Arrival in Key Largo

The boat arrived in Key Largo this morning, Tim was down there to greet her.  I think the only damage was that she needed a stern rail seat rewelded.  The Hunters have an arch over the cockpit that has to be removed for truck transport, and evidently the frame by the sternrail seats lost it's support and weren't reinforced.

All in all, she survived the trip well.  Most happy.

However, there's always some entertainment in a boat yard, it's a requirement.

Evidently, they had to wait for a bit to get the boat pulled off the truck, first they had to pull a boat from the water (more on that later).  Tim was having a bit of a language barrier with the boat yard staff, I see Rosetta  Stone in that boy's future.

Of course, the mental image of him going Esa es me barco! a la Forrest Gump was entertaining me immensely.

So, wait....wait....more waiting....and then the canteen truck pulls up and it's siesta time!  Cafe cubano and tortas for all!

At which point Tim says WTF?

So, siesta time wraps up and they get the one boat out of the water and HemiD pulled off the truck.  Now Tim can really start playing!

The Hemisphere Dancer is back to her home port.

..and the HemiD my friend, is blowing in the wind

Today's the day, we are loading her up.  Lots of head and butt scratching going on.  We find out that the driver is 'new'.  Oh joy.

More head and butt scratching.  Some last minute reinforcements and tying down.

Here's comes the crane, she goes up....up.....up.......

And then the F-ING wind starts howling.  We got two guys holding her, sort of and she's starting to do a little swivel dance.

I did mention she's being lifted BY A CRANE!

And we get ready......

I'm just a swinging...

Get her down, get her down, get her down!

I left soon after because I once again am flying out for work, but I heard later that the truck didn't get underway until 1pm (they arrived at 8am).

Another funny is that the tracking device I put on the boat..it went dead. Battery crapped out.

But I'm sure the spouse will be in constant contact with the driver.

It's gonna be pretty hard to get that boat under bridges....

....if you don't get the F-ING mast down!!!

Supposedly they are coming to pick her up on Tuesday.  I'm a thinking not.  You'da think that the boat yard would have dropped the mast on the one day it wasn't windier than shit, but nooooooo. That'd be too easy.

Now we are in a wind advisory for the next couple of days.  I, unlike my spouse, cannot sit up and torment the boat yard and said spouse is at a trade show for the next few days.

This should get interesting.

However, I've got her packed up with clothes and crap so I don't have to worry about packing.

Counting the days until we are sailing her off Key Largo!

Tomorrow she goes on the hard

So, more wiring to the NavPod in the cockpit has been installed.  I sat in the back berth yesterday and argued with my computer and my GPS units.  (We have a 478 and a 740).  Miraculously, it all started playing nice and I got waypoints loaded up on both units.

In the meantime, I've been researching/asking questions about this Angelfish creek crossing from Hawk's channel to Biscayne bay.  Sometimes, folks, too much information can just freak the crap out of you.

So pull her tomorrow for the de-rigging.  Next Monday/Tuesday she'll get loaded on the truck.

Things non-electrical that still need to be done.

1. Three bladed prop
2. Dripless shaft seal
3. Line cutter installed on prop (because it's not a matter of if, it's when we snag a stupid lobster pot on our prop)
4. Paint/not paint?
5. Look for friggin zebra mussels and evacuate those m-f'ers.
6. Reorganize boat for balance and make a map of where crap is at.
7. Load up clothes and stuff that we definitely won't be wearing in Kansas.

Oh, and I also have a trip to Pasadena and La Jolla in there also.

So November 23rd we should be meeting up with the HemiD at Key Largo marina for a few days testing out the re-rigging and goofing off around there.  I think we are going to want to rent a car or something I'm sure the supermarket/West Marine/Fish Market/West Marine/Hardware Store/West Marine will be calling to us.

Phase 2--Marina Search

So the next part of the adventure is to find a place that we can put said boat and not be bankrupt at the same time.  We want to get it down to the place where she once belonged, but that just ain't affordable (well, there's was this one place....but you'll see later).

So with cruiser's guide/google maps/advice in hand we head off to look at marinas in SE Florida.

Place #1--Miami Beach Marina--right off government cut.  NICE marina, fabulous people we talked to. However, a bit out of our price range.  Not to mention that the cruiser's forums had some comments about current issues and a bit of chop within the seawall of the marina.

