Audrey's Blog - Arriving in Florida

Watch out for sand spurs!

part 1

After getting into Florida we got into Pensacola which is a part of Florida. Then we got into Apalachicola. We stayed there for a few nights and went to the beach there, where I made a friend named Finley. 

That looks busy.

Lorelei is having fun at the beach

Dolphins!

part 2

We spent a week in Melbourne and that's where I wrote my first blog. That's where we went to the beach with my cousins and had diner with my grandparents a lot. Then we were in Fort Pierce and that's where we are now and that's where our boat is.

Cuddles with Daddy and Papa.

GranMiri and Papa have a boat too.

It's pretty in Florida when the sun goes down.

I like writing blogs.

fun with cousins and siblings

Look at the floating lanterns!

Pretending to sail on Lark.

I like jumping up and down and sliding so fast.

And my sister does too.

Towel dresses when our clothes got wet.

My sister loves trying out her bunk.

Have you ever dreamt of being in florida?

Audrey's.yacht@boatbeach.com 

I love Florida

                                                                                                                                

                                                                             

Does my Mom's food look yummy?

Sisters watching a movie.  

Look at the lizard.

Sailing School

Audrey started sailing camp today. It got off to a bit of a rough start, with forgetting her life jacket on Lark, so Jacob had to run for it. Then Audrey was feeling a little anxious about being there. She is the youngest kid in the program this week, and she and I haven't really been apart since leaving Colorado. At one point she asked me not to leave, and it was really hard for me to convince her I had to. I was missing her too, and drove by three times before pick-up today.

She ended up having a great time! The instructor said she was a little timid about being in her little boat alone, but felt she could do it. The only snafu that I saw was that she didn't realize she was supposed to have the provided lunch and thought I packed her one. I had only packed her an apple and a granola bar though, so she didn't have much to eat, and was shaky and starving when I went to pick her up.

At dinner we asked for a complete play-by-play, and it seems like she really learned a lot! She told us about a bunch of of boating terminology she had learned: dagger board, stern, mast, rudder, bow, sheet, bowline, square knot. Some it was over my head,  I don't even know what a dagger board is! She also said it was a little scary sailing by herself, but when the Captain tried to get in the boat took on water because he was too heavy, so she was glad to be alone again. I guess she ran into a few buoys on her own, but I'm sure that is part of the process! I think I want to use someone else's boat too when I'm learning! I'd hate to run Lark into anything.

4 more days of camp for Miss Audrey. They say by the end they will be solo sailing to some nearby islands!

Audrey had some homework for tomorrow. She was supposed to look up the marine weather, and report in to the Captain.

She was so excited to do her homework, and instead of just remembering it, or taking a few notes, she wanted to write the whole thing out. I think she misses school!

7/27

We got most of the remaining launch prerequisites done this weekend: We got the last 2 zincs installed on the pintle and gudgeon.  We checked the fuel and oil levels and found both sufficient.  We performed a successful radio check.  We got life jackets in the girls' sizes.  We found 2 fenders and numerous docklines.  We replaced the starter battery, the jettisoning of which led to the discovery of a sweet little triple block and tackle rig in the starboard lazarette, and provided the reason I'd been looking for deploy the crane on the wind turbine post.  Speaking of which, Dad was able to coax the turbine into spinning nicely by manually turning it into the breeze.  So maybe some nice lube for that vertical axis will be all it needs.  And finally, Fandango officially became Lark!

On to launch on Saturday!

The biggest remaining question, which I'm sure we'll solve, is whether or not we need to bleed the air from the fuel system after I drained the fuel from the sediment bowl of the Racor.

Happy news for a Saturday morning launch from Riverside, north of the causeway north of the inlet-- low tide at 0639 and high at 1235 will mean that we won't have to fight the ebb to stay clear of the bascule's 26 foot clearance awaiting an opening on our first outing.

trying on every kid life jacket in the store

7/24 prog

So we'll try to launch a week from Thursday.  Before that we'll finish reinstalling zincs; replace the starter battery; get Lark on the transom; get the diesel guy lined up; answer the bilge pump question (there are supposed to be 2, but where?); and complete a radio check.

The internet access issue for work has worked out better than I could have imagined.

The Verizon Jetpack has proven a nearly certain fallback in the absence of other options.  It gets a 4G LTE signal anywhere.  It just has the restrictive usage limits and expensive overage charges.  But when other options aren't working out and it's critical to prove that technology and infrastructure will not impede work progress, it's great to know that it's there as a fallback.

