and baby makes 6!

Shell seek

This image is one of my favorite images. We had just rowed back “home” to the boat from a morning of shell seeking, and Mia was taking stock of her treasures.

The sun was so hot, the shells were so white, and the water was so refreshing and lovely.

This is the memory that my kids will have of their summers……their lives, for that matter. Days spent sailing and shell seeking on an isolated island, surfing, the warm tropical sun, the love of God and proud parents who not only love them, but each other as well. It is everything I wanted as a child, and I am grateful my kids have it.

The rest is simply gravy.

Coconut, lime and all things good

Sometimes, this is what sailing looks like….

A bright, sunny day, winds 10-15mph, bathing suits on! We load up, cast off, and begin motoring out to the bay.

BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEP. The engine alarm starts screeching. We look aft and see steam coming out. Steam is better than black smoke, but not what you want to see. It means that water is not being pumped into the engine to keep it cooled.

We heave to, head back, go through the routine of docking the boat and take the engine hood off to see what is what.

It is hot down below, and Bill loves to dig around in an over heated diesel engine on his day off.

I hang over the engine asking questions, trying to learn. Bill cuts his arm up trying to reach to the back of the diesel, and doesn’t even notice the bleeding.

After about 30 minutes, he finds 2 problems, fixes them, and I am saying “How did you know to look for that. Is it a recessive gene for diesel engine repair that I am lacking?” because, all of it bewilders me.

So, with the engine repaired, we cast off and head back out…..by this time Bill is channeling Captain Bligh because The Mood has been set. Cory and Bill set sails, with me at the helm, and the rule of “you must respond to my commands instantaneously or be yelled at” is put into action by El Capitán and I have flashbacks to those intense, gut wrenching days of racing Galveston Bay with Those Who Must Win At The Cost of Fun. I momentarily think about pushing him overboard.

Then The Wind From Hell picks up, we heal over and are a bit over powered since we failed to reef the main. Since I am already a bundle of nerves, this is the moment my youngest son (life jacket on of course) decides to go up on the foredeck and send me over the edge. Bill, feeling much less Blighish, tells him to stop and give mom a break and get back in the cockpit. Child back off deck, Bill apologizes for yelling……….

But, like I said, the Mood has been set, and I was ready to go back in. I was DONE. It was not fun.

Not everything we do together as a family is perfect. Some days are just doomed from the get go. Just because we live at the beach does not mean that life is perfect. Some days are as close to perfection as a mortal can get, no doubt….but others are what they are. Challenging, but certainly not devastating.

Once back home, kids fed and in their rooms playing, Bill and I shut the door to our bedroom, take showers and put a movie in. I grabbed some yummy smelling, after sun lotion. You know, the kind with coconut, lime and all kinds of delicious scents. I climbed onto our bed and stopped to look around and catch my breath. The shades were closed, the light was filtering in through the cracks in the blinds. Bill was kicked back on the bed, clean and fresh, tan against the snow white bedspread. I sat lathering lotion on my arms as the movie started and realized that, in spite of how the day had gone, here we were…happy and content.

The craziness and the joys are what make the variety in your life. I am learning that you choose which one to focus on. It is like taking a picture….you can, photograph what is lovely or you can focus your lens on the ugliness. It is your choice.

What do you chose?

It’s almost time again

We have not been sailing much. The weather is just too cold to be enjoyable for the kids. Yes, it is in the 60’s most days, but when the wind blows across the water it is chilling when you are on a boat. We are Barbies, it appears, when it comes to the cold. Maybe Malibu Beach Barbies ;*), but Barbies non-the-less.

We have been to the docks to greet some friends who fell in love with our marina and brought their new boat down to live 2 slips away from us. They have 3 boys, and I can see some fun spring and summer days in our future. They are anxious to explore our area with us, and having some friends anchored next to us in the cove of our little island will make exploring and playing pirate so much more fun for the kids, not to mention the adults.

In the meantime, surfing has become the activity drug of choice for Billy and Cory, and being the warm water loving Gidget that I am, I get left behind. But that is okay by me….Billy comes home to me with bright eyes and bare feet sprinkled with sand. Me? I get to wrap my arms around him and kiss his salty face. Yummy.

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Be prepared

It was overcast, and we were offshore. The seas were wild. Everything looked gray and gloomy.

The boat we were on was a Formosa 51′. I find it weird that this detail was in my brain. The decks were wooden planks, but every time a gust of wind and a wave hit us, she heeled over and you had to grab onto something to keep from slipping across the deck in spite of the wood.

I was at the back of the boat tending to something, when I turned and looked toward mid-ship. I shook my head in disbelief at what I saw, but as much as I tried to wish it away, the image of Mia (3yo), in all her tinyness, standing on deck without her life jacket on would not go away.

The boat was in the trough of a wave, and therefore somewhat flat, but I turned to see a wave approaching, so I flung myself toward her. See, I knew what was going to happen and it did. The wind hit the sails, the boat rose on the swell, then heeled over to port as it raced down the wave, and I watched in horror as Mia slid down the deck toward the life lines. I screamed out “Man overboard” as I saw her tumble over the side of the boat.

I looked behind the boat to see her attempting to swim and stay on the surface. I made a mental note of where she was in the boat wake, and then jumped off the boat. Bill threw me a life preserver, and I grabbed it and started to swim toward where I thought she was.

The waves became smooth and rolling. I screamed out her name. Everything around me got silent. She did not reply. It was at that moment that I knew she had gone under…..that I would never find her, and I jolted awake.

This is what I dreamed on Saturday night. To call it a nightmare is an understatement. It was so real. All the way to the feel of the teak wood deck and the humid air around me, to the utter panic I felt when I knew without a doubt that she had gone under and there was no way that I would find her in the murky, murky, enormous depths.

When I awoke, I pulled my daughter close to me and held her, listening to her breathe. I put my hand on her chest and the beating of her heart slowed down the pounding of my own. I was disturbed beyond belief. I finally fell back to sleep at dawn.

I had no idea I was harboring such thoughts. Such tremendous worry. I have had a dream like this once before. I think it is every sailing parents nightmare.

I am asked questions all the time from parents who don’t sail and can’t believe that we do with 4 kids.

“How do you watch them all?”

“What would you do if one of them fell off?”

“How can you put them at such risk?”

I have friends who keep little special hammers in their cars in case their auto gets washed into the water during a flash flood while they and their kids are in it. I have heard people verbalize fear of this happening and they ask “How would I get them all out in time?”

Obviously, sailing parents wonder the same thing….how do I keep them safe in rough weather or if we, God forbid, capsize?

As my husband says, simply: “Well, you will just do it. Stop worrying and just be prepared.”

My children are in life jackets at all times on the boat. When we are at anchor, they are allowed to take them off below deck, but on deck, they must have them on, no questions asked. My 13yo is the only one who is allowed on deck without one……in the bay. Offshore, EVERYONE will wear a life jacket and be clipped into a life line.

