On our way
Scroll down to see a fun video I made of out trip!
Our Freezer
We finally got the last part that we needed for the freezer, and left home sound yesterday. The freezer, so far, seems to be working well. This is really great because we just bought a lot of meat from Costco. We can’t provision for the whole time we will be in the Bahamas because of weight. Marc wants to keep the boat relatively light and well balance so that it can go optimum speed.
The Screetcher(sp?)
We just put up the screetcher ( I’m not sure if I spelled that right) just before we left. The screetcher is a large sail that goes in front of the jib.
We haven’t unfurled it yet, and we still need to practice sailing some more. Since we’re traveling down the intercoastal, we are not allowed to sail in many of the parts, anyway, so we are going under motor.
The next window for crossing the Bahamas is the 21st of April ,which is this coming Monday I believe. Marc’s brother Eric is flying in from Switzerland on the 20th with his girlfriend Heidi. We are likely going to sail all the way to Miami and pick them up before we cross.
At the moment of this writing, we are waiting for the Lantana bridge to open. It’s a long way to Miami, so we have a long way to go.
The water maker
Marc completed the installation of the water maker and it’s really quite an amazing device. Lots of parts, but Marc has put it together and it’s working beautifully. It makes fresh water out of seawater at the rate of 6 1/2 gallons per hour. Our water tank holds 198 gallons. Even though, Marc doesn’t want to fill it because he wants to keep the weight down while traveling. He is keeping it at about 2/3 full. That is plenty of water for showering, toilet flushing, doing the dishes and occasional hosing down of the boat. We can only make water when we are in clean saltwater. For the next few days, going down the intracoastal we’re going to have to make do with what we have. Lake Worth had clean water, so we were able to make water there. The water should be clean enough in Miami, but between here and there we are not sure.🤔
The bridges
Someone had a question in my last Facebook post about how to get the bridges to open. Some of the bridges require you to radio them on your VHF or cell phone. There is one channel (usually 09) you can call them on. The phone number is in our guide book and also on a sign on the bridge. Other bridges have a schedule where they’re usually opening every half hour and we have a book that gives us a schedule of these bridges. Our mast is 61 feet high, so any bridges with clearance under that, we have to have the bridge up. That is also posted in the guide book, but if it is in a tidal area, and the difference is too close to call, you can look at the marker under the bridge to see what the current clearance is.
Life on the boat
I am used to being busy all the time. I am usually creating art, and riding our horse. I have to admit that I am struggling a little bit with this different lifestyle. I’m taking more naps and spending time sunbathing. Normally my legs are very white because when I ride, I’m wearing breeches and I’m wearing long sleeves and gloves so the only thing that gets tan is my face. Now my legs are starting to get more golden. I’m actually rather modest, but Marc says he enjoys seeing me in a bikini so I’ve been wearing one. I’m hoping that I lose some weight because at 67 I’ve put on a little weight around my waist and butt. I’m trying not to snack too much and cooking leaner meals. Occasionally, I’ll do a little exercise on the boat, but with the boat moving around as much as it does, I don’t want to risk making myself seasick.
I’m also working on my French, (which is very bad by the way). I’m using an app now called Makes You Fluent, and it’s helping increase my vocabulary. We’ll see if it actually makes me fluent ha ha.
Art products
At the suggestion of my sister, Carol, I have been developing a store on Zazzle. For those of you who have never heard of Zazzle, it’s a print on demand website where you can order a variety of products from home goods to apparel and everything in between. Here is a link to my store if you’re interested.
Here is a fun video I made of our trip:
In conclusion,
Well, that’s enough for now, thanks for reading this far. Feel free to send me any comments or questions! If you’d like to see more, follow me on Facebook.
Have a great day!
Martha and Marc.
