Flow Rida

We are a half a day's run from our destination. Currently we are anchored off the ICW in Melbourne. Thus far the ICW has been a pretty cool adventure. Next time I'd much rather go offshore though. 

This old, rusted out tug made a nice home for a family. 

Saw some aliens. But they were mowing a lawn. 

Didn't expect to be in sweatshirts during this part of the trip but the rain has been relentless, cooling things down. On Friday we have a crane truck hired to pull our mast. From there we will proceed to the next boat yard for haul out. This portion of the refit is anticipated to be two months. One company will update the rigging while the boatyard will work on other things. Meanwhile we will road trip up north to see Grandma and visit back home. 

Into The Heart of Darkness

Pictures rarely do a storm justice but this one had over 7000 lightning strikes in one hour. Not kosher for a sailboat. Our previous boat was hit in the Gulf Stream and we we lucky not sustain any damage. 

We're still at a marina right now determining if we should stay put for the day or drive on. Similar storms are forecasted for today as well. 

Georgia

We are still trudging through the Georgia swamps. One thing I can say about this section of the East Coast is it is brimming with life. The water is a living soup of everything from dolphins to bait fish. We saw manatees, birds of prey carrying snakes (an omen to attack), pink Sand Pipers that looked like baby flamingos, and lots of different bugs. With the huge tidal flow and ripping current the watershed flooded and stripped regularly and is rich in nutrients. At least thats what I suspect. It could be toxic sewer for all I really know. 

We arrived our anchorage just in time for the black sky of

Doom. 

We didn't make it nearly as far as I had hoped today. The ICW in Georgia is a maze of loops and double-backs. To make 40 miles as the crow flies you must meander your way through 70 miles of actual river. But that's part of the fun and we are in no hurry. Once we all wake up I start the routine of engine checks while jenny throws on some breakfast and the Kurig machine. It makes coffee. Since our windlass is questionable I haul the anchor by hand. Let me tell you what a female dog of a job that is. Especially when we're in deeper water. 200 plus feet of 3/8 chain and an 80 pound hook. Jenny drives and holds the boat into the tidal current. 

Tomorrow night we will stop at a marina. It gives us a chance to do a thorough cleaning, pump the shiitake tank, swim in a pool, wash clothes, eat in a restaurant, and run the AC. Also I can use dock power to top off the battery bank. We have a fancy alternator and regulator but it's just not the same as cooking the led plates with a solid 50 Amps of 120v power.

 I like shrimp boats almost as much as I like tugs. Nothing takes more abuse than these types of ships and they continue on, year after year, earning their keep. Somebody should do a 6 month time lapse video of a real work boat. People would be amazed. 

The bat loves to wear its PFD just like the kids. I'm not sure it would do her any good though. With the confined waters and ripping currents there's not much I could do to get her if she went over. I'm more concerned about her taking a ride with an Osprey. 

And congrats to Team Hennesey & Pennzoil for engineering the fastest (American) car in the world, the Venom GT. Top speed 270.49 MPH. Tested at the Kenndy Space Station in Cape Canaveral it accomplished this amazing feat from a standstill and did it in under 3 miles unlike the Bugatti which needed an 8 mile oval lap and a running start. 

Hilton Head

I figured I'd follow up on Kai's opinion of HH and pretty much express the same. It certainly is not the vacation land I remember from the 90's. 

Although it's a beautiful area, most of the island is closed off. Major sections are quarantined into these socialist-like sectors. If I lived there it would drive me nuts. And in my mind if I am vacationing somewhere, it's because I might want to move there, not just visit. Not HH. Gridlock is common. License plates from all 48 so nobody knows what is going on. Confusing and dangerous street layouts. If you want to see a different part of the island you have to go through a checkpoint, talk to a guard, and pay a fee to enter. While that may be fine for the average dude who gets two weeks a year, it's not cool with me. I expect full range freedom in any territory I roam. 

But we did have fun. Didn't do much beach time since a local said they were having shark problems. That can only mean one thing. So..on to the boat projects. Here is Jenny diligently revamping the interior. 

We played mini golf. 

As you can see my game is pretty tight toward the end. Kids beat me by like 200%. 

The kids are obsessive readers. It will be interesting when they switch to non-fiction. 

We aren't close hauled in this pic we are aground, compliments of the State of Georgia's lack of attention to ICW maintenance. Steaming along in mid channel we fetched up hard on a falling tide and were stranded for 4 hours. As the 9 foot tide dropped the boat leaned over 35 degrees. 

