The Cruising Adventures of Wild Blue and crew...
- Thread starter JamesTXSD
- Start date
dotnmarty":kpa4387b said:
Do I have to send it to the Department of Redundancy Department?
We pulled in around 11:00 last night. By 8:30, Wild Blue was back in the water and at our dock. I convinced Joan that it would be easier to unload and clean the boat at the dock. :wink
I had forgotten how good humidity feels, especially after our time in the desert... 350% today; the temp is around 86º but the heat index makes it feel like the gates of Hell. Yeah, I'm kidding... more like the driveway to the gates.
We built this house with vinyl clad siding to keep our maintenence easy. However, 5 months on her own and the house exterior was pretty dirty. Joan said, "Let there be cleaning." And so it shall be. I have hosed, scrubbed, and re-hosed the entire exterior. She has been working on the getting the deck and patio furniture clean. Cleaning without end. Amen.
I am hiding out right now to post this... and experience the joy of air conditioning. 8)
Lots to do to get moved back in. This is a lot more work than cruising. :disgust
Best wishes,
Jim B.
(High today: 86º, low tonight: 80º, the water temp when we launched was 82º)
Pat Anderson
New member
Is that "The Department of Redundency Department" as in "deja vu all over again"?
dotnmarty":p1dovb01 said:
R-Matey":ye4gkfbk said:
More like the C-Brat Neighborhood Watch. Pretty cool how folks here look out for each other, huh?
Reminds me of the time one of our neighbors called the Coast Guard when Joan and I were out overnight in the fog. Coming back in from the Gulf, we heard the CG calling for us on the radio. I answered and they said, "Are you OK?"
My response, "Yeah, we're fine thanks, and you?" They switched us to 22 and told us that they had received a call. My first concern was: did they do anything besides make a few radio calls? I had visions of paying for an air/sea search! :shock: I let them know I had a float plan with our daughter and they assured me that there was no call for a search. Whew!
Still, it's a good thing when friends look out for each other... you never know when you'll need a helping hand, eh?
Well, back to the grind.
Best wishes,
Jim
Day two of moving back in... all is going well, except "the pull". I felt it all day long; while sweeping the driveway and unloading the truck. I know others hear the voices, too... Wild Blue was calling me.
I suggested a "once around the island, let's go see some dolphins and a sunset" cruise. Joan agreed. The boat was still bug covered from the long drive, but she was glad to get some water-time; almost as happy as her skipper.
It was warm (upper 80s) and the breeze through the open windows felt great. We zipped out to the jetties, saw the pelicans diving and knew the dolphins wouldn't be far away. We hooted when we saw them; they jumped and splashed... yeah, I missed this place.
We took the boat around to a new big bucks development - the docks and seawalls are in, but no houses, yet. The character of the area is evolving; supply and demand... there's only so much property with boat access. We certainly get it and are glad we bought here before the rapid escalation of prices.
We pulled up to our dock just after sunset. Even in her current grubby state, Wild Blue got admiring looks and waves from others on the water... I took the time to scrub and rinse her before dark settled in.
It's good to be home... but it wouldn't be "home" without Wild Blue at the dock. Oldgrowth Dave knows how I feel. I think most of the good folks here understand.
No photos today - we left the camera home. Wild Blue is mostly unloaded and feels like a sports car. :wink: She is doing 3.5+ knots more at the same rpm when she's loaded for cruising. Wheeeeeeee!
Best wishes,
Jim B.
I suggested a "once around the island, let's go see some dolphins and a sunset" cruise. Joan agreed. The boat was still bug covered from the long drive, but she was glad to get some water-time; almost as happy as her skipper.
It was warm (upper 80s) and the breeze through the open windows felt great. We zipped out to the jetties, saw the pelicans diving and knew the dolphins wouldn't be far away. We hooted when we saw them; they jumped and splashed... yeah, I missed this place.
We took the boat around to a new big bucks development - the docks and seawalls are in, but no houses, yet. The character of the area is evolving; supply and demand... there's only so much property with boat access. We certainly get it and are glad we bought here before the rapid escalation of prices.
We pulled up to our dock just after sunset. Even in her current grubby state, Wild Blue got admiring looks and waves from others on the water... I took the time to scrub and rinse her before dark settled in.
