Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Another day down below!!

A celebration is in order!!
The last hose was installed and the generator's teeth were fixed. Hopefully the galley floor can stay intact for a week and the greasy hand prints up and down the stairs will fade to a memory.
The window coverings are being installed Friday, our new chairs are being delivered and some cushions for the bow are also arriving. The existing carpet is being ripped out and the floor prepped for the new carpet which is enroute from California. Yes, the end of workers aboard all day is in site!! Garth needs to do an oil change this weekend, its a four-five hour job. (pictures for sure) Zeke and I have been for a few walks up and dock t - some pretty nice yachts came in over night. Garth's dreamboat pulled in right beside us this morning - a Nordhaven, they go anywhere and through anything!

Garth and Rich in the generator room!  I am going to try and get a picture of the riff-raff at the end of the dock and post it here for you to see.

Here it is, "The Silver Lining", they have been putting food, and booze on it for about two hours . The guy from the truck saw me come in through the gate with my Winn-Dixie bags and gave me his card saying they can get anything we want from anywhere!!


Time to take the big guy for a walk.
Tomorrow we are going out for a ride - if the weather cooperates we'll go out in the ocean, if not we will stay in the Intercoastal.

Tuesday, March 29, 2011

Still in Fort Lauderdale!!


Yes, I know boats are supposed to move! I am convinced that things move much slower in South Florida than they do anywhere else in the States. We bought the boat Jan 21st and have not stopped working on it or buying things for it since that time.

We moved the boat from Highland Beach to the New River on February 1st thinking that things would move faster if the boat were here  -- not so.  We have enjoyed our time here but are anxious to get on the water.

We started out at slip number 72 on the New River. The location was great, right on the Riverwalk and around the corner from Las Olas. It is a lively neighbourhood and very dog friendly. Zeke loved his daily visit from Clay and Chipper. It got to the point that Zeke knew Clay was coming... he would jump off the boat and stare longingly at Clay's pockets knowing that there were "begging strips” hidden in there somewhere.  Zeke knew every boat and every store along Las Olas that gave out treats.  Garth and I made the local paper when a women apparently went missing from the condos across the street - turned out she willingly left and was found safe and sound. The big excitement came the night our boat was rammed. Garth was sleeping when the crash happened and he woke up to an anchor through the porthole above his head.....strong heart!!

Turned out that the sailboat "Over the Edge" thought they were still on the ICW - they panicked when they saw the bridge -- practiced their emergency stop by dropping the rear anchor and the current caught the front of the boat and spun it around right into us. Made for a very long night and about $2000 dollars worth of damage. Thank goodness for duct tape and insurance.
We meet Dan and Judy on MY Quest, Dan was in town doing his captains papers and he came over to offer his assistance when he heard the crash. Judy became my shopping buddy and mentor on living aboard. Lots of great ideas and recommendations.  Dan is one cool captain! He took us out twice and everything went smoothly. The first time Peggy and Steve were here. We went out to the ocean and then along the ICW. The second time we went up to the Chart House for lunch then Dan had Garth practice in tight spots and see how the boat moves when we drop the anchor. A fabulous learning experience. Dan and Judy left for Key Biscayne to watch their nephew who is a high ranking tennis pro play in the Erikson.
 
We moved the boat to the Las Olas marina last Saturday because it is easier to get in and out here. The New River is tight and lots of mega yachts coming and going around those tight corners all day. Speaking of Mega yachts, the riff raff on the 100 footer moved in Sunday night and they are now blocking our view of the ICW. A lot of big yachts here with crew!! Our crew has four legs and requires daily walks, treats and fresh water avec ice every four hours!