Neglected, abandoned, put on the backburner.. However you want to describe it, I've been slacking when it comes to the blog. Honestly it's because there wasn't much going on and it gets hard to write about daily life aboard the boat constantly. Now we've got a little more news, I've got some photos, stories and things to say/share..
WHATS NEW
We moved from the mooring that came with the boat to a city mooring ball. A friend of mine bought a boat and we were in the process of delivering it up to Jacksonville FL when the engine decided to implode and we had to sail back to Marathon. I had him put the boat on the my mooring and I moved to a ball. He is active duty Navy stationed in Jacksonville and had to go back to base without his new boat, but at least he didn't have to pay to keep it in a slip!
Some photos from the failed delivery
We have been taking the boat out quite often, from day sails to weekends anchored out. From no wind, to 25kts, putting the boat through it's paces and learning her quirks. We have had several guests over the past couple months and have taken people on day sails, diving trips etc. One of our favorite little weekend get aways is Friend Key, located about 15 miles from Boot Key harbor and just a couple hours away on the Gulf side. Friend Key is a uninhabited group of little mangrove islands that feels like they are in the middle of nowhere. Good fishing, decent diving (for the Gulf) and very peaceful. We have been out there several times now and enjoy stepping out of reality for a couple days.
Friend Key Trip
Some days we just take the boat out and sail until the ocean goes from emerald green to deep blue. It's just as stunning every time I see it, just like a sunset here. We had a sail with our friends Alex and Andrea and ended up sailing along with a large schooner in about 500 ft of water.
Our latest move involved a change in my status at work. I had hired in here at the city marina as a seasonal employee. My intention was to work here until April and then be done until next year, however I was asked to stay on through the entire year. I was actually asked to work full time, but declined and agreed to stay on part time/year round. In addition to staying on here year round I was asked to be available at night if needed for emergencies and to move our boat to the seawall here at city marina. So as of last week we are now dock monkeys! The summer has always been my time to get work done on the boat and this year should be the best by far, the boat is directly outside of the workshop doors..
Community Center
Looking from cockpit
The kids have been enjoying their sailing dinghy and Colby has gotten pretty good at just sailing it right where he wants it. A couple weeks ago I saw them sailing up right before sunset and had to run and get the camera.
This past week we had some family come to visit and while there was absolutely NO wind, we did fire up the iron genny and motor out to Sombrero reef for a day of diving and fun. The boat was rolling 30 degrees and still nobody got sea sick, other than the rolling motion it was a crystal clear day on the reef.
Shot of our new dinghy Achilles 13' w/ Yamaha 20hp motor
Our new dinghy (Pictured above) I found while scouring Craigslist, the owner was selling it for the motor and thought the boat wasn't worth much. The truth is the boat was worth a ton and the motor (Johnson 9.9) wasn't worth much at all. I negotiated the entire package for around 1,000. I then put the 9.9 on the back of our hard spongeboat dinghy and sold the entire package for over 1500, making a little money while getting a great new boat for cruising. The boat is a rollup with an aluminum rigid floor, it's the dive rescue boat normally sold to fire departments and water rescue teams. A month or so ago I also sprung for a new Yamaha outboard after selling our 9.9, we upgraded to a 20hp! So a 13' with a 20hp motor on it goes fast enough to make you wet your pants without getting in the water ;-). We can go over 20 kts with all 4 of us, dive gear and fuel in it, alone it's 22-23 kts. This makes running out to the reef to go diving something I can do last minute as soon as I get off work.
Sorry to those following along for spacing out and losing track of time with the blog, it's hard enough to remember what day it is. I guess time flies when you are lost in paradise!
S/V Thin Line
