Norfolk, VA
To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.
It's time for our weekly sailing outing. Questions were raised. Answers, however, are not forthcoming.
The winds from about 120° (something like ESE or maybe SE by E) at 10 to 11 kt here in the mooring field. Once out in the bay, the winds were actually 15 kts gusting …
Yes, we're wintering in South Florida. But no, every day is not sunshine and beaches. Most days. Not all.
When the sun shines and the wind is light, there are a few sunny day chores that need to be done.
Today, for example, it's laundry day. Two loads of …
Another amazing photo from from Kayda on Annabel.
It's so hard to find color in a grey overcast sky. As far as I can tell, this composition was simply what Kayda saw from the deck of Annabel. I don't think she took the dinghy out to drive around and …
Here's the first of some amazing photos from Kayda on Annabel. They're moored next to us, so we wind up in some of her sunrise and sunset art projects.
Her other pictures can be seen here: https://www.facebook.com/kayda/photos.
Today three Whitbys (and a Beneteau) started from the Bahamas. Without us. <sniff/>
Joie de Vivre, Dream Ketcher, Creola and `Tis Good are on their way across the Gulf Stream. Weather today is pretty sporty, but the wind is out of the S. Wind that goes with the Gulf …
I want to be honest. The liveaboard lifestyle is not a zero-stress, grand vacation. It's low-stress. And the stress is of a fundamentally different kind than the stress people who have jobs (or struggle with unemployment) suffer. The stress of living on a sailboat may be a better stress, if …
After our day sail, we noticed that Scout's port-side tube was a little flabby. Before launching, we pumped both tubes up the recommended pressure (0.25 bar, 3.5 PSI)
After going ashore we noticed that Scout's port side tube had progressed to very flabby.
After dinner, we were so …
I am not good at finished carpentry. That's the kind of job that intimidates me: it's something we're going to be looking at for a long time. It has to be done right. Am I up to it?
Mistakes were made. But this is how we tweaked our counter-top for …
What are the odds of seeing other Whitby folks in cars at the corner of 27th and South Dixie Highway.
Actually, remarkably high. We don't get that far up 27th all that often.
On Thursday, we were up there so we could take the train to the modern art museum …
The old MacBook Pro was limping and wheezing. The trackpad wasn't clicking reliably. A little rubber foot had ripped off the bottom.
CA's iPhone was essentially dead. The display was almost unusable.
One of the other nagging issues was that our old backup device was 500Gb — big enough for most …
Ron and Danielle stopped by to spend the night.
Put that way, it sounds so low-key
Actually, they drove down from Sarasota. A serious undertaking.
The V-berth worked out nicely. It was — for non-sailors — a bouncy night. Seas were 1'-2' and there was a 5-7 kt breeze that kept Red …
In addition to the Mighty Uke, we have El Guitarron, the big old Tobias acoustic-electric bass.
The bass lived in the V-Berth unless we had guests. Then it sort of rattled around the saloon. An unsatisfactory arrangement.
Now, it has an official hanger on the forward end of the …
Sunday night, 16:00 Dinner Key Picnic Pavilion. Great early-evening potluck dinner with some of our neighbors here in the mooring field.
It's not a standing date.
In some cruising communities there are regular meetups. Maybe it's a potluck. Maybe it's a local bar. In places like St. Augustine it's …
After wrestling with Mr. Lehman, I have a residual feeling of "omigod omigod omigod what am I supposed to be doing now!?!?"
Wait just one second.
Take a breath.
Check the list.
The answer is…
Nothing. Nada. Zilch. Zip point doo-doo.
It's not absolutely zero, but it's more like …
This seems a little weird. Maybe it's not as weird as it seems. After all, this is Miami; a giant city. But it isn't. It's really Coconut Grove, in Dade County, a small part of Greater Miami.
I called the local West Marine to look for starter solenoid (Cole Hersee …
I've gone the full round of sparring with Mr. Lehman, eventually got in two waza-ari, and came out victorious. And I have the cuts and bruises to prove it.
Earlier (Miami Connections) we rounded up the parts: Cole Hersee push-button starter switch and M202 solenoid.
The question is this: "Do …
Previously, we have noted that Mr. Lehman has been reluctant to start. The starter solenoid is a little rustball, and perhaps is on its last legs. For some history, see Mysteries, Cleaning and Watching.
Today, the starter didn't work.
Now we have time to do some diagnostics.
Previously, we could …
It's not that we're hopeful about leaving. We're leaving. We're hopeful about the weather.
Meanwhile, we're cleaning and cleaning. Books, in particular, need frequent airing out to prevent mildew damage. Here's a typical example.
Our friends at 4ShadowsBooks were horrified that we would let good books degrade like this …
Well, hellish winter storms for all our friends up north. Just chilly here in Vero Beach.
The Whitby sandwich is great because our friends are right next door. Want to chat with the neighbors? Bang on their hull.
But the last two days have been rough on Red Ranger.
We've lost track of our mystery case files, so I don't know what number to assign this particular case, but it was as baffling as any case we've tackled.
Earlier this week, CA went looking for her favorite black hoodie. And came up dry. No hoodie.
Clearly. It's misplaced …