My nightmare is not a far fetched scenario. It could happen. Mia knows how to take off her life jacket by herself. She could wander on deck in the confusion that happens during a storm.

The key word here is “could”. She could. But WOULD she? Probably not. She has been grilled and trained that the life jacket is a part of her, and she knows this. She has been educated about safety on a boat until she probably wants to bang her head against wood. And she will continue to hear about it. See, it is much like anything that you teach your children, such as wearing a helmet when riding a bike, or not touching a hot stove.

But the fact of the matter is…she is 4, and I am the one in charge of her safety, not her. Same with my 7yo, 10yo and 13yo.

I love the Congers motto, that the most dangerous thing on the boat is probably mom, because it is so dang true. I take being vigilant to a new level when we step on the boat.

For the first few months, as I bellowed orders and freaked out every time someone even approached the life lines, my husband would have to tell me “Back off. We want this to be FUN for them. No one is going to die”.

Your damn straight no one is going to die. Hyper-vigilaaaaant Mooooom is on duty.

And then I started to chill out, and life got enjoyable on the boat…..

Secretly, I have my supermom costume on just below my clothes. I am always on guard. I watch them constantly, and never let them out of my site while on deck. I make the little ones go below in squalls and heavy air, always. I believe in avoiding tragedy and will leave the life learning lessons for dockside. It is one thing for your child to learn that the stove is hot by touching it, it is quite another to learn the shock of falling off a boat while under sail offshore.

My dream is not some premonition of things to come. It is a reminder that the unexpected can happen and it is my job to think fast and never let my guard down. I do believe I can handle that.

But I can tell you one thing……..the image of my child, in that dream, rolling off the boat without a life jacket on in heavy seas will NEVER be erased from my mind.

**The above image was taken on a day that the weather predicted partly sunny skies and winds 5-10mph. I snapped it right before the first of many squalls came blowing through, then sent the littles down below. Those calm waters didn’t last long. The bay got just a bit angry, and the winds were blowing 15-20 with gusts up to 25 and higher. By offshore standards this was a nothing day. Bill laughs that I use it as an example. We have certainly sailed in much heavier weather. My point is, being prepared, regardless of weather predictions, can be the difference between going home smiling and talking about a fun day of sailing -vs- having to shell out some big bucks on a ripped sail or much, much, much worse….an injured kiddo.

Helmsman

I have been away from the helm here for a bit. We had a family emergency and had to travel out of town for several days. My FIL was quite ill and to make a long story short, ended up with a couple of stents around his heart.

All is well now, and they are on their way back home as I type this.

Things I am grateful for today:

-God and his miracles.

-My FIL….the man is the sweetest, most gracious man and I am so happy we will have him with us for a longer time frame than what was supposed on Wednesday.

-My MIL, who loves her husband and is a most awesome example of a wife.

-My BIL and SIL who made Bill and I laugh like we have not in a very long, long time.

-My friends who took my children in and cared for them so we could go and tend to my FIL.

-Life. Because it is a short ride, and we really need to spend more time appreciating it.

Enchanted

We are feeling the pull of summer here. The days are consistently warm now, and in spite of old man winter trying one last time to lay his hand on us at the coast, the sun is out and bathing suits, baggies and tanks have taken over our town.

With the warmth and gorgeous weather comes the inability for us to stay focused on our home schooling. We procrastinate in the morning until the next thing we know, it is lunch and we have not even opened up a book.

I find myself drawn to the boat more and more. It is where I want to be…surrounded by her warm teak wood, the heat of the deck underneath my feet, and the sound of the wind in the rigging

So, to shake things up a bit, we have been heading to the boat mid-morning and spending the day there. We sit in the cockpit and do math, science and read while gulls fly past and ducks beg for food off the transom.

You would think that is would be distracting, but the fact of the matter is, we get more done there and I don’t find myself frustrated by resistance from him. Even math gets done without the constant struggle we normally have.

………………….well, I never said he liked it. Blek, me either, but it is a necessary evil. A tool he will use to figure out how the universe works. So learn it he must.

After school work is done, we make lunch and eat it on the bow of the boat, watching the weekday activity on the docks that is so different from the hustle and bustle of the weekend. The live aboards wash their boats, carry laundry back and forth from the clubhouse, and everyone has their coffee in the shade of a palapa, talking about the weather, fishing conditions and other boat talk. We watch for a bit, then we go swimming.

When we were in the process of buying Calypso, it seemed like such a hassle. From the time we found her to the day they handed me the keys, it took almost 6 weeks. It was so frustrating and maddening. We had planned on staying at the coast for the month of June, but the difficulties in securing title on the boat extended our stay by a month, and in that time we fell in love with this place. You see where I am going with this? That’s right….coincidences. I just don’t believe in them. I believe in fate. That things happen for a reason.

The name we chose for the boat is significant to me on so many levels. Since I was a child, I was drawn to the sea. I grew up watching Jacques Cousteau, and would climb aboard Calypso with him every week to explore the mysteries of the deep. I ached to be part of that world. I knew, even as a child, that God had given me this desire. It was part of me, the way my hand and foot were. I loved the ocean and all of its creatures with a passion that was palpable to those around me.

Like some migrating animal, at 19 I pointed my car south and rooted myself in sand. Galveston was my Archipelago, my Galapagos…a place that shaped me and helped me evolve into what God had willed for me all along.

I lived there for 12 years………and then we moved inland. I believe that moving from my watery world and onto solid, arid ground was meant to be. We needed to grow and change in ways that were not possible in Galveston.

It would be another 12 years before we found our way back to the coast.

I am not sure I could have continued to appreciate my aquatic gifts if we had remained in Galveston. I think I lost myself when we moved inland, and only by losing yourself can you find your way back to your purpose and appreciate it for what it is.

Calypso brings me full circle. I am that child again, splashing in the water, turning over every rock in search of creatures, wild hair flowing, a smile perpetually on my face. Last week, I stretched myself out in the sun on her bow as we sailed over a glassy sea. I reached out my arm and tried to touch the water………..I don’t want to just touch it, I want to understand it. What an amazing thing God made.  I want to help others understand it. I want to fight to save it and all of the creatures it holds. I truly believe that God planted this gift inside of me and it is time to let it grow again. Time to plant it in my children as well.

They will grow up in a place that I only dreamed of as a child. They will splash and play in the waters of my childhood mind, and I will get the joy of teaching them about it and experiencing it with them.

Jacques Cousteau once said “”One protects what one likes….and one likes what enchanted us.”

The definition of enchant is:   to attract and move deeply : rouse to ecstatic admiration

I intend, with Calypso, to enchant my children.

Aye Calypso

I sing to your spirit…………………..we have named her. Enjoy.

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Holding down the fort

Dockside playground

What I love about these pictures is how comfortable my kids look on the boat.   They are relaxed and at home on the water.