It's good to be home... but it wouldn't be "home" without Wild Blue at the dock. Oldgrowth Dave knows how I feel. I think most of the good folks here understand.
No photos today - we left the camera home. Wild Blue is mostly unloaded and feels like a sports car. :wink: She is doing 3.5+ knots more at the same rpm when she's loaded for cruising. Wheeeeeeee!
Best wishes,
Jim B.
We said we wouldn't be crazy about the unloading and moving back in process... yeah, that didn't work. 8) The truck and boat are unloaded and de-bugged. The house has been cleaned top to bottom. The patio furniture is clean and back where it belongs. The hurricane shutters are all up. Every window in the house has been cleaned. Weeds pulled. Palm tree trimmed. Sage bush cut back. Groceries stocked up. Whew! Our butts are dragging.
The only "problem" while we were gone: a bottle of Starbrite hull cleaner dissolved and ate through the bottom of several other plastic containers of cleaner stuff. Fortunately it was all in another plastic bin. An ugly goo to clean up (but I did manage to save a container of sail cleaner, I think... the bottom of that bottle now has the consistency of Saran-wrap :crook ).
I've inflated the kayak, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow morning when it's cooler. Now it's time to jump into the jacuzzi-tub and then take the Blonde out for a nice late lunch. Then, some time on Wild Blue.
Have a great weekend.
Best wishes,
Jim
The only "problem" while we were gone: a bottle of Starbrite hull cleaner dissolved and ate through the bottom of several other plastic containers of cleaner stuff. Fortunately it was all in another plastic bin. An ugly goo to clean up (but I did manage to save a container of sail cleaner, I think... the bottom of that bottle now has the consistency of Saran-wrap :crook ).
I've inflated the kayak, but it'll have to wait until tomorrow morning when it's cooler. Now it's time to jump into the jacuzzi-tub and then take the Blonde out for a nice late lunch. Then, some time on Wild Blue.
Have a great weekend.
Best wishes,
Jim
rogerbum":3vhs0uby said:
No, but he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night. :lol:
Late this afternoon, I put the inflatable kayak in the water and paddled around the canals here. It wasn't sailing or boating, but coming home I had the wind at my back, so I didn't have to paddle much.
I just love being on the water.
Best wishes.
Jim
CatyMae n Steve
New member
mmmm....sure hope you don't have gaters in your neck o' the woods! I enjoy your pictures & stories...be safe and careful -- don't make us send Joe's search party out lookin for ya! :wink:JamesTXSD":1i6jzlre said:Late this afternoon, I put the inflatable kayak in the water and paddled around the canals here. It wasn't sailing or boating, but coming home I had the wind at my back, so I didn't have to paddle much.
I just love being on the water.
Best wishes.
Jim
Caty
CatyMae n Steve":bkcnq34e said:
It might surprise folks to find out that we do have alligators here. Ask local golfers about the "water hazard" at the SPI Golf course. :shock: We see them once in a while at a nearby animal refuge; haven't seen any when we've been out on the boats, though... yet.
The Tropical Tip of Texas is at lattitude 26, about the same as Ft. Lauderdale.
When we have friends from up north visit and they ask about the 'gators, I tell them, "Nah, the 'gators aren't much of a problem... the sharks help keep the 'gator population down." :twisted: Of course, I'm kidding... the sharks are smart enough to stay under water so the mosquitos don't carry them off! :disgust
Best wishes,
Jim
CatyMae n Steve
New member
Well, on second thought, maybe you NEED Joe's search party...they seem to carry some sort of swat device with them! Joe'd probably like the relief, since he seems to be getting whacked upside the head.
We've been home about 10 days now. Wild Blue has been out half a dozen times, the kayak has gotten some exercise, and we've cleaned everything that moves or sits still within our property. We even managed to get to the beach 4 or 5 times already; beautiful powdery (but firm) sand, perfect for nice long walks. This time of year, the summer tourists are gone and the Winter Texans haven't arrived yet. We swam and sat under our beach umbrella most of the morning yesterday and only saw about a dozen people. We really do enjoy the Tropical Tip...now, when do we leave again?
