Troubadour

Living the Dream

Who: Captain Chris May & Admiral Linda Moore
Port: Key Largo, Florida (But we're from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. " --Mark Twain
20 December 2011 | US Virgin Islands
03 October 2011 | Culebra, Puerto Rico
21 August 2011 | Ceiba, Puerto Rico
17 August 2011 | Roosevelt Roads Marina, Puerto Rico
24 June 2011 | Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico
13 June 2011 | Ponce, Puerto Rico
05 June 2011 | Boca Chica, DR
26 May 2011 | Ile a Vache, Haiti
21 May 2011 | Manzanillo Bay
14 May 2011 | Ocean World Marina
19 April 2011 | Sapodilla Bay, Provo, Turks & Caicos
13 April 2011 | Sapodilla Bay, Provo, Turks & Caicos
05 April 2011 | Sapodilla Bay, Provo, Turks & Caicos
30 March 2011 | Clarence Town, Long Island, Bahamas
28 March 2011 | Clarence Town, Long Island
21 March 2011 | Georgetown, Great Exuma
15 March 2011 | Georgetown, Great Exuma
13 February 2011 | Georgetown, Great Exuma
29 January 2011 | Georgetown, Great Exuma

Dreaming of blue water

07 October 2009 | Inlet Cove Marina, Ponce Inlet, FL
Chris, 90's, Sunny
Most of the people we talk to act like time at sea is just above having fingernails pulled on the pleasure scale. Accordingly, they plan short hops down the Florida ICW to West Palm or Ft. Lauderdale, and then zip across the Straits of Florida to the Bahamas as fast as possible. Of course, heading down the ICW requires motoring, and then the trip across the straights is also difficult to sail, so they motor there. One person proposed the alternative of motoring straight to the banks, about a 24 hour trip with the diesel running the entire time.

After finding someone who has actually sailed there, our current plan is to wait for a weak front to bring winds from the SW or W, then head out with the winds aft of the beam long enough to cross the gulf stream, before the winds clock around to the NE and kick up the waves too much. That should let us get to the Abacos with a minimum of motoring. At the worst, we head east until we can beat back to the islands. If worst comes to worse, we can always turn on the engine and arrive lighter than planned.

Other than planning the trip to the Bahamas and what to do once we get there, boat projects continue here in Ponce Inlet as we see our friends on San San also work on their projects in anticipation of their departure in two days. We are also planning for another trip, the first week in November to Orlando, for the Dive Equipment Manufacturers Association (DEMA) show. Our friends Rich and Amy will be in town during the end of our week there so we hope to catch up and perhaps host them in Ponce.

Last weekend two of the boats from our marina were fishing and came back with loads of fish, so we got some fresh red snapper that Linda prepared with dill and sautéed onions, delicious! Thanks, Gabe and Eric! We paired it with our first attempt at Dark & Stormy's with homemade ginger beer. Not bad, but not as much bite as we're used to. More ginger in the next batch.

Linda has learned that her "how-to" article for Southwinds magazine on the sail pack she made will be published in two parts, either Nov. & Dec. or Dec. & Jan. issues. If you want to read it, watch for it online at Southwinds Magazine link. We've chosen to purchase rather than make a large shade awning for the boat. The ShadeTree awning will arrive soon. Once set up we will look forward to a cooler boat in more ways than one! Linda has now tackled the big job of replacing the plastic windows in our dodger, which were a bit fogged and cracked. The difference between a replacement dodger and the replacement plastic is about $1500, so a success here is another big boost in our cruising money. In addition to the dodger being off, the weather cooled off for a few days allowing us to open the hatches & enjoy "leaving the front door open", very nice and reminiscent of previous sailing trips. The temps are now back in the 90s, so the air is on and hatches closed, but we know it's only a matter of weeks before those cooler days return.

Chris is still waiting on the acrylic to replace in the hatch, so that project is stalled. We did find a bargain overstock on laminate at a cabinet shop, so we got enough to cover the patched bulkheads in the aft head and have those repairs cosmetically improved. He also replaced some burnt out LEDs and replaced some questionable breakers and connectors while behind the electrical panel. "THE LIST" is down to about 25 items, with the expectation of getting about half of those done prior to departing for the Bahamas. I can almost hear Crusty say "Good luck with that!" Of course, THE LIST can't interfere with Monday Night Football, the new seasons of House and NCIS, etc...if you're planning on visiting us in the islands, better DVR the shows and bring them along!
Comments
Vessel Name: Troubadour - Beneteau Idylle 15.50
Vessel Make/Model: Beneteau Idylle 15.50
Hailing Port: Key Largo, Florida (But we're from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)
Crew: Captain Chris May & Admiral Linda Moore
About: Chris and Linda chose early retirement from corporate "office space" and cubicle life at GE Healthcare in Waukesha, Wis., to pursue their dream of going "down island" to the Caribbean.
Extra:
Our backgrounds: ***Linda is an insured PADI Divemaster and Master Scuba Diver. She is also a member of DAN the Divers Alert Network. She is trained as a Red Cross Emergency Responder; has completed the STCW BST (Basic Safety Training), and holds a USCG MMD (Ordinary Seaman). She has been sailing [...]

Living the Dream

Who: Captain Chris May & Admiral Linda Moore
Port: Key Largo, Florida (But we're from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA)
"Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. " --Mark Twain
"I got my toes in the water, ass in the sand; Not a worry in the world, a cold beer in my hand. Life is good today, life is good today" -- "Toes" by the Zach Brown Band