Ed Robinson's Blog, page 9
September 28, 2015
Short Hops and Fair Weather
There are two schools of thought for traveling longer distances on a saiboat or slow trawler. One idea is that if you have good weather, you take it and run the whole way to your destination. Run all day. Run all night. Just get there while the getting is good.
We do not subscribe to this theory.
I understand folks that are on a schedule doing it. Maybe they only have two weeks of vacation time and they want to get there now and enjoy more time. We have no schedule, no place to be and nothing better to do. We are not in a hurry, ever. It’s hard to be in a hurry at six knots!
Instead, we make short hops to favored places. We hang out along the way and enjoy ourselves.We wait for good weather before we move on. We can wait as long as we want. Kim HATES storms and high seas. I do everything in my power to avoid them while underway. Last year we waited in Fort Myers Beach for ten days, looking for the perfect travel weather to get to Key West. We finally got it, and enjoyed flat calm seas the entire 15 hour journey.
This year we’ll be skipping Key West, instead heading straight for Marathon and Boot Key Harbor. We’ll start with a leisurely 20 miles trip down Charlotte Harbor to Cayo Costa.
We plan to sit and enjoy the solitude for a few weeks. Our only excercise will be walking on the beach. We’ll read books, watch the dolphins, play with manatees and take in the stars. Next we will cruise down the ICW to Fort Myers Beach.
It’s a scenic 4.5 hours for us. We have several friends their that we look forward to seeing. We also have a few favorite establishments there that serve adult beverages and play live music. We’ll probably stay a week. Then it’s on to Marco Island, a six hour trip at our speed.
When leaving Marco, we’ll look for two good weather days. It’s too far from Marco to Marathon for us to make it in the daylight hours. Last year we left at 2:00 a.m., with no moon. Total darkness was no fun, and we picked up a crab pot out in the Gulf, but that’s another story. We’ll stop off in Little Shark River for the night. It’s a ten hour ride for us.
Early the next morning, weather permitting, we’ll be off for Marathon. It’s takes 8 hours to complete the last leg of the journey. We should arrive just before November 1.
Overall, our laidback approach to travel means we’ll spend almost a month making a trip that others can make in a day and a half. We don’t care! If we were in a mood to move quicker, we’d do the same routes in five days, assuming good weather.
What’s your approach? Are you a tortoise or the hare?
September 25, 2015
Update on Cross-Eyed John
A while back I posted about a poor liveaboard named John that we befriended. He has a drinking problem, and makes poor decisions as a result. If you missed that post, you can read it here:
http://quityourjobandliveonaboat.com/2015/06/30/boat-people-the-sad-tale-of-cross-eyed-john/
Now there is a bit more to the story. John knew he would go to jail for his latest exploits, so he found a homeless couple to live on his boat while he was gone. He didn’t want anything to happen to his home, and it gave them a place to stay for a bit. He’s like that. He is very sensitive to the plight of the homeless. He himself was homeless for many years.
He stopped by our boat one day to say goodbye. He had his medications and a few meager possessions with him. It was sentencing day. We wished him luck and wondered if we’d ever see him again. The judge sentenced him to 45 days in the Charlotte County Detention Center. He served 30 days, and was given one day of probation. He had to stay clean for 24 hours, and then he’d be completely free of his latest legal troubles.
He came to our boat again after his release. He’d been dropped off at a convenience store, at 2:00 a.m. with 20 dollars. He had no way to get to his boat. He walked the street until 6:00 in the morning. He staked out the boat ramp and got a crabber to give him a lift to his boat. The homeless couple was not happy to see him. They didn’t want to leave. John came to see us for advice. He said the argument had nearly come to violence. I told him to call the police. I strongly urged him not to get into a fight, even if he was right. He still had to make it through his 24 hours of probation. He calmed down some. Kim cooked him a meal because he hadn’t eaten. He spent his 20 bucks on beer and cigarettes. We talked or a while and he left.
The next morning he returned. He’d manage to lose his squatters without violence. He had a line on a job. He was taking his boat up the river to a restaurant where the owner had promised him employment. He was calm and lucid. He sounded like he had some hope for a better life.
We wish him the best.
September 9, 2015
Salute to Senior Cruisers
Just prior to Labor Day weekend, we pulled into Pelican Bay/Cayo Costa aboard Leap of Faith. There were only three boats there when we arrived, and we knew all three of them. Some of you may remember Salty Shirl, the solo sailor at 81 years of age. She lives aboard a tiny sailboat with no refrigeration, and has no ties to land.
