Pre-Survey Jitters

We might have found our boat -- "the one" for us -- a 1984 Brewer 42' cutter (photo above).

We will have it surveyed on Wednesday -- Halloween! 

Click here to see all of the cool photos online!  We like this one better than the last yacht we looked at: more equipment, more homey. The last was a tough, well-built boat, a CSY 44', but this one is better equipped, so it's a better value. Value is our yacht broker's favorite word: Dave McCall of Maritime Yacht Sales (no promotional consideration was accepted for this mention).

It has room for Mom and Dad in the aft cabin, and our son will have the V-berth in the bow (front). He'll have room for Legos, books, etc. -- and of course even room for a friend to visit. We hope to get together by sea(!) with friends from Cleveland in late November. 

Let us know what you think of this post (article).

What it's like to live aboard a sailboat (HUMOR?)

Funny photo not related to  (Sweettooth.typepad.com)

Lee found the "Liveaboard Simulator" essay on the Web. It made our sides hurt from laughing so hard! To appreciate what it takes to live aboard, read The Liveaboard Simulator (complete essay)

Here are the first few paragraphs:

Just for fun, park your cars in the lot of the convenience store at least 2 blocks from your house. (Make believe the sidewalk is a floating dock between your car and the house. 

Move yourself and your family (if applicable) into 2 bedrooms and 1 bathroom. Measure the DECK space INSIDE your boat. Make sure the occupied house has no more space, or closet space, or drawer space.

Boats don't have room for beds, as such. Fold your Sealy Posturepedic up against a wall, it won't fit on a boat. Go to a hobby fabric store and buy a foam pad 5' 10" long and 4' wide AND NO MORE THAN 3" THICK. Cut it into a triangle so the little end is only 12" wide. This simulates the foam pad in the V-berth up in the pointy bow of the sailboat. Bring in the kitchen table from the kitchen you're not allowed to use. Put the pad UNDER the table, on the floor, so you can simulate the 3' of headroom over the pad.

(You'll want to read the whole thing!)

 

That little dohickey to the left of the steering wheel

BEST MOMENT ABOVE at 3:55: "I'm driving the speed limit" and everyone passes him. Compilation from YouTube.

Dear Floridians:

We have driven all over the world: France, U.K., L.A., Boston, D.C., Italy, San Francisco, Calif., even Australia, etc. But we have never seen such a bunch of reckless, fast, inconsiderate, boorish, dangerous drivers in our lives!

You probably won't believe this, but there's a little dohickey on the left side of your steering column that moves up and down. Drivers are taught to use this to signal lane changes, pulling away from the curb, etc. Is the use of the turn signal not taught in Florida "drivers ed" or the driving manual you may pick up at the DMV, or are all drivers in Florida self-taught? 

And the speed limit signs? That's not a suggestion. We routinely see people going 15-20-25 MPH faster than the posted speeds, and posted speeds range from 65 to 70! Those little white signs with the BIG numbers that say SPEED LIMIT. Yeah, those signs!

Examples: We were at a stop light waiting for the green left turn arrow to light up. A guy two lanes to our right crosses our path and turns left in front of us. HELLOOO? Then the guy behind us turns left, also BEFORE our turn. 

We're going to start a driver improvement school. Lee suggests that it be called Driver Improvement and Education, Florida, or DIE, Florida for short. For a good time, check out YouTube's "Stupid car collisions" compilation. 

A Tribute to Packards at the Fort Lauderdale Car Museum

The oldest Packard in the collection: A1909 roadster with "monocle" windshield

We went to the Fort Lauderdale Car Museum filled with Packards. WOW! We love classic cars. The collection includes 39 cars, including one used by Pres. Coolidge, Dr. Albert Einstein, *and* Charles A. Lindbergh. The owner of these fantastic cars was Arthur O. Stone, a successful florist as an adult, who fell in love with Packards as a child. He swore that he would own one when he grew up, and he did! 

Unique examples include a Paddy Wagon with Fort Lauderdale Police Dept. graphics, a troop carrier from World War 1 that became a commercial delivery truck after the war, a convertible with two windshields, and a1909 roadster with "Monocle" windshield (driver only, please!) (last photo). When you go, don't forget to see the large collection of TOY VEHICLES and custom-made glass shift knobs (see photo). Truly a treat for the car lover!


               

Art You Can Use: Glass Shift Knobs

Packard Fire Truck used on the Packard Proving Grounds!

St. Augustine is Beautiful

We fell in love with St. Augustine. On the way back from Jacksonville we decided to stop and take a day off to explore this beautiful city. We toured the Old Jail -- very ominous, very scary. The warden and his family lived in a wing attached to the jail!

 Leeson and Dad home schooling! (Why, you...!)

What I want to do when they don't get along!

Leeson with the sheriff. (Kids, this only works in "Loony Tunes" cartoons.)

We toured the Pirate Museum which we highly recommend; check out the scavenger hunt for kids.

 

We then toured the old fort, the Castillo de San Marcos, learning about its history from one of the costumed volunteers.

(We assigned Leeson a 2-page essay about St. Augustine's history which he did a great job on. See his essay, elsewhere in this blog) 

The town has charming (NARROW) streets that remind one of European streets, since it was established and built by 16th Century Spaniards, after all... Very pretty! 

Photo borrowed from Miami411.com

Thanks for visiting -- keep coming back. If you have any questions, please comment below.

The Search Continues... Base of Operation Established

We went to Jacksonville to see a boat. It was a long way from our home base in Pompano Beach, about a six-hour dive. We have a home base because many places won't take our cat, Ying Yang.

The boat search has taken longer than we thought. Partly because the east coast of Florida is more expensive than the west coast. We were originally planning on camping but (a) ran into stowage issues (too little room for tent, sleeping bags, etc.) and (b) didn't feel we could leave our cat at the campground unattended while we looked at boats. Same with our son(!). We stayed in two places in the Ft. Lauderdale area which gave me headaches from mold. Ugh! So, in three weeks, we lived three different places. Now 2 and 1/2 months living as gypsies. We all want to settle on a boat and I am sure it would be easier if we were loaded with dough...

Top: A Beach in South Florida
Above: Our slightly sunburned son

We have met some interesting people in our search. Boat brokers, yachties, landlords, etc. 

BTW, do you know the written works of "Cap'n Fatty"? He's a funny and wise guy -- sailing the briny depths for 40 years. 

Buy this book from Amazon and we'll make a few bucks -- could help us go one or two miles farther!!

 

 

Great quote from our son:

"I don't like water -- it's evil."

He has also said that he hates swimming and water. He may not be the ideal candidate to go sailing for a year or more. But he's going anyway. He'll thank us later. 

APPROVED BY LEESON, a boy and his (Samsung) tablet.