"Man can live on Oatmeal alone, but not on my boat!"

       

              We both have a mutual love of cooking, and eating, good food.  Some weeks it's oatmeal, rice, and beans all day everyday, just till we find a market.  We don't have a stove, oven, or fridge, but with a can opener, Magma party grill, and creativity we've come up with some really good eats. 

                              
              It's amazing how long eggs can last, and my guy makes the best omelette I've ever had.

             A can opener, some spices, and I'll whip up a quick healthy on the go salad without missing a heave to!

                              
              Have to give the man credit where credits due.  A jar of sauce, whatever fresh veggies and meat we can get our hands on, his pasta sauce is the yummiest!  (If we can score a decent bottle of wine bonus.  A little for the sauce a little for us!)

              This is my food version of a mash-up.  When the eggs, veggies and fruit need to be eaten soon it's salad for breakfast!

                                       Yep I've even made Lasagna!

      

"Captain Keith's Boot Camp!"

              A year ago I left Minneapolis thinking we'd be in South America by Christmas.  I'd never sailed before, but no problem, my guy had experience, and I learn best hands on.  Fortunately, for me, we met Captain Keith, a sailing instructor from WI. (Shameless plug for Captain Keith's Charters LLC, it's on Facebook.)  He agreed to put me through his boot camp for a week.

              Early the next morning he rowed over to our boat, with banana and peanut butter pancake thankfully, we barely had to time to start the coffee before sails up and a away we went.  It was two days of tacking, and tacking, and more tacking, our hands hurt, muscles ached, but it was so much fun!  I compare it to taking a sailing lesson from Matthew McConaughey.  Keith's enthusiasm, combined with his general laid back nature, makes him a perfect coach.  Good thing too, I got a chance to apply my new knowledge a few days later.

               At the end of the week his dad Kevin came to visit, so we took him out sailing. It was a perfect day on the Atlantic, blue skies, small waves and winds at 13 knots.  Kevin was having such a good time he blurted out, "I got the big credit card, what island should we go to?"  Unfortunately we headed home, and had what I've dubbed a "Millennium Falcon" moment.  The winds died, and the batteries were low, so we tacked, and tacked, and tacked some more.
         
               Hours later back at the anchorage, our reward  was some of the best pizza ever!  Nothing can could compare to the knowledge, experience, and friends we gained in one week.  If you're in the Madison Wisconsin area this summer I highly suggest a day on the lake with Captain Keith.

"Mom we live on a boat, our feet get wet."

    
             Every Christmas my mom has a big dinner party, and every year she misses it cause she can't sit down till the last fork is washed, and all the wrapping paper thrown out.  I too like a clean home, but on a boat it's a bit harder.  Mostly it's learning to live with puddles.  Down here rain means you have one cloud that really dumps on you for 30 minutes, see above photo, then it's sunny, then another cloud rolls in three hours later, and this goes on all day.  I use to clean up puddles right away but now my philosophy is wait till it's all over than clean up. 

             Of course it had to rain the first day of my mom's visit.  After the first cloud past, she was out there sweeping up the cockpit puddles, as fate would have it the drains were clogged.  So for about an hour the three of us worked cleaning out the drains, and bailing out water.  Then cloud number two came, just making the problem worse. I saw that determined to get the job done look in her eyes, and knowing another rain cloud was on it's way I  said, "Mom we live on a boat, our feet get wet."  We ended up compromising, she'd stop cleaning, and check out the flea market, only if we shopped for something to unclog the drains.  We looked forever, but couldn't find a drain cleaner, but fortunately it didn't matter, by the time we got back my guy had cleaned up the water, and the rest of the visit was all sunshine.

            

"At least you know cats can swim now.".....

                Last hurricane season we had been living on the boat for just two weeks before Irene came on the radar.  The marina we were docked at had many seasoned sailors who liked to sit around dispensing advice.  Our neighbor dubbed them, "the retired man's coffee circle."  We filtered through all the "advice", and got the boat secure, but not our cat.

