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.

Repair needed

Due to the Dock Lord's wonderful timing, we had about two weeks to make sure we could be on our own, meaning the dinghy had to be in full working condition.  This involved taking care of a couple of holes that were leaking, one big and one smaller, but that meant sewing - a scary endeavor for two people who know nothing about sticking needles through material that is supposed to not have holes in it.  After a couple of inquires of where we should take it, we ended up going to the one shop everyone had told us to go to... you know, the people who get $95 an hour for repairs!!!  (I thought that only CEOs and prostitutes made that kind of money!)  Once we had a floating boat for our boat, she needed a motor that ran also...  That repair was even more expensive than the boat itself, but the motor has now been checked out and overhauled by the professionals, so we should be set with no problems on that!  Oh, side note: even though our 35-year-old living boat is as yet unnamed, the dinghy had a name already which we were able to find once she was blown up: the "Judy Judy", which is - oddly enough - the name of Captain Rob's mom (well, just one Judy, but this is twice as nice for her)!

While we would have loved to have refrigeration up and running by the time we left the land, we have now found the joys of dry ice!  Turns out that a couple of blocks of dry ice under a few bags of regular ice will stay frozen for days, giving us the ability to keep food cold without breaking the bank in one direction or the other: we need neither the $1,000+ refrigeration system nor buying tons of ice every other hour.  So, for now, this will have to do; hopefully, we'll be able to sell either the small sailboat we left behind in Texas or my car in time to get the fridge installed, but at least it's not a necessity.

As that was the only piece we were missing on the last day of 2011, we were ready (and completely willing!) to leave free-flowing water and electricity behind with easy access to land becoming a thing of the past.  Ceremoniously, Rob and I grabbed onto the shore power cord and pulled out our "umbilical cord" from the electrical plug, climbed aboard, and pushed off toward the setting sun.  There were two somewhat unfortunate situations surrounding this momentous occasion for us: one, there wasn't any wind, so we had to motor over to our new place, but that gave us the opportunity to make sure the motor was in good working order with no more sputtering.  And, two, I was running late for work, making me anxious about the time it took us to get where we were going and overshadowing the exhilaration I should have been having about moving into our new community of live aboards.  One day, I will learn to roll with the punches and stop thinking about the "what ifs"... I think.

The last sunset of 2011

Hours later, in 2012, Rob brought me home to our new parking place by dinghy, the first of many trips like these to come!  The most amazing way to begin a new year is to begin a new life, surrounded by energy- and water-conscience travelers who are ready and willing to share their knowledge, resources, and fun with you.  But, that night, none of those people mattered: that night, it was me, my most wonderful husband, and Mother Moon looking over her domain of the ocean; I could stop neither the tears in my eyes or the smile on my face!  The next morning started with breakfast in the cockpit of the boat with the sun warming our skin, then a (fairly chilly) swim around the boat, the first time I had the chance to do so!  So many things about that day made me happy, I can't find the words to express it enough!

Quickly, I will explain our living situation: we are on a mooring ball in Boot Key Harbor, one of three places in the Caribbean where there is a community of live aboard sailors due to the protected harbor we are in.  Though there are over 200 balls to tie a boat to, we had only four to choose from on the day we moved over here because of the popularity of this area.  In order to moor a boat on a ball, a dock line is tied to each side of the front end of the boat, then secured to a floating ball that has a very large weight tied to it at the bottom of the water.  This weight is heavier than the boat's weight so the boat won't move, but it is right in the middle of the water.  Basically, this is being anchored without needing to throw your personal anchor in the water.  We are at the very end (C17 on this map), so we get the opportunity to see everyone else's boats as we drive around in order to get ideas about mounting our solar panel, propane tank, and other little "how can we do this better" details one does not think about until finally living on the boat.

As we settle in, we learn - we learn about the boat, we learn about each other, we learn about the cats, and we learn about the weather.  Today, my first day off work in five days, a cold front has blown in and we have learned what it sounds and feels like to be swung around all night long (not so bad; you really can't feel it when down in the cabins).  We have learned that there is something going on with our propane stove/oven combo when we use the oven, though the stove seems to be working fine.  I have learned that when there are times to panic - such as when there are flames on the outside of the oven licking on the wood cabinet - Rockstar Rob knows exactly what to do... even if it sounds like he is freaking the hell out.  And, last night, I found out that Lil' MC is passive aggressive: when freaked out by the impending said cold front with high winds, she used my leg as she would usually use a tree, jumping up and grabbing with full claws in an attempt to climb (NOT a good feeling, in case you wondered).

All in all, we are adjusting and loving it!  We hope to have the name of our boat printed and on it by the end of this week, allowing us the opportunity to have our ceremony to Poseidon (and, of course, get drunk with other sailors) so that we can finally start telling people the name of our boat.  We are in the process of getting what we need for our solar panel so that we can use the computer and lights as we see fit instead of with one eye on the device and the other on a clock.  And, we are getting what we need to make sure there are no more times of panic when using the oven...  We figure that's probably the first on the priority list.  Go figure, huh?  We are guessing we need to be in this area for another month as we get these items in place and have the opportunity to sail around, snorkeling in the areas we have yet to see in these parts.  Besides, this gives us both the chance to keep working for just a little longer, filling the coffers faster than we drain them on all of these little bits and pieces.

In closing, we wish you, wonderful family and family of friends (and all those near and dear to you), a wonderful 2012 filled with love, light, and joy.  I know that most people could use a much better year than the one we just left behind...  BUT, always view life experiences with joy, knowing that now that you have experienced pain, frustration, and/or loss, you will be able to fully enjoy all the wonderful blessing that are coming into your life this year!  May all your dreams come true in 2012... especially if the Mayans were right!  We love you all and hope to hear from you with tales of greatness!