27 July 2017
Well, we were back in Mesa again. Chelsea had just put the finishing touches on her Masters thesis and was officially done with ASU. She had been accepted to multiple doctoral programs, including ASU, but the finances varied dramatically, as did the cost of living. After a lot of research and discussion she decided on Florida State in Tallahassee. As a bonus she would be a couple thousand miles closer to us, and working with a major person in her field.
Chelsea had lived in the valley her entire life. Once she went to college at ASU she moved out of the house into an apartment in Tempe for a year. After the housing crash we were able to pick up a centrally located condo in Scottsdale that was cheaper than the rent for her apartment. She lived there for a few more years, finally moving home again to save money. At the same time Chelsea moved out, Madi, her cousin Faith and eventually a couple more friends moved into the condo.
Last year when Heather and I moved onto the boat a couple of Chelsea's condo roommates (now married) moved into the house with her. Later Chelsea's boyfriend did too. We had almost everything we owned in one parking space in the garage, and the convertible in the other. Other than the computer desk and a couple closets we were out of the house.
We were back in Mesa to move Chelsea to Tallahassee, move us completely out of the house and to a storage unit, then prepare the house we had lived in for 26 years for rental to people who were not related to us.
This was the first official day of moving. We thought we had been clear on the difference between packing and moving, but Chelsea had never moved farther than a 20 minute car ride away. We were leaving for Tallahassee in a little over a week hauling a 12 foot trailer which had to contain all Chelsea's worldly belongings, and her boyfriend Travis'. Very few boxes, especially filled ones, were stacked about yet.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
The adventures of Dan and Heather as they travel on their sailboat, "Hiatus".
Tuesday, October 31, 2017
Monday, October 30, 2017
To JAX then PHX
26 July 2017
In the morning we finished prepping the boat and packing for our trip back to AZ. We called an Uber to the Jacksonville airport because we were unable to rent a car one way from the little burg of Brunswick. It was surprisingly competitive. We had been using Uber a lot in Florida with good results.
We got to the airport and did the usual things. Chelsea picked us up at Sky Harbor and drove us to the house, where the Land Cruiser started right up after months of inaction. We drove down the street to an AirBnB, someone's nice little one bedroom apartment, since Chelsea's roommates had paid through the end of the month. I had decided to try out a few of these for various reason. It seemed pretty cost effective, but also I was curious about the whole process. We're thinking of converting the Scottsdale condo from a straight lease to a vacation rental.
The vacation rental idea was appealing for multiple reasons. We really didn't think we would be spending so much time in the southwest during the holidays, but flying back and forth didn't seem to make a lot of sense either. If we could block off the condo for a few weeks during the holidays and still at least break even during the rest of the year that would be handy. So we were looking at the process from the other side first.
The apartment was nice enough, but it wasn't tough to visualize the condo being at least as nice, given its location, the improvements we have made, its own parking and a view of the pool. We might be able to make this work next year for the holidays after the current lease is up. We had two nights there, then we moved on to another AirBnB.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
In the morning we finished prepping the boat and packing for our trip back to AZ. We called an Uber to the Jacksonville airport because we were unable to rent a car one way from the little burg of Brunswick. It was surprisingly competitive. We had been using Uber a lot in Florida with good results.
We got to the airport and did the usual things. Chelsea picked us up at Sky Harbor and drove us to the house, where the Land Cruiser started right up after months of inaction. We drove down the street to an AirBnB, someone's nice little one bedroom apartment, since Chelsea's roommates had paid through the end of the month. I had decided to try out a few of these for various reason. It seemed pretty cost effective, but also I was curious about the whole process. We're thinking of converting the Scottsdale condo from a straight lease to a vacation rental.
The vacation rental idea was appealing for multiple reasons. We really didn't think we would be spending so much time in the southwest during the holidays, but flying back and forth didn't seem to make a lot of sense either. If we could block off the condo for a few weeks during the holidays and still at least break even during the rest of the year that would be handy. So we were looking at the process from the other side first.