It is their playground.  How cool is that?

Chillin’ on the foredeck

She rows

….at least for about 5 minutes. That is about all my perfectionist husband could take of going round and round in circles.

I cannot believe the fat roll I am exhibiting here. Happiness makes the gut grow larger, right?  Reminder to do more sit ups!

I neeeeed caffeine

What would a gorgeous sunrise on the deck of your boat be without a warm cup of cappuccino in hand?

Yes, I swear. I figured out how to make a fantastic cup of steaming espresso loveliness on a boat. I am a freak of gigantic proportion.

As Bill was rowing the dog to shore for a walk of utter futility, I pulled out the the stove top espresso maker and the other supplies necessary.

The espresso was easy. The above setup makes some excellent espresso, and all I had to do was make the foamed milk.

Voila

The battery powered Aerolatte, some Organic milk(Horizon single serving, no refrigeration necessary), and a frothing pitcher. Froth the milk while heating on the stove using the pitcher, add to your espresso and there you have it.

Now head outside on deck with your cappuccino, and enjoy the gorgeous, calm water, the rosette spoonbills flying overhead, and the amazing sunrise that words nor pictures can describe.

Boat dog

Some dogs just never figure out being on a boat. They are afraid of the water. They don’t get their balance. The unfamiliar surroundings paralyze them with fear.

And they never figure out how to potty on a boat.

This last issue can be the deciding factor on whether a dog will ever acclimate to cruising.

Honey loves being with us. She craves it. So it was only natural that we tried to take her with us on the boat. She did quite well on her first few day trips. She found her balance. She accepted the boundaries of the life lines, and she had a just the right amount of respect for the water, without being too scared to enjoy the ride.

But she would not go potty on the boat. Not a big deal on a day cruise, but on a weekend away she would have to figure it out or not return with us on future long cruises.

There are many different ways to get a dog to do their business. Some people tie astro turf to the foredeck. Some put it n the cockpit. I have even heard of one story about a dog that refused to go no matter what the owner did…even bringing actual grass and putting it in the cockpit. Alas the dog would not go, so it never cruised agan.

We didn’t do anything special for Honey. We figured when she needed to go, she would just…go.

The evening came and went. She slept through the night in the aft cabin with Quinn, Mia and I, and when morning dawned, Bill took her on deck with no luck. So, he decided to row her to shore.

“Bye sweetie! I’ll have some coffee ready when you get back Have fun!”

It was quite a way to shore.

He rows the dog to shore, walks her up and down the beach FOREVAH, and she would not go potty.

So…. he rowed back to the boat.

Honey jumped back on the boat, ran to the foredeck and promptly pooped. Then she ran to the back transom and peed off the back of the boat……like a seasoned sailor.

We washed it off the boat via a bucket of sea water, and that was that.

She is now officially a swab.

Dinghy ride

To get back and forth to the island, we rowed the dinghy.

I use the term “we” loosely. It is more like “I” sat in the back of the dinghy sipping coffee, while watching “we” row it.

I had the best seat in the house.

Um, yeah.

Flex, relax, flex, relax. I may have even said “Hey, baby, aren’t you hot? Why don’t you take off your jacket?”

Please, for the love of all things holy, ignore the cutoffs (agan!) and the granny wear over sun shades. I try. The only thing I can take solace in is the fact that he is ordering some prescription Costa Del Mar’s and then I will let the kids ride over the wear overs repeatedly with their bikes.

Where was I?

Oh yeah, right here

I even got this treatment

Spoiled! Rotten! Not the cute one in the front of the boat (although that could be the subject of many guest posts on my blog by my boys), but the coffee sipping princess lounging in the back.

It sucks to be me. ;*)

Cooking

There are two ways to cook on a boat. With a gimbaled propane stove inside, or with a propane grill out on the deck.

We have not purchased a grill yet for the boat, as they cost as much as a nice backyard grill, so that leaves us with the stove inside for now.

Obviously I could not bring any meat with us. There is just no way to keep it cool. We don’t have a refrigerator, and the cooler full of ice does not keep it cold enough for safety reasons. There is dry ice, and that is something I will use on longer trips, but for this excursion, I opted for non-perishables. Simplicity to start with.

The dinner I had planned that evening was whole wheat pasta with bruschetta and rolls. Mmm. I chose whole wheat egg noodles both for their protein and that they cook in 1/2 the time of regular noodles. Remember, we are on a “preserve our resources” mantra, and the propane tank is smallish, so the less cooking time the better. I am sure l could run the stove as a heater, and the tank would have plenty of propane, but until we figure out the the longevity of the tank, I will be conservative.

The stove is gimbaled, meaning when the boat heels over, the stove is on hinges that allow it to move with the boat to keep a level surface. It also has little “grips” that hold the pots on the top.

“Too many cooks in the kitchen” takes on a whole new meaning in the galley (kitchen) of a boat. I mean, just look here:

That spot in front of the stove? That is the galley. It is off limits to the kids when I am cooking. There is barely enough room for one person to stand. If the kids came in there, well hell, they might bang the stove and knock the pot of boiling noodles off………or my Tecate (shudder). So, no kids in the galley unless they are in charge of the meal.

Other things to cook would be rice, beans, soup, bread, etc etc. You know, you just have to plan things and get a bit more creative.

Clean up for us is a bit more time consuming than on land. I do not use paper plates for the obvious reason…….what to do with the trash when there is no trash pickup in an isolated cove? I bought some plastic plates for now:

They wash easily and won’t shatter or break.

I will defer the topic of the use of soaps etc. to the lovely Toast, as she wrote an excellent article on doing more with less. In addition, water on a boat is precious, so conserve, conserve, conserve. For the dishes, I put some water in the sink, put just a dab of soap on the scrubber, wash the dishes, then rinse them on the other side of the sink. Bill dries and puts them away.

Other meals consist of breakfast rolls, sandwiches, pesto dips and crackers, and fruit. And beer………you do know that the beer must always have ice. The small cooler we did have with ice? It contained the beer and cheese.

Priorities, people.

Next topic: where does the dog pee….or does she at all?

Sleeping on a boat

The sun sets, you put your camera away, and after a bit of cabin time, you ready the kids for bed. Tired does not describe the way you feel. It is more like your brain is shutting down, and you need to sleep to stop it from dying.

There is really nothing like sleeping on a boat…..the waves lapping up against the hull. The sight of the immense sky filled with stars like you have never seen before right outside your cabin window.

On the other hand, there is also nothing quite so nerve wracking as sleeping on a boat filled with your children and the only thing holding you to the same spot is an anchor that YOU deployed and helped set. An anchor that the wind is trying its best to dislodge as your boat swings in a wide arch, tugging on the line disappearing into the water.

