Thursday, August 8, 2013

A Big Cruise

 I unwrapped the new Bosun's Chair, attached the jib halyard, and instructed my friends Alex and Arty on how to use a winch. They hoisted as I climbed up my mast steps. It was slow going, but I reached the top. During the entire process, I had trust issues with both the steps and chair.

As you can see, the view from the top was incredible. Every time the guys shifted on deck, my perch leaned over several degrees.

A bunch of my best friends joined me in the Keys for a birthday weekend before Alex and I departed for a 6 day cruise to Titusville aboard Miss Marisol.
 All weekend I worked aboard Miss Marisol. The most capable guy I know, Arthur Freeman, was there to help me troubleshoot electrical issues. We replaced old wire and tightened connections. Here you see my Autohelm, which Arty managed to fix using a can of Dr. Pepper, hose clamp, gorilla glue, and good old fashioned American Ingenuity.

I spent hours before our trip pouring over my charts and online tools, planning anchorages, and guessing how much progress could be made each day.
 Alex and I departed MM74 in Islamorada on my birthday, July 29th at 10:00 a.m. We spent the bulk of day 1, and the entire trip, motor sailing. Winds were not in our favor. We dodged several large storms and made great time overall reaching Card Sound by 7:00 p.m.

The sunset was incredible, and I enjoyed some hammock time (Get one yourself from my friend Brendan) before we cranked on the generator and a/c.

We had issues with the alcohol stove, and my fabulous birthday dinner consisted of room temperature Spaghetti O's and Peanut Butter Crackers.

Ah, the good life.

Alex brought his GoPro HD camera, and will be releasing a series of videos about our trip. Check out the preview HERE