The apartment was nice enough, but it wasn't tough to visualize the condo being at least as nice, given its location, the improvements we have made, its own parking and a view of the pool. We might be able to make this work next year for the holidays after the current lease is up. We had two nights there, then we moved on to another AirBnB.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
Sunday, October 29, 2017
Prepping the Boat for Hurricane Season
22-25 July 2017
Heather had missed her originally scheduled flight back to Phoenix with our water pump delays. Now we were going to fly back together in a few days, which meant that we had a limited amount of time to prep the boat for our absence. We were in a good spot to ride out hurricane season, but still needed to be prepared for the worst.
I removed the radar reflector and the solar panels. We put on all the dock lines and kept adjusting them for days until the boat was in a nice cradle of lines. The fenders were positioned until all the hot spots were covered. The docks are floating, and they need to be, because the tides are about 8 feet here.
The marina seemed most concerned about the foresails unwinding in the wind. That seemed to be the most common problem, and if the wind was strong enough to unwind the sail on its own it was too strong to do much about it other than cut the sail down. Since I hadn't ever taken down a furling sail I snugged up and locked down the furling lines and tied off the drum for a little added insurance.
Down below we organized and cleaned and packed. We were just planning on being gone for a few weeks but this was only our second hurricane season and we were in a new place. We closed all the through hulls (holes in the boat) except the air conditioner coolant one, which we left on to dehumidify the boat. Because it was humid and hot. I took five steps out of the air conditioning and I'm already soaked hot and humid. Without AC on we were afraid we would come back to the boat and it would be a ball of mold below.
Because we wanted the AC to stay on we needed power, so the plugs and the cable were tied down and supported to keep them from pulling out if the weather got rough. Before we knew it time was up and we needed to go.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
Heather had missed her originally scheduled flight back to Phoenix with our water pump delays. Now we were going to fly back together in a few days, which meant that we had a limited amount of time to prep the boat for our absence. We were in a good spot to ride out hurricane season, but still needed to be prepared for the worst.
I removed the radar reflector and the solar panels. We put on all the dock lines and kept adjusting them for days until the boat was in a nice cradle of lines. The fenders were positioned until all the hot spots were covered. The docks are floating, and they need to be, because the tides are about 8 feet here.
The marina seemed most concerned about the foresails unwinding in the wind. That seemed to be the most common problem, and if the wind was strong enough to unwind the sail on its own it was too strong to do much about it other than cut the sail down. Since I hadn't ever taken down a furling sail I snugged up and locked down the furling lines and tied off the drum for a little added insurance.
Down below we organized and cleaned and packed. We were just planning on being gone for a few weeks but this was only our second hurricane season and we were in a new place. We closed all the through hulls (holes in the boat) except the air conditioner coolant one, which we left on to dehumidify the boat. Because it was humid and hot. I took five steps out of the air conditioning and I'm already soaked hot and humid. Without AC on we were afraid we would come back to the boat and it would be a ball of mold below.
Because we wanted the AC to stay on we needed power, so the plugs and the cable were tied down and supported to keep them from pulling out if the weather got rough. Before we knew it time was up and we needed to go.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 26, 2017
Finally to Brunswick
21 July 2017
We let loose from the mooring in the morning and headed north again. We crossed over into Georgia and were behind Jekyll Island with a very low tide when Heather handed over the wheel to me for a break. You know something had to happen. Just past the bridge we went aground, and stayed aground, yet still slowly moving. We plowed through the thick mud for about a quarter mile, following behind a shrimper that was also heading up, figuring they knew the best way. Note to self, on the way back down we need to pass behind Jekyll Island at high tide.
We made it to the river, then headed upstream to the bridge. Just past the bridge we took a right up a little inlet, and a few minutes later we were looking at the Brunswick marina. Once we identified the fuel dock we came alongside and tied up. We topped up with fuel and pumped out, then headed up to Dock 7, which was to be our home for a while. Between the substantial tide and a little bit of wind we struggled to get into the slip, but we did eventually with no harm done.