Now, for that "trip wrap up" I talked about previously. We've had Wild Blue 14 months now. She will be due for her 500 hour service in the next couple weeks. We've put over 18,000 miles on the truck/trailer, over 5,000 nm on the boat, and lived aboard approximately 11 of the past 14 months; divided that time up at anchor, in marinas, and in campgrounds on land. I have a dollar figure for what we spent on fuel (truck and boat) during that time, but I won't write it down (don't even ask). Let's just say that it costs more to run a powerboat than it does a sailboat. :wink: OK, it costs more to run a powerboat than just about any other conveyance.
For the costs involved, yes it was worth it. We try to be where the weather suits us... migrating like the birds. Traveling by boat has to be one of the most expensive ways to get around; it is also one of the most interesting. We've criss-crossed this country by car, van, motorcycle, motorhome, and small airplane... each was wonderful at the time, but we both agree that the boat has given us a whole different perspective. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up. :thup
Our average miles per gallon on the boat has worked out to be about 2.35 nmpg. We don't travel light, by the way. The best we've seen was over 3.5 when traveling less than 7 knots for several days. The worst was just over 2.0 (our first group gathering at Lake Powell). Fuel costs per gallon ranged from $2.09 (Port Isabel, Texas, yes on the water, last spring) to over $5 per gallon (in Desolation Sound, British Columbia). Our average speed worked out to be around 11 knots... seems we spend time at 6-7 knots and 15-18 knots.
The water we traveled on ranged from sea level (east coast, west coast, Gulf coast) to around 7,000' at Yellowstone/Tetons. We anchored off the bow (most of the time), occasionally Bahamian moored, a time or two anchored bow and stern, anchored and stern tied, and learned how to beach and run stern lines back to shore at Lake Powell. We stayed in some upscale marinas and some working boat yards, and everything in between. We found we could provision easily for 10-14 days between grocery stops with the fridge and onboard storage. Didn't carry a cooler this last trip out, but did use a portable DC cooler when traveling with the truck. The fridge in the boat was capable of making enough ice for daily sundowners. The accomodations onboard made the traveling comfortable - we really appreciated the fridge, hot & cold pressure water, shower, and elbow room. With our past RV traveling, we thought we were pretty conservative with water and power... we took that to new extremes on the boat. The solar shower helped in water conservation and the Honda 2000i generator gave us power on demand at anchor.
Wild Blue was a champ. Two of us and a cat in 25 feet... and we all lived to tell about it! During the past five months, we slept aboard all but two weeks (while visiting our daughter in Phoenix - no water nearby, and we couldn't park the boat in her driveway). Big Red, our 2006 GMC Sierra diesel pickup (Duramax with Allison transmission) was up to the task of hauling Wild Blue and all our stuff over mountains, across plains, city traffic, and wide open spaces.
We made it to 4 C-Brat gatherings (Lake Powell. California Delta/San Francisco Bay, Bellingham, Gulf Islands). We have made some wonderful friends along the way. That part was a big leap of faith for us, because in all our previous travels, we rarely stopped to visit family/friends... not being stand-offish, we just didn't want to impose on anyone's time. This past year, we took the chance, made a few phone calls, and never asked anyone for anything beyond sitting down to share a meal. Our lives and our travels were definitely enriched by the people we met and their willingness to take time to make new friends. We also enjoyed a lot of "just the two of us" time.
Wild Blue attracted attention wherever we traveled... people are curious. When they learned how much time we spend aboard, they were even more curious. We visited, answered questions, gave "tours", and a few rides. People who don't boat were amazed at the traveling we could do in a boat this size. People in bigger boats were intrigued by our ability to travel by trailer (and always find new water). People in campgrounds were facinated by the fact that we could use the boat as an RV. We were never at a loss for conversation.
Staying connected was relatively easy... cell phones and wireless broadband kept us in touch - with family and friends, and was also our main source of news, information, and entertainment. There were very few places in our travels where we couldn't get a signal. We watched WAY less TV (couldn't get a decent signal most places), enjoyed satellite radio (Sirius in the boat, XM in the truck), and rediscovered the fun in playing games.