We met her several years ago, after she beached her boat to scrap barnacles. It was nice to see that she was still out there, living free. We took her a care package (rum and cigarettes), only to learn that she recently had a pacemaker installed. She still took the rum, but returned it after one drink. She was in the process of painting her topsides with Rustoleum. She said she didn’t want someone to find her dead on a dirty boat. Later we dropped off some canned goods. She had mentioned that her dinner was beans and Rotella. She called it chili.
She was ornery as ever.
In the same anchorage was Bob, aboard Marabob. He was a sailor for fifty years, before finally buying a trawler, (40′ Pilgrim).
Bob is in his mid-80’s. We’ve seen him all over the west coast of Florida, from Long Boat Key to Pelican Bay. He lost his dog recently, and we were sad for him. He’s managed to keep on keeping on though. We went over to visit him and couldn’t roust him. We hollered his name and banged on his boat. Suddenly, his head popped up out of the water. He was diving the bottom of his boat to clean the hull. We can only hope to be so capable in our 80’s.
As we have no plans to ever quit living aboard, these two salty old souls are an inspiration to us. They have close to 80 years of cruising experience between them. They can tell great stories, and offer valuable information. They were off-grid cruisers before it was cool.
We are lucky to call them friends, and we think they are still pretty cool.
August 26, 2015
The Trawler Trash Series; Featuring Meade Breeze
Breeze is part rebel, part knight in rusty armor, and every ounce his own man. He’s a rugged, reclusive Florida boat bum, living on the outer edges of society. He’s on the run from his past, but that doesn’t stop him from growing dope on one island and brewing rum on another.
Trouble finds him, no matter how far off the grid he goes. He has a knack for getting out of predicaments, mostly of his own making. The women come and go. Breeze is the new anti-hero of Florida Fiction.
Readers are loving this new series. The reviews have been excellent. Click the links above or see all of my books at my Amazon Author Page:
http://www.amazon.com/Ed-Robinson/e/B00F42LGJ8/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_ebooks_1
August 25, 2015
Leap of Faith; Renovations Continue
I have no idea why we chose the month of August to redo varnish and work on the outside of the boat. The heat and humidity have been brutal. However, the sense of accomplishment we feel is well worth it. Miss Leap feels the love.
After finishing the salon door, we jumped right in to tackle the flybridge ladder and window frame behind it. Before pic of the ladder and window:
After pic:
Kim had the honor of pulling the tape. She applied almost all the coats of Cetol Natural and Gloss.
Then we had no choice but to strip the deck. We’ve already returned the bow and portside walkway to its natural state. You can see what the deck looked like below the door in the above pics. This area was particularly difficult to strip. The old varnish just did not want to come off!
Once the stripping was finally finished, we began sanding. It was hot and sweaty, so we took turns.
FINALLY! We wrapped it up about 6:00 pm. A long day of physical labor. I grabbed a beer and just sat and admired the results of our joint effort.
Today, we took a break from boat chores. Instead we provisioned for a little trip out to Pelican Bay. We still have the starboard side windows (and another door) to do yet. Then we’ll be done with the major stuff. We should be able to enjoy our winter in the Keys without worrying over teak maintenance.
August 17, 2015
The DOOR
Almost since the first day we took possession of our boat, Kim has been wanting to redo the main cabin door. It was a different color than the rest of our teak, but it was in good shape. I knew it would be a tedious, and labor intensive job, so I put it off for oh . . . about four years. For whatever reason, I finally relented and agreed to undertake the job, if Kim would help.
Here’s what we started with:
We used a chemical stripper to start removal of the old varnish.
Halfway stripped:
The old varnish was stubborn coming off. I also had some nooks and crannies to deal with:
Some areas needed a second round of stripper. After all the old varnish was finally removed, (about 6 hours later), I sanded the door with course grit, then medium, then fine.
Only half the job was done. We taped everything off and starting applying new. We went with four coats of Cetol Natural, and three coats of Cetol Gloss (clear). That’s a full week of applying one coat per day, and allowing 24 hours between coats. We had to be extremely careful going in and out of the salon, so as not to smudge the wet finish.
Finally, after 8 days, the finished product:
The sun was at a difficult angle, but it really turned out beautifully.
It looks so good, it makes the ladder and window frame to the left look like crap. Guess what we’ll be doing this week!
August 16, 2015
The Place We Call Home – From Above
Great aerial photos of SW Florida. This is where we live, aboard Leap of Faith.