                 Moxie likes to explore other boats, and the night before Irene was to hit, she snuck out again.  We searched everywhere but couldn't find her, and in the morning we asked the "coffee circle" if they'd seen her.  No one had, but they were quick to remind us of our friends cat who washed up on the dighny dock. Then went on to debate if cats can swim. I worried mostly because a lot of boats were being moved for the storm, and was afraid she'd stowed away with some unsuspecting person.

                 I was right, she had snuck on another boat, fallen asleep, and when the owner came to move it, he scared her so bad she jumped overboard!  Lucky for us she managed to stay afloat long enough for him to find a net.  Thankfully it was the only excitement of the day, as Irene missed us. The next morning I greeted the guys at the 'coffee circle' with, "At least you know cats can swim now." 

          

                

'Tropical Storm Debby, she's a Bad Waitress Bad Customer."

              Back in Minnesota I worked as a cook at the Bad Waitress Coffee shop and Dinner.  We had a few "Bad Customers", that really got on my nerves.  The worst would come in right before closing, than took forever to order.  I hated the, about to order, oh false alarm changed my mind, dance they'd do.  You just wanted to yell, "Order already so I can go to bed!".  Tropical Storm Debby, she's a Bad Waitress Bad Customer.

            Currently we're South of any path they've projected for Debby, but still getting rough weather.  For three days it's been strong winds, and thunderstorms while waiting to see what she'll do. The thunderstorms don't bother me, as much as the 45 mph winds.  They create the constant threat of drifting, or having something drift into you.   First they said she was going to go to Texas, than she changed her mind, and decided to hit Florida.   She was suppose to make landfall today, but now they're saying Wednesday, or maybe Friday.  Debby, there aren't that many items on the menu.  Can you please make up your mind so we can close shop, and get some sleep already!

"NOAA is what your Dad made you watch instead of The Dukes of Hazzard."....

       ....At least if your Dad is a fishing fiend like mine. Long ago before cable and internet we got our weather from channel 17, also known as NOAA.  It broadcasts the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather report all day. This caused a battle every Friday night during fishing season at my Dad's house.   My siblings and I wanted to watch The Dukes of Hazzard, my Dad of course wanted to watch the weather.  I'd sulk as we'd have to sit through every forecast, for every county in Minnesota and Wisconsin, even though he already had decided on a lake.  It really never mattered what NOAA said, rain or shine, we'd go fishing the next day.  I guess he just always wanted to be extra prepared.

            In preparation for a wild weather weekend, not to mention possible Hurricane Debby, we put down our two biggest anchors.  Now these two anchors have held us through gale force winds, but I still was being paranoid. Late last night I had for over an hour been trying to watch the local news. All I was getting was the no-signal message bouncing around the T.V. screen like a game of Pong.  It started to reminded me of my childhood, and watching channel 17 the night before going fishing. We had already decided to drop the big guns and ride out the weekend, or "go fishing", rain or shine.  In hindsight, I must get my need-to-know everything genes from my Dad.  While being extra prepared is good, it's sometimes best to relax, and watch The Dukes of Hazzard.


                     (Wow did I date myself with the 80's references or what!)

"You'd think she was Poseidon's butt plug!"...

             When it comes to anchorages you try for the good, but sometimes have to settle for the bad.  Right now we're sitting in not the prettiest water ever.  It's brown, mucky, and I wouldn't willingly dive in.  It's also small so on a couple occasions we've had to re-anchor to avoid swinging into another boat. 

              We've been watching the weather more religiously than normal on account of possible Tropical Storm Debbie. Currently being the only boat on the hook, we decided safest bet is to plop ourselves smack dab in the middle.  That way there's plenty of swing room between us, and the docks, on all sides. 

              The only anchor down at the time was our 35lb CQR.  I have always been able to pull it up myself, but this time she was stuck in the muck good.  It was the Minnesota equivalent of having your car stuck in a snow drift.  We both pulled like it was the Olympics of Tug-O-War.  When that didn't work we used the heft of the boat motoring hard forward, and than in reverse.  Finally we shimmied her free.  Her and 25lbs of muck that ended up all over the deck and us!  The smell was so bad I tuned to my guy and said, "You'd think she was Poseidon's butt plug!"