Joan and I were high school sweethearts. We worked together most of our adult lives. We play together, enjoy the same things, have similar backgrounds. This situation facinated more people than anything boat related... "How do you do that??? I'd have to kill him after 3 days on the boat." We've spent extended time traveling... crossed this continent plenty of times, so we knew that we would be fine in the confines of Wild Blue. We both survived, are still speaking, and are planning our next travels. After we hang out here for a while.
We've seen a lot of people who travel with their dog(s); there have been discussions here about the best dog for boat traveling. We think the best dog may just be a cat. :wink: Molly the cat has been an interesting travel companion... not many cats who will walk on a leash. She was an adult cat when she adopted us, and didn't sign on for all this traveling... she had never been in a vehicle (except for the occasional trip to the vet) before becoming part of our family. We hadn't intended to have another pet after our last cat. We made a committment to each other... and she now has the biggest compartment in Wild Blue. Pets take time and space. She is family and goes where we go.
Thanks for traveling along with us on this thread. We've been documenting our travels with a newsletter for family for over a decade... there certainly has been plenty to write about this year. And it's been fun sharing it here, as well. For the short term, we'll be day-tripping around here; making a treck up the ICW to Port Aransas, and hauling our sailboat to a race we committed to. It won't be "cruising", but as the weather turns cold around the country, I'll try to show snippets of our time on the water here.
Thanks, also, for the kind words and encouragement, C-Brat buddies. We are looking forward to lots more boat travel... but you only get one "first year." Ours has been memorable. We've talked about "what was your favorite place?" and as we visit, we find ourselves saying, "Yeah, that was great, too." Each place, unique; each experience, special.
Best wishes,
Jim B.
Now, for that "trip wrap up" I talked about previously. We've had Wild Blue 14 months now. She will be due for her 500 hour service in the next couple weeks. We've put over 18,000 miles on the truck/trailer, over 5,000 nm on the boat, and lived aboard approximately 11 of the past 14 months; divided that time up at anchor, in marinas, and in campgrounds on land. I have a dollar figure for what we spent on fuel (truck and boat) during that time, but I won't write it down (don't even ask). Let's just say that it costs more to run a powerboat than it does a sailboat. :wink: OK, it costs more to run a powerboat than just about any other conveyance.
For the costs involved, yes it was worth it. We try to be where the weather suits us... migrating like the birds. Traveling by boat has to be one of the most expensive ways to get around; it is also one of the most interesting. We've criss-crossed this country by car, van, motorcycle, motorhome, and small airplane... each was wonderful at the time, but we both agree that the boat has given us a whole different perspective. Two very enthusiastic thumbs up. :thup
Our average miles per gallon on the boat has worked out to be about 2.35 nmpg. We don't travel light, by the way. The best we've seen was over 3.5 when traveling less than 7 knots for several days. The worst was just over 2.0 (our first group gathering at Lake Powell). Fuel costs per gallon ranged from $2.09 (Port Isabel, Texas, yes on the water, last spring) to over $5 per gallon (in Desolation Sound, British Columbia). Our average speed worked out to be around 11 knots... seems we spend time at 6-7 knots and 15-18 knots.
The water we traveled on ranged from sea level (east coast, west coast, Gulf coast) to around 7,000' at Yellowstone/Tetons. We anchored off the bow (most of the time), occasionally Bahamian moored, a time or two anchored bow and stern, anchored and stern tied, and learned how to beach and run stern lines back to shore at Lake Powell. We stayed in some upscale marinas and some working boat yards, and everything in between. We found we could provision easily for 10-14 days between grocery stops with the fridge and onboard storage. Didn't carry a cooler this last trip out, but did use a portable DC cooler when traveling with the truck. The fridge in the boat was capable of making enough ice for daily sundowners. The accomodations onboard made the traveling comfortable - we really appreciated the fridge, hot & cold pressure water, shower, and elbow room. With our past RV traveling, we thought we were pretty conservative with water and power... we took that to new extremes on the boat. The solar shower helped in water conservation and the Honda 2000i generator gave us power on demand at anchor.
