Short, But Sweet Smell Of Diesel

TODAY

Today our friend Bill from a few boats away came by to help us solve our mysterious no start issue. It was after our last sail when we were about to fire up the engine and come back in Boot Key Channel, when we turned the key and pushed the button only to find it dead. Well first thing we did today was try and jump the solenoid to bypass everything, but to our surprise that didn't quite do the trick. We ended up finding a grounding issue that was solved with a little Dremel tooling, corrosion spray and elbow grease. We also had to reassemble the ignition that I Humpty Dumpdy'd and couldn't get back together. 

Every time something breaks on the boat I get familiar with some new part of her, either a new system or a new skill is learned. At the time it breaks or doesn't work it seems like such a hassle but these are things I need to know to be self sufficient out there when we are on our own. Even though the diesel engine isn't our main source of power it's an important auxiliary source that needs to be ready when, well when the SHTF. The great thing about a diesel engine is it's simplicity though. Between the books I have on the boat and the great minds and knowledge here in the marina I've got a plethora of an information pool to draw from. We did find a few other potential problems that need to be addressed and we did break a couple things as well, but she's coming along!  

Afterwards we had a great visit with our friends Lynton and Carol on Incognito II with sundowners and snacks. The kids picked up a little job walking their dog and as always we had a great time. We met Lynton and Carol in Indiantown when we first bought our boat and are glad they made it down, it's nice to have them here, if only for a few more weeks. 

A FEW PHOTOS

Here are a few photos, mostly of Bahia Honda State Park and a few of Boot Key. 

Oh To Be Working, Ugggh Work..

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. 

Happy Birthday Jessica!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful wife, friend and first mate! (yesterday)

Not a bad way to spend your birthday eh?

Just a quick update to let everyone know how things are going. 

Jessica had gotten a job working at a high end resort as a server in addition to the job working the front desk at the small resort. Well after a week or so it was an easy decision on which to keep and she resigned from the smaller resort. She is now a server at Hawks Cay and works in a restaurant on the resort property. The money is excellent and she seems to enjoy the hours and the job. She works a few days a week and then normally from 4:30pm to 10pm. On days where I don't work this means we get all day together and on days when I do I am getting home just as she is leaving, meaning the kids aren't left alone.  (So stop worrying!)

My job is going well at West Marine and I am enjoying the type work and all that I am learning. The company is perfect for what we are planning on doing and is very flexible, allowing me to work anywhere in the country if we decide to move. The hours are great, the pay is ok but the benefits are amazing! The sailing fund (sailing kitty) is being fed again and the boat will benefit from the extreme discounts that come along with working there. 

Friends of ours lent us another dinghy to make life a little easier with our schedules. It's a Mercury inflatable named Freddie Mercury ;-) The kids have pretty much claimed it as theirs for now and we are thankful to have access to it. 

The city marina webcam is back up and running, though blurry you can watch whats going on in the harbor here Boot Key Harbor Webcam

You can actually see our boat too! 

Catching Up On Photos & New Stuff

Well it's been a while since I've updated the blog with photos and thought today would be a good day. I'm at the community center after dropping Jess off at work and running errands, then back to the boat to help Colby and Peyton with some schoolwork and soon it will be time to pick Jessica up. 

Yesterday was my first day on the job at my new place of employment West Marine. Now for a boater West Marine is the WalMart of the boating world and has just about everything you could ever want for a boat. The best part about this job, besides the fact they gave me an assistant manager spot and i'm making 4 dollars more per hour than I anticipated, is the employee purchase program. The discounts I receive are almost good enough to make a person want to work there for free! This will really come in handy while we are preparing the boat for more rigorous journeys. 

Life is finally settling in here in Marathon and we are loving every minute of it. It's not a life for everybody, but what a rewarding life it is for those willing to acclimate a little and learn a different way. Will we do this forever?, who knows. But for the time being and for the distant future it's looking as beautiful as the sunsets in the photos below. Thanks for following along the journey with us, keep following I'm sure it's going to continue to be a wild ride. 

Cory

PHOTOS
All shots below taken with an Iphone

Below are some sunset photos of the harbor, every night is enough to take your breath away. We have a million dollar view for less than most people pay for utilities and if we don't like it we can move ;-)

Peyton has a friend here at the marina and they have a clubhouse built in the mangroves, well apparently they decided to add on and Peyton was climbing up high in the tree when she had an accident (she gets that from her mother) and fell out puncturing her leg and putting a hole big enough to put your finger tip in. We cleaned it up and I scrubbed it with antiseptic while she bite on Jessica's arm. After determining we didn't need to suture it, we kept it clean, cleaned it often and kept it bandaged. Her bruise extended from knee to ankle for a week or so, but everything has healed up nicely. 

 

Here are some photos of Sombrero Beach. Jessica and I took the kids on the dinghy out Sisters Creek and over to Sombrero to clean the dinghy bottom and to enjoy some sun and beautiful January weather (sorry Michigan friends ;-) 

Peyton after winning a fight with the 12 hotwings at Hurricanes .25 Thursdays. 

Helping our friend Steve climb his mast to run some new halyards, there is no way you'd catch me up there!

The city of Marathon hosted a kids day this past Sunday and it was full of things to do, best of all everything including food was free. The kids made crafts at the Home Depot station and got to hold different animals from the local shelters and facilities in Marathon. Turtle Hospital, Dolphin Research Center etc. 

Bahia Honda on Monday afternoon. Jess and I took the kids right down the road to Bahia Honda State Park. There is lots to do and there is some decent shore accessible snorkeling here at the park. We also got to watch a kiteboarder and other activities from the old bridge while waiting for sunset. The sunset was pretty obstructed but it was still beautiful. 

Some misc shots from our life.