What's in a name?...

WELL, there are so many things in a name when you get to name your very own 35-year-old-but-still-unnamed boat that will take you on a dream come true!  As a build-up (I'd make a great fiction writer, huh?!), there is something here in the harbor called The Cruiser's Net (or just "The Net" around here) which happens at 9:00 every morning through our VHF radio.  We turn our radio on along with any number of the 200+ boaters in the area - not just people here in the harbor, but any boats within ~1 mile who want to listen in and be a part of the boating community.  We weren't even in the harbor yet when we started listening in, gaining access to helpful information, and acquiring random things for the boat - including the safety net for the cats and any small humans that come aboard (which we got for free)!

So, let me explain what happens: At 9:00 a.m. on the dot(!), one of seven people (one for each day of the week) comes over channel 68 stating that they are The Net Controller of the morning and explains that it is a "controlled net".  What this means is that every person has to state their boat name, be given permission to speak by the controller, then they can proceed with whatever they want to share with everyone.  During the next 15-30 minutes, local boaters: share the names of boats which have just gotten here or are on their way out; share announcements about both the boating community and the city that surrounds us; have a chance to ask other boaters for help (advice, phone numbers, physical help with a project, borrowing of tools, etc.); can buy/sell/trade random stuff on their boat; and participate in random trivia.  This is a wonderful way to keep the boating community fairly tight-knit because there is the opportunity to verbally communicate every day.

On the hook

First and foremost, we want to thank everyone who sent/bought us so many needed items for the holidays - we actually don't know how to thank you enough!  We realize how blessed we are because we have everything we need and then so much more!!!  We know that we would not be able to be where we are if we did not have all of our loved ones helping us out, either through the items we need or through the encouragement and support you send.  Both are blessings to us and we give thanks to you and the Universe for you being in our lives!

In previous blogs, I have mentioned our Dock Lord, the man who was renting the house we were tied up behind.  Now, as much as we appreciated that he had experience as a live aboard boater, we did not appreciate his pessimism or some of the hostilities we felt from within the house.  Furthermore, a week before Christmas, the Dock Lord informed Rob that he knew we are on a really tight budget but that his electricity bill was $50 higher than he had thought it would be, so he was going to double our $225 monthly rent.  Rob promptly told him that we would be out by the end of the month and got to work making sure that would happen.