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

The Doldrums (figuratively speaking...)

02 January 2009
Linda / Sunny 72
Chris and I had a nice Christmas in Florida. We opened boxes of items we ordered...parts and spares for the boat. I never thought I would be excited over a hand pump, or a new winch. Chris poured through the cruising guides for the Caribbean and the Bahamas. Thanks to Mom & Dad for the Panera and Lowe's gift certificates, and to Lindy & Rich for the hand made boat sign, and the Ove-Glove!

We are bummed that we aren't underway yet. However, we are not letting the doldrums get us down. While we await parts, we are taking the time to complete our lists of things to do, those that are definitely necessary and those that are cosmetic. I spent the last few days cleaning cushions, Chris is repairing our swim step, re-installing the manual bilge pump, and fixing something called a heat exchanger on the engine. I am also responsible for cleaning the bilge, so although I do a really great job, it takes me a few hours ...what's the sense of rushing? The bilge is the area under the floor boards where the engine and other components are secured to the boat, and where all hoses and electricity run. It is also the place that collects water if we take on any or we get a leak somewhere. Since it's a place where the engine parts are it gets oily, greasy and grimy, and occasionally I find a bug carcass. (yuck!) I use rubber gloves a long handled brush and Dawn dishwashing detergent, along with a great grease cutter called Spray Nine. The best part of cleaning the bilge is I can do it while lying down! Hey... you gotta find the positive and optimism in every task!

Inlet Cove is quiet and the club house is very nice (see the pictures in the Photo Gallery). And, nothing beats a cold Corona at sunset on the deck of the boat after a day of work. Although I miss the beauty of a newly falling snow back home in Wisconsin, I don't miss the cold.
Heck 65 feels like freezing to me now!

Looking forward to reading your comments on our blog. Miss you all!
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