How does one write a final blog post?

Short and Sweet, perhaps?

As some already know, SV Athena is sailing on with a new captain.
Owning her for over 4 years and living on her for the past 3.5 years has provided experiences like no other I could imagine. It was not an easy decision to move off, and then move on...
Even the process of letting go provided an amazing platform for looking at myself and learning.
My life continues to provide new platforms from which to grow from, even as I'm jumping off.
Perhaps my favorite platform is that four-letter word... love.
It is the love that I have for myself, my family, friends, co-workers, acquaintances, and those I don't know, from where I now jump to the other side of the Earth.
Thailand, here I come!!
Well, you know what they say... Endings are really just new beginnings.

Happy Holidays from SV Athena, Captain, and Crew

Happy Holidays Everyone!!
May they be filled with more love and light than you can imagine.

More dock Life

Yes, it's "season" in Florida and there's more life around the dock as Peppermint Patty and I continue to enjoy our dock life...
Walking down the dock the other night, I heard a breath... I looked over and saw the back of a manatee... not much more than maybe 15 or 20 feet from the dock. I instantly thought of my mom, who will be traveling south to visit soon. I hope she sees lots of manatee during her visit as they make their way inland for the winter season.
pictures, pictures, pictures...
Picturesque moon sets in the early morning...
We've also had some really foggy mornings... barely able to see five feet beyond the edge of the dock. These foggy morning usually resulted in very humid days, which the bromeliads, that I'm now growing on the boat, love.

Patty at Sunset

Now that the weather is nicer and the AC is off the sailboat, Peppermint Patty gets to spend more time top deck.
And, as soon as the sun drops below the horizon...
she is off the boat and onto the dock!
I just love these photos of her at sunset.
She has become such a love again since finding a new home for the kitten...

It's a sailing dinghy thingy dinghy

So, why not just wait until sailing season to start doing all the chores that should be done before sailing season...
It was one hot humid long summer in SWFL this year... that's why not!
okay, okay, no excuse...
But, alas, the weather has broken and I'm trying to get back into the swing.
Starting with, the sailing dinghy thingy inflatable tube.
Which, to much chagrin, has been nothing but a gluey ewy mess since almost day one of the now four years that I've owned it. See pictures of ewy gluey mess.
The cement like glue has cemented itself to the outside of the very piece (rub rail) it's suppose to be cementing to the inflatable tube! But, it's not quite like cement, because it's still gluey and still gets all over everything, including myself, however it's almost impossible to get the glue off of the dinghy if one tries!!!
The dinghy is an 8-foot Walker Bay sailing dinghy with inflatable and super duper sailing set-up. I've even been challenged to a duel by a dock mate...
But, before that fun begins, I was hoping to finally fix the gluey ewy mess, even if it meant replacing the very expensive tube...
So, knowing that West Marine has an incredible return policy.... knowing this because of the countless time and dollars I've spent in there...
I dismounted the inflatable tube from the dinghy and took it into West Marine.
They did not immediately offer to return it...
No big surprise there on this $700 item.
We did however, discover that Walker Bay has a FIVE year warranty on the inflatable tube!!
And, low and behold, I still had the now four year old very faded receipt!!
So began the contact with Walker Bay on November 24th, 2009... which seemed to be going so well...
I'm still hoping this story has a good ending...
Stay tuned...

Life is Good :)

An early morning start to the day, my sailing mentor, Russell, showed up at the docks at 6:50 AM. Fog had rolled in over the previous 30 minutes making it a cool damp morning.
The task at hand??
Sleuthing why SV Athena's engine starter wasn't working.
Power to ignition stopped two weeks ago when I was trying to start her up for her monthly maintenance run.
In no time Russell had the problem solved (an old fuse on the engine to the starter had blown), and we had SV Athena's engine purring along again.
What a beautiful sound, when you want to hear it!
So, we unleashed the lines and took her for a spin around the marina, practiced some docking and even backed into a new slip for the winter season.
Oh it felt so good to have her humming along and moving through the water. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh....
I so love my new slip. The view is fantastic (see pics) and I'm far less claustrophobic than on the other dock surrounded by big power yachts, although it was a nice place close to shore for the summer months.
But now, back further out into the river, the breeze and the motion is wonderful.
The birds leave a bit to be desired... as they leave a bit on the deck!