Meanwhile, Xfinity Wifi is all over the place, provides very reasonable bandwidth, and at no additional cost with my existing Comcast Business plan.  There's a locator map to find hotpots but I've discovered that there are also many more hotspots that aren't on the map.

So that's been great, and now, good night.

Settling In...Sort of?

Our monthiversary of leaving Colorado has come and gone. Sometimes it feels like it has all been a blur and I can't believe it has been so long. Other times I feel like it must have been longer, because I don't even remember what it's like to not live out of suitcases anymore. We have slept in 13 different places since leaving Superior, and I am getting so excited to move aboard the boat! It will be nice to have a home again!

selfies with Lorelei

some local color

Our new place is very nice though. It is in a gated community right on the beach, called Ocean Village. There are 6 pools here, and some cool wildlife, plus it is still only 10 minutes to the boat. Unfortunately, we had to move 3 times just to get into the condo we were meant to be in.

our pool

lunch at the Tiki Bar

new neighbors, the Florida Softshell Turtle. Audrey calls them 'Spout Nosed Turtles' because they blow water out of their noses occasionally. 

My dad came for a visit! Yeah! It was so nice to have him around. He helped with a bunch of boat stuff, and played at the pool with us. It was a real spirit booster to have him.

dancing with Grampsy

everyone got a pedicure

Grampsy with his head in the fridge. Between his help, and Jacob's dad coming down every weekend to help us out, we are really starting to get things done! 

I've been doing a lot of debating about how involved to get in this community. I don't think we will be here for too long, but I may still join the local homeschool support group, which offers coop classes for homeschool kids, and lots of field trips and park dates. I would love to make some friends. I'm really missing all of my Colorado friends, especially now that Jacob is back at work full-time and it isn't like perma-vacation anymore. 

7/19 progress

We had a productive day on Lark with lots of help from Dad and Len. 

• emptied the collection bowl in the Racor
• cleaned out the fridge in preparation to fix up all the divots in the insulation
• sanded and oiled teak on the front half of the boat
• diagnosed fridge and A/C issues as likely due to low voltage (11.6V) from the house bank
• found that the solar charge controller is not connected to the battery bank
• found that the starting battery has very low voltage (2.5V), but that we could get the starter to turn over by switching the battery selector to 1+2
• removed most of the lettering for the old hailing port
• probed 18V coming from the solar array

Here's an incomplete short-term todo list:

• diesel inspection before launch
• find bilge pumps and figure out how to work them
• fix 2 leaky cockpit locker lids
• epoxy fridge
• get fridge and A/C working
• finish teak
• clean the deck and cockpit 
• wire up solar charging
• find water tank
• shock water system
• lifeline netting (measure, order, install)

7/18 progress

I'm starting to work out how to work in Mountain Time and live on the East Coast.  Basically, I still live Mountain Time.  I work from 10 to 7 and take lunch at 2.  10 feels like 8; 2 feels like noon; 7 feels like 5.  Instead of sleeping from 10ish to 6ish, now I sleep from 12ish to 8ish.  The girls have shifted their sleeping and waking similarly.  Well, that was easy!

We'll attempt to launch Lark two Saturdays from now.  Like all proper boat owners, we have a long and growing list of things we need to do, ought to do and wish we could do.  That's how we know we're proper.

7/16 progress

Another night, another room.  We are spending tonight in the 12th place since leaving the apartment in Superior.  We're having fun now!

Louisville Best Western
Salina Super 8
Bolivar Country Inn
Horn Lake Sleep Inn
New Orleans Sonesta
Gulf Breeze Comfort Inn
Apalachicola Appalachicola River Inn
Haines City Days Inn
Melbourne Harbor Condominiums
Seahorse Beach Bungalows
Ocean Village 411
Ocean Village 3311

We heard that there's a catamaran at Harbortown with 5 kids.

Beach Bungalow Bust

The Beach Bungalow was ready and we moved in after July 4th weekend . It is a cute, quiet spot, right across from the beach, where even dogs are welcome. Unfortunately, it is a very strange layout! The bedroom doesn't have a door, only curtains, and Jacob can only get internet from one far corner of the couch or the bathroom. Since the bathroom has a door, Jacob works in there pretty often, yuck! We are looking to move next week to something with a true bedroom. We will miss this spot though. The upside to living like this, is it will make the boat seem luxurious with closing doors and defined separate spaces.

the girls love sneaking up and studying the lizards at the Beach Bungalows!

this one had a cool throat pouch!