               Two days, twenty showers, and a couple good deck swabbing later the smell is gone, and I'm hoping we can ride out the storm without having to re-anchor again.  If we do I might first invest in a full body rubber suit. Till than my apologies to Texas, but I hope Debbie swings your way

              



             

              

"Can't they just enjoy lunch?"....

            A few months ago while having lunch at a water side restaurant an older couple made snippy comments about, "the young industrious couple that can't  enjoy lunch without their laptops".  I'll admit they were talking about us. Our typical m.o. at any restaurant is, find out if they have wifi, locate an outlet, load up websites, than look at the menu.

           Since living on as sailboat, and constantly on the move, we've become increasingly dependant on the Internet for everything.  Not only do we use it to keep in touch with friends and family, it's become a vital tool in our travels.  I check weather and wind reports probably twenty times a day.  Every location we go to is Google searched  for trouble spots, grocery stores, fresh water, and anchorage reviews. We even have a wifi "rent" kitty just for coffee shops.

          Back in Minnesota I was rarely online, and use to make fun of couples out to lunch on their laptops all the time.  There are probably not a lot of cruisers lunching in Minneapolis looking up wind speeds, but you never know.  I'm sure they have a reason, and now will bite my tongue before commenting on a lack of face to face interaction.

"F#@K it! The Halliburton's up the Sputnik."...

    
     I can remember faces, places, the smallest detail of the most mundane event, but names escape me.  When I worked at a dinner I'd often hide in the kitchen to avoid people I'd met but couldn't remember their names. I started using a word association memory trick, don't remember the real name of it, known as Kristine speak.  Learning sailing lingo was harder than learning to sail.

     One of the first things that needed to be done were the sails.   Of the three Jib sails we had, two were too big and one was too small.   Being located in Stuart Florida at the time we called Mac Sails.  (Very known and reputable sail makers.)  A guy came out measured everything said someone would be out the next day to pick them up, and asked us to have them ready and bagged.  About an hour later we were still staring at the Jib wondering how to get it down.  (The Jib that was up is from the 60's and has it's own wire.)  I felt better after two more seasoned sailors came by to help, and couldn't figure it out either.  Finally I just undid the line and down it came.  I quickly pulled on the Jib line to secure it off, all proud of myself, and herd a loud clank.  DUH! I just pulled the halyard all the way up the mast.  We tried everything to get it down, but without a way to get to the top we had no luck.

      The next day the guy from Mack Sails came, and to my surprise it was Collin Mack himself.  I tried to explain what had happened with the halyard but couldn't remember the proper names.   So I blurted out, "F#@K it!  The Halliburton's up the Sputnik.", hung my head, and pointed up.  Collin quickly figured out Kristine speak, and said a guy with a bosun's chair coming out to the marina later that day.  At twilight we got to go up the mast for the first time.  Later that week when Collin returned our sails he asked about the "Halliburton".

      The Halyard works great, Sputnik on the other hand another story for another blog....

     

"Is that a Toilet in your Cockpit?".....

   Technically yes....

            The previous boat owner had a wife and five kids who required, a real shower, hot water heater and a toilet with a motor that could chop up a small animal.   All great while living plugged into an unlimited power source on the dock.  Once anchored out on solar power only we had to make sacrifices.  We decided that being able to radio for help is more important than being able to flush.  So we dismantled the toilet, and used the bucket method till we found a West Marine and got a hand pump toilet.  (And thankfully a friend with a car,  I can't imagine what the locals would think at the sight of someone walking down the highway with a toilet.)

            We decided to keep the old toilet as a back up.   You would think cleaning it would be the hard part, not on a boat.  There is only one storage space large enough for a it,  and it's got a lot of stuff in it already.  Plus we'd have to put it all the way in the back to keep project and emergency needs on top.  Ironically we have discovered it is a good temp for several things on our on projects list.   A few of it's uses: captains chair, step ladder, door stop and table.  (I'm a bit OCD so trust me it was very bleached with a piece of plywood and table cloth on top before any dishes where set down.) 

             It will be put into storage one day soon.  Until then we joke about who will be the first to use it in the traditional way on night watch.    It's also the first of a lot of household items becoming a quick fix: curtain rods as sunglasses hangers, bungee cords for everything, plates as a computer desk, and a cooler as a grill mount.
           

      
                                      (This is a story for another day.)