Your husband sleeps on the port settee so that he can stand up every hour and look out the hatch and make sure we are not drifting blindly into the shipping channel. You would take turns with him, but you know that tonight there is no way that sleep will find him even if he knows someone else is on watch….someone that loves his family as fiercely as he does.

Sleep comes and goes and during the wakeful times you find yourself looking out the hatch at the stars, trying to gauge, by the movement of the big dipper back and forth across your line of sight, if you are dragging anchor.

You set the anchor drag alarm on your GPS to 40 feet, because the swing of the boat is so great, if you set it anything less it will sound every 3 minutes.

The kids sleep like rocks. One in the v-berth, one on the starboard settee, and you sleep in the aft cabin with the 2 little ones…….the dog curled into a ball at your feet.

The big dipper sways back and forth, back and forth across the window, its path getting shorter and shorter as the wind eases………the next thing you know, you open your eyes and the sunrise has begun.

Doesn’t every little girl think her father walks on water?

Stowing crap, space limits…or how to cram 6 people and a dog into 100 square feet

After dropping anchor and checking out our surroundings, I went below and organized the mess that was the cabin.

Last summer we went from living in a 2100sq ft house to a 300sq ft 5th wheel. It was really interesting to see that how one felt about the confines of space was relative to the amount of crap we had. At the house, there was SO MUCH STUFF! In the 5′er, the kids were each allowed one small basket to fill with whatever toys they desired. They each had a single drawer for their clothing, and I made shelves at the end of each of the 4 bunks for them to fill with some books. And that was it. Mom and Dad toys (surf boards etc) were stored under the trailer, and decorations inside were kept to the bare minimum.

It got a bit cramped at times…especially when too much sugar was involved….but all in all it was surprising to realize how little space one needs to be fulfilled and content.

Now imagine reducing the 300sq ft to around 100sq ft. 100 sq ft filled with 6 bodies, clothing for them, bedding, and food. And a dog. A dog who is shedding. Alot.

Each child was allowed to bring a small grocery bag filled with toys. Mia had her little backpack. I had a duffel bag filled with clothes for myself and Mia, and Bill had one for himself and 2 of the boys. Cory had his own backpack. The V-berth looked something like this:

Yeah. Not too bad if no one had to actually sleep in there. Ahem.

I stashed, folded, straightened and primped inside until all was pretty neat and tidy…..

WhatEVAH!

One thing that Captain Bill is pretty anal about is stuff on the cabin floor. If shoes or toys are left there, there shall be hell to pay. There is nothing like having a sailing emergency, and while lurching across the cabin, stepping on a really cool Bionicle or Barbie. He especially cannot STAND shoes scattered about. It is just plain dangerous. Your balance and such are all funked out on a boat, so you really don’t need to factor in an obstacle course on top of your negative equilibrium. So, the person who left the pants on the floor in the above picture had to walk the plank. We loved him and miss him terribly, but oh well.

Even with 4 kids, things are pretty manageable on a boat. The thing that was the most troublesome was the dog hair. Honey sheds her coat a few times a year, and it is nothing less than spectacular the amount of hair that falls off of her small body. On a boat, hair is just intolerable. It gets in every crack and crevice and given the fact that you just can’t vacuum it up, I spend a great deal of time with wet paper towels, wiping up the offending spiky little hairs. ’nuff said.

Why can’t we have a hand held vacuum, you might ask. Chris may wonder how Bill survives without his magic machine. Well, it all boils down to power. We have 2 batteries that power the engine and the electronics on board. We do not have a generator (yet). Having running lights at night trumps cleaning up dog hairs, as I imagine the hairs would strike us as unimportant in comparison to getting t-boned by another boat because we ran out of battery power and could not start the engine to charge the batteries and run the lights that show other boats where we are….Savvy? In a nutshell? The boat is like a car. The engine charges the batteries, which run all the electronics and lights on board.  As we get to know what our actual needs are, Bill will be reconfiguring the power issues. For now, our motto is that energy is precious. Do not use it unless necessary.

Here is how we deal with kilowatt abuse……….Time Out on a boat.

(to be continued)

Cast off

Lordy, the prep time for a trip on the water is unreal…well, at least it is for me. Bill threw some cutoffs, hats, and bathing suits into a bag for himself and the boys and was READY. Woot. Let’s go!

Me? I had the task of planning food for 6 people without the ability to keep it cool over a long period and packing for Mia and I, being mindful of the schizo weather we have been having.

Trying to figure out protein rich foods to cook, without it consisting of beans and rice, beans and rice, rice and beans, is also a daunting task. There is only so much canned tuna that I can force feed my kids.

In the end, I found all kinds of fantastic options at our local HEB. I even found organic milk that didn’t need to be refrigerated! Have you seen the little, bitty Horizon Organic milk singles? Their cost is not so cute, but to have dairy on the boat for our morning cappuccino was worth every buck spent.

When I showed up at the dock with a dock cart filled and overflowing with stuff……..and the dog……Bill looked at me and asked if I had planned our escape from civilization instead of a weekend away.  All we needed were passports, baby.

Bringing the load on board had me wondering where the hell I was going to stow everything. Boats are not known for their ample storage options…that is, unless you have a 50 footer, and then I imagine you would have plenty of room for your groceries………..plus a 40″ flat screen TV and refrigeration. Ours, at 31 feet? Not so much. I was surprised though to find that everything I brought on board fit very nicely in the cupboards and cabinets available.

I had pasta, sauce, bruschetta, bread, bagels, crackers, chips, dip, olive spread, hummus, organic boxed milk, fruit, cheese, muffins, cinnamon rolls, juice, water, water, water, and Tecate for the grown ups.

After stowing all the supplies, we cast off our lines and headed out across the bay.

It was a 1 1/2 hour sail to our destination and the winds were blowing around 15k. There was still a chill in the air from the norther that had blown through the previous day, but the sun was out and shinning bright.

We approached the cove where we planned to stay, chose our spot, dropped anchor and assessed our position. With the swing of the boat from the wind (winds blowing south east at the time), at times the boat would drift into depths that were too shallow for comfort. We draft around 4′8″ and it appeared that we would swing onto a sand bar with a depth of 5′2″…..factor low tide into that and it spelled trouble. Captain decided to pull anchor and try again after consulting Dr. GPS.

Our second attempt found us in water no less than 7 foot in depth. Plenty of room for the lowest of low tides. Bingo.

I secured the anchor, stood up and surveyed my new surroundings. Idyllic does not even begin to describe our anchorage. To think that someplace just as lovely as Cozumel was within an afternoons sail from our house was mind blowing. It was this that I have been waiting for since last June. We were finally doing it. (to be continued)

Here is Miss Mimi checking out the beginning of the sunset. You can see our “neighbors” anchored in the distance.

Our mode of transportation to and from the boat

We finally did it

We loaded the boat with supplies, and took off to find our own slice of paradise.

And find it we did…….

We anchored in the cove of this little island and spent the weekend.

