time to swap title for cash we couldn’t find the title for the car or the truck! Lost in the moving process I guess.
I have to throw in here that that very morning I had watched a video by one of my favorite people Nic Askew where I was reminded that instead of we the human race being humans looking for spiritual experiences -in fact we are more likely spiritual beings experiencing human life for a short time. Profound difference!
See it here if you like http://soulbiographies.com/our-spiritual-nature/
In that light I was able to watch everything that happened on Monday as I went from bank to petty govt official in a whole different perspective.
When we bought the boat, we handed someone cash, and he handed us a bill of sale and we shook hands.
No govt. No banks, No tax people, no notary.
Just two people making an agreement for better or for worse.
One of the thoughts at the end of 5 hours and 120 miles of driving ( to replace two titles to two vehicles I supposedly owned) was that our actions lately make me feel like I am getting my life title back from some govt entity somewhere.
Four more days to a new life.
by miami | Oct 20, 2013
As we make our last round of goodbyes and farewells this week before heading off to our new home – people ask the most amazing questions and say the strangest things!
“What did you have to promise your wife to get her to move to a sailboat?” I didn’t promise her anything. She can’t wait to go!
“Aren’t you afraid of storms?” And this one – “What about pirates?” These two crack me up. You see it is all about perception! ‘Normal’ people (that is people who don’t live on a boat and travel) get in a 3000 pound vehicle and make it go 70 miles an hour past hundreds if not thousands of other people in 3000 pound vehicles speeding towards them at 70 miles per hour six feet away! – without knowing where those other people have been. At the bar maybe? And ‘normal’ people do this day in and day out every day of their lives! They lock their cars, and their homes. They track their kids on their cell phones. There are places they definitely do not go.
We on the other hand do not lock anything, go almost anywhere (in the world) and find people to be extremely friendly curious and welcoming.
Are there pirates? I guess so although I have never met one that I know of. Are there storms? Sure – but here is a very important thing to remember.
When we find ourselves at sea in a storm – it is very uncomfortable and even frightening. So we prepare. We are responsible for our own lives and our home. There is no dialing 911 for help.
We make sure the boat is sea worthy. We get better at knowing the weather than the weather channel. (That’s not hard to do actually…) We know what to do under different conditions.
And when it is all done, and the seas have calmed, or we have reached the safety of a port or an anchorage, and we go to sleep exhausted, wet and grateful to be done; then the joy experienced the next day as you wake up to a gorgeous sunrise on a fresh washed beach, and you see starfish on the bottom at 40 feet, then you understand much of the pleasure from this moment is in direct relation to the experience of the storm.
We understand that extreme joy can only be had by experiencing the opposite. And we do not go to a television or a movie to get that experience. We would rather live it!
Do you have a question you would like us to answer about a sailing life? Ask it. After all someone else might have that same question. We can probably answer it as we built a sailboat in 1989 -90 and sailed for 12,000 miles and 6.5 years. We can even tell you what it is like to have a baby on a boat!
We are very excited to know we are a week away from going home – and although we know we will miss some special people – we also know those same people will never be far away!
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