The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

[Sam Walker]

Jim, sorry for missing your PM regarding the bike. My neighbor has one that I have already ridden twice. I already have a couple of other dual sport bikes. The V-Strom would be more road biased than the others.
I think that I will have to go get one. Thanks so much for the input and for remembering to get back to me while in the midst of everything else that was going on. This is fabulous. I get more consideration from a person who I have never met than I do from some of my friends. Obviously, I am running in the wrong circles. Thanks again to Bill and Mike for running this great site.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Thanks for the kind words, Sam. It's been a while since that PM regarding the bike. The more time I spend with it, the better I like it. We did take it to Sturgis during the Motorcycle Rally... actually saw a couple other V-Stroms there, too. The bike will easily haul the two of us at any legal speed; light, "flickable", and just plain easy.

When we were motorhoming and pulling the trimaran, it eventually got to be more work than fun. Hauling Wild Blue coast to coast was a walk in the park by comparison. Cruising with the boat is the best! We still enjoy RVing and motorcycling. We're hoping to make this all work by "taking turns". I told Joan that the best solution would be to sell the house, get a storage unit somewhere centrally located, and stop by there once or twice a year to drop off the boat and pick up the RV. 8) She didn't say no.

If your wife thinks you are the only one who tries to bring all the toys along, you should take her to an FMCA bus rally or the Sturgis Rally... and watch those Prevosts roll in with their painted to match double height trailers!

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[Sam Walker]

My wife and I are also pondering the warehouse style building w/ an RV connection in it as the home base. We are very concerned about still being able to retire from the retirement (when the time comes to stop travelling) in CA. and the real estate values.

Along w/ a multitude of items in my personal life lately, I have lost track of Brent and Dixie's run at this in UT. How is that going?

Thanks for the additional feedback on the V-Strom.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Maybe Brent will post here, but their new home is progressing nicely. Brent is doing most of the work himself, so I have no doubt it's going to be outstanding.

BTW, we are working on another Discovery and Wild Blue trip. We'll post more as the plans gel. We can't wait!

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[JamesTXSD]

The contractor came by today and took off the siding on the wall of our storage area to be replaced. Says he will have us "done for now" by Tuesday... that means: he won't be back to do the interior drywall until October or so (I speak fluent Contractorese :wink: ). We're OK with that, just so everything on the outside is all buttoned up.

Our chore for today was getting patio furniture cleaned, then started on the stuff in storage, after which I sprayed bleach water in our storage area. One of the things that needed cleaning was Yonder (dinghy for Wild Blue)... I couldn't stand it... it would be easier to clean if it was inflated... while I'm at it, I better check that the motor will start, too... I wonder if the motor still fits on the back of the inflatable... yep, and it started with only half a dozen pulls (love that little 2 stroke). Yeah, I took it on a cruise of the canals here. From the water side, definite confirmation that our house really did well compared to many here.

We are waiting to hear from the RV dealer or manufacturer to get an idea of when the 5th wheel will be done. If it's going to be another couple weeks, I'm going to get Wild Blue back in the water... less than that, I will be "negotiating" with the Blonde.

Tick, tick, tick.

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[Hunkydory]

Jim

Which toy to take, how, when and where and whether to keep the home for a base or not does seem to be a complication shared by many fortunate souls here in this grand country.

We now pull the c-dory with our crew cab duramax dually, with plans to purchase a hard side truck camper and switch off pulling a Polaris rzr s, side by side in covered trailer with mokai on top of camper or trailer to pulling c-dory behind truck and camper with mokai. We have so little invested in our present home and like it and the surrounding area so much we have decided to keep it as our "safe harbor" as so well described by El and Bill at their web site.

We decided to go with a Polaris rzr s side by side instead of a jeep or motorcycle, because they too can be licensed for the road and to us give a more comfortable safe access to the back country and highway than either a jeep or motorbike. Had both Harley chopper and fast Kawasaki in my youth and now consider a motorbike on the road just to much of a risk factor due to having to share space with others you have no control over.

Many like us love to keep moving on the trail, road or water and we're so fortunate the present limitations to this involve more our choices in how we want to proceed in these endeavors with fuel and equipment still available to fulfil our wish for this kind of lifestyle. Hope this continues in the future especially in just under two years when we will convert over from our present travel within the time we have allotted from work to a ongoing lifestyle of travel upon retirement.

Looking forward to your continued sharing of Joan and yours traveling experiences with Wild Blue and the RV. There are many of us c-brats that would like to be in the same "boat" so to speak as you and Joan are right now.