Everything fell to the floor. 

In this shot Kayden is actually standing up straight. 

Tide came up,Tow Boat yanked us off, and along we went. We should make Florida tomorrow and then SoFlo two days later. 

Hilton Head Fun by Kai

I really like the waterslide at Disney.   It is black then it goes light and you get pushed out in the water.  

I lost two teeth.   It was my first time.  I had blood.  

I see dolphins.   I look at them and try to talk to them by blowing my whistle.  

Lesson in Helping

Yesterday we were walking from our spot on the Disney side of the marina towards the pavilion to take in the Shannon Tanner concert when we passed by a group gathered along the railing staring eight feet down at a floating flip flop.   I was not paying attention, but Kayden stopped me and asked if he could go get our pole to fetch the shoe.  He ran at top speed back over a quarter mile to our boat almost tripping along the way and bumped the pole on his head as he pulled it off from it's resting place.  His motive was to help and there was nothing that was gonna stop him.  Sure enough, as he was coming back, someone closer to the elusive shoe retrieved her pole and saved the day.  She overheard that Kayden was seeking our pole and realized she could do the same.  

I caught Kayden trucking back to the shoe with pole in mid trip.  He was devestated to learn the shoe was rescued by someone else after enduring so much to try to help.   However, had he not taken the initiative to try to make a difference, the other boaters wouldn't have joined in the effort and the shoe might still be floating.  Even if we do not see something through entirely and someone else intervenes, it is important to realize that we still were a part of the process to make a difference.  Even the idea to help causes beautiful reverberations.  

The important thing to realize when trying to help is that it's not always gonna work out but that's OKAY.  G is always helping others to navigate the maritime job circuit.  Maritime jobs pay well and basically anyone can get one if they are willing to take the steps to make it happen.  Over the years he has helped many, but he has learned some lessons in doing so.  If one truly seeks help, he must be willing to take the steps to make it happen; help requires work and one can not expect others to do it all for him.   Also, one must be sure that he really wants the help if he asks for it...  Do not waste another's time and efforts if one is not ready to commit.  

Help when it is RIGHT to do so (vs enabling) but let go of the outcomes... what will be will be, but caring enough to  help is what matters and will have positive effects for all involved.  

The refit continues

Since we paid for a month at this marina, we decided to see it to the end and explore the local environment. Although we are enjoying ourselves, there was still time for boat work. 

Jenny laid down some new carpeting which looks like a pro did it. And she took a heat gun to the interior and began the arduous task of stripping age old paint. We will be here another few days and hope to accomplish a few more projects. 

I started replumbing our forward head (bathroom) with all new water lines. In the process we decided to pull the water heater since it was already long in the proverbial tooth. A new WM Heater fit right in its place and everything is connected. Just have to top of the heat exchanger on the main engine and attach a few more wires. 

Not too shabby, may the gods bless it with functionality. 

So the kids spotted a praying mantis climbing straight up a smooth metal surface. Not sure how that works. 

And other festivities and travels were had. 

King Neptune does not seem as amused. 

School is going well. Since learning is an adventure and not a chore, our guys go year round. Each reads a chapter book every couple days and the oldest asked for lessons on writing source code. We are looking for options on that one. If he can hack a major bank by 16 I will be pleased. 

From here we have about four days to SoFlo where we will continue the refit. Not sure how we will stage everything but we plan to replace all the standing rigging including chain plates. They are original. While the mast is down we will try to paint it, run new halyards, rewire everything and instal all new navigation lights and instruments. Possibly new spreaders. Maybe a new mast step. 

We hadn't 'shocked' our fresh water tanks since purchase so we decided to knock that out as well. When you carry a hundred gallons with you at all times it is important to treat the holding system with enough good stuff to keep any growth at bay. Typically this requires a few bottles of bleach. All our plumbing is new so it was just the tank we needed to worry about. In a couple more hours the task will be done and we can flush everything out and cleanse with fresh clean water. 

For drinking water we have a three stage filtration system that removes everything including fluoride. Hitler first introduced Sodium Flouride into the water supply and since it is the number one ingredient in cockroach pesticide we thought we'd forego consuming it. No cavities to date for any of us. 

In Florida we look forward to seeing family and friends and we will likely take a quick summer road trip up north to do more of the same.  Once back on the boat our plan is hit the Keys, Bahamas, then St thomas. Time will tell.