The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...

Discovery":3kpqql60 said:
Wild Blue,

We spent last night "standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona". Tonight we are in Roswell New Mexico, looking for aliens. Still a few days to go to get to Florida. Can't wait to cruise with you two again. My sister and her husband showed up with a new to them C-Dory 22' cruiser. They will tag along with us for most of the winter.

Brent and Dixie

Brent,

You need to plan on fishing Pensacola for a few days on your way south. The bay is full of the 15 to 30lb Red fish right now.

Roger
 
So, be sure to ask Marc about coffee roasting and charcouterie while you are waiting for the brake conversion! You no doubt have room on Wild Blue for a West Bend Poppery II and a few pounds of green beans from Sweet Maria's! (Marc - we roasted our first tiny batch yesterday evening, will be cupping it this morning when Patty gets up!).



JamesTXSD":2muw5sx0 said:
It was a treat to meet Marc tonight - this is what a dealer should strive to be: enthusiastic, customer-oriented, and truly loves boating. We are looking forward to getting to know him better (and staying out of his way while he conducts business).
 
Cool Pat, you will be hooked on roasting your own in no time . I am about to restock on green beans . Its fun trying all the varieties . We will have another feast when Brent and Dixie and their gang get here !
Marc
 
This sucks...

Let me say: the shower sucks. Or rather: it would be good if the shower sucked, ‘cause ours didn’t. Our boat has a shower-box that pumps the water out when you shower. It decided to stop sucking... I didn’t notice it until Joan was in the shower and asked if the shower door was letting water out. No, but there was water coming from somewhere else. I grabbed towels and started sopping up the water on the cabin floor. Joan got out of the shower and started taking everthing out of the cabinet above the shower-box. It is amazing how fast stuff will come OUT of a cabinet when it’s in danger of getting soaked compared to how painstakingly careful it goes in.

When she got the top off the shower-box, she had me take over. The bilge pump that’s supposed to drain the shower-box was running, but not sucking. And that sucks.

I ran a flexible grabber-tool through the water line to see if it was clogged. Nope. Joan took the hose and ran water in from the outside to try the same thing. Nope. This really sucks. I took the pump out of the base and tried to operate it manually... water squirted everywhere. Yep, that sucks.

OK, so we know the pump is working... kinda. I pulled the hose apart to see what was going on with the diaphram in the hose; it’s a type of one-way valve that lets water out, but not back in. Seems that it has sealed itself shut, since we haven’t used the shower in quite a while. And that sucks. We were able to get that open, but there was scum in the strainer of the pump. And that sucks, too.

With everything cleaned out, the shower-box started sucking like it’s supposed to. That doesn’t suck.

So, Joan got back in the shower to try it out and get rinsed off... it was shower interuptus before. And I probably don’t have to tell you that that sucks.

We spent another half hour getting stuff dried and put away. Looks like we’ll be spending our afternoon at the laundramat. And that sucks.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Thanks, Marc,

We're good; got what's supposed to suck sucking, and what's not, not. :wink: Laundrymats are part and parcel of cruising in these boats. Maybe would could put a stack washer/dryer where the head is? Nahhh, probably not a good idea... I'm guessing it would be a REAL mess if the shower-box didn't keep up with the rinse cycle. :shock:

I'll give you a call this afternoon.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Hi Jim,

Having a shower pump that does not suck, does suck. But then again, you are in Florida and enjoying the cruising life while I am taking a class so I can make some money for cruising later, and I think that sucks!

But I am looking forward to your trip posts.

Really any day with good health doesn't suck that bad. Hope the rest of your day is good.

Steve
 
Jim,

Sorry to hear about your sump problems, but glad that you two are again out there on the front lines discovering all the various pitfalls awaiting unsuspecting cruisers! I will check out my sump's diaphrams ASAP!

