Test 1, 2, 3 . . . is this thing on?
We are soooo stoked to be back in the blog-o-sphere and ready to post about everything from checking out an Albin 36′ trawler, to moving, and even hurricane Dorian.
We’re back online and transmitting from our new location just barely above sea level in sunny Melbourne, Florida.
Since the end of March and our trip toTrawlerfest, what has been going on in our lives?
Heartache :
Sadness fell on us at the end of February when my mom passed away, just 6 days after her 88th birthday.
My mom had been on oxygen for the last two years or so, but that didn’t slow her down much at all. She still made her way around town for errands and shopping.
With Jennifer’s help, she continued to run “Busy B’s”, her shells and crafts store at the local flea market on Fri, Sat, and Sun.
Even though she knew that her health was failing, she still expected to be around for many more years. Mom’s mind was sharp and her spirit was strong right up to the end.
Shortly before Jennifer and I attended TrawlerFest this year, my mom was admitted to the hospital due to low oxygen levels.
There were many tests and treatments, but after 8 days in the hospital, my mom lost her fight with COPD.
I love her tremendously and we will miss her.
Moving :
After the passing of my mom, Jennifer and I made the decision not to sell her house. It was always the plan to assume the family home someday. Just not this soon.
In the midst of closing our business in Orlando, we had been attempting to purge much of our “stuff” and were living in a small condo along the ICW in Brevard County, FL.
All of this has been towards our plan to start living a cruiser’s lifestyle. Eliminate most of the overhead, get real small, and buy a trawler.
Not yet!
So . . . plans are always subject to change. Jennifer and I agree that things happen at certain times for certain reasons. It’s very possible that we are meant to do a few other things before moving ahead with our cruising plans.
We said goodbye to our awesome view of the ICW and the regular rocket launches just across the river. Now our home and base of operation is just a few miles south and still along the ICW in Melbourne, FL.
While the Indian River isn’t just outside the door anymore, it’s still only 300 yds away and we’re good with that. We love it here.
There is so much stuff to sort out and make decisions on. It’s gonna take time and work, but we’ll have a home that we can come back to between cruising trips and a place for the grandkids to visit ( no pressure Robert) Lol.
Hurricane Dorian :
You may have heard of a little storm called hurricane Dorian. That CAT-5 hurricane made an angry roll towards her predicted landfall . . . Melbourne, Florida. That’s where we live now !!
They were so sure it was coming, even the BIG boats got out of the water. Check out this video we shot riding through Port Canaveral:
Fortunately, the state of Florida was spared almost completely when the storm stalled for almost 3 days and began it’s more northerly movement.
Unfortunately, our neighbors just to the east in the Bahamas, paid a terrible price. The shear amount of time they had to indure hurricane conditions was unbelievable. Not to mention the ocean’s storm surge and heavy rains that wouldn’t let up for days. DAYS !!
Our good hopes and prayers go out to the people of the Bahamas. We hope that they can return to some level of “normal” soon.
We know of many local folks that have already made multiple trips across the Gulf Stream to take supplies and offer assistance in any way they can.
Trawler Search :
Jennifer and I are happy to report that while we have been dealing with some obstacles lately, we haven’t stopped searching for our “project” trawler.
Just a couple of weeks ago, we took a peak at a 1978 Albin 36 that is actually a local vessel that Jennifer and I have seen many times. She has a slip in the marina that we frequent.
Now she’s for sale and we had to check her out.
Since the owners aren’t actually living aboard, the yacht broker was able get us access to look and walk-through at our own pace. Awesome.
She really checked most of the boxes that we wanted. She is a single screw Lehman engine, has an aft stateroom, is under 40′, and her normal wear is almost all stuff that we could do ourselves.
What we liked the most was that this boat is able to leave the dock in between projects.
She even had a Gold Looper’s Burgee in the salon area. She’s done the Loop!!
We both have likes and dislikes with regards to the Albin as our starter vessel, but at the time of this posting, Jennifer and I are talking about whether we would proceed with a sea trial and inspection on this one. IDK.
Bonus Blog?
Okay . . . maybe I’m a little excited about being back in front of the computer and posting to the blogsite. I’m just gonna go long here and talk about what we’re doing for the rest of this year.
With all of the craziness over the last few months, we haven’t done much boating. A lot of beach. A lot of pool. Not a lot of boating!
Jennifer says that it’s time to get back out on the water. “The beach is great, but it’s not boating!” I agree.
Here in Florida, we have about 3 more months of summer boating . The temps will be warm for awhile, so maybe we can still get in a Silver Glen Spring trip.
If not the Silver Glen, than possibly a run south on the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) for 3-4 days. We really just want an excuse to stay aboard for a night or two. SOMETHING !!
After we get at least one good trip under our belt, it’ll be time for some spoil island camping again.
When the daytime temps are still in the 80s and the nights turn cooler, that’s the best time to boat to your own “private” island for some good family fun.
Spoil island camping can be so many things. Arriving by boat, pitching tents along the shoreline, BBQ, fishing, exploring, and campfires at night. The entire family will have a blast and even if you prefer to sleep aboard your boat, the kids can still camp ashore. How cool is that?!
BTW . . . if your kids are already grown, or you don’t have kids, spoil islands are awesome for “adult” camping. Just saying.
Before you know it, December will be upon us and we’ll be posting about Christmas boat parades again. Let’s not rush it.
Extra Exposure :
So here’s something we thought was cool. Over this summer we picked up some new readers and subscribers when one of our posts was included to represent Florida in “40 Under the Radar Boating Destinations Across the Country” by Fred Topel.
Considering the number of boaters from Florida that are online, we were honored that Fred picked our post “Daytrip: Boating the Spoil Islands of Brevard, FL”. Thank you Fred.
Wrap It Up :
Alright . . . that’s enough for now. Jennifer and I really missed the whole blogging experience and we’re commited to posting regularly again.
Thanks to our subscribers and thank you for spending time here reading our post.
Please contact us if you have any comments or want to talk boating. Don’t forget to subscribe below so we can shoot you our latest post.
See you on the Water !
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