Sunny Skies...

And, it is a good morning to sunny skies!!  This is what the boat looks like with all her canvas down!  Maybe I'll even go diving tomorrow!  Today will be putting the sun shade back up and getting off of the boat for some walking!  I got off both days...jumping off the back of the boat gauging wind and waves...between the rain drops, and walked up to the resort.  Getting off of the boat for Capt Paul might have meant going for a swim...it was that choppy here behind the reef and we had pulled the boat off the dock so as not to bump...so he needs to go walking today!  The north end of the island got some pretty stiff winds according to a couple of the guys who work here...they definitely got the worst of Rina.
 There is another low off of the coast of Nicaragua...we'll watch it...but for now...I'll enjoy the sunny skies!!  And, just between when I started this blog this morning and now...they are predicting that Rina may turn right around and come back down here by Monday with some southwest winds at 30 to 35 knots.  So we decided not to put the sun shade back up yet.  Mother nature is amazing..."she" can be so difficult at times!!!

A Date with Rina

Tue Oct 25th 10:20 am

Well we are ready as we can be for Rina. We (Joyce) took down all the canvas, rigged extra lines and will pull ourselves 5=6 ft off the dock later today. We are stern to the dock and the storm winds are expected to come from our starboard. We have our anchor way out and well set, 3 starboard stern lines, 2 port stern lines. Still have 2 bow lines to the marinas sand screws. No boats up wind so we feel we were set. Rrain has started...winds 15-20 with 25 knot gusts. Cable went out about 9am, followed by the power at 10. Jim radioed that the power was down due to low diesel for the 3 big generators that power the island. Well be an on and off thing till they get some fuel, my guess later in the week after the storm. So now on battery, listening to Rush, Joyce sewing, me now blogging, Mizzen plopped down on the table between the computers. Norma made a run to town yesterday, so we had a chance to stock up and top off the cell phones. I think she did this just for us as they had been shopping on Saturday, Thanks Jim and Norma.

We have decided to stay here at least a month or so . Most of the boats will be leaving next week and move over to the Yacht Club. We went over and talked with them, dockage was cheap enough but power and water rates were way up there. I'd have security issues and the water is real nasty. Being in the back corner of Old French Harbor, all the garbage in the water is blown back into that corner...YUK....I have been getting off the boat and walking daily. Has made a big difference in my mobility. Also gives us a chance to continue to get the boat ready to sell. Had Allen, a local boat boy clean out the cockpit locker....a ton of stuff off the boat and on the dock. The Hondurans picked through....almost nothing left to go in the trash. I man's garbage ...another man's treasure. We will have to conserve our funds and see how long we can stay.

We had contact with Duncan and Elaine, my Brit friends from Mellorca Spain. Some how Elaine found out the Lady H was up for sale. She is currently a Capt on a 50' Beneteau that is up for sale. Her owner wants one of those center cockpit French boats. The Amels are 80 to 100k higher over in Europe, so might have a possible buyer, not holding my breath.....but better chance over there....the US boat market is bad and getting worse. Well enough for now....you will have to wait for pics of the storm or lack of from Joyce's post, as she is the official photographer on-board. Check out her webpage at

www.watertimes.org

more pics are added almost daily

Dragons and Heads....my version...

THE NEW PUMP ARRIVED YESTERDAY...which means that we now have one head working!!  It was a difficult couple of days...yes, both of us, AND Mizzen needing a head...and neither one working for two days!  You see, even before Capt Paul blogged on his success (which was pretty amazing I will add that he was able to get the pump working even if for a day the first time) I noticed that water was leaking from the pump again that he had just "fixed".  I stayed silent and let him have his victory...for a day anyway...until the sound of the flushing once again became so very dreadful!  He tried valiently to accomplish a second time what he had the first...but to no avail...so two headed dragon time again!  The good news is that as of yesterday, I no longer have to walk in the wind and rain up to the resort.  The not so good news is that Mizzen is not yet back to her normal head routine!  

The weather here has been very windy and rainy...gray skies...lot's of squalls!  So, I have been working on my books...writing...not reading.  The website finally has a page dedicated to them...Travel with Finny.  http://www.watertimes.org/  Would love to hear from you!!