With the inevitable water messes that seem to arise in cruising these boats, I ordered one of those H2O vacuums from the TV since it can suck up water thru the hose while doing regular vacuuming. I seem to spill stuff down under and behind the Wallas into that cabinet bottom and it's a tough job to clean that up with just a towel.

Have fun!

ps, It is very smart of you to have Joan test the shower FIRST!

John
 
drjohn71a":3qkypc5e said:
...
ps, It is very smart of you to have Joan test the shower FIRST!

John

I am a married guy, Dr. John. I go where I'm told, do what I'm told, when I'm told. She wanted in there first. 8)

I took another shower this evening - yep, it's sucks just fine.

We have been living large here in Apalachicola, awaiting the Discovery Crew plus 2. We ran Wild Blue up the Apalachicola River today, poked around the commercial marina, then had Terry and Andrea, folks who are considering a C-Dory or a Venture, visit this afternoon. Exciting times for folks on the hunt for a new boat!

We are planning trips east and west, and will see what everyone else has in mind when they get here. This part of Florida is called "The Forgotten Coast"... likely because it doesn't have the big cities and glitz of the rest of the Florida coastal areas. I can see the attraction, though: friendly people, great water, and certainly more laid back. Even though the protected ICW ends near here, it is possible to run out into the Gulf and still get into a river for the night to find some calmer water to anchor in. Most people doing the Great Loop run diagonally from here to Tarpon Springs, because of the shallow water and fewer facilities along the Great Bend. We'll see how it plays out.

Looks like we'll need the Wallas tonight - supposed to get down to the 40s. Couldn't have been prettier all day today: sunny, low 70s, light breeze. Oh, and for Pat: we did see one dolphin today where the river opens into the bay. :D

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Sunday, November 9th. We got to play with a different boat today. Marc from Wefings allowed us to take out the C-Dory 22 center console... what a fun boat! I wrote up our impressions of it on another thread here...

http://www.c-brats.com/viewtopic.php?p=123176#123176

We ran the boat out into the Gulf - beautiful blue water, nice conditions: small swell and less than a foot of chop. While we played out there, the wind switched from east to north, but no change in the waves. It is a completely different experience from cruising on Wild Blue.

We ran along St. George Island - what a gorgeous place. It reminded me a bit of Galveston, before Hurricane Ike. Well, the residential part of Galveston; St. George has a lot of homes (many of them rentals), but not much commercial; no high-rise condos. It would be a great place to rent a house and just kick back. Here are a few views of the island as we ran around it with the center console boat...

StGeorge1E.jpg

StGeorge2E.jpg

StGeorge3E.jpg

Love that white sand!

We brought Marc's boat back and headed out to explore in the truck. St. George Island is almost as pretty from the land as it is from the water. We came back through Eastpoint (where Wefings is located), then drove along the coast to Carrabelle and a ways beyond. Regarding "The Forgotten Coast"... when you drive by the coast here, you can actually SEE the water. No high-rise condos making you feel like there's a wall between you and the beautiful views.

When we first got here, I was surprised that the area feels like Florida from 20, maybe 40 years ago... no fast food, no chain restaurants, no Wal-Mart, no miniature golf courses. Instead, quaint shops, small restaurants, lots of beautiful water... Marc said, "It suits me."

I get it. :D

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Hi everyone,
Tonight we are in Gulf Breeze Florida! It was so cool to see the ocean again. It's been way too long. Last night we stayed in Sanatorium Mississippi (I'm not kidding). It probably was a good place for us (me) to stay, but they did let me go. No problems on the trip from Utah. Jeff and Jo (new C-Dory 22 "Kurb-it" are having work done on their motor home and then we'll be off for Apalachicola. There better be a pretty sunset to toast tomorrow--Joan and I have a lot of catching up to do.
Thanks for the heads up on the Red fish in Pensacola Bay, Roger. We have fishing gear for red fish and depending on what happens with the motor home repair, we may launch the boat tomorrow. We'll get a license at Wal Mart.
Boy this trip is finally going to happen and I can't wait!

