Miami Seaquarium Field Trip

Leeson and I (Zaneta) joined homeschoolers from the Miami-Palm Beach, FL, area at Miami Seaquarium. We found the staff’s presentation about marine life very informative. The kids were given a “quest” and taken to different exhibits with the staff.

We stayed about two hours after the presentation to see all the sights: dolphins, sea lions, sharks and a killer whale (Orca). Notice the black shape atop the Orca's nose? That's a Seaquarium staffer! And the splash -- well, that's how some visitors stay cool when they visit the Orca show.

Of course, with all the brightly colored parrots and gliding stingrays, Leeson was attracted to the water guns (on a pretend pirate ship) and completely soaked a couple of kids who enthusiastically returned the favor even though none of the kids spoke the same language.

That trip to Miami was our first glimpse of Virginia Key where we hope to anchor in a week.

Where are we? Still living aboard, but at a NICE hotel/marina

We moved our boat from a pricey city Marina (Cooley's Landing Marina) with a heart-warming story of an Indian massacre that precipitated the Second Seminole War. We're now on the Isle of Venice, in a slip at the Villa Venezia Hotel (like a tiny resort) -- Beautifullly maintained, nice guests, showers! Laundry! Private bathroom off the boat, and a pretty pool! Have made a friend or too as well... Our frend "B" from Cooley's Landing Marina lives just down the street.

Here are some photos: 

You enter by a courtyard and are greeting by a pretty gushing fountain, then pass by the Italianate scuplture on the way to your boat slip -- up to 10-12 available. The hotel has about 10 cozy, beautiful rooms with balconies. 

Many of the hotel's European visitors take advantage of the balconies for meals in the fresh air. We receive packages and faxes courtesy of the great staff: Andrea and Linn. If in Fort Lauderdale, you may want to consider it as a destination. (No consideration was received for this mention.)

Leeson asks, What's that weird smell?

 

Stopped for lunch at the Briny Irish Pub on the Riverfront in Fort Lauderdale, and Leeson detected a weird odor. "Dad, what's that?" he wondered. I said, "Don't look up." The restaurant is "decorated" with the biggest bunch of junk nautical memorabilia that you would not believe: outboard motors, nets, buoys, life preservers, etc....oh, and a shark, too. Food is pretty good, although it's pricey like everything maritime-related.

(No consideration was accepted for this mention.)

There be sharks! (by Lee and Zaneta)

There be sharks in Florida and they are not all in the water!

We had our first encounter with the two-legged kind.

On October 31, we had our boat "hauled out" (video of someone else's boat haulout below) and inspected ("surveyed" in nautical lingo)...That's when we met The Shark. He befriended us, gave us his card, and said "Call me up if you need some work on your boat." 

We did, and he started work on our boat. We were presented with a steep estimate of three-four jobs: up to $9,500, so Zaneta did the businesslike thing and called other companies to get quotes. He found out because he's well-connected and came to us -- excuse the language -- "butthurt" that we'd gone around his back, in his words. He felt like he owned us, and he didn't!! 

He then wanted either (1) a $2,500 deposit and a commitment toward future work, i.e., the big projects discussed, or (2) payment then and there for work completed. We said we'd do the latter. He came up with some much-higher than anticipated figures on a paper invoice, and we said we didn't agree with the total. He actually said, You need to pay me right now, and added "in cash". He then gave us a much higher printed invoice. We said, "We'll send you a check; that's the way we do things." He then hung out near our boat in the marina for several hours until nightfall. 

He came back the next morning, and several more times over the next few days -- one day, he sent a coworker. That was beyond creepy. We paid him a lesser amount than he demanded because his invoices was jacked up by $500 from one day and the next. We wrote him a very long letter explaining our position, and we felt BLESSED that we hadn't signed on with him for the long term. Look, I know that some people are going to blame us, but The Shark gave us the creeps and was not forthright with us. He was unprofessional, aggressively demanded payment, threatened to blackball us to other marinas and other mechanics, etc. We could not believe our ears!

Later, we talked this mess over with another boating couple, and they said they'd used The Shark's services. They had to watch over him closely because he did work that they did NOT ASK FOR and charged them for ($15,000 for just one job). Ouch. Now that we're done with him, we thank our lucky stars... Hang in there for better news next post!

NOTE THE FOLLOWING VIDEO IS NOT OUR BOAT, but representative of what a haulout consists of: A giant piece of machinery hauls the boat out of the water for below-waterline inspection..(P.S. I liked the gay* military music.) *light-hearted, uptempo, happy...

First Full Night and Day on Our New Boat

(Photo of yacht underway with prev. owner at helm, date unk.)

We have just spent our first night and very full day aboard our "yacht". (The name will be revealed after the renaming ceremony.) We're prepping our boat at Cooley's Landing Marina in downtown Fort Lauderdale, near the 7th Avenue bridge. 

Observation: Vehicles passing over the metal lift span make it "sing". Small, fast motorcycles make a high note; larger, heavier trucks make a low note! Also trains run through town 24/7 and sound their whistles overnight ("FAAAAAAAH!"), and ambulances and police cars make for a busy night. 

Even though we took possession of the boat just yesterday, Tues., we had a team of guys over **today**, Wed., to evaluate our standing (wire) and running (rope) rigging. Some items present a safety issue -- so they have to be replaced. 

The former owner has stopped by on his bike, and we chatted about details of the Miami-Bahams route. He's done the crossing many times single-handed (i.e., without other crew aboard). 

Leeson is disappointed to learn that Wi-Fi is not available everywhere.... Our days are starting earlier and ending earlier, too. 

We are sorry if the comments tool doesn't work easily. If you have questions, send us an email at Zee's email or via 3blondesandaboat @gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from our many friends. Take care!!

Photo Album by the Yacht Broker: Picasaweb Album (While they are still online)

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!!