Florida East Coast ICW Achorage Review.....

    I started keeping track of resources at anchorages after living on beans and rice for several days unaware there was a grocery store 200 yards away.  In our defence the Florida cruising guide we have is eight years old.   There have been more than a few changes in Florida since 2004!  In a strong desire to have fresh fruits and veggies around as much as possible I have scoured the Internet looking for information about anchorages on the ICW.  The irony, most of the time the websites I find reference the same out of date cruising guide we have!

     Following is the start of a long list of Eastern Florida anchorages we have stayed at.  (Most are on the ICW, and SM stands for Standard Mile.)

1.  Sunset Bay Marina and Anchorage: 27.2N/-80.2583W

      This is one of the most accommodating anchorages around, and also crowded.   In the off season there is plenty of swing room.   Come November the dingy dock gets crowded.   The people there are really nice and have a great community feel.   Go east or west on US1, literally 100 yards from the dock, you'll find a West Marine and Publix Grocery store within two miles.   A bit further hike each way and there will be Home Depot, Lowe's, and Walmart.  There are also many restaurants in the area.   Santa Fe is a personal favorite with homemade chips and salsa and great happy hour specials!  


2. Manatee Pocket: SM 988, 27 90.239N/ 080

    This was one of the our favorite anchorages for many reasons.   First the people there were extremely helpful, and friendly.   To quote one of the local sailors, "This is like college, when you want to be alone you go to your boat.  When you want to be social you hang out in the common area."   There are a lot of "common areas" to choose from.  Finz Cafe was our personal favorite, but there's also Finz restaurant, King Neptune, and other seaside grills.  If you like your own cooking best there's a Latino butcher, and produce market across US1on Salerno Rd., and Winn Dixie grocery less than a mile further.  Head north on US1 and you'll find a larger produce market and fresh baked breads and pastries at Mr. Bread.  Port Salerno Boatyard is right there to help with any repairs.  If they don't have what you need West Marine, Home Depot, Lowe's, Walmart and Lewis Marine, are all less than two miles away.   For fun visit Dan and Rachelle at Coastal Paddle Board.  To get to Manatee Pocket you have to go in West of the inlet a bit and turn south at Sandsprit park.  It's a trek off the ICW, but very sheltered giving it a reputation as a hurricane pocket.  Truth or not I don't know, we were very lucky last year. (There's so much more to say about this anchorage that I'll have to make it a separate blog.)


3. North Palm Beach Waterway:  SM 1031, 26 49.734N/080 04.165W

     This is a small very peaceful anchorage located between PGA Bridge and Parker Bridge.  Head West down the last channel before Parker Bridge and in a short distance you will see a small anchorage off your starboard side.  Be careful you don't go too far there is a very low fixed, non opening bridge.
I recommend this if you want a quite scenic night or two but not a long visit.  The surrounding area is private property so if you need provisions you'll have to pull up anchor and head to North Palm Beach Marina just south of the Parker Bridge.

4. North Palm Beach-Lake Worth Anchorage: SM 1014 26 50.342N/080 03.263W

       This is easy to find, hang a left after emerging from the channel south of Parker Bridge.  First and foremost there is plenty of depth and swing room at the north end of Lake Worth.  Mostly it's mucky except for the southeast end by the beacons where it's sandy and shallow.  For us it was ideal considering we only draw 4' and had Danforth anchors at the time.  The northwestern end is deeper and muddy, but closer to the dingy dock, and sometimes you can pick up an open wifi signal.  The dingy dock is still in the same area, northwest end just go under the bridge and tie off on the west side.   You'll see a fence and short stone wall.   Once on dry land head West down PGA Blvd, in two blocks you'll find a CVS, Publix grocery, and Starbucks along with other shops.   A bit further down PGA, over the bridge, there is Anthony's Coal Fire pizza.  Best pizza I've ever had!  West Marine is located a few blocks south on US1.    A quick Google search will find you three libraries, free Internet, Walmarts, Home Depots and a Laundromat in the area.   You can also pick up a city bus nearby that will take you to downtown West Palm Beach.   Another thing we loved about this anchorage was the people.  There were between 10 and 30 boats anchored with us at various times.   Not only did we make great friends, but also made great supply trades.  Most important, and this might be bias, I found that advice from cruisers in anchorages to be much more helpful than those at marinas.   Another plus you're just a quick sail from Peanut Island and the Lake Worth inlet.  So you can still sail the seas and take care of business.