We're finally in Brunswick! We had dinner at a cute little bar within walking distance called Tipsey McSways, located in the downtown area. Once back on the boat we were quickly down for the count.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
We let loose from the mooring in the morning and headed north again. We crossed over into Georgia and were behind Jekyll Island with a very low tide when Heather handed over the wheel to me for a break. You know something had to happen. Just past the bridge we went aground, and stayed aground, yet still slowly moving. We plowed through the thick mud for about a quarter mile, following behind a shrimper that was also heading up, figuring they knew the best way. Note to self, on the way back down we need to pass behind Jekyll Island at high tide.
We made it to the river, then headed upstream to the bridge. Just past the bridge we took a right up a little inlet, and a few minutes later we were looking at the Brunswick marina. Once we identified the fuel dock we came alongside and tied up. We topped up with fuel and pumped out, then headed up to Dock 7, which was to be our home for a while. Between the substantial tide and a little bit of wind we struggled to get into the slip, but we did eventually with no harm done.
We're finally in Brunswick! We had dinner at a cute little bar within walking distance called Tipsey McSways, located in the downtown area. Once back on the boat we were quickly down for the count.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
Wednesday, October 25, 2017
St. Augustine and Fernandina Beach
20 July 2017
In the morning we pulled up the anchor and headed for St. Augustine. We stopped by the fuel dock to top up and grab some ice. We made it quick and were still able to catch the 8:30a opening of the Bridge of Lions. We were back on our way north.
We got as far as Fernandina Beach, just a few miles south of the Georgia border. The marina didn't have enough water for us so we had to pick up a mooring. We had to drop the dinghy in the water, mount the outboard and zip across to the marina before it closed. The mooring was only $20 bucks a night, probably because the factory down the river smelled like it made the flavoring for BBQ potato chips.
We had a quick shower then headed over to the Salty Pelican (aren't they all?) for dinner. It seemed like a nice little downtown area, but we were out of there in the morning, headed for Brunswick. The view from the restaurant was better.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
In the morning we pulled up the anchor and headed for St. Augustine. We stopped by the fuel dock to top up and grab some ice. We made it quick and were still able to catch the 8:30a opening of the Bridge of Lions. We were back on our way north.
We got as far as Fernandina Beach, just a few miles south of the Georgia border. The marina didn't have enough water for us so we had to pick up a mooring. We had to drop the dinghy in the water, mount the outboard and zip across to the marina before it closed. The mooring was only $20 bucks a night, probably because the factory down the river smelled like it made the flavoring for BBQ potato chips.
We had a quick shower then headed over to the Salty Pelican (aren't they all?) for dinner. It seemed like a nice little downtown area, but we were out of there in the morning, headed for Brunswick. The view from the restaurant was better.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
Tuesday, October 24, 2017
Finally Out of New Smyrna Beach
19 July 2017
After much heartache and discontent with Al's Mobile Marine, 11 days after he had left our boat with our engine parts in hand, he finally came back with the replacement parts. He quickly had the drive gear installed and our old, rebuilt pump bolted on. The new pump we had bought in Dinner Key was also rebuilt and ready to act as a spare. The engine was repaired by 9a, and we departed NSB before 9:30p for parts north. Heather wasn't going to make her flight to Arizona and we were late getting up to Brunswick, but at least we were on our way. Despite our late start we made it almost all the way to St. Augustine, founded in 1565.
We anchored just a few miles south of StA after inching our way to the back of the anchorage. Our problem was too much water rather than too little. We finally dropped the anchor and felt it grab hard on the mud bottom.
There wasn't much around so we stayed on the boat and had dinner, then called it a night pretty early. We had an even longer day scheduled for tomorrow.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
After much heartache and discontent with Al's Mobile Marine, 11 days after he had left our boat with our engine parts in hand, he finally came back with the replacement parts. He quickly had the drive gear installed and our old, rebuilt pump bolted on. The new pump we had bought in Dinner Key was also rebuilt and ready to act as a spare. The engine was repaired by 9a, and we departed NSB before 9:30p for parts north. Heather wasn't going to make her flight to Arizona and we were late getting up to Brunswick, but at least we were on our way. Despite our late start we made it almost all the way to St. Augustine, founded in 1565.