Wild Blue was a champ. Two of us and a cat in 25 feet... and we all lived to tell about it! During the past five months, we slept aboard all but two weeks (while visiting our daughter in Phoenix - no water nearby, and we couldn't park the boat in her driveway). Big Red, our 2006 GMC Sierra diesel pickup (Duramax with Allison transmission) was up to the task of hauling Wild Blue and all our stuff over mountains, across plains, city traffic, and wide open spaces.
We made it to 4 C-Brat gatherings (Lake Powell. California Delta/San Francisco Bay, Bellingham, Gulf Islands). We have made some wonderful friends along the way. That part was a big leap of faith for us, because in all our previous travels, we rarely stopped to visit family/friends... not being stand-offish, we just didn't want to impose on anyone's time. This past year, we took the chance, made a few phone calls, and never asked anyone for anything beyond sitting down to share a meal. Our lives and our travels were definitely enriched by the people we met and their willingness to take time to make new friends. We also enjoyed a lot of "just the two of us" time.
Wild Blue attracted attention wherever we traveled... people are curious. When they learned how much time we spend aboard, they were even more curious. We visited, answered questions, gave "tours", and a few rides. People who don't boat were amazed at the traveling we could do in a boat this size. People in bigger boats were intrigued by our ability to travel by trailer (and always find new water). People in campgrounds were facinated by the fact that we could use the boat as an RV. We were never at a loss for conversation.
Staying connected was relatively easy... cell phones and wireless broadband kept us in touch - with family and friends, and was also our main source of news, information, and entertainment. There were very few places in our travels where we couldn't get a signal. We watched WAY less TV (couldn't get a decent signal most places), enjoyed satellite radio (Sirius in the boat, XM in the truck), and rediscovered the fun in playing games.
Joan and I were high school sweethearts. We worked together most of our adult lives. We play together, enjoy the same things, have similar backgrounds. This situation facinated more people than anything boat related... "How do you do that??? I'd have to kill him after 3 days on the boat." We've spent extended time traveling... crossed this continent plenty of times, so we knew that we would be fine in the confines of Wild Blue. We both survived, are still speaking, and are planning our next travels. After we hang out here for a while.
We've seen a lot of people who travel with their dog(s); there have been discussions here about the best dog for boat traveling. We think the best dog may just be a cat. :wink: Molly the cat has been an interesting travel companion... not many cats who will walk on a leash. She was an adult cat when she adopted us, and didn't sign on for all this traveling... she had never been in a vehicle (except for the occasional trip to the vet) before becoming part of our family. We hadn't intended to have another pet after our last cat. We made a committment to each other... and she now has the biggest compartment in Wild Blue. Pets take time and space. She is family and goes where we go.
Thanks for traveling along with us on this thread. We've been documenting our travels with a newsletter for family for over a decade... there certainly has been plenty to write about this year. And it's been fun sharing it here, as well. For the short term, we'll be day-tripping around here; making a treck up the ICW to Port Aransas, and hauling our sailboat to a race we committed to. It won't be "cruising", but as the weather turns cold around the country, I'll try to show snippets of our time on the water here.
Thanks, also, for the kind words and encouragement, C-Brat buddies. We are looking forward to lots more boat travel... but you only get one "first year." Ours has been memorable. We've talked about "what was your favorite place?" and as we visit, we find ourselves saying, "Yeah, that was great, too." Each place, unique; each experience, special.
Best wishes,
Jim B.
El and Bill
New member
Nice summary, Jim and Joanie - Sure glad that first year of crusing has been so successful for you. We've enjoyed your tales en route and look forward to more. Glad you're home safe and sound - Cheers --
I too enjoyed your travelogs especially the great pictures, like we've been to these places with you, a big thanks to both of you. And very nice to have met you on the Delta trip last May.
One thing though that even surprised me about your quote:
One thing though that even surprised me about your quote:
When I had my F-31 trimaran, they said the sails are really only good for about 5-7 years before they become so stretched that you can't get much performance out of them. They are your engine afterall on a sailboat. Figuring about $10K to replace just the main and a decent genoa with run-of-the-mill sails, you can buy a LOT of gas for that kind of money. At the time (1996-2001) the price of gas was a little lower, so when I figured how many miles per year I would put on a powerboat, including engine maintenance, it was roughly equal to a new set of sails every 5-7 years. Surprising!