5.  Lake Worth Inlet: SM 1018.5 26 46.805N/080 02.637W

         The Anchorage and Inlet are located on the south side of Peanut Island.   Peanut Island is not only popular for it's beaches, but also because it is the location of President John F. Kennedy's nuclear bunker.  We actually had a lot of fun the three days we were there.   The clear water was so nice that we threw on our suits and jumped in again and again.   Much to the delight of then water cannons from the Black Sparrow, a children's birthday party charter, Pirate ship!  Be careful venturing on dingy to Peanut island there is a lot of boat traffic.   Once there you'll find nice hiking trail and beaches but not much else.  There are marinas in the area where you can get water, fuel and wifi.   Also at the west end of the A1A bridge is a Publix Grocery, but we were warned not to go there after dark.  Overall it was a nice stay, and one of the easier inlets to navigate.


6.   Our next Anchorage has no official name so I'll call it The J&L

          Unfortunately I didn't mark it on the GPS.  It's location is after the Southern BLVD Bridge.   Basically we saw many boats anchored, and we were tired as it was dark.  We decided to just pulled over and dropped anchor.  The plan was sleep wake up early and head south.   Somehow we ended up staying for a few days and I thank James and Laura.   They spotted us rowing ashore the next morning and being cruisers themselves instantly offer us rides, advice, directions and we made plans for dinner the next day.  (I love cruisers.)   This spot is off a public beach but I would not leave a dingy there unattended, we heard from another sailor there had been thefts.   Once you get ashore head straight west and keep going west about eight blocks you'll get to US1 a Winn Dixie, Dollar tree, and Laundromat all in the same mall!


7.  Bel Marra Anchorage:  SM 1042 26 25.429N/080 04.036W


         I'll admit we bypassed it the first time so use the GPS.    Part of the reason was that in our outdated cruising guide it states "...enough swing room for an Aircraft Carrier."   The first time we saw it I was convinced it wasn't the place you couldn't get a 747 in there.   But accounting for urban sprawl over the last eight year it was the spot.  We've had a couple boats anchored with us, but overall not a lot of swing room.   It's very public and there is not a proper dingy dock.  We taxied each other back and forth to a parking lot across the ICW, but never leaving the dingy.   Once there go north back to Linton Bridge head West across it and in few blocks you'll find Federal Highway/US 1 go north a couple blocks and you'll find Publix grocery, Marshall's, CVS, a Radio Shack etc.  Head down Linton toward Military Trail there's Walmart, Target, and Home Depot.  Be warned if you get hit with a strong east wind plan on making coffee and being up all night.  We had both our 75lb Brittany and 35 lb CQR anchors down and still dragged a bit.

     Enough technical for now back to hijinx....

Sailor Speak.....

   A great suggestion form my editor and BFF, have a key to define sailing terms I use.   Since most of my friends and family don't sail I thought great idea!  I'm not computer savey and am trying to figure out a good template design to do this.  Until then I recommend this website http://www.schoonerman.com/sailingterms/.  I hope you're enjoying our hijinx so far.

Another day at the office.....

"Aren't you overdressed?"....

          There are certain things I love about living on the hook.  The peace and quite that comes with being anchored out on the water.  There's an exciting, and sometimes scary,  hint of danger with every sudden change in weather patterns.   But I wouldn't trade it for the dock life yet.  I know there are nosy neighbors with binoculars in anchorages.  But they don't have direct access to your boat, which is our home, unlike a dock.  The following story was found very amusing by many so I will share it again.