I will be posting about our little cruise during the week.  For now, here is a shot of our boat at anchor.

It was the best time EVAH!!!

Bershon on a boat

I mean, paleeeease.  I do believe he showed more interest in the top of his Fresca can than all the sunshine, blue water, white sails against a gorgeous sky and dolphins……..we are killing him. Right?  Mean, mean parents.

How to keep them out of the very cold water without really trying

The other day Quinn decided that since the water was warming up so much, it was time to be towed behind the boat again. As hot as it was on the deck, I was still doubting the ability of his skinny little self being able to tolerate the cold water. Needless to say, after a “Hush woman” comment, Bill tied on a tow line and launched it off the back of the boat.

Whoo hooooo!!! Here we go, right?

He crawled out onto the stern of the boat, and got ready to launch himself off the boat.

Right about here, I asked him if it bothered him that someone had caught a 600lb bull shark in the bay recently………..

Well, it appears that it was too cold after all.

And yes, it is true about the shark…although I am sure there are many more where it came from, one was more than enough for Quinn.

La isla bonita

Bill and I were sitting in our room yesterday, talking randomly, and I said. “You know what I can’t wait for?”

And he replied “A warm beach” without missing a beat. Those were the exact words floating in my head.

Sometimes it is a bit spooky how much we know each other.

There seems to be a battle going on here. Warm and Cold are fighting it out, and it appears that Warm is winning.

These cold fronts blow through, leave us chilled for 1/2 to 1 day, then the warm tropical air blows out the cold, and we are back into shorts and tanks. Ahhh!

Soon our quiet evenings on our back porch will return. We can sit and visit in the warm tropical air as the blue herons fly through our yard and the whistle ducks fly home to their inland pond.

There will be many weekend nights spent on the boat, rising early to sail off to some anchorage along the islands of the Texas coast….returning with the setting sun to dock the boat, tie her up and sit at the marina’s outdoor tiki bar enjoying a margarita and some calypso music.

With all of this the temperature in the Gulf is slowly creeping up. This is one thing that I look forward to in the spring. It means the beach will be warm as well.

I want to share a couple of very random images with you. I take a kazillion pictures, most are pics of little moments in time of our life. Probably meaningless to most, but important to me. You may have seen this one:

….it is a sight I know of so well….Bill working on a boat. The open toolbox in the cockpit, boat parts everywhere. The odd smell of the toolbox…..greese mixed with the metalic smell of nuts and bolts. Taking apart a boat and putting it back together the way it suits you is a common practice among sailboat owners. There is always something that needs fixing and Bill loves to tinker with the boat. Images like this remind me of summer, racing, the sound of wind whistling through the rigging, and the joy of being outside.

This next one is of my boys:

…..it was so hot that day. The smell of warm wood from the dock floated in the air, mixing with the other smells of the ocean. The boys were watching trigger fish feasting on the barnacles attached to the pilings. They were also dropping small pieces of wood into the water and having “boat” races. Later they would take off in the dinghy, exploring the little islands outside of the marina, the musty smell of the marsh surrounding them, crabs skittering through the reeds along the shore.

That red cooler was full of sparkling water, Sprite, Tecate and snacks of fruit, cheese and pico dip. When I put my hand on Cody’s back, it was so hot from the sun beating down on him. My kids get so tan here at the coast, no matter the amount of sunscreen I slather on them.

That picture reminds me of summer. The hot, Texas summers at the coast that I thrive on.

Things are warming up here for sure, and with that will come a summer full of adventures on land and the sea. Paddling out into the surf with the hot sun on my back. Dolphins surfing off the bow of our boat. Taking the boat offshore and living in it for our vacation. There will be islands to explore, shells to seek, campfires on the beach, and the simple enjoyable gift of just being together.

It won’t be perfect. There will be work for Bill, screaming toddlers, bickering boys, bills to be paid, the rainy season, PMS, and a whole host of unpleasantries. But that is life, you know? The difficult is always mixed in wth the good.

I have come to realize that there is an Endless Summer. It lives in your head and heart….an island inside of you. It is a choice that you must make, not a place to visit. It comes with the attitude of gratefulness. It is la isla bonita.

I am seizing that. Won’t you?

There shall be
eternal summer
In the grateful heart.
-Celia Thaxter

He dressed this way to annoy me

It is filled with oil

The compass that is.

One more thing a child can learn on a boat.

Newest swab on deck

Dingos know to always wear a US Coast Guard approved PFD (personal floatation device) while sailing.

Blue everywhere

More dolphins

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

….and some rare footage of Quinn waxing philosophical.

Please folks, ignore my amazingly high pitched, annoying voice. Lord, do I really sound like that?

Red sails

…and a very curious dolphin.

Just me

My son took this photo of me. It is a rare instance when I am in a picture, as I am always the one behind the lens. Bill doesn’t like to take photos.

He lives in the moment, as it should be.

Me? I like to document things. I want my kids to pour over the photos one day when Bill and I are long gone and remember the good times. I want them to laugh out loud as they shuffle through them, and say things like “I am so glad mom took these pictures of us all”, and “Oh, look. Here’s Dad at the helm”.

Someone needs to be behind the lens. Now there are 2 of us.

A little captain in training

Little Miss Mimi is not one for heading below deck when out sailing. She wants to be right where the action is. She frequently tries to take the helm from Bill, and does not appear to be afraid of hanging on the foredeck (the front of the boat….when Bill and I crewed on racing boats, we usually were responsible for the foredeck, so maybe this is part of her genetic makeup?)

Cory has become our navigator. He has the Garmin wired now. Yesterday when my hat went overboard, he ran below and marked it on the GPS as MOB (man overboard), and we retrieved it without problems in the enormous chop that we were sailing on. ;*)

The bay was like glass for most of the sail. The sun was out for the first time in over a week, and it was gloriously warm….if you were not in the shade.

We were out for most of the day and it was hard to come in, but a chill was setting in, and you all know what Barbies we are.

I have had people ask what the kids will do onboard when we take off this summer for 2 weeks on the boat (and then maybe another week at another time?).

Well, sometimes they will be below deck, as the boys are here because there were not enough electronic devices on deck.

Or playing games, reading, swimming, crewing on the boat, sleeping, writing in their journals, fishing, shell seeking, exploring little islands in the dinghy, snoozing on deck in the sunshine or dolphin watching.

Or taking photos

Pretty much having the time of their lives, we hope.

The other side to that is the the inevitable “I’m bored”, which has happened repeatedly already, and you all know how we handle that, right?

Shark bait

We know tantrums will happen

And princesses will turn all pissy on us

The thing is, that is life at home as well, so it is six of one, half dozen of the other, you know? We might as well be someplace with a killer view.

A very tall mast, in a very blue sky

To sail on a dream

My life is never boring. Well, sometimes it is, but Bill always comes in and shakes things up a bit.

