Well it's been far too long since our last update but life got a little chaotic, complicated and is just now settling into place. I have been putting in quite a few hours at West Marine and Jessica has been working her tail off as well trying to get us back in the black after being in the red pretty much since we left Nashville. We still aren't there but we are getting closer everyday. We executed this 5 year plan in only 14 months, however the downside to our haste was funding. If we would have waited our trials would have been easier, our burden lighter and our way a little smoother, however we would also be older and Colby and Peyton would be years closer to the loss of innocence that only a child has. We remain resilient and steadfast in our plan, we have faith that just like the rest of this journey our path will be laid out if we pay attention.
So What's Going On
Our refrigeration unit is still down for the count and we were lucky enough to find a place that sells block ice right down the road. We are enjoying the reduced energy consumption though and have gone from running the generator daily just to keep the batteries from dying to going over a week and only running it to grind and make coffee this morning, (all week we have been doing this on the inverter without running it) and so the kids could get their fix on MineCraft. The batteries have been staying fully charged even with a fair amount of usage and us trying our best to drain them with nothing but our AmpAir wind generator providing the regeneration. At first I had questioned the usefulness of a wind generator that was rated at 100 watts, however I've been amazed several times to see the output in excess of 8 amps during a windy day. I have been looking into new refrigeration systems and have decided on Engel as our replacement, however the particular unit is around 1,300 so it's going to have to wait.
We took the boat out for a sail last week and the weather was beautiful. It was sunny, around 80 degrees with an East wind around 15 to 18kts. The waves once we were outside were nice 4 foot swells and rollers spread out just perfect to bob the boat and roll us gently like a mother rocking her child to sleep. As a matter of fact, half the crew did fall asleep and the kids were both out at one point. Peyton asked to move up front to the bow, so her and I sat up there for quite a while just enjoying the swells that dipped our feet into the chilly Atlantic water. Making sure she was secure I returned to the cockpit where Jessica had the helm and Colby was fast asleep. We sailed right to the cusp of the gulf stream and watched the water turn colors that can't accurately be described. It almost broke our hearts to tack and head back to the harbor.
Jessica gave the helm a quick spin and put us on the opposite tack, turning the bow of the boat across the wind that carried us out there. Colby was woken up to help tack the jib over and we locked into a beautiful beam reach back to Boot Key. I decided to take the Boot Key Channel instead of the Sisters Creek entrance we came out of, a decision that turned out to be a Godsend. As we arrived at the mouth of the channel, we turned into the wind and I prepared to start the motor. I turned the key and heard the familiar sound of the warning buzzer, but just as I was about to push the start button the buzzer ceased. I got a sick feeling in my stomach as I reached for the button, knowing the result would be, well nothing. I pressed the start button only to hear the deafening sound of silence as I sighed and kick started the gears in my head. After the smoke cleared (from thinking ;-) I had Jessica put us off on a tack to buy me some time, we dropped the main and continued under just jib downwind while I went below to troubleshoot. After several minutes of scrambling around I had consumed my small amount of knowledge and admitted defeat, somewhat. I hopped on the VHF radio and turned to channel 68 where I called on the think tank in Boot Key Harbor to assist, and while we didn't get it started there were several really good suggestions.
I ignored Jessicas requests to "just call SeaTow" and was determined to be self sufficient and figure something out. Worst case scenario we sail into the anchorage at the mouth of the channel, furl the jib, drop the hook and make the very long dinghy ride back to the marina. However there was a suggestion mentioned using the dinghy tied offset to the stern for propulsion, almost like a kicker motor while using the boats normal steering to actually steer the boat. We got the dinghy tied up next to the boat, fired up the Tohatsu 9.8 motor and began to push. Surprisingly a 10 ft dinghy and a 9.8hp motor can propel an almost 19,000lb boat at 4kts! Oh the looks as we went by Burdines and the local fisherman. Long story short, we were able to get the boat back to the mooring ball and secured ending another exciting adventure to notch in our belts.
This was the first time we have day sailed our boat since arriving in Marathon and it was way overdue, but it gave us an opportunity to really feel her out and realize the old girl needs some tweaking. She needs adjustments to speed her up a little and to make her more responsive. In 18kts of wind she barely heeled with full sail and was only moving around 3.9kts (haha kt fast enough!) Raking back the mast by tightening the backstay, some work on her travler system and unfortunately the purchase of a new MUCH larger headsail are in her future. These improvements should make a drastic difference in her handling. While the sail had it's downers, overall it was a wonderful day to be on the water.
Sailing in these waters, feeling the warm wind with the slight taste of salt on your lips is such a tease. It's almost as if it's calling to us "Come on, see all I have to show you" alas we are not ready. For now we must be content with day sailing and small trips until we have at least some savings secured.
Kibbles, Bits and Misc
We were surprised to find out friends we know from Nashville and our marina had sold their boat, gotten rid of their things, paid off debt, packed their car and showed up here in Florida! They showed up with a full car, their daughter and 2 dogs. No plan except to get here and figure it out. Within a few days they had a boat, 2 jobs and are resting in a nice slip at Sombrero Resort right across the harbor. Having faith, jumping and figuring it out along the way is the only way something like that can happen. It takes a lot of risk, but the reward is endless. What's the worst case scenario? Failure? There are far worse things in life than failure, the worst being regret.