           Last January we had some major projects to finish so we decided to spend the money on renting a slip instead of rowing  lumber and solar panels back and forth.   It was a chilly morning and I was enjoying a cup of coffee, some free wifi and alone time.  (That is a dock plus.  You can take a walk anytime you want.)  When I heard a strange voice talking about the classic design of our Gulfstar.  Now that is not rare when we're docked anywhere.   People are always trying to guess the make and model of our classic beauty.  Usually they do it from a respectable distance.   This particular man not only stepped on to our boat and started exploring, but had five children of various ages with him.  I was so startled, and still working on my first mug of coffee, that I just sat there in my pajamas staring.   A teenage girl, presumably his daughter, noticed me and said something to the man.   He turned made eye contact then said, "Aren't you overdressed?".   Before I could respond the very embarrassed teen pulled him and the rest of the kids off our boat.  

     
          Now being that I had wifi, I took my anger out on Facebook ranting about how would "landlubbers" like it if I walked in their homes uninvited, and critiqued their pajamas while they ate breakfast.   Needless to say I was happy to be on the hook again, nosy binoculars neighbors and all.

     

   

  

How do you get a Wench off a boat?

     Just put it in my hands while approaching a closed bridge. (Technically it was a wench handle.)

        It was a perfect sailing day.     We were cruising down the ICW (Inter Coastal Waterway) using just our sails.   Then came a bridge....  (A digression on my extreme fear/hatred of them. The ICW has a lot of bridges.  Most too low for our 38' tall mast to fit under, and they only open at specific times.    Too close you crash into the bridge.    Too far they won't hold it for you and you have to circle around for another half hour while trying not to get hit by "hot dogging" speedboats!)

Back to the story.....

       We came in flying.   In a frantic rush to crank in the Jib sail and avoid disaster, I grabbed the handle out of the port side wench, and flew to the starboard side, then watched as the wench handle magically flew overboard. Okay I dropped it.    We made it through the bridge a bit too close for the bridge operator.  But being a Lemar 18 gage wench handle, translation a few hundred dollars,  we decided to go back under to get it.

     A half hour later back under we went.  I was suited up goggles in hand about to swan dive in when a group of speedboats zipped by.    Along with a mental image of me emerging from the water triumphant with the wench handle, only to have my head ripped off by a "hot dogger".  The new plan, he'll motor the boat around while towing me alongside. 

     We never found the handle, and I'm sure that bridge operator thinks we're crazy.    The real irony is we haven't needed, yet!

   

They say BOAT means Break Out Another Thousand....

         People always ask, "How do you do afford to live in Paradise without a 'job'?"  The boat is my job.   After start up fees our day to day cost of living is very small.   The boat has an electric motor, so there goes the gas bill.   We have 720 watts of solar panels that give us free power.     Fresh water so far has been free from a marina or caught in our rain catcher.

The Three Big Money items:

1.  (Obviously) The Boat

         It's a classic 1972 36' Gulfstar.  We found in research the cheaper boat is the more repairs it will need.   Look around, there are thousands of boats out there and great deals.  (Something I've dubbed Sailboat porn.   Don't even ask how many hours I've been on Sailnet, E-bay, Craigslist....looking at boats.)  

2.  The Work

        From our experience if you're not throwing down for brand spanking new boat then plan on spending a third to half the cost of the boat on getting it ready.   We shopped around and found a boatyard (Port Salerno Boatyard and Marina) that allowed us to do the work ourselves and live on the boat. Also we could buy wholesale.  (Some boatyards require you to only buy their brands at inflated prices.)  The rub rail isn't perfect and 5200 doesn't come out of clothes.  But we did the work ourselves and saved a lot of dough.

3.  Stocking Up

        And I mean stocking up.  Enough dry food to last months if needed. We have backup parts for everything.    I get can't count the nuts and bolts, sandpaper, paint, tools of every kind....It's a 36' X 12' Handyman's dream.  Make sure you get marine specific tape, cock and glue.  Duck tape doesn't fix everything.  Get a backup for everything now in the states.  It's cheaper than the islands.  And you will need it most likely at the worst time.

     I've done odd jobs like helping people move and babysitting for extra cash.  If you're thrifty and handy anyone can live in Paradise!

     



     

What's in a name....

I picked the name Tiger-Green-Sailing originally for a few reasons.   Tiger is sailing slang for the Captains steward.   I am steward, first mate, etc...(And he says I'm like a cat.)  Green because we are pretty unique in the sailing community having an electric motor.   No diesel required!  And sailing cause that's what we do and how we live.   Not to complex and possibly a keeper.