Jay

 

[JamesTXSD]

We are getting close on the house repairs - the drywall guy came this morning... only 3 minutes late; I'm pretty sure this is the earliest he's ever been late. :wink: Yesterday morning he said, "I will be here for sure at 2:00... it might be before that or it might be later than that, but it will be 2:00" He showed up at 5:30. You have to understand the culture here.

I am an apolitical guy these days, but there was a "Coffee with the Directors" this morning. I had a few words with the president. I was getting a bit rusty on frustration, but these folks cured that. Moderately crappy way to start the day.

And then the good stuff: with the house nearing completion, I convinced Joan that some "water therapy" was necessary... we drove to the storage lot to bring Wild Blue home! It has been 3 1/2 months since we've run this sweet boat - the longest time off since we got her. We stopped at the house to pick up lines and fenders, and launched her. This is an amazingly easy boat!

My poor boat was filthy. She has been stored inside, but the doors on the quanset are frequently left open; she was out of the weather, but not the blowing dirt. Sweet boat that she is, she fired right up when we backed her into the water. I brought her around to the dock while Joan flushed the trailer and met me back at the house. The last boat I ran was a tad bit bigger than Wild Blue... but this felt great!

Back at the dock, I went to work getting her looking pretty again. I had waxed her before putting her into storage, so a hose, some water, and a couple towels had her looking ship-shape. It was a hot, humid day... but, it's always hot and humid in south Texas in August. I ran out of energy, sweat, and time to take her out for a cruise.

But, tomorrow morning after Roberto the drywall guy does another coat, we have a date with some dolphins! I can't wait.



Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[dotnmarty]

Oye, Jim! I love that last post! Between " a few words with the president" and "Roberto the dry wall guy", it looks like you're getting things sorted out. I'm sure your "date with the dolphins" is just what the doctor ordered. Thanks for showing us that, for all it's storms and stresses, we still have it pretty darn good.

 

[JamesTXSD]

Oye, Jim! I love that last post! Between " a few words with the president" and "Roberto the dry wall guy", it looks like you're getting things sorted out. I'm sure your "date with the dolphins" is just what the doctor ordered. Thanks for showing us that, for all it's storms and stresses, we still have it pretty darn good.

Yes, Marty, it's all good...

We saw dolphins... and it was good!

Checking out everything on Wild Blue, all seems to be in working order except the fresh water pump; that’s #2 in two years. The first one gave us some indication it was going to give out; this one just pulled the voltage down, got good and hot, and died. We do have a fresh water washdown, so we can get water via that pump. I will deal with another water pump and some other upgrades that need attending before we head out for our next cruise.

But, for now, it runs, the water stays on the outside, the electronics work, the sky was blue, the weather was warm (OK, downright hot), the water temp is around 80º, and it felt great to be out on Wild Blue again. We started to see our dolphin buddies within 2 miles of our place and continued to see them all the while we were out. The pelicans were flying in formation... it was just what I needed.

When we got back to the dock, Joan informed me that the inside of the boat needed to be cleaned (I did the outside yesterday). I dunno, it seemed fine to me. I wanted to try out the air conditioner we bought for the boat. Before I go into that, a bit of background is necessary...

Joan and I are the odd couple. She is neat, I am messy. If something needs to be cleaned, it “jumps out” at her and she has to take care of it right now. I sincerely believe, “Never do today what you can put off ‘till tomorrow.” If they were making a movie of our lives, Joan would be played by whoever is the modern equivalence of Grace Kelly. I would be played by Booger from Revenge of the Nerds.

I wanted to take the air conditioner down to the boat, plug it in, and see how it works. Joan insisted that I plan ahead and figure out something for the window for the hot air exhaust. I quickly made a paper template and searched for material to use. I tried styrofoam; that was a bust...it looked like snow all over our dock with the bits of foam. I transferred my template to some masonite, cut that out, and “free-handed” the opening for the exhaust hose... yeah, that didn’t work so well, either. By now, the temp was pushing 90º with the humidity a sweat inducing 350%. I just wanted to turn on the a/c! But, nooooooooooo!

I stuffed the hose into the window, jammed a piece of masonite above it, and custom-fitted it into place with a towel and some black electrical tape. Red-neck engineering at its finest. I turned on the air and felt the first blissful blast of cool air. Joan came into the boat and proclaimed my handiwork unacceptable. Well, that’s not the word she used. She told me to get out of the way so she could clean.

OK.

I checked on her after a bit. It was about 150º in the cabin and the air was turned off. My custom handiwork from the window was laying out in the cockpit. Before I could ask, she said, “It came out.”

Now, at one point earlier, I had to take it out (one of the many attempts at custom-fitting)... it took a bunch of pulling, some swearing, and a whole lot more sweating. It may not have looked pretty, but it wasn’t going anywhere. She’s as strong as she is classy.

