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

Don't Worry. Be Happy!

15 April 2009 | Inlet Cove Marina, Ponce Inlet, FL
Chris & Linda / Sunny 76
Well, back on March 18th we heard the engine running. But then... slurp, gurgle, slurp...it flooded with salt water. As a result, Chris discovered that the anti-siphon valve (or vented loop) although apparently in good shape, did not work. It's a loop - see pics in Photo Gallery Refit Round Too - with hoses on either side inside the boat and placed higher than the water level. On our boat it is located in a galley cabinet. It is supposed to allow the pump to push sea water into the engine for cooling purposes, and then stop the sea water when we shut off the engine. It's like if you had a hole in the middle of a straw, you can suck if you put your finger over the hole, but if you don't you get air. The loop is an automatic "finger" to prevent water flow when the pump is off. This may have had something to do with why water got in the engine in the first place, even thought the head gasket did look bad. Anyway, we were prepared for the possiblity and quickly drained the water, then ran the engine to dry it out so it wouldn't sieze again. The new Marelon vented loop has a one way flapper ("finger on the hole") that squeals when it is working. Not sure it was designed that way, but it certainly lets us know that it is. As I write this blog post, it's running beautifully again, and Chris is changing the oil and filter.

Some of you are asking, "Did they buy a lemon?" The answer is, "No!" We bought Troubadour for a very good price for its size (51 feet), year (1986), and make (Beneteau Idylle). We also knew we would be investing to get her ready for offshore living and sailing. Some of the issues we've had weren't expected this early in our new life, but we feel blessed to have access to everything we need here in Florida (vs. being stranded on a remote island)...except for Louie's Demise Ale, New Age White Wine, and Dunn Brothers Costa Rica French Roast Coffee. (Read care package!)

Our lifestyle is a commitment to our dream. The ingredients of that commitment are heaped with humor, love, perseverance, willingness to learn, cultivating new skills, patience, and the courage to try something new for the first time.

Mark Twain is quoted as saying: Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things 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.

We look forward to that day in 2029, when we will look back on this journey in our lives. I'm confident we will have smiles on our faces.
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