I had in my head the numbers 2009 as the year we would sail offshore and expand our exploration of the Gulf coast to include Florida and Mexico. I targeted May 2009 as the goal to get ready for the Regatta de Amigos, a sail to Veracruz, Mexico.

Bill has been throwing out little hints……….little hints that made me know that I had hooked him, and just had to slowly reel him in. I mean, come on. We are talking about sailing! How could the man not cave! He has been spending much time at the boat, fixing things, outfitting it with new hardware. He got the GPS for Christmas, and there is talk of buying all new sails with our first bonus check.

This year the plan has been to take a summer trip to the 4 corners (Utah, Colorado) to revisit the sufferfest that was our honeymoon and 1st anniversary. Instead of biking in the desert for 20-40 miles and biking 12,000 foot mountain passes, we would hike with 4 young children, and outdo any suffering that physical endurance had thrown out to us in the past. This was to be a trip of mental endurance. It was a trip that Bill was thinking would be worse than sticking needles in his eyes.

Little things he has been saying over the last few weeks have been picked up by my adventure radar, and when you string them together, well…..

This weekend, he mentioned that he wanted to take the boat out on an extended trip soon. I say “Like a weekend along Padre?” and he replied “That and maybe Mexico.”

I need to repeat that………..”THAT AND MAYBE MEXICO”.

No details yet. No firm plans. No dates. Just idle talk about what kind of food to bring for a long trip (2 weeks? 1 week?…not sure how long he can take off of work…but we will have no ice or refrigeration for the duration so meal planning is important) and some internet browsing for more hardware, sails etc.

We have also come to an agreement (dudes, mom totally had dibs on naming the boat)) on a name for the boat. It is so very cool, and fits so perfectly. It defines my life and all of my dreams of the ocean that I had as a child. When we get it put on the boat I will share it with you. Hint: the things that you’ve shown us

Our family is going to freak. If you receive hell for some of the choices you make in raising your kids, imagine how us loading 4 kids onto a boat and heading out to sea for 2 weeks is going to go over with everyone who loves them??? The safety issue is going to give many people sleepless nights….myself included. The only assurance I can give people is that we have a sound boat. In the coming weeks and months we will be taking her out on the Gulf for some mini-trips to see how she handles big waves and heavier air. It will also lend us some info on how well the kids will do with seasickness. This is a biggie. 4 seasick kids barfing below deck while Bill and I try to manage anything remotely difficult on deck might prove to be our undoing.

Another note of assurance is that Bill knows his stuff. He knows how to sail anything. He understands the wind and the currents. He has a handle on mechanical repairs etc. Not to mention he has already made a Gulf crossing on a sailboat to the exact location we are talking about heading.

While the kids and I were in Ft. Worth over the holidays, Bill took this 31 ft boat out sailing singlehanded. For those who don’t sail, this means getting in and out of a dock by yourself (which is a feat all its own) hoisting sails (NOT roller furling), trimming them and taking them down single handed. It is not rigged yet for this. Sure, it is easy on a sunfish, or even a 24 footer, but our boat is large. The mast height is huge and towers above the other boats of comparable size. When he told me he went sailing by himself I was like “Shut up! No way, are you serious?”

It was easy for him.

My point is, I trust him. I wouldn’t trust anyone else as Captain of our boat and life.

As things progress, I will post them here. If When we do this (plans change on a dime around here), I will probably write about the preparation and our plans, and of course we will bring you right along on the voyage.

Any questions?

Edited to add: Bill was just home for lunch, and I asked him if he knew any cruising websites we could get on to make some lists of what we will need etc for such a passage, and he replied “Yes. El sitio de los estupido”. Yup. That about sums it up.

On the 12th day of Christmas, my true love gave to me…

One Garmin 440 GPS Chartplotter

The man is in heaven. Now our navigation station is essentially complete. We can find our way through any waters in the US, Virgin Island, Bahamas, Alaska and Hawaii.

Mia, our onboard navigator, thinks it is soooo cool, and will enhance her knowledge of celestial navigation quite well.

Now if she can just get her lazy crew of swabs up on deck…

Diva sailing outfit

A dress, the ever present pink shoes, and sequins…..never forget the importance of sequins on a sailboat.

Teen on a boat

Heeled over

Lots of wind and enjoying things from a different angle.

Squalls

The forcast predicted several light showers in the morning and 5-10mph winds, so it sounded like a tame sailing day to us.

5-10mph my ass.

We had several squalls come through. I suspect the winds were more like 15-20 with gusts up to 25, maybe 30. We were flying. Bill had a smile on his face that nothing could remove. I kept looking at him and laughing. He was having a blast.

I sent the little ones down below, just to be on the safe side.

We all worked so great together. We sailed through the first 3 squalls, but the wind kept building and building, and I decided enough was enough and told Bill “It is not going to clear like you keep saying. It is time to go in while we can.” He agreed. I took the jib down, then Bill and I hauled the mainsail down while Cory took the helm. It felt wonderful moving so fast pulling those sails down in the heavy air. God, I want to race again!! (did I just say that?)

We had read that this boat can get overpowered in heavy air due to the huge mainsail, but she handled perfectly. My husband was in ecstasy. Pure, adrenaline filled ecstasy.

Fun, fun, fun!!!

It is on days like this that I know I can talk him into going cruising for a year…or two. He keeps shaking his head and saying “Your crazy”, but you know what? I can see it in his eyes too…..

Crazy is as crazy does.

Sunday

Have I ever told you how much I love Texas? Well, I do.

I love that I can wear a bathing suit in November.

I love that I can wear a bathing suit in November on a boat.

I love that I can wear a bathing suit in November and sweat on said boat….because it feels like June.

I love that my kiddos can be barefoot on a boat while searching for dolphins…yup, in November.

I love that I have little Texas creatures that can steer the boat…..

……while Bill and I enjoy the setting sun on the bow.

I love seeing this man enjoy his life at the coast.

And my kids grow up by the water.

If a Texan doesn’t have an auto helm, he makes one.

And the barefoot kids name it Wilson, after the volley ball in Castaway.

Texans have big hair

And they love extra big as well

Texas….it is just the best. Ya’ll guys know what I mean?

Boo cruise

What should you do after buying everyone their halloween costumes?

Why, go sailing, of course.

Throw off the bowlines

” Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.”
Mark Twain

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

It actually does something other than sit at the dock

We took the boat out. We motored, as the winds were way, way to strong to hoist sails.

I will be posting some video later, if I can get it to upload…grrrr.

For now, a couple of shots…and of course, the rest are up at Flickr so click through one of the pics to see the rest.

A white pelican

Cory at the helm

Miss Mimi at the helm

Watching for dolphins

Rail weight

Captain, my Captain

The ever important “back to dock” festivities…including rum, because after being out on the bay with 4 kids scrambling around the deck, we needed it.

Miss Mia…..post excursion happiness

Now if I can just get the videos to load in less than 12 hours of download time.

