s/v-Ihana

Thursday, April 11, 2013

on the Big Four bridge, Waterfront Park, Louisville KY

Shopping Day

From the St. Augustine Cruisers Net - a great video of what it is like to re-provision when living on an mooring ball or at anchor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n0JXiaKe3M&feature=youtu.be&a

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

When we left Duluth in June, we were sailors.

But something about crossings of 50 to 70 miles, where we had to make shelter before dark – that is, make it to the next inlet or harbor where we could safely get off the lake. We had to make 5 knots, all day. So we became powerboaters.

Or, if there was some favorable wind, we motorsailed. We adapted to the lifestyle of cruisers.

Gradually we got used to living on a 30 foot boat. Emphasis on gradually. It was a slow change from feeling like extended daysailors to full time cruisers.

Life aboard was different than back at home --

Power – batteries; recharging with shore power when (and if) we were at a dock in a marina. Otherwise, running the engine to recharge – at least ½ hour daily when we were not motoring. The power-sucking refrigerator. The power-sucking inverter (to recharge the computers).
Water – 40 gallon tank, plus 10 gallons in carboys for emergencies. This lasted us longer than the food or fuel or holding tank. But we took showers ashore, or did without …
Fuel – 24 gallons in the diesel tank, plus 10 gallons in carboys in the cockpit. Over 2 hours motoring per gallon – at 5 knots, that would give us well over 200 miles of cruising range, unless we used the sails (which we rarely could, or did).
Waste – 24 gallon holding tank, which needed pumping out in marinas every 6 days. Unless we were 3 miles or more out in the ocean where we could use the Y-valve.
Food – we carried fresh food for a couple of days (starting with full refrigerator capacity), replenishing ashore when we could. We carried several days of canned and dried food for emergencies, like for when we couldn't get to supplies for several days. Ate as well as we did at home (or better).
Transportation – no car. We used our folding bicycles, or walked, or used public transportation (trolleys, buses), or taxis, or rented cars, or had friends who had cars. We actually got used to living without a car – but it took a lot of planning, and restocking any time we could. Commuted ashore with our dinghy.
Storage and Living Space – much smaller than our house! It took some serious organizing and packing, and digging out whatever we needed (it was usually under or behind something else).
Communications – cell phones, computers with an aircard for Internet access (unless we could pick up WiFi at a marina – these were always available and rarely worked). VHF radio. AIS. EPIRB (never needed it, fortunately).
Mail - Ben sent us the important stuff, sometimes by snailmail, usually by taking a picture and attaching it to an e-mail.
Bills and Income - almost all of this was done through autodeposits and autopayments. Rarely had to touch the stuff.
Laundry – when in marinas with machines. We needed MUCH less clothing than we thought we would (finally brought a lot home with us). We were sometimes dressed like for a Minnesota winter; sometimes in shorts and T-shirts. Almost never in slacks and dress shirt (synagogues, seder).
Expenses – we spent a lot more than we thought we would. Many more marinas and restaurants (necessary, with the weather and our ability to cope).

So, we became liveaboarders. Remembered that we had a big house back up north somewhere, full of lots of stuff (including the garage). I often wondered what all that stuff was, why we had it, and did we really need it …

Many others became fulltimers (e.g. our buddy boaters) – sold their houses and cars, bought bigger boats. Not yet for us.

The drive home took 6 days. I'm still in shock, living in a big house and getting used to those things again - cars, dishwasher, laundry machines, big refrigerator and stove, and all the power, water, heat, cooling, and everything else that we needed (well, wanted anyway). But it sure is convenient having room to sort out things and put them away.

I hope to get used to living in a house again. Looking forward to moving back onto Ihana sometime around late October. Next – the Bahamas? Probably.

Buddy Boat

Diane and Frank Albani of s/v-Utopia. Our traveling companions for the past few months.

preparing for dinghy trip back to their boat

Farewell party on s/v-Utopia
Daytona Beach, FL

Buddy Car

While driving north on I-39 through north-central Illinois, we saw on Facebook that Dan DeWeese and Julie Thorndycraft had just left Chicago, driving NW on the tollway. We kept track and met them at the Wisconsin Welcome Area and Wayside, just over the border from Illinois. We beat them by 5 minutes!

They were returning from Michigan, where they finished buying and shipping their Gozzard 37' sailboat. Since the water was too low on Lake Michigan for them to exit the harbor, they had to ship the boat by truck. Once loaded, it was just as easy for them to ship it to Duluth (their new home port), rather than just for a few miles and sailing (well, motoring) it home through Lakes Michigan and Superior.

We caravaned with them up I-90 and I-94 through Wisconsin, until we lost them during a driver change. They were too fast for us anyway (the usual story for us – smaller boat, smaller car.)

First Buddy Boats, now a Buddy Car!

The drive back home

We rented a nice, big Dodge Grand Caravan for the drive home. For one week, unlimited mileage, no drop charge, including tax: Palm Beach Airport to MSP Airport. $240. Adding insurance for no deductible (the Florida drivers are beyond crazy!), it came to $370 plus gas. How's that for a deal? This is the Enterprise "Drive Out of Florida" program – they wanted their cars back up north for the summer. [In March, this would have cost us $900 plus insurance.]

It was really different to travel at 55 knots instead of 5 knots.

We drove up to Daytona Beach, and stayed with and on our buddy boat. Got to see Diane and Frank one more time! We will really miss them, until we return in the Fall and join them (and maybe Laurence and Joan) for a crossing to the Bahamas for the next winter.

We decided to drive up I-95 to South Carolina, then northwest over the Smokies. This avoided Orlando, Atlanta, and Nashville – 3 cities that are best not driven through. [We also blew off Chicago by going through Bloomington IL and north to Rockford.

Stopped in to visit with Jerry Hardin (Trailer Sailor – North Channel; last year's Havasu Pocket Cruisers Conference), about an hour west of Knoxville in very beautiful country – rolling hills of Eastern Tennessee.

Home in six days.

Indiantown and Haulout

Arrived here; spent several days tied to the face dock, while we began the process of summarizing (the opposite of winterizing) our boat. This took us 6 days. Very warm and humid; we burned out by mid-afternoon.

Wash, maintenance, put away: Dinghy, Kayak, Outboard, Diesel Engine, Water systems, head, more.

We rented a climate-controlled storage locker, ½ mile away, and unloaded everything and anything that could be eaten by the expected mildew and mold for the coming summer – cushions, clothing, papers and books, sails, dodger & bimini, charts, some tools, and more.

Fortunately, Joan & Laurence Wright (friends from the North Channel who were at and worked on their boat here all summer) loaned us their pickup truck for several days so we could move all this stuff.

Everything got sorted into labeled piles for the locker: going home, staying in the locker. All went to the locker until we could pick up our rental van for the trip home, then some of it got loaded for transport with us.

Hauled out with their travel-lift. Boat bottom was completely covered with barnacles and other nasty stuff! Power washed and scraping got some of it off. Have to deal with this before we re-launch. The VC-17 (fresh water bottom paint) didn't do the job, but then talking to and watching other boats: Nothing works down in South Florida salt water.

Too hot to continue, so we got a room for 2 nights at the best hotel (the only one) in Indiantown. Marginally okay – room was only slightly larger than our boat's cabin; bed was smaller than our quarterberth; electricity was working sometimes. Air conditioning – worked, but very loud. We had to stay here the first night, since we had no car yet. Next day, got the rental car, and sorted and loaded the stuff coming home from the storage locker. One more night at the Seminole Inn, then we left for home the next morning.