Joan had rerouted the exhaust hose out the cabin door and closed it off with the door canvas. I will re-reroute it after dark and hope it works... I’ll probably be sleeping out there tonight. On the bright side, the cabin sure is nice and clean.

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[rogerbum]

Jim,

Foam can work but you need to use the right kind of foam. While we don't need it very often in Kenmore, WA, I bought a portable air conditioner for our bedroom. However, the venting hose had attachments designed to be used with either horizontal or vertical sliding windows and we have crankouts and a set of of sliding french doors. So I rigged a hillbilly panel out of the 2" pink insulating foam ("Foamular"). The panel is 24" wide and I cut it to the height of the sliders. I cut a round hole in it with a jig saw. It gets held in place between the sliders by bungee cords across the handles. The pink foam is sturdy and easy to cut and cuts with minimal mess. Since it's 2" thick, the edges can easily accept weather stripping for a tighter seal. If you wish, you can even prime and paint it white.

 

[drjohn71a]

Great story there, Jim!

At first installation, I carefully cut out a hole in a plexiglass panel which had been cut to fit the TomCat's bunk, elliptical port. It locked in well and looked oh, so professional. Then, in the middle of the August heat in 2007, the A/C unit drowned out from too much condensate build up.

I found a different brand, the De Longhi, dual air hose unit, 9k Btu instead of the previous 11K Btu, but it actually works better. The two hoses did not leave enough room for a solid plexiglas panel, so I just wrap the hoses in a synthetic blanket and snap the two into the porthole... I don't think it would pass your Admiral's inspection... but... it is cool and easy to set up.

In the long run, I bet putting a 3 inch vent hole,( you know, the kind that have the flexible hood, similar to the huge vents on the old 1930,s liners?)
would fit those A/C exhaust holes.

As for me, I would have had the A/C running while I cleaned the cabin, regardless of looks at that time!

The good thing is that, between the two of you, all bases are covered!!!

John

 

[JamesTXSD]

Hi Roger,

I had said to Joan, "You are looking for a permanent solution to a temporary problem." It's hot NOW, but pretty darn comfortable when we're moving out on the water. I was more interesting in immediate rather than making it pretty. I went with what I had onhand. Hey, I did wrap the masonite with tinfoil... just in case it rains. 8) I'm not a total sluff-off, ya know.

In another week or so, we'll be heading out to pick up the new RV. By the time we get back here, we won't need boat a/c.

Well, 'till the next time it's hotter than Hades. :twisted:

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[JamesTXSD]

Wild Blue went back in Thursday, and we’ve been playing with her since. Out on the water, the only evidence of the hurricane is this berm...



Normally, this is barren. This is what 22 inches of rain will do to green up this sandy soil.

On Saturday, Joan took the helm; rotated us away from the dock and headed down the canal...



We swung by the shrimpboat basin to get a shot of these relics. Sadly, they sit; rusting away. The folks who own them can’t afford to run them, nor to bring them back around.



We ran out into the Gulf. The water there is clearer than in the Laguna. The rain and the runoff have actually changed the salinity of the water in our bay... it will take time, but Mother Nature will find the balance. Here are some fishermen trying their luck in the shallows...



Sunday morning. Joan likes the Sunday paper; it’s even better in the cockpit.



It was a hazy morning, the air and the water still.





We enjoyed our time at anchor... reading, talking, watching the boats and the dolphins. By early afternoon, we could hear the rumble of distant thunder. We pulled up the anchor, took a tour through the jetties, then headed north.



To this point, we hadn’t seen any lightning, but the constant rumble let us know it was embedded in those gray clouds. Just south of the causeway, we saw this...



If that were me hanging under there (and it will never be), you’d be able to hear the screams all the way to San Antonio. Maybe it was loud on the boat? Maybe they couldn’t hear the thunder? Maybe they were re-enacting Benjamin Franklin’s electric experiment, using tourists instead of a key???

We radioed the swing bridge, as the rain began to fall. Wild Blue’s cabin kept us dry. These folks in the bay skimmer weren’t so fortunate...



Home feels pretty good... being out on Wild Blue again feels even better.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[Pat Anderson]

What is this thing you call an "air conditioner"????
:disgust

I wanted to try out the air conditioner we bought for the boat.

 

[Sea Wolf]

What is this thing you call an "air conditioner"????
:disgust

I wanted to try out the air conditioner we bought for the boat.

Pat-

An "Air Conditioner" is something people have in climates where it stops raining part of the year, but I guess you folks in the PNW wouldn't have any idea about how that scenario goes (?)

103 here in Redding today, and the AC is a lifesaver at home and in the car!

88 degrees inside the boat w/o AC, but a big fan makes it tolerable, and you can always just jump in the lake!

