AGROUND AGAIN... & AGAIN... & AGAIN

We're getting tired of Florida... It's too hot and way too shallow, so much so, that we can't fit on any dock. We did finally get a spot at The Circle Yacht Club but again,we can't fit into the slip and have to tie stern-too at the end of the fixed dock. This puts us in a precarious position right on the very edge of the channel and the deeper water that we need.

The EXO isn't happy... we had a tug and barge go by pushing against the 7kt outgoing tide and it's wake nudged us just enough to get Odessa's keel stuck on top of the edge of the channel. Ten minutes later I heard "why are we leaning"... it took a little investigation (the rain had finally abated) and from outside it looked quite dramatic. Well... the tide was going out in a big way, as it had for a couple of days with a full moon, and we have a couple of feet left to go and about 8 hrs before we'd be floated back on the rising tide.

It took two dinks and the boom swung way out to port to nudge the keel about 12 inches and off the ledge. It was a relief to see Odessa slide back to vertical and settle in her normal position, even if she does look odd sort of sticking out into the channel, with her butt tied to the last post of the dock.

Unfortunately, if it happens once, so it can happen again. As a sailor you must act in these situations and the next hour was spent rigging a third anchor to go off the bow and restrict it from going to starboard and sliding our keel back up on the ledge.

Blu had the right idea, lay as low as possible and hope know body tells you to pull a line.

We're sitting as pretty as we can for now and dreaming of heading north to cooler weather and deeper water. The trip north may be more harrowing than sailing out in the open Caribbean. Longer runs because we can't get into most of the ports up the eastern seaboard, dealing with bad weather shooting off the mainland as we realize how unpredictable coastal sailing can be. And of course there's the gulf stream with it tendency to amplify the weathers effect on the ocean.

All of these factors are unpredictable... and that's what makes it challenging and exciting, and much more fun than driving up the I95 to New York.

Odessa Makes it Home

This was our best sail ever! We sailed from Cayman Islands to Key West in 3 days (633 Nautical Miles, averaging 8.5 knots).

It was a gratifying and pleasurable sail, with perfect weather, and perfect company....

We were blessed with everything, from perfect sun sets to wind that offered speed. And best of all, my favorite, calm seas with low swells across the Gulf Stream. We even had dolphins greeting us back to the United States, "WOW!!" is all I  can say.

Found the spot

We found an amazing dock close to the yard... so not far to go and an easy approach... well everyone said we'd never get into the dock due to our 9' draft. It was fun and we had to weave our way through sandbars making it look easy... the onlookers didn't know that we had been out the day before in the dingy with an old lump of iron and string. There's nothing more accurate than an old plumb line and I'm really glad that I didn't drop the $150 for a digital hand depth sounder thingy.

Simon immediately set about finding new modes of transportation, his bike was coming along but not finished yet.

The kids settled in right away... not as much space as back home, but at least everything is at arms length. Functional comfort is the way to go... easy to keep clean and no room to collect junk. NOTE: Don't allow Playdough on your boat... it get's everywhere.

But the best part about living on a boat is that you live outside.

Now... where did we put that second list?

Sell Up And Sail

OK... some rationale,.. well there isn’t any. It’s a lifelong dream to be independent which has been amplified by the insane goings on in the world over recent years. After 4 years of searching for the right boat and NOT having over a million dollars to buy new, we finally found a hull that is special.

She was built by a crazy marine engineer who took a famous Piver design and created a vessel of exacting standards. She’s very custom and built to handle typhoon conditions and to provide maximum safety at sea. 

The original owner passed away before she was completely ready to sail and a second owner purchased her. Another engineer went to work on her, again with engineering and safety in big water in mind. He added an Iveco 145 hp engine, amazing drive and steering systems, custom fuel tanks and fuel system.

We made some good progress over the winter, and needless to say taking the plunge with a road trip across the US during the Christmas Holidays, and finding a temporary home in a new place was quite an adventure in itself... we’ve enjoyed every minute and made some great new friends.

We’ve completed the pilot house doors, roof, some deck work, added a 12v/120v fridge and freezer, most of the water management systems, shower room and head, and learnt a lot about our use of resources. It’s amazing when you really figuring out what a family needs in terms of water, power and creature comforts... we don’t NEED much really, but we take so much for granted in a house on the grid and to be honest, we could be very comfortable using a tenth of the water and electricity used by the average home.

She doesn’t need much to launch as a motor vessel, 3 or 4 months of hard work and we’ll have a very comfortable home. We have a sailing rig available in Santa Barbara just north of LA, so if all goes well, we’ll be motoring south to add the mast and rigging next year.