The Third Coast

Yesterday was a long, wonderful day.

Bill got home, and like a total kid, was ready to head to the boat as soon as he woke all the kids got up. He had not seen the boat since May, when he took it for the survey.

We worked on the boat until we were all ready to collapse. Cory and I scrubbed the deck…3 times. Once with just water, to rinse all the gunk off. The second time with a vinegar and water solution, to remove all the chalky oxidation, and the third time with a deck cleaner.

We also removed the shrimp boat chains off the backstay, and spent some time trying to figure out the original, complex pulley system that we are grateful the prior owners did not toss out. It was a bit like figuring out a geometry problem, and it was all in tangles and twisted around. You will be pleased to know that it took the mind of a woman, and that the inferior male mind failed at this task. ;*)

Bye bye chains….I am glad these are gone. I refused to go sailing on the boat until it was restored to a sailboat. This is a good thing, as while we were removing the corroded chain rigging, one of the bolts snapped in half. Glad that didn’t happen while under sail.

Bye bye chains

Hello German pulley system

And no, the boat is not in Palacios….that was 2 owners ago. It is now somewhere along the Third Coast. Obviously not in Austin, which, I am sorry, is NOT the Third Coast. Yes, it is a state of mind as well as a place, but the Third Coast is….well, come on down and find out.

Cory was a big help and a natural on the boat. He seems to really love everything about it, including the hard work involved, which really surprised me. He worked his tail end off, and loved every bit of it. He also rowed everyone around the harbor and inlet. He was one tired little swab last night.

I scrubbed the inside of the boat, although it was pretty immaculate already. I pulled up the carpet ( I loath all things carpet) and cleaned the lovely wood underneath. We also wiped all the teak down and are ready to put some teak oil on.

Bill and I also started the process of waxing the hull. It is a huge job, but in the end will really make this boat look lovely. I think I will purchase a hand waxing machine, as my arms might fall off doing the job the old fashon way. I did get the blue areas on the deck done (no, I did not wax the deck, as that would be just plain dumb…just the blue areas around the window).

The kids had a complete blast. They rowed the dinghy out of the harbor and explored the area, even finding an island.

For those who e-mailed asking “Where are the children’s life vests!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” complete with 65 million exclamation points, here is evidence that I love their little lives, and have coast guard approved vests for everyone, including the damn dog (no joke…she has her own vest). The pictures of the boys in the dinghy the other day……the boat was still tied to the dock.

Miss Mimi took to the boat from day one. She is a natural on it as well. Yesterday evening she walked to the bow and slowly turned around, taking in all the beauty surrounding her. I grabbed the camera, and watched. She held up her hand to feel the wind..

…and threw her head back, feeling the wind, the sun and everything that is the ocean.

I know exactly how she feels.

Red skies at night

Major, major exhausted here. We spent the afternoon/evening on the boat, heading home around 9pm.

We tested out the rather heavy air conditioner after hauling it from one end of the boat to the next, and it works like a charm…a nice, cool cabin for us to enjoy.

With the help of our boat neighbor, we got the dinghy off the bow of the boat, and into the water……..getting it back in made for one coke spurting, laugh ’til you pee moment. I am quite sure we were the entertainment for all the live-aboards who were watching.

Imagine hauling a large dingy onto the deck of a large boat, by having your 12 and 9yo cranking the winch on the jib halyard (which was attached to the bow of the dinghy) while you guide large dinghy over the life lines (life lines are sort of like a fence around the boat to keep you from falling overboard).

Imagine the dinghy hanging in mid air (much like a shark that was caught by a fisherman, and is hanging by its tail in the air while photos are taken to document the moment) when you hear the children say “We can’t turn it anymore and its slipping”.

Imagine looking down at the large dingy, as it swings 2 inches above the water…..you realize that if the small children can not hold the winch line, the dinghy will go straight into the water, stern first, filling with water and sinking to the murky depths.

That was the part where I turned slowly around and said “No matter what you do, DO…..NOT…..LET…….GO……OF…..THAT…..LINE” and yelled across the harbour to boat neighbor “I do believe your muscles are needed, please.”

Muscle boat man came to the rescue, and helped the boys turn the winch, instructing them on proper positioning of the line etc. It was very sweet, but I was at the bow, muscling the damn thing on to the deck and trying my best to wrench my back all to hell, so I was unable to hear the whole dialogue.

All the while, Mia was napping peacefully on her bunk down below and Quinn was jumping from the finger pier to the boat and back. He did this so any times, he got a shine splint.

Here is the dinghy and the strong sailer boys, I mean pirates…Arrr

This would be the moon rising over our boat

Red skies at morning, sailer take warning.
Red skies at night, sailer’s delight.

Delight would be an understatement. It was worth the wait. It was worth the aggravation. Seeing that sky this evening on the dock, while we tied lines and closed the boat up for the night was confirmation to me that all is well and this was the right boat for us.

All good things come to those who wait.

Gotcha

Guess what we are doing tonight?

We are grilling shrimp off the back of our new sailboat.

All I have to say is, IT IS ABOUT DAMN TIME!

Clownfest

Remember when I told you that I thought we would have a clear title and maybe a boat this week?

Well, the title was cleared through the FDIC, but when they sent the documents (which was supposed to be by overnight but the clown sent it by snail mail….so tack on 5 more days to the 3 weeks we have been waiting to close) it was discovered that the asshat put the wrong names on the certificate of clear title, and the bank won’t accept it, of course.

So, the funding company is trying to get back in touch with FDIC guy, but he is in a meeting, and then on to lunch, so hasn’t retuned the frantic calls.

Why is the funding company frantic? Why that we be because we have had it, and are considering walking away from this whole assinine affair. Which means we will not buy this boat. :*(

We will be out almost $1000, but for the love of all things holy, we are sick and flippin’ tired of dealing with retards.

And we have to ask ourselves if there is a reason for all the obstacles. Like, maybe we shouldn’t buy this boat. The karma right now with Ms Moby is giving me some serious cause for pause. I told Bill she reminds me of the Flying Dutchman in Pirates of the Caribbean.

Building Bridges

The boat drama continues on, with the idiot Title Search Lady thinking that the bank that took over the MBank of Houston (who the default of lien originated from in 1985, but the bank folded) was Bridge Bank………..the document she was basing this on was found by her on the internet, and it was a teaching document, as in a “how to”…. Bridge Bank was actually the “bridge bank”.

So, she was harrassing an actual bank called Bridge Bank for almost a week, insisting that they took over MBank Houston (and they were saying “There’s no way, we didn’t become a bank until 2002! How could we take over a bank in 1989 when we didn’t exist until 13 years later), when the document was saying “bridge bank” as in “insert bank name here…bank that is bridging the take over”. When I found this out, I was like “Oh yeah, I am so telling the internets. This is too good to keep to myself.” Bill agreed.

