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

Sunday on Troubadour

08 March 2009 | Inlet Cove Marina
Linda, Sunny 80's
We crossed TWO items off of our "To Do" list today! I won't tell you how long it is, but to cross off two refit items in one day is a HUGE accomplishment! Now these two things really didn't take all that long... it's what else we got accomplished in preparing to cross off more items!

You can see today's pictures by clicking the Photo Gallery link and going to, "Refit Round Two" (Scroll to the bottom and look for the album "Sunday, March 8, 2009".)

One: Repaired the master stateroom headliner (land lubber alert...that's the foam backed fabric on the ceilings in a boat - similar in theory to the inside roof of your car).
Two: Ran the main halyard (land lubber alert... the main halyard is the rope used to raise and lower the main sail).

The headliner in the master stateroom was separating along the cabin top. A previous owner's attempts to glue it back together resulted in permanent stains in some places. To prevent more of this and possible smudges, I carefully taped along the exposed edge. Then, I brushed a thin coat of rubber cement on both pieces that needed to be re-attached. After waiting an hour I pressed the two sides together. Cross your fingers, they are still holding! It took me three hours, including 30 minutes to stop and chat with Ginger, one of the realtors, and pick up and pet the cat (she's so cute).

It took Chris an hour to run the halyard (see the album for some pics). But that's not all he did today. He continued preparing the master stateroom for the finishing work. Chris glued teak plugs where he had previously countersunk holes in the arc for the master stateroom and sanded them flush. He also repaired the mast cabinet wall with teak veneer pieces where the original veneer had pulled away when the walls were removed. He sanded and cut a piece of trim for the face of the bed platform. This was a bit tricky because the port side is ΒΌ inch longer than the starboard side. So the trim piece was designed to fit flush. He also cut and sanded the trim piece for the cabin sole. Both of these areas were left bare once the walls were removed.

Except for weekend jaunts to visit Chris's family, or when friends & family visit, we rarely take breaks from our refit projects. The weather was beautiful today, sunny and breezy with temps in the low 80's. We enjoyed our sundowners (Coronas) on the bow as the fisherman filleted grouper and cobia. The seagulls hovered above, and a Great White Egret attempted to balance on the lifelines.

As they say, "It's all good."
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