Big Frisky

Kurt and Pamela are sold up and are sailing aboard SV Big Frisky, an Outbound 46 with the Kona Boys, Honu, Kona and Chico. Join us while we learn what it is to be Blue Water cruisers and see the world. Follow us on Instagram @big_frisky

15 December 2018 | Abacos Bahamas
10 August 2018 | St Peters, Nova Scotia
17 July 2018 | Hadley Harbor, MA
12 July 2018 | Cuttyhunk
29 November 2017 | Downtown Providence
11 November 2016 | Morehead City North Carolina
15 October 2016 | Annapolis Landing Marina
30 September 2016 | Two-Mile Landing Marina, Cape May NJ
03 August 2016 | Charleston Harbor Marina
01 July 2016 | Charleston Harbor Marina
30 May 2016 | Charleston Harbor, South Carolina
29 May 2016 | Charleston Harbor Marina
28 May 2016 | Charleston Harbor Marina
19 May 2016 | Cape Canaveral
13 May 2016 | Bahia Mar Marina, Fort Lauderdale FL USA
12 May 2016 | Atlantic Ocean 140 miles South of Fort Lauderdale
11 May 2016 | Atlantic Ocean 60 miles from Old Bahama Channel
10 May 2016 | Atlantic Ocean 50 miles north of Haiti
08 May 2016 | Atlantic Ocean 45 miles north of DR
06 May 2016 | Nanny Cay, Tortola BVI

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

04 July 2015 | Petoskey Municipal Marina
Pamela/ Calm Dusk
Aboard Big Frisky it is not all barbeque and sunbathing, sunsets and rainbows. As we found out this week.

For two months we have had our sights set on Charlevoix, a picturesque lake town in northern Michigan: choosing it not for its natural beauty, but because of the boat work we planned to have done by Irish Boat Shop, located on the banks of Lake Charlevoix. We needed some electronics and antenna installed, a cabinet which has been taking up most of the rear quarter berth fitted, and most importantly, davits mounted for carrying our dinghy so we don't have to drag it around behind us while we are sailing.

Our boat was made in China and everything on it is fabricated and fitted on site. The davits are articulating and made specifically for our boat. The cabinets are made of Makore (African Cherry) built by Outbound to match the rest of the wood on Big Frisky.

In May we flew to Ft. Lauderdale to pick up the davits and cabinet. They were shipped from China aboard a new Outbound being transported by container ship. We left Indy at 6am, rented a van at the Ft Lauderdale airport and were at the marina for the pick up at 10:30am. Then we drove back to Indy, sleeping in a big comfy bed provided by our niece Katie and her beautiful family in their home just north of Atlanta. A few days later, Kurt delivered the davits in Charlevoix returning to Carmel the same day.

Thousands of miles of traveled, our boat parts were now at Irish Boat Shop, ready for installation and so were we!

The captain and I got up very early on the morning of our service work, emptying everything out of the lockers, setting plastic bins on the deck of the boat, moving the dinghy engine off its mount and in general turning our boat into the set of "Sanford and Son." We rented a car in anticipation of needing to get out of the way for the technicians to complete their work. When the first workmen showed up at 8 am we were ready for them.

The first sign of trouble came when the technician came back to the boat at 8:05 to ask if there were any more parts. Uh, oh... No, there were no other parts. That's when he told us that each of the components to be installed was missing a part. A part made, manufactured and shipped from China. We emailed the president of Outbound to find out when we could get the parts delivered. As the hours passed, the situation became increasingly dismal.

The mood aboard Big Frisky was foul. What few words were spoken, were liberally laced with language unbefitting to a librarian. Finally, I cut my losses and drove into Charlevoix, found a bookstore and bought a good book. Dianne, manager at Round Lake Books, helped me find the perfect read: "The Martian," about a guy who gets stranded on Mars and survives adversity by his wits alone, one step forward, two steps back. Picked up a beach chair on sale at the Rite Aid on the way back to the marina with a plan to head for the beach and disappear for a while.

I hadn't even finished applying sun screen when the Captain showed up on the dinghy to go for a "ride to the beach." I was on page 8 of my book. We rode around a couple hours on the dinghy, with all three dogs, but were unable to find the" hidden beach." Something I predicted before we left but it didn't seem worth noting on the trip back to the boat, where the pall had not yet lifted. Undaunted, I returned to the city park beach with my book, chair and now a cold beer.

The captain made good use of his time as well installing a bottle opener, EPIRB units and the life raft, not necessarily in order of importance. No one was in the mood for a barbeque. No one cared about the sunset. I made a frozen pizza while Kurt picked up a couple of movies. We loved Jupiter Rising and the next morning reassessed our situation.

The parts would come in when they came in and meantime we were in the most beautiful part of northern Michigan with warm sunny skies and fair winds. We made a plan to make the best of it. Here we come Petoskey!
Comments
Vessel Name: Big Frisky
Vessel Make/Model: Outbound 46
Hailing Port: Carmel Indiana
Crew: Kurt and Pamela
About: Kurt and Pamela have been together for sixteen years and recently married. Kona, Honu and Chico are avid sailing companions and are committed to keeping all ducks off docks wherever they may go. Kurt is a retired editor for a publishing company and Pamela is a retired college librarian.
Extra: After travelling through the Great Lakes and out the St. Lawrence Seaway, Big Frisky and her crew are ready to start the next leg of their adventure, a passage to Tortola, British Virgin Islands.
Home Page: tinyurl.com/big-frisky
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Big Frisky's Photos - Main
Wintering over in Providence
7 Photos
Created 29 November 2017
4 Photos
Created 3 August 2016
6 day passage from Nanny Cay, Tortola BVI to Ft Lauderdale Florida
5 Photos
Created 19 May 2016
The four days of Kurt and Pamela's Birthdays April 18-April 22.
10 Photos
Created 30 April 2016
2 Photos
Created 8 January 2016
5 Photos
Created 16 December 2015
1 Photo
Created 7 November 2015
4 Photos
Created 20 October 2015
No Photos
Created 15 October 2015
6 Photos
Created 5 October 2015
5 Photos
Created 2 October 2015
17 Photos
Created 24 September 2015
Sights around QC
11 Photos
Created 18 September 2015
Cliff's hospitalization at Cleveland Clinic
5 Photos
Created 31 August 2015
What we are reading
2 Photos
Created 21 July 2015
Pictures of the people we meet along the way
4 Photos
Created 14 July 2015
We love entertaining guests aboard Big Frisky!
9 Photos
Created 30 June 2015
16 Photos
Created 26 June 2015
Photos of the destinations we have been
25 Photos
Created 24 June 2015
26 Photos
Created 24 May 2015
Photos our our new ride
9 Photos
Created 28 January 2015