Hi Steve,
We replaced sails on Wide Open after 6 years; you are certainly right - it wasn't inexpensive. During those years, we averaged 2500-3500 nm per year. Never spent more than $100 in any year for fuel for that boat. :wink: With our travels this year, fuel costs were considerably higher than the cost of those sails.
To take it to an even more absurd comparison level, I put a lot of hours on a twin engine airplane over the years... the cost per hour to operate that was a LOT higher than the boat... but the miles per gallon were higher with the plane. :shock:
Please understand, this is certainly not meant as a slam against powerboats... they are just not an efficient means of transportation when compared to most other conveyances. Change it to SMILES per gallon (
), and the C-Dory rates right up there with the tri. Even better when you toss in head wind, current, and marina maneuvering. :wink: I cannot imagine a better boat than our 25 for the type of traveling we are doing.
Take a walk through any marina, and you will see boats are sitting more. Rising fuel costs have taken their toll. Boat manufacturers are feeling the crunch. Rising fuel prices take away discretionary income... there is no additional benefit (unless you own oil stock) for that extra money spent on fuel. Fuel was our biggest expense in the last year... more than food or lodging (marinas & campgrounds). Was it money well spent? In our case, I'd have to say an overwhelming "Absolutely!"
I've jokingly said that I'd like to figure a way to put a sail on the C-Dory. There would likely be a mutiny on our boat if I told Joan to get out her sailing gloves and a winch handle. :wink There is still a lot of appeal to me to hoist a sail and feel that pull when the wind is working with you... but I've been spoiled by Wild Blue's ability to go where we want regardless of the wind direction and that wonderful inside steering station that keeps me out of the weather. No regrets!
Best wishes,
Jim
We replaced sails on Wide Open after 6 years; you are certainly right - it wasn't inexpensive. During those years, we averaged 2500-3500 nm per year. Never spent more than $100 in any year for fuel for that boat. :wink: With our travels this year, fuel costs were considerably higher than the cost of those sails.
To take it to an even more absurd comparison level, I put a lot of hours on a twin engine airplane over the years... the cost per hour to operate that was a LOT higher than the boat... but the miles per gallon were higher with the plane. :shock:
Please understand, this is certainly not meant as a slam against powerboats... they are just not an efficient means of transportation when compared to most other conveyances. Change it to SMILES per gallon (
), and the C-Dory rates right up there with the tri. Even better when you toss in head wind, current, and marina maneuvering. :wink: I cannot imagine a better boat than our 25 for the type of traveling we are doing.Take a walk through any marina, and you will see boats are sitting more. Rising fuel costs have taken their toll. Boat manufacturers are feeling the crunch. Rising fuel prices take away discretionary income... there is no additional benefit (unless you own oil stock) for that extra money spent on fuel. Fuel was our biggest expense in the last year... more than food or lodging (marinas & campgrounds). Was it money well spent? In our case, I'd have to say an overwhelming "Absolutely!"
I've jokingly said that I'd like to figure a way to put a sail on the C-Dory. There would likely be a mutiny on our boat if I told Joan to get out her sailing gloves and a winch handle. :wink There is still a lot of appeal to me to hoist a sail and feel that pull when the wind is working with you... but I've been spoiled by Wild Blue's ability to go where we want regardless of the wind direction and that wonderful inside steering station that keeps me out of the weather. No regrets!
Best wishes,
Jim
Several of us have discussed putting traction kites on the CD boats. I think that this is going to be the "Wave" of the future for power boats, rather than a mast and sails. I haven't gone too far with the concept, and my neighbor, who is a sail maker has not made any traction kites, but has repaired some. I suspect we can get used personal board kite for a few hundred dollars and it would give 3 to 4 knots on a CD 25.
I agree the CD 25 is a great boat! For us, ours has been just as comfortable "living" on as the Tom Cat--but not as fast. Thank you for taking us all on your journey--great job!
As for sails--we got as much as 40,000 miles on a set of sails, and that would be a lot of fuel--even at 2 miles a gallon. Figure $3.00 a gallon for fuel, If my math is correct that would be $60,000 in fuel--you can buy a lot of sails for that! Sails can be recut. When we were were racing, we would have our sails recut every few weeks in some condtions. Cruising sail boats get at least around the world--30 to 40 K out of a set of sails.
