It's been a hot and quiet summer in the tropics. Something like that should mean that we're catching up with our lives but unfortunately that's not the case. As Michelle just said a few minutes ago..."we can't find 10 minutes between us to sit and relax". Our time this summer has primarily been taken up by business trips, and runs to the local Dairy Queen with our friends.
We added a new hypalon dinghy and new outboard to the equipment roster. That stuff will basically become the family car so it's nice to have reliable transportation in that area. Some friends who are out cruising drilled home the point that it's extremely important to have a good dinghy and outboard - we decided to listen. Michelle bought new foam and recovered the cushions in the salon. At least one of those cushions was 30 years old and it's great having a nice comfortable place to hang out. She did a great job recovering them. We're doing our best to keep the animals from making permanent impressions on them.
The big excitement around the marina last month was the explosion of S/V Mia Nina. This sailboat had a tough life and the end didn't come easy for her. Apparently the battery charger shorted out and started a fire. The flames eventually reached the propane lines and BOOM!. The fire and explosion pretty much wiped out the deckhouse and interior of the boat. The hull, however was still fine so they towed the boat over to the other side of the marina to wait for the salvage company. After a few weeks the boat had virtually sunk and word got out that it was OK to go aboard and recover whatever equipment was still operable. The owner no longer had in interest in boats so people from the marina started going over to get stuff. It was pretty amazing, actually. Instead of a mad rush and pushing and shoving to stake claims, everyone helped each other get the stuff they wanted. People worked to get equipment that they knew others would want. Given the insanity of the world, it was nice to see. Some of the spirit of Mia Nina will live on with Hetty - she helped us out with stuff that we wouldn't otherwise have afforded to buy. She was a beautiful boat and it was sad to see her end in such a way. By the way - for the family members reading this - Hetty really isn't in danger of that type of disaster. We have the ability to electrically shut off the propane so it never comes into the boat when we're not cooking. We also have a propane sniffer that warns us if a leak occurs and automatically shuts off the lines.
Anybody looking for a good deal on a Sub? Yep, The Sub is for sale. I'M SORRY!!! I COULDN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!! I REALLY, REALLY NEEDED AIR CONDITIONING!!! We bought a really nice Nissan 200SX for $1000. And - you guessed it - it has A/C. Not ice cold, mind you, but definitely an improvement over none at all. It's really damn hot here in July, you know. If you know of anyone looking for a really good deal on a 1988 Suburu that runs great, let me know.
Well, kids....it's really getting tough now. Six months at a minimum - 8 months if I can stand it - left to go in the corporate world. I don't know. I've been in e-mail contact with more than a few people in their 20's and early 30's who are already taking off. I'm pretty sure that as the rats keep winning the rat race, more and more young people are going to opt out to live their lives as they choose. Michelle and I aren't necessarily in that group (we don't really even acknowledge the rat race) but we do want to live a simple, healthy life and those are some of the requirements for sailing the world in a small yacht. Unfortunately we can't untie tomorrow so I'll just have to say that we will follow in their wake - as will those who come after us.
Until next month.....
Please send us an e-mail - we'd love to hear from you. Do you have advice? Are you a wannabe? Are you related and feel compelled? Regardless....we've created a page called the Mail Boat just for the purpose... Send us some mail!