Two headed dragon slayed by the Capt

Sat Oct 15 2011 9:56 pm
RAIN RAIN....had to pump out Hugo this am....expect to do so again tomorrow am.....update on the heads....yes we were down to 1 sick head....cat hair balls wrapped around the pooper grinder. After much I told you so and #$$$%%$##@@@% Thur AM before we went to Joyc;s Birthday party at the cruiseship dock (10 am) I pulled the aft head apart....yes there was stuff....got the motor off just before we left.....looks were not promising....The time I spent in the engine room the day before and the removal of the motor had set my back and legs off big time....my right leg...the good one would buckle and and I would go down like a bag of shit.....not good....even had to have the people at the Cruise ship dock take me to the bar in a wheel chair....how bad is that.....so Jim and I drank beer while the women squandered our precious money. Upon return and inspection of the head motor I found that one of the brushes was hung up.......lubed and reassembled....twice....volia...shitter works again......we await the new motor late this week and we will be a 2 head boat again......how about that for an old fart. More later

Pennies....

I've always heard "a penny saved is a penny earned".  And, then there is "penny wise, pound foolish".  I'll let you decide...

I think Capt Paul mentioned on one of his blogs that the forward head does not work.  It was a casualty of not being exercised (used) for the little over two months of us being in the states.  Thankfully while Spencer was here...although it sounded awful...it continued working...then finally it quit.  Capt Paul did finally order another pump after weeks of trying to get the best deal...yes, you guessed it ebay...we'll see how long it takes to get here.  Now, here, I could mention that he bought a couple of pumps (not head pumps but for other reasons) while back in the states...yes, ebay...yet neither one made it back to the boat with us.  One he re-sold (wrong type) and one he sent back to the seller.  So, anyway, back to the present...there are three of us using the aft head.  Yes, we have to include Mizzen.  About a month ago...just a few days after we returned to the boat, I mentioned to Capt Paul that I thought it was leaking. I was told "no it's fine". I would mention it off and on...and would be told..."no it's fine". Then it started to sound funny...and again I sounded the alarm to him.  I mentioned that perhaps he should have bought two head pumps...this time he stated..."I know what it is...it is just hairballs caught in it...it will be fine". That went on for a couple of weeks...with my alarm...and his same response. Ah...to this morning...where I wake up to a very sickly noise coming from the head and a black grease like substance coming from the "leak". Looks like I'll be walking up to the resort a little later!! So what do you think..."penny wise...or pound foolish"!  Oh, and I have finally gotten my website up... www.watertimes.org . Some great memories for us...pictures of a lot of different places you might enjoy!  It is a work in progress...check back often for more additions that I just haven't gotten uploaded yet!

Happy Birthday Joyce

Oct 2 2011 12:59 PM It's a ladies day out ....all the women went to some fancy place for Joyce s birthday, yep she is 29 again. I cooked her prime rib last night...new way...seared the out side like a steak and the moved it off the heat and let it cook like prime rib...we both pigged out. Mizzen does not think much of people food, no chicken ..no ham no beef, BUT she does like fish. Joyce had fish and chips Sunday at Herbies while we watched the football game. Brought some home....so the other day we bought some fish to cook for her....she is getting rather large.

This is her the 1st day on the boat
That was Sept 3......fast forward just 1 month......same cat same shoe.....I must admit she does eat alot.


She will be getting swimming lessons soon, have to before we go out on the hook at the end of the month
The boat is officially on sale. Have it listed on several webpages with several brokers. The boat market is very soft.....time will tell. My boat would bring bigger bucks in Europe.... maybe one of those rich socialist over there will want to come over.

Today, I hired Allen, a local boat boy to clean out the dead man locker.... got everything out , organized and through out a ton of stuff. He cost 17 bucks a day plus lunch....not bad. Will use him a few more times to get things cleaned up IF someone flies down to see the boat.
The resort has changed cable suppliers...lost Fox News NCIS, Law and order.... now we have CNN and the BBC....damn liberal crap.... so we listen to Rush and Hannity on the computer,,, Got to...