We anchored just a few miles south of StA after inching our way to the back of the anchorage. Our problem was too much water rather than too little. We finally dropped the anchor and felt it grab hard on the mud bottom.
There wasn't much around so we stayed on the boat and had dinner, then called it a night pretty early. We had an even longer day scheduled for tomorrow.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
Monday, October 23, 2017
NSB Part 3
09 July 2017
Right across the street from the marina in NSB was a little park. The farmers market was on the other side.
But on this side of the park is a foundation which has apparently served multiple purposes over the years. There is a small plaque in the front.
If you blow up the text it says "This Coquina foundation rests within a shell midden from the Timucuan indian era. Mystery still surrounds the origin of this foundation." It's hard to see in the picture below, but the bottom 8-10 feet of the foundation is below grade. Obviously a lot of work with little defensive purpose. Interesting.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
Right across the street from the marina in NSB was a little park. The farmers market was on the other side.
But on this side of the park is a foundation which has apparently served multiple purposes over the years. There is a small plaque in the front.
If you blow up the text it says "This Coquina foundation rests within a shell midden from the Timucuan indian era. Mystery still surrounds the origin of this foundation." It's hard to see in the picture below, but the bottom 8-10 feet of the foundation is below grade. Obviously a lot of work with little defensive purpose. Interesting.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
Thursday, October 19, 2017
NSB Part 2
08 July 2017
Well, we were going to spend some time in New Smyrna Beach, so we might as well make the best of it. We stumbled across a farmers market no more than a couple hundred yards from the boat on our first morning here. Small but cute, Heather went from stall to stall. I quickly went for the shade.
There was a cute main drag called Canal Street a couple blocks over with several restaurants and such. It was good to have some options within walking distance. They had a classic car show on Canal Saturday night. It seemed like a nice small town.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
Well, we were going to spend some time in New Smyrna Beach, so we might as well make the best of it. We stumbled across a farmers market no more than a couple hundred yards from the boat on our first morning here. Small but cute, Heather went from stall to stall. I quickly went for the shade.
There was a cute main drag called Canal Street a couple blocks over with several restaurants and such. It was good to have some options within walking distance. They had a classic car show on Canal Saturday night. It seemed like a nice small town.
sv-hiatus.blogspot.com
Tuesday, October 17, 2017
Back At It
17 October 2017
OK, it's been a very long time since I've posted. I'll start catching up now, but that will clearly take a while, so first a quick status as of today.
As of a couple of weeks ago we're back on the boat. We're fine, and despite some scares the boat weathered the busy and active hurricane season well in Brunswick GA. The kids are good, but Chelsea is now going to school in Tallahassee. Madi's still settled in in San Jose. We're completely out of the house in Mesa and have tenants that aren't related to us living there. Everything we still own is either on the boat or in a very full storage unit.
That should do for now. I think it is officially fall. A storm blew in last night and the temperature finally dropped to a point where it is in no way hot. We have some time in Brunswick before there are any more major changes, and hopefully I can catch up before then. Hope everyone had a good summer.
OK, it's been a very long time since I've posted. I'll start catching up now, but that will clearly take a while, so first a quick status as of today.
As of a couple of weeks ago we're back on the boat. We're fine, and despite some scares the boat weathered the busy and active hurricane season well in Brunswick GA. The kids are good, but Chelsea is now going to school in Tallahassee. Madi's still settled in in San Jose. We're completely out of the house in Mesa and have tenants that aren't related to us living there. Everything we still own is either on the boat or in a very full storage unit.
That should do for now. I think it is officially fall. A storm blew in last night and the temperature finally dropped to a point where it is in no way hot. We have some time in Brunswick before there are any more major changes, and hopefully I can catch up before then. Hope everyone had a good summer.
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