Originally posted on Ron Mayhew's Blog:
We are blessed. We live in paradise. A little spot of ground surrounded by palms and tropical fruit trees. On an island. Just minutes to the Gulf of Mexico.
Saint James City, a tiny waterfront community of about 4500 year-round residents, forms the southern tip of Pine Island in Southwest Florida. Islands, of course, are surrounded by water and ours is no different. One piece of water with four different names: Charlotte Harbor to the north, Matlacha Pass to the east, San Carlos Bay to the south, and Pine Island Sound to the west.
We have neighbors. Hundreds of them. Large and small. Well known (Sanibel and Captiva Islands) and obscure (Panther Key, Mondongo, Punta Blanca).
The real beauty of the area is the water itself, especially from the air. I expected that, but I was overwhelmed at just how enchanting. It was like being in a gigantic abstract painting by…
View original 269 more words
August 9, 2015
Teak Wars!
We live on a boat with an extraordinary amount of teak. My advice to you is not to do that!
At first, we were very careful and prompt with maintenance coats. We’d fix up small scratches immediately. Over time, we just couldn’t keep up with it. There is so much teak, that by the time we finished, it was time to start over. Our boat has teak toe-rails, teak decks, teak window frames, teak cabin top, teak doors, teak grab-rails, teak bow pulpit, teak swim platform – teak teak teak teak teak –
We had to do something to minimize our work load, so we decided to strip the decks bare and just leave them naked.
At the bottom you see what we started with. The middle section has been stripped. The top portion has been sanded and is the finished product. It wont’ stay blonde for long. Weather will turn it a silver-gray color. We’re okay with that.
The finished foredeck.
As you can see, we have still kept up with the rails an assorted fixtures. We used Sikkens Cetol Natural, and coated it with gloss, which has UV protectors. It will last about one year before needing maintenance coats.
We are currently redoing the port-side window frames. Stripped, sanded, and this shows four coats of Cetol. When finished, it will have five coats of Natural, and two coats of Gloss.
Our swim platform is almost bare on its own, through sun, salt and wear. I’ll strip it completely and leave it gray like the decks. One less piece to maintain.
As with many issues discussed by boaters, ask ten people a question, expect ten different answers. What do you use on your teak, and why? What do you like on bare teak? Do you oil it? Do you wash it regularly? Let’s hear it. What’s the best thing/product/method to use on teak?
August 8, 2015
Breeze is Back!
The ebook version of Free Breeze is now available:
Meade Breeze
Part rebel, part knight in rusty armor, and every ounce his own man, Meade Breeze is a rugged, reclusive Florida boat bum. He has special talent for attracting sexy women. His skill at handling boats is matched only by his knack for getting into, and out of, one predicament after another. Starring in his third novel, all great entertainment, Breeze is the new anti-hero of nautical fiction.
Free Breeze
Slaying dragons and saving damsels in distress in nothing new for Breeze – he’s done it before. But this one was different from the start. He couldn’t save her. Her death haunted him as deeply as the loss of his wife. Her killer was still out there. There was nothing left for him to do, but seek revenge.
After completing his mission, Breeze dabbles in normal society. Can he overcome his wanderlust? Can he assimilate, or will his demons led him to trouble again?
July 24, 2015
Trawler Trash Air Conditioning
For almost five years now, Kim and I have lived without a/c. We acclimated to the Florida heat. We swung peacefully at anchor, enjoying the afternoon sea breezes. If it got too hot, we got in the water. We spent summers on the coast, where it is generally five degrees cooler than inland.
This summer, we find ourselves twenty miles inland, at a marina. The daytime temps have consistently been in the mid 90’s. The humidity is oppressive. The breezes are blocked by surrounding buildings. I admit – we’ve been suffering, especially at night.
A friend, and fellow live aboard, happened to mention that he had a window rattler he’d like to get rid of. I said what the heck, we’ll take it. The only place it would fit was in the side door by the lower helm. This left a large opening. How to fill it?
Viola! Trawler Trash engineering:
That’s a windshield sunshade for your car, plus a little duct tape.
We we let it run full blast all night. When we woke up, it was a comfy 78 degrees inside the boat. Interior humidity was cut in half. We both had a good nights sleep. Not exactly in the finest maritime tradition, but hey . . . Sometimes you have to make do.
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We’ll keep it installed and running for a few months. The plan is to finally leave the marina in October. Kim is doing very well. After a return to Cayo Costa, we will likely head back to the Keys for the winter.