The walk to the on-land-head (restroom) is now nearly 1/4 mile away... but, it's a great view at the turn from D dock to A dock (see bottom pic on right).
It's worth it.
To me, it's like having another new lease on life. Even though I only moved within the same marina, it's like a whole new place, but very well known.
and, I can't wait to go sailing!!!!!
'tis the season ;)

At first what seemed a good idea...

Turned out to be a very bad idea...
The new kitten crew, as cute as he was, didn't end up working out.
Pirate Peppermint Patty (PPP), staged a coup.
Although she didn't have the means to make San Carlos kitten walk the plank, she continued to be "pissed" about the new addition, and took matters into her own paws by peeing over just about every inch of the sailboat.
Many "free-time" hours spent cleaning and re-cleaning and throwing out items that could not be salvaged from PPP's plot to force San Carlos kitten off the sailboat.
It was frustrating, because after all, I don't own much to begin with. Not to mention my poor new cushion covers that I just made a little over a year ago!!! I'm trying to salvage them by using Natures Miracle and hanging them out in the strong Florida sun.
It is/was just "stuff" however; and really all that matters in life is our relationships with other beings, be them animals or people, whom are just other animals.
In the process I discovered a cool cat site, www.catfaeries.com
I bought some Feliway, pheromone spray and flower essences in an effort to return harmony to the sailboat.
See pic for all the products I've been using...
I especially love the flower essence, which describes it's self as follows: "the vibration or healing energy of a flower which has been imprinted in water."
This is so fascinating to one who is interested in or involved with energy healing for people and animals! I love it!
At any rate, San Carlos kitten was adopted by a nice family.
As I was sad returning to the sailboat, it wasn't minutes after my return that Peppermint Patty was happily sprinting back and forth across the sailboat with what seemed a huge smile of glee on her face, suddenly finding interest in her toys again.
It was amazing. It was like she instantly knew he was gone...
and she was ecstatic about it!
A self that I hadn't seen in her in weeks had returned.
I could finally pick her up, hold her, and pet her.
We are a happy family again :)
Still a little more cleaning to do...
but, it's just stuff and things. Nothing compared to the well being of my crew.

New Crew??

The last couple of weeks Pirate Peppermint Patty and I have been learning to live with a new crew-mate...
San Carlos.
He is a cutie, and loves organic baby mashed peas as much as Peppermint Patty does...
but, he is a kitten. and, I'm not sure the sailboat is big enough for me, Peppermint Patty, and San Carlos!
It's harder than ever to keep the sailboat clean, as he loves to dart around, knock things off of everywhere, attack the hanging storage nets, and tear trash bags to shreds spilling trash everywhere, which then gets batted about... there also appears to be an issue with the two cats sharing the litter box. And, my friends, you can imagine that a 30 foot sailboat is no place for two sets of food bowls and two cat litter boxes! Lots of sharing and small space living is required.
I had thought that Peppermint Patty might want a friend, some company... but, now I'm not so sure... she hasn't taken too kindly to the new arrival. She bats at him any chance she can get.
:(

