Vicki
2012/05/11, North Tonawanda

Okay, now our trip is beginning to feel real. Today we returned the truck. We had the Budget rental truck for 26 days. It did so much for us. We used it to bring furniture and items to various children and schools, used it to bring our junk to the Minneapolis transfer stations, used it to bring all our boat supplies to North Tonawanda, used it to store the boat supplies while we were working on the boat to keep the mess to a minimum, used it for the hot date night, for grocery shopping, for the never-ending trips to West Marine, and used it to go to Niagara Falls. We never did have to sleep in it, but that was always a possibility. Donald, our Budget guy here in North Tonawanda was great! And now it is gone, our last link to the land. Tomorrow we cut our dock lines and head for Buffalo.

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Vicki
2012/05/10, Niagara Falls

Today was a day of vacation, we took off in the morning for Niagara Falls. We decided we could not be this close, for this long, and not see them. The trusty Budget rental truck got us there and we did the tourist thing. Hiked around, went down to the Cave of Winds and, of course, rode the Maid of the Mist. I don't like to use the word awesome much, but this was way awesome. Power of water, the roar, getting drenched when the wind shifted, it was all good. I told Paul that was the most fun I had so far on this trip. His response? That's the only fun we have had on this trip!

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Vicki
2012/05/09, Niagara River

We were on the hard so long, it was beginning to feel as if it was home and we would be stuck there - landlubbers! But today the marina launched our boat and we are floating - no leaks that we have found yet. We are gently rocking in the current and should sleep well tonight.

You can see in the series of pictures how they pick the boat up with the travel lift and bring her to the water. It is always very scary watching your boat up in the air, they are not made to fly. We have given our ladders away, no more climbing up and down all day long for us.

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Vicki
2012/05/08, the boat

The rain you had in Minneapolis has just made it to our boat. We seem to be in a bit of a low area and the water accumulates around the boat. I call it the Nokomis wetland. We used the wood from the tarp frame to build a boardwalk so we can get to the Budget rental truck without getting our feet soaking wet. I am thinking of asking Paul to take the tarp and make a covered walk-way. I think that would be really sweet.

Our plan right now is to go in the water on Wednesday, May 9th and head to Buffalo on Saturday, May 12th. Tania, my daughter, joins us May 15th and the next day we take off for Toronto. Our sailing friends on Azimut left Monday for Toronto. We hope to catch up with them somewhere on the way to St. Johns, Newfoundland.

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Vicki
2012/05/07, Smith Boys' Marina

Yes, we have found even more uses for the Budget rental truck. While Paul was doing the bottom paint on Nokomis, I was varnishing several items for the boat. First the truck came in handy to position close to someone's trailer so we could string a line to hang the pieces from. And then it was supposed to rain overnight so we cleared a spot inside the truck and the pieces hung in there for the next 24 hours, protected until they were really dry.

As you can see from the second photo, the real reason we still keep the truck is we have too much stuff! We were so pressed for time at the time of closing on our house, that we just packed a lot of stuff into the truck and will be giving some away and sending some back to storage. We have now waxed and polished the sides of the boat and our arms/shoulders are so sore we cannot lift our hands above our heads. I am glad we are doing this trip now instead of waiting a couple of years!

My major projects are sewing the canvas bimini to cover the cockpit and varnishing. Paul is installing more equipment and making more storage areas. I go behind him and do the finish work - such as replacing the head head-liner and filling the bung holes. And yes, those are a real sailboat terms.

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Vicki
2012/05/05, Read at your own risk!

People who are not used to life on a sailboat frequently ask questions about daily living on the boat. Well, I have to admit that maintaining personal hygiene can sometimes be a struggle when you can't shower frequently. I personally have liked to use a bidet, the object on the right in the picture. It is from Home Depot and is designed to spread insecticide on lawns. Mine has only had water it in, I shortened the handle and after a couple of pumps it is ready to use. The biggest problem is Paul does not like how bulky it is, how much room it takes and the general aesthetics. He off-loads it and then I have to bring it back. He has finally accepted the necessity of a bidet, and gentleman that he is, installed one at the same time he installed a shower in the cockpit and the anchor wash-down in the bow. Check out the handle to the left in the picture. It pulls out and is connected to the pressurized hot-water system. Oh, la la! I think Paul is a keeper.

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