The worst enemy is UV, so we covered the sails every time we were not using them--even if we were going somewhere else the next day.
I also love the "smiles per gallon"--again thanks--and hope to see you both soon!--only not just on the highway at a closing speed of 120 miles an hour!
I agree the CD 25 is a great boat! For us, ours has been just as comfortable "living" on as the Tom Cat--but not as fast. Thank you for taking us all on your journey--great job!
As for sails--we got as much as 40,000 miles on a set of sails, and that would be a lot of fuel--even at 2 miles a gallon. Figure $3.00 a gallon for fuel, If my math is correct that would be $60,000 in fuel--you can buy a lot of sails for that! Sails can be recut. When we were were racing, we would have our sails recut every few weeks in some condtions. Cruising sail boats get at least around the world--30 to 40 K out of a set of sails.
The worst enemy is UV, so we covered the sails every time we were not using them--even if we were going somewhere else the next day.
I also love the "smiles per gallon"--again thanks--and hope to see you both soon!--only not just on the highway at a closing speed of 120 miles an hour!
It's still summer in the Tropical Tip of Texas. We've been home 3 weeks now, and the weather forecast is the same almost everyday: high of 88-90, low of 78-80, mostly sunny. The beach has been sparsely populated, the water temp in the low to mid-80s. Except for weekend promotions to bring people to South Padre Island (its "Roar by the Shore" this weekend, should be several thousand bikers), it's pretty quiet around here.
After getting moved back in, Wild Blue has been getting regular use locally; mostly short trips - dolphin watching, sunsets, sunrise, touring around to see what's new in the area (no slowdown in the real estate market here).
Joan likes to have something to work on... since retiring, I'm quite content to take a walk on the beach, ride a bike, but mostly I want to be out on the boat. She needs to "accomplish" something. Here, she's intently working on a Sunbrella storage case for the camperback...
And my idea of getting something done...
... kayaking in a cove after breakfast on Wild Blue.
And the next project - we hauled the SunCat (sailboat) home today, from her 6 month rest in storage. We committed to a race (catboats racing - now that's nearly an oxymoron for you :wink: ) next week in Austin. The boat did fine in storage, but there are a few things she needs to get back in fighting shape again - centerboard gaskets replaced today, some rudder work tomorrow, and then we'll get her launched. If she floats, I'll sail her for a couple days to see if I remember how, do some work on her trailer, then pull her out for the trip north. It won't be a C-Brat gathering, but it should be fun all the same.
The races are also a charity fundraiser for the Leukemia Foundation. The catboats are only one class at the regatta. I'm pretty sure it will be the slowest class. :wink:
In the next couple weeks it should cool down for some less-local cruising and nice overnighting onboard Wild Blue... Corpus, Rockport, Port Aransas.
Best wishes,
Jim B.
After getting moved back in, Wild Blue has been getting regular use locally; mostly short trips - dolphin watching, sunsets, sunrise, touring around to see what's new in the area (no slowdown in the real estate market here).
Joan likes to have something to work on... since retiring, I'm quite content to take a walk on the beach, ride a bike, but mostly I want to be out on the boat. She needs to "accomplish" something. Here, she's intently working on a Sunbrella storage case for the camperback...
And my idea of getting something done...
... kayaking in a cove after breakfast on Wild Blue.
And the next project - we hauled the SunCat (sailboat) home today, from her 6 month rest in storage. We committed to a race (catboats racing - now that's nearly an oxymoron for you :wink: ) next week in Austin. The boat did fine in storage, but there are a few things she needs to get back in fighting shape again - centerboard gaskets replaced today, some rudder work tomorrow, and then we'll get her launched. If she floats, I'll sail her for a couple days to see if I remember how, do some work on her trailer, then pull her out for the trip north. It won't be a C-Brat gathering, but it should be fun all the same.
The races are also a charity fundraiser for the Leukemia Foundation. The catboats are only one class at the regatta. I'm pretty sure it will be the slowest class. :wink:
In the next couple weeks it should cool down for some less-local cruising and nice overnighting onboard Wild Blue... Corpus, Rockport, Port Aransas.
Best wishes,
Jim B.