We went to the beach this afternoon. I didn't take my phone because I didn't want to carry anything.  I was sad that I couldn't take any pictures, but it was so nice.  I felt so present!  I think I need to leave that thing at home more often.  I didn't check email, answer calls, text or even check the time.  I just played ball with Sweet Pea and had a sand and snail tea party with the girls.

goofing around at the boat yard

I was sitting at a Thai restaurant with Lorelei, and she was telling me about how our waitress was speaking Spanish. I tried to explain that there were more languages than Spanish and English, the language we spoke. She says, 'I don't speak English. I speak Normalish.' This kid cracks me up! 

I HATE bugs!!! I seem to get more bites than anyone else in the family. The girls do have a few bites each, but my legs, ankles, and feet are covered. Jacob suggests I should use mind over matter to avoid scratching until I have only bloody stumps, but I have been trying every anti-itch and allergy cream on the market instead. It almost feels like it's not effective anymore! Suggestions?? This has made me want to make no-see-um screens for the boat. I just need to figure out how. 

Climbing onto Lark.  I'm excited for her to get into the water.

We have been visiting Lark regularly, and getting some things done. After the thru hulls, we decided to have the yard paint her bottom. They also replaced her zincs and polished the propeller. We have also hired a sign company to make her a new name and hailing port decal. 

Posing with the boat after she had her bottom painted. 

Doesn't the bottom look pretty! 

I have been reading up on making v-berth sheets for the girls and trying to decide what material to use. Nice cotton is super comfy, but doesn't necessarily dry quickly. Some recommend a micro-fiber sheet, but I'm a little worried they will be too warm in tropical climates. The other recommendation is for a poly-cotton blend.  I also looked into linen.  It is supposed to be cool and dry quickly, but I'm not sure where to buy it. There is a company that makes them, but they are over $200 a sheet. 

We would also like to make new curtains, and get new rugs. Maybe also some new cushions, but we will see how the existing set wash up first. The refrigeration also needs to be fixed and hopefully the air conditioning before we move aboard. 

Aren't these dishes pretty? I was considering them for the boat.

More pictures from our week:

We met our cousins in Sebastian for splash pad fun and lunch. 

Checking out Friday Fest in downtown Fort Pierce

picture by Audrey (notice the giant bug bite in the middle of my forehead)

snuggling Papa

playing at the beach

Sweet Pea enjoyed the beach too. 

7/12-13 progress

With lots of help from Dad we finished reinstalling the through-hulls and seacocks in the head this weekend.  He also spied water in the battery compartment, so re-bedded the cockpit hatch for that.  We also fired up the galley stove; tested out the AC power by plugging in a power tool and firing it up; played with the battery monitoring equipment; put new batteries in the thermostat for the A/C; flipped over the dinghy to have a look; checked out the 7 expired flares; and brainstormed what to do with the dinette to open up floorspace in the salon.  A really nice day all around.

Layover in Melbourne

After 8 days on the road, we finally stopped for a bit in Melbourne, Florida. Jacob's parents live here, so it is a nice place to hang out while we wait for our condo in Fort Pierce to be ready. We rented a cute condo on Melbourne Harbor for a week, with a park out front (unfortunately, with a fairly large transient population) and a swimming pool. We spent some time with GranMiri and Papa at their new apartment, having dinner at our condo, and exploring the hotspots of Melbourne.

our favorite breakfast spot on Melbourne Beach, The Beachside Cafe

playing in the pool at the condo

with GranMiri and Papa after a fun Cuban dinner night out

We also got to go for a fun sail on Papa's boat, Eumelia. It was the girls' first sailing experience, and they really enjoyed exploring the boat, and looking for dolphins. We all had a lovely time.

Another highlight of the week was playing with our cousins. The girls loved re-connecting with Jack and Will, and I loved having a fellow mom of small kids to talk to, commiserate and laugh with again. We already have a good meet-in-the-middle spot picked out, so that we can stay connected.

cousins after a day at the beach

Jack and Lorelei

Audrey and Will playing in the waves

Jacob's dad was also an amazing help with our move! He helped us move all of our stuff into our storage locker, and even got us started on the first of our boat projects, replacing leaky thru hulls!