Hope the eye is doing well!

Joe. :teeth :thup

 

[JamesTXSD]

What is this thing you call an "air conditioner"????
:disgust

In some parts of the world, the sun shines and warms the Earth. While you may not be familiar with this phenomenon, it is known to actually warm the outside temperature to the point where people begin to sweat. Oh, "sweating" means you secrete liquid from your underarm area... not to be confused with "being soaked", i.e. from being rained on constantly. If this warmth increases, you will do this sweating from all parts of your body. While this sounds foreign and scary to you, it is a perfectly normal body function. Air conditioning is a process whereby artificial means are used to lower the air temperature and humidity. This will cool your skin to the point where sweating ceases. Many types of air conditioning are controllable to actually maintain a comfortable temperature with consistency.

To give you a frame of reference, it is somewhat the opposite of the process you use to heat the cabin of your boat with your Wallas.

Much of the world is in a climate where air conditioning is considered a pleasant experience. There is also a large segment of the population who actually prefer warmth to cold. It (warmth) is a known aphrodisiac, often causing a couple to want to touch without either saying, "Oh my God, your feet are freezing - get them off me!!!!" Hopefully this will not get too personal, but consider if you and Patty each had three pair of socks on... yes, in climates away from the Gray Zone, people can have feet that warm with no footwear on at all. Some of these people have been known to walk barefoot (again, that is with no footwear whatsoever) on sandy beaches. Oh, "beaches" are stretches of sand along the water's edge. In these warmer climates, people are often found on these beaches in various states of undress. Comfortably. They often engage in an activity called sunbathing. "Sunbathing" is when the warmth of the sun (please see previous posts regarding the "sun") is allowed to color a person's skin. While some consider this activity unhealthy, medical science has shown that vitamin D is absorbed by the body during this process and is very beneficial.

Yes, this is a lot to absorb all at once. We'll take it one step at a time until you are comfortable with all aspects of warmth, sun, barefoot, and air conditioning.

Warmest wishes,
Jim

PS When you go to Lake Powell, you will be longing for this thing we call an air conditioner. :wink:

 

[Pat Anderson]

Jim and Joe - thanks for the explanations! It is of course difficult to comprehend with so little personal experience. However, I hope in about four years to retire for at least part of each year to somewhere around Yuma, AZ, where this "sun" to which you refer is alleged to exist...today, August 24th, it is about 50 degrees and...raining... here. :sad

 

[JamesTXSD]

If you have kids, you know this one is factual...



I recall the first time we didn't "check in"... "We were worried sick about you two..." :wink:

Hope you enjoy the strip.

Best wishes,
Jim

 

[JamesTXSD]

Done!

That last of the work on the house was completed yesterday. That has freed up more boat time. Until the phone rang... the RV dealer called to tell us our new RV has been delivered... yes, ahead of schedule. So, the new plan: Wild Blue is coming out of the water tomorrow, going back to her indoor storage, and we'll be hitting the road again.

Yesterday, we ran Wild Blue up the small boat channel on the bayside of South Padre Island... our first time by there since we've been back. Lots of damage; boats run up onto piers, half sunk, smashed against sea walls. One condo complex that was renovated this spring looks like it's in for a a bunch of work. Blue tarps covering roofs. But plenty of revamping, repairing, and rebuilding.







Coming back in, a cell rolled in between us and home; the windshield wipers work just fine...



This morning at anchor, Joan made us breakfast. Food always seems to taste better when it comes with a view of the water. It was a gorgeous day. We could see the dolphins from our anchorage and something unusual today... pelicans... hundreds of pelicans. We see them daily, but not in this quantity, and all heading the same direction. Generally, they are cruising around, looking for fish. Today, they were all heading to the coast, then south. In a normal morning, we might see 20... today we saw a couple hundred. You don't suppose they know something we don't?

For Pat: here's a frickie-dickie dolphin (did I say that right??)...



Tropical Storm Gustov is creating problems in Haiti, heading toward Jamaica. It's slow moving, but will be in the Gulf in a couple days. Still too far out to make any kind of a reasonable guess as to where it's going, but the computer models are showing paths from the Panhandle of Florida to the central Texas Coast. Slow moving, the odds are pretty good that it will increase in intensity. After getting our butts kicked by Dolly, folks in this area are definitely paying more attention to this one. It brings up a lot of mixed emotions: I sure don't want to test the house repairs and hope it stays away from us... but someone is gonna get it. We'll be watching this one, but from afar.

We're getting pretty good at this packing stuff.

Best wishes,
Jim B.

 

[Pat Anderson]

Yes, Jim - "frickie-dickie dolphin" is exactly right!