Seasons of Change

It appears the season is changing in Southwest Florida.
Drier cooler windy weather on the way...
I even turned off the AC and opened up the hatches a few nights this week!
I had a dream last night that I was watching a sailboat out and about sailing around; and, I was on my sailboat stuck at the dock. Stuck at the dock perhaps because of my ongoing uncertainty of continuing this solo sailing life. Perhaps mostly because of my fear of successfully orchestrating a solo departure and arrival from/to the dock. It is funny, although not that funny, that the fear of something that takes about 5 to 10 minutes, can prevent one from hours and days of enjoyment on the water. Honestly I haven't had to solo dock the sailboat in over a year. I've been fortunate to have guests aboard during trips, and perhaps unfortunate to have limited my trips to when I have guests...
For now I face another solo sailing season, and gosh darn it, I WANT to go sailing!
There is also, of course, a long to-do list that needs to be done pre-season.
And, some things that perhaps should be dealt with this season that I'm not necessarily looking forward to, like... like potentially hauling her out and redoing the bottom, redoing the stuffing box, checking the engine alignment, rechecking all the thru-hulls, which I know are leaking probably more than they should...
I've also been debating whether or not to move forward with solar panel arch and new canvas for the cockpit. Both would be wonderful additions to the sailboat.
I also have decided it's time to retire the jib at a minimum, if not also the mainsail.
I've started my search at the following:
http://www.baconsails.com/
It turns out they currently have 31 possible options for the Bristol 29.9 Keel version... they're all a little different though, and so, I should really go get the sails out of storage and measure them up and decide if I want same, or slightly different. My goal over the next seven calendar days is to accomplish this measuring task!
Onward and forward...

New Knobs

A new delivery for the sailboat, yae :)
Although I should have been working on sealing the many leaks that have been drenching my clothes...
I opted for an easier task instead.
I finally had gotten around to ordering new knobs for the two hatches of SV Athena and one new hatch arm, which holds the hatch open. See new delivery from Pompanette in pic on top left. My hatches are pretty old, likely around the same age as SV Athena, whom is now 31 years old. So, I wasn't sure I was actually going to be able to find the correct parts to fix her.
The knobs had been breaking on me one at a time, and it was no longer possible to get the hatches to seal properly with the broken knobs. See the plastic of the knob split in the pic on the top right.
And, the salon area hatch would no longer hold itself open.
I replaced two knobs on each of two hatches and one arm on one hatch. The arms are kind of expensive, so I wanted to make sure it all worked before I order the second one for the forward hatch.
It all worked out and I can't wait for summer to be over to open up the sailboat again and let the beautiful breezes blow below! You can bet that hatch in the pic on the bottom left didn't stay open long in the Florida August heat and humidity. It was awesome though just to have it open for a few moments to take in the sunlight as it poured down below on our Florida summer souls, which emotionally feels like a New England winter to me...

July 4th from SV Athena

Didn't have to go far to see the fireworks this year...
All these pics were taken while standing aboard SV Athena.
The noise was incredible as explosions also reflected off the nearby towering buildings. The fireworks were quite behind schedule, finally setting off at 11:15pm! They were suppose to go off at 9pm. I can't believe they actually set them off so late! most folks had gone home... disappointed kids and frustrated parents i'm sure.
While waiting perched on SV Athena's naked boom (sails removed), it was interesting to watch the different sets of fireworks going off in different locations up and down across the river. Each residential area having their firework celebrations.
It was kinda cool to have the fire works in my backyard. Yet, at the same time, it is very bittersweet. Each year I can't help but think of all the trash that is forcefully injected into our environment. Particularly these barge showings where the trash goes directly into the water, no chance of being collected prior to environmental impact.
boom.

Sailboat Cat's Life

Looking back before the summer heat and humidity really kicked in...
Peppermint Patty and I did enjoy some lovely evenings top deck with the AC temporarily removed from the companionway for the nights. She loves to climb on top of the mainsail (wrapped in green sail cover) and even sometimes, as shown in previous blogs, likes to hide up inside the sail cover, which can be nerve wracking since her claws are sharp and the sail is old, although might be replaced...
She loves to jump onto the dodger, which is made of the blue fabric I'm hoping to some day convert all the sail covers to. When on the dodger, she gets frisky and likes to scramble around "attacking" invisible fingers that might be running on the undersides ;)
She also gets excited and rolls on her back and attacks the mainsail above her.
It's really quite fun to play with her on beautiful Florida spring evenings. Always an incredible feeling of peace and living and enjoying the moment.
And then, of course, she invariably jumps off the sailboat to explore the dock.
It's really quite a life :)

Rainy Season Rains

The beginning of the rainy season and the summer storm clouds are growing each day. The immensity of them is beautiful in the expansive Florida sky.
The rains are great indicators of where leaks exist...
After two consecutive weeks of doing an extra load of laundry for clothes I hadn't even worn... I decided to go through my wardrobe and pair down so as to minimize storing of clothes in cubbyholes that get wet. It doesn't take long for wet clothes to get musty in Florida living on a boat. Patty took it upon herself to enjoy exploring the open cubbies and lounging in my clothes pile. I donated the clothes and hope they go to good reuse. I have this pact with myself to minimize clothes on the boat. Those that don't get worn after some period of time, go to reuse by someone else.