Also, there was that whole, I don't really fit into the Miami Beach scene due to the fact that I refuse to wear kitten heels on a dock and let's just say the old chassis has all original equipment and no modifications (i.e. boob job)

One of the slip options

Dock view

And that would be $2202.85

Onto the next marina.  Dinner Key Marina, came highly recommended.  Located right off Coconut Grove and has a pretty good location.  Couple of bars, awesome food market and the CocoWalk is within walking distance.  Folks are pretty friendly also, but that whole part got a little vague after a couple gallons of wine.  Unfortunately, we weren't able to actually go out on the docks, but here's the area.

Big marina - former home of the PanAm Clipper

I think our favorite place was Crandon Park marina, lovely smaller marina owned by Dade county on Key Biscayne.  Unfortunately, there is a three year waiting list, we'll see how things go an maybe get ourselves on the list.  Its actually located in a county park right off of the Cape Florida channel, so accessing ocean/Hawk's Channel is pretty easy.

Lookee all the sailboats!

Now we venture down to Key Largo. Marina del Mar, where our lady was before, was priced out of our range unfortunately, but still one of our favorites, great location, awesome marina bar, right close to some great snorkeling/diving.  But alas, we shall only visit there.  

For shits and grins we looked at Gilberts Marina.  VERY VERY affordable, however......it is kinda in the backwater on the bay side of Key Largo, the people there were very nice, but.........

well, between the fact that our boat was going to be docked between the Hannibal Lecter and Jeffrey Dahmer houseboats "We would like to have you for dinner!" and a couple of mosquitos the size of pitbulls came out of the mangroves to welcome us to the neighborhood, oh, and the Poker Rally going on.  I just got a little princess-y about it.  It would also take way to long to get into the prettier cruising grounds of Hawk's Channel.

And in case you are wondering, yes, it does say "Pecker Power" on the side of the houseboat.

So, we talked to Dinner Key and they can get us in, we got a lovely slip (I hope) and its fairly affordable considering water/electric/pump out is included.  They say that WiFi will be coming soon, but considering we've been waiting for that the lake marina for 3 years now? I'm not holding my breath.

There's also hookups for cable, but don't really think we'll need that.

So, we got another step done.  Don't talk to me about the big H word, I shall stick belaying pins in my ears and go LALALALALALALALALA.

So, more to come on the electrical upgrade adventure, stay tuned.

The adventure begins

Actually it began a fine Sunday afternoon, with a brisk 15 kt breeze from the SSW.  Everybody was out, life was good.

And then......."it just ain't the same as sailing on the ocean."

And then........"let's move it back down to Florida."

"Okay."

"Okay."

Now what.

Now, comes the planning, the researching, more planning, contacting friends and acquaintances and in some situations complete strangers.

The beautiful thing about the sailing community is--EVERYBODY has an opinion.

So, I'll detail more about all that later.  Right now, let's start with the great battery caper.  The spouse is a non-practicing engineer, but every once in awhile...that engineer rears its ugly head.  The case in point this time?  Our battery bank, and now when I say battery bank, I don't mean your local savings and loan, I mean the whole freaking Federal Reserve.

On. My. Boat.

So how many batteries is apparently enough for a 2006 36' Hunter?

Not two.

Nope, not three.

Not four either.

How's about SIX!  YES SIX!!!!!!  Big ass muthas too. (That's my professional term for them, so shut up)

So tonight, impromptu dock project as CompyComp keeps rolling down the dock with batteries...and more batteries...and MORE batteries.  Our friends, AKA the old man dock club, just look and stare and yep, there it is: WTF?

Grateful was I that I got an invitation to go get pizza for the boys while they commenced with the big battery project.  Which usually consists of a lot of beer drinking and 'planning'.

But it gets better.  How could it you ask?  Oh, ye of little faith.

Somehow--can't imagine how, she says to herself sarcastically--somehow there was what we call a
'spark' and said 'spark' off of the 60,000 volts of batteries now installed somehow managed to short out the battery charger.  This would be our second battery charger since the first got zapped by lightning the first year we had the boat up on the lake.

SO,  thus ended the Friday Night fun with me standing there looking like Kermit the Frog with my lower lip pulled up over my face and trying not to laugh and my husband not happy. (Actually he was, now he gets to buy more gizmos!)

--Special K

Battery-licious

The Meeting of the Minds