After finding this out, I was able to do a simple internet search and find out that BankOne (now JPMorgan Chase) was the “bridge bank” (with the government interviening with loans) and that a simple Fax to the FDIC will yield us a release of lien in less than 10 days…….a lien that we could have had released by now if the the Title Search Lady knew a bit about her job.

Bridge Bank is now the new joke in our family. We need some cash! Hey, lets call the Bridge Bank! Oh no, that great mexican food place closed! Maybe Bridge Bank took it over. Where is my bathing suit? I think Bridge Bank has it.

You know what? I don’t care anymore. I am no longer stressed about this. I have finally unwound my spring and am now on Island Time. Beach towns just have a different flow. A different pulse.

I have finally synched my soul to the tides and the life of a beach bum.

Changes in latitude, changes in attitude.

This is unreal

Here we sit…waiting. Still. For the release of lien on the boat.

The owners are leaving for Mexico on Thursday, and will do something called a dry closing. Meaning they will leave the keys and title at the funding company, sign all the paper work, and the $$ will be deposited into their account when the title is released.
He will also lash the 8 foot dinghy to the foredeck, and put the air conditioner and bimini (the sun shade over the back of the boat…sort of like an awning) on the boat.

I am not happy about that last sentence. We have signed all papers, and are more than half way through the purchase. If a storm comes, that would really suck to have the 8 foot dinghy on the deck of the boat.

Not to mention that that noone called to tell us that the wrong bank had been contacted for lien release, and that all day Friday was spent trying to find the actual bank that holds the lien…..and find it they did, only to be told that it might take awhile.

Oh, or the fact that the owner had told us we had until the end of July to move the boat, and today he asked where we planned to keep her, and informed me I better get busy finding a slip because his slip was up at the end of June….as in 2 weeks from now.

I am containing my natural instinct to scream f**k over and over again.

I am pondering what kind of tropical concoction I need to blend up tonight to take the edge off and dilute my frustrations.

What is your favorite adult, frozen beverage? Leave the recipe in the comments, if you will please. Variety is the spice of life!!

1985

Remember how I told you that buying a boat is stressful?

If you could measure stress on a scale of 0-10 with 10 being the highest, I would be at around a 448…….

Part of the process involves a title search. With a boat, the lender searches on the state level, and on the national level via the coast guard.

While doing the title search on our boat-to-be, all cleared on the state level, but the Coast Guard shows a lien on the boat……….from 1985……the year it was made…….for over $40,000.

22 flippin’ years ago. The people we are buying from have only owned it for 2yrs, and the Texas title is clear. Why would the title NOT be clear from 1985?????

I was ranting and raving, trying to figure out how the hell we were going to be able to get a clear title on this damn boat, when Bill remembered a conversation that we had with a broker several months ago…..a conversation he stored in the part of his brain that remembers the names of streets we passed while driving through Sante Fe New Mexico in 1990.

Several months ago, when Bill and I had fallen for this Dehler, the broker said something like “Yeah, this one is a fabulous boat. Clean as a whistle inside and out. Also, it is a 1987, so it was not a part of the big title problems that some of the 1985’s are dealing with. In ‘85, a wholesaler bought up millions of dollars in boats, had ‘em shipped to the Port of Houston, then never picked them up. The whole lot sat in a marina without a clear title, and some are still out there in title limbo.”

Yes, you guessed it. Ours appears to be one of those lucky boats!!!!!

We feel very special. This kind of crap always happens to us.

I could go on and on about how the lending company, who we are paying to conduct the search and clear the title, had the audacity to ask me if I could make some calls and trace the title back to the original owners. Stunned, I said “Well, didn’t you do a FREAKING TITLE SEARCH? So you should have that information handy, right? I mean, why would we want to go from 2007 back through possibly half a dozen owners, some who might be dead by now, when you HAVE THE NAME OF THE BANK WHO IS HOLDING THE LIEN FROM 1985!!!!”

Ahem.

She also said it could take up to 3 weeks to clear the title.

In the end, the current owner, who was a banker prior to retiring, got the name of the bank from me, found out that it was sold and the name of the acquiring institiution, made some phone calls, spoke to the Vice President of said bank and is hoping to have a clear title tomorrow.

In the meantime, I am trying to find my way back to my happy place. I am listening to 1985 by Bowling for Soup on my Ipod, laughing my ass off at the irony that I downloaded it, at Billy’s suggestion, on Sunday before we left.

Working my way towards the chill.

Word

Well, just got word that the survey is complete. All checked out well with the Dehler. Some minor stuff that needs to be repaired, but the bottom of the boat looked good, the motor was great, and everything seemed sound.

It was a wet and cold sail. Heavy rain followed them to the boat yard, and back. “It was fairly miserable for sailing” were Billy’s words.

After all was said and done, and they had returned to the marina, they tied the boat off, shook hands and the owner said “Well, do you want to buy her?” and Bill replied “Yes sir. I want her”.

The owner is fantastic, and said he would negotiate the price based on the repairs needed.

So, in a nutshell, we are buying the boat.

WHOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!

Bill and I talked as he drove home this evening, and I told him that I had a goal in mind in regards to the sailing of this boat.

He said “Oh yeah, what goal would that be?”

I replied “Regatta De Amigos in May 2008”

He bust out laughing and said “Yeah, right. Remember, no races”, citing my one condition on buying the boat.

Me: “I already have that figured out. We will sail it in ‘Cruising Class.’ It is a year away. 2008. Veracruz, baby.”

It begins.

The one

The process of buying a boat is not at all like buying a car. It is more like buying a house.

You have to secure financing, do a sea trial, get something called a survey.

The survey is the big inspection. Usually, you can sea trial the boat and sail it to the shipyard for the survey. All 7000lbs of boat are hauled out of the water, and the inspector goes over evey square inch of it and gives you a 30 page report telling what is wrong and what is right.

From there you re-negotiate a purchase price, submit this final number to the bank, and a week or two later go to a closing and are handed the keys to your new boat.

As it stands now, we have viewed the boat, negotiated a bit about the price, put earnest money down, and are awaiting pre-approval from the bank to begin the survey.

I tentatively introduce you to our seemingly, possibly-ours-in-the-future, boat.

Dehler 31, meet the internet. Internet, meet the Dehler 31:

*I have to edit and add that we lucked out on this boat. The price is just unreal or we would not be able to afford this. The couple we are buying from are retiring and moving to the mountains near Veracruz, Mexico and they are selling everything. The boat was made in 1985, so it is 22 years old and comes with quite a bit of work, but Bill is jazzed about the prospect. We got a deal, baby! And..and…it comes with an 6 8 foot dingy! Not a blow up one, but a hard hull dingy…brand new and never used….to tow behind us and explore the nooks and coves along the way. I can totally see our boys rowing off to shore to explore islands that you can only access via a boat…like Matagorda Island.