Happy Summer Solstice

It's summer now, today being the Summer Solstice. Happy Summer 2009 everyone!
And, the sails are officially off the boat. Taken down in preparation for hurricane season. Trying to decide if the sails are worth saving or if they'll be replaced this year. The foresail edge is beyond tired and definitely needs to be cut off the sail, if the sail is to return to the sailboat for next season at all, but as a smaller sail. Other hurricane prep included doubling up all the lines and putting on chaffing gear. While working on the lines I also decided to finally get around to taking a picture of where the anchor had "dinged" the bow of SV Athena during the Boca Grand Inlet passage. In the top pic on the right, where the old green paint is showing through the new blue, that is where the anchor dinged the boat. In lesser boats, that anchor might have popped right through. But SV Athena was made before they knew how very strong fiberglass was. Lucky for SV Athena and crew, the anchor only removed the top layer of blue paint. Makes one feel good that she is a good darn solid boat!
There's nothing like a boat to teach one's self impermance...
I also decided it was way past time to figure out the anchor locker drain problem that has been plaguing me for some time now. Although, it's usually only bothersome during the rainy season, which started full force this mid-May with four days of rain.
The weight of the water in the anchor locker actually weighs the bow down and raises the stern (see middle pic on right) where the top of the rudder is out of the water.
Although the anchor chain and line get a nice freshwater bath, it's not the best of circumstances. After trying to carefully unplug the line, I discovered the culprit...
A piece of wood teak from the toe rail that had dislodged and perfectly fit into the anchor locker drain. In the top right of the pic on the bottom left you can see the spot on the toe rail from which the culprit escaped. The pic on the bottom right is a close up of culprit matching perfectly the anchor locker drain.

With mission accomplished, I happily poured water into the locker and watch it drain away. Easily amused :)

Also amused is Peppermint Patty as she explores around the boat during hurricane prep day and peers within from out (see pic top left).

Last Sail of the Season Story continues...

Well, it's been quite a while now since I first started to tell the story of the last SV Athena sail of the winter 2008/09 sailing season... I guess it's about time to finish.
The wind never did lay down that weekend. It had been windy for days before that weekend started and it just kept right up through the three day sail.
After getting wits back together after the Boca Grand Inlet passage, we had to trudge on.
It would have been so awesome to be able to stay nestled behind the island in the calm. I would have been more than happy to stay there for days. But, alas, have I mentioned it really rots to sail on a calendar?
Lift anchor we did and back into the winds. We sailed down the intercoastal towards Sanibel. Saw some great dolphin leaps from the water behind a tour boat with a big wake. Dolphins just love playing in big boat wake. The dolphins we saw were totally clearing the water surface, bodies suspended in air for a moment. I also document the plight of marker 23. It's a rough world out there and even strong metal can't last forever in these waters.
As evening was approaching, it appeared there would be no rest from the wind. We could find no place to hide from the blowing winds and choppy waters. The islands provided little protection from the weather. But, I was tired and didn't want to continue. We anchored and hoped the wind would lay down that night (which it never really did). We did as best we could to have a great meal and enjoy the surroundings and the sunset over Sanibel. Even with the wind whistling through the rigging, the slapping waves on the hull, and the constant motion, which really doesn't bother me that much although it can keep one awake at night with the constant banging of things as they shift back and forth in the cubboards... It was still way more relaxing than trying to get through the Boca Grand Inlet earlier that day. It's amazing how all is relative and that measuring stick changes as experiences occur...
The next morning we woke up early and finished the journey back up the river, wind at our face.
It was a rough trip as compared to most of my sailing trips on SV Athena. Her tired old sails took a beating. A new "tell-tail" formed as you can see "flying" in the pic at the left from her foresail.