I’ve heard people are starting to get a little worried about me. So I haven’t posted in 12 days, this doesn’t mean I’ve jumped ship and joined some hippy commune.
We have been busy with family and prepping the boat getting ready for the Caribbean season. Carl’s family lives here and we hang out with them pretty much every other day. The girls are getting completely spoilt and are enjoying the extra hugs and ice cream. Carl has been busy welding lips on all the lower hatches, hinging the engine room floor hatch, changing oil, building stools for the table and lots of other odd jobs. I’ve been taking stock of all the food we have on board and making sure we have all the necessities for some hot winter fun: swimsuits, sunscreen, Christmas gifts etc.
We’ve finally perfected, well nothings perfect, our daily schedule. Wake up, eat breakfast, clean up shower, 9-11am school time for the girls while Carl works on projects, lunch, family and/or errands. It’s been working out pretty good and I think the girls are enjoying more of a predictable schedule but I think they’d toss that in a blink of an eye for boogy boards and beach time.
One of the major projects (from my point of view) when we got here was the installation of a new washing machine! Wooo-hoo! We opted for a compact washer instead of the marine combos that most boats go for. We have no need for a dryer so why spend the extra money for one. Our washer is 23.5” wide so we could get it into the aft master cabin. She is wonderful! and my husband is WONDERFUL for installing it for me. You have no idea how much laundry with go through with 3 kids. Our life had suddenly started revolving around our next Laundromat visit. Plus the expense was crazy! We were washing in a bucket in the Bahamas before the baby came which was working out but with all the extra laundry it was becoming a miserable chore. We are hooked up to shore power and water at the moment so I do laundry anytime – weather permitting. When we leave here in a few weeks its another story. I’ll have to time my laundry with either charging the batteries or water making because it’ll need the generator to run. The washer actually uses less water than what we would use doing it in a 5 gallon bucket so no worries there.
Above is one load of laundry. I love my washer.
What else?
We are thinking of joining NARC (North American Rally to the Caribbean) and making the trip to the Caribbean via Bermuda with everyone. We were thinking of the Caribbean 1500 but didn’t pay money and feel pressured to sail with everyone even if we felt the weather wasn’t favorable. This way we can have the companionship of other sailors and maybe find some crew members to help us along. They will be leaving Newport RI the start of November and hopefully we can keep up with the Swans.
We have also been (seriously) dabbling in the idea to do the Northwest Passage next summer. Are we crazy? The kids and I would fly to Alaska part way through the journey so they wouldn’t have to endure the cold offshore stint of it. We love the thought of doing the passage but it’s pretty much a means for us to get to Alaska. We would love to spend a year in Alaska, yes that does mean the unforgiving winter, and put the girls in school. From there we would head south and make the Pacific crossing.
BAM! That’s us for the next 3 years, who would have ever thought I could plan 3 years out. We are always looking for extra crew so keep your calendar open.
Pri helping dad out, sorting and putting away spare hoses.
Before and after of the table legs with stools. We are planning on wrapping the aluminum legs with rope to give it a softer feel.
On the bubba front. Our little man is sitting up by himself for long periods of time and we have 2 teeth. Yep I’ve had limited sleep due to 2 teeth coming in at the same time. The teeth also came along with an ear infection and then a cold and probably another ear infection due to the cold. I NEED TO SLEEP PEOPLE!
Yes the boat ALWAYS looks like this. Spot the baby!