Dixie
 
Brent and Dixie, we are so envious! We had a great time with Marc here in Snoqualmie, really need to get to Apalachicola one of these days! It's just this working thing keeps getting in the way!

So, Jim - how DO you really feel about fish? :lol:

 
Joan is anxious, too, Dixie. Hope it works out that we'll see you tomorrow night! Sanitarium, huh? (We really need a "biting my tongue" smiley :twisted: ).

---------------------------------------------------------

In a different vein, I saw this on another forum today...

"Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday...see? There is no Someday!"

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Pat, since this is a family forum, let me just remind you what fish do in the water. :wink: Marc tried to feed me shrimp the other night... yes, we live in the shrimping capital of the US, but those are the cockroaches of the sea. And this place is the Oyster Captial... didn't swallow that, either. I was born and raised in I-O-Way... on corn-fed beef, potatoes, and corn. When cows start swimming in the ocean, I'll fish for 'em. 8) That 22 center console could change my mind, though - big fun!
 
JamesTXSD":2pj52dus said:
Pat, since this is a family forum, let me just remind you what fish do in the water. :wink:
And you've never ---- in the shower? What's your point?
JamesTXSD":2pj52dus said:
Marc tried to feed me shrimp the other night... yes, we live in the shrimping capital of the US, but those are the cockroaches of the sea.
Marc can send any shrimp you didn't eat to my house....
JamesTXSD":2pj52dus said:
And this place is the Oyster Captial... didn't swallow that, either. I was born and raised in I-O-Way... on corn-fed beef, potatoes, and corn. When cows start swimming in the ocean, I'll fish for 'em.

I couldn't find any images of cows swimming in the ocean - you see cows are fresh water animals. You typically have to fish for them in rivers like this one
pushed+out.jpg

I'd recommend at least 100# test line, a good drag on the reel and pole with some good backbone.
 
LOL Figured I'd hear from you, Roger! :mrgreen: Joking aside, I'll eat fish on occasion, but I really do prefer meat. And for the vegetarians out there - I get my greens indirectly: I let the cows eat the green stuff, then I eat the cows. :wink: Can't do shrimp, though... tried 'em, don't like 'em. Just so you know I'm not being "picky" about it, there are some flavors of ice cream I don't like, either. :mrgreen: I have Louisiana friends who can't believe I don't eat crawdads... I used to catch them and sell 'em for bait when I was a kid. I don't eat bait.

I may go after that fishing thing one day. I know that's the main reason you have your boat. You wanna go cruising? 8)

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Here's the latest from Dan...

11_9FogStripE.sized.jpg

Again, no resemblance to real life - we have a back up GPS and radar! :wink Still, it made me laugh this morning. Hope you enjoy it.

Best wishes,
Jim
 
Hope this "convoy" of 3 boats and crew have a blast down in the SE. Great waters both on the coast and inland too. Do take time to run up the river a bit and into the back creeks. Neat.

Then, on trips end, keep us posted on a "returnish" time frame and maybe we can do some Cumberland River/TN river cruising.... if your schedules permit.

Byrdman
 
James what about Sea Cows? Our beloved Manatees . The are generally caught with a 9/0 hook baited with a head of lettuce , and best grilled over protected Mangrove tree wood fires .
BTW Anita,Shug, and I took the CC out later in the eve and caught you some speckled trout for a fish fry . Caught em right there across from town around sunset. Ill be you would enjoy a trip out there . Ill kidnap those that want to see how good our inshore fishing is one of theses upcoming evenings .........And we got some killer redfishin in the pass as well .
Kiddin about the manatees
we use a 10/0 hook.
Marc
 
Since the manatee is a mammal, I think I'd be OK with it. Never tried it, but I understand it tastes like Spotted Owl. :wink:

------------------

Mike, thanks for posting that photo... Save the dolphins, eat a cow. :mrgreen:
 
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