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.

It's going to be a long summer....

It's not even June yet, and I put the AC on the sailboat tonight.
mid 80s and humid on the sailboat at 9:30pm was just not going to be good sleeping conditions.
Rainy season has also come upon us early this year too with rains starting in mid-May. a few weeks earlier than I expected and I didn't get the leaks sealed up...
Had to go through the sailboat this past weekend and take a lot of clothes off the boat, Goodwill or other bound. With leaks setting in, there's no room for too many clothes. Some new leaks have started to get my cookbooks too :(
A big storm blew threw at midnight last night. healed the boat over at the dock, shook the mast for a minimum of 30 minutes non-stop, lots of lightening, torrential rain.
It's 11pm this next night, and I hear thunder again :(
Not sure I can take another summer of being freaked out by lightening storms.
Thinking of sleeping in the salon tonight. With the AC on and the curtains, perhaps I won't hear or see the storm so much as when I'm in the v-birth...
Nights like last night make me think moving into a land-yacht (my friend's Airstream) might be a nice idea... Camera got soaked, accidentally, in last night's storm. Hope it works so I can photo Airstream rehab ;)

Boca Grande Inlet...

Boca Grande Inlet can be quite a force to reckon with at times...
The first time I went through the inlet, back in last November, it was a dark dark no-moon night, the weather was calm, the water smooth like glass, and the current rushing us along into the harbor.
This time it was quite different and the boat didn't quite make it through in one piece...
Patty told her version of the "story" in a previous blog. It took a number of days for her to recover to "normal."
I'm still surprised she's still on the boat. In fact, quite cuddled up to me this evening as I write. There's some spotty rain this evening pitter pattering on the topsides and Patty has never liked the rain very much. I still can't help but think she has some fear locked inside from her experiences, whatever they were, during Hurricane Wilma. She was found walking down the street, less than a half a pound, the morning Hurricane Wilma went by.
Anyways, I digress talking about my little love born and raised in Florida.
We did have quite a scare going through the Boca Grande Inlet though. I take full responsibility for that scare as there were many things I could have done or changed to avoid the situation.
Many lessons learned.
My sailing mentor, Russell, has always told me that she (the sailboat) will take as good a care of me as I of her. I have actually had many constant reminders of this fact. Another being the day going through Boca Grande Inlet.
I didn't think it was going to be a fun entry. I knew the wind had been blowing, rather strongly than predicted, off shore for a number of days in a row now, which can only mean the "emptying" of Charlotte Harbour, which takes me back to December 2008 and the month living up the Harbour in Punta Gorda. I figured no matter what the tide was actually doing, the water would be blowing out. We'd be going directly against the wind, and who knows what the surface water would be like. I tried to plan it so we would have at least some current bringing us into the inlet. Not sure that was the best decision.
As we rounded the shoals on the northwest side of Cayo Costa, we entered the channel. The chop on the water was severe. We pressed on. We stayed on the southern side of the channel, but not too close to the shallows as it wouldn't take long to be blown onto them.
The waves now coming directly at us continued to grow, approaching six feet as SV Athena's bow raised into the air and dipped down into the water. It was getting rougher and rougher as we were almost through the island pass and into the harbour, when what I most feared happened. I heard the anchor chain quickly tumbling over the roller. The anchor had freed itself and was now plummeting to the bottom of the channel.
My immediate fear was that the anchor, once loosened, had swung down and smashed its pointy tip into the bow of SV Athena. The fear that SV Athena would be punctured and taking on water caused me to grab the top board to the companion way, and I would later learn, send it off the boat like a frisbee, right through the lifelines.
That was my immediate reaction. I never did make it to taking the second (of three) boards out of the companionway before I changed action and ran to the bow to gain access to the anchor locker. The anchor rode needed to be cleated off before I feared it would rip off the boat. This was not an easy task. I've always fretted over the crumy set-up of SV Athena's anchor locker. This day was the very reason why. Before being able to open the anchor chain locker, the 8 foot plastic dinghy needed to be lifted off the hatch. No easy feat when the wind was threatening to grab it from my very hands and fling it off the boat. Finally, between myself and my friend crew, Nate, we got the dinghy off the access hatch without loosing it off the boat, and were able to open the anchor chain locker. Nate was able to cleat off the anchor rode, but not until all 96 feet of chain had gone overboard. Luckily there is another 100+ feet of rope attached to the chain.
There was one moment of relief.
But now we had to assess our situation and figure out how the heck we were going to get the anchor and chain back. The channel was about 30 feet deep in our approximate location.
In our dilema, we realized the anchor had caught, and we were, in fact, anchored in the south of middle of the Boca Grande Inlet. Things were "slightly" calmer since we weren't fighting to make headway against the waves. But, before taking next actions, I needed to make sure Peppermint Patty was safe. As, she does have quite the nice sense of timing for jumping out on deck during the least opportune moments. I knew that if she came out on deck during these conditions, I would surely loose her overboard. I went to make sure the companionway was closed back up, because I knew I had initially started to go down below...
But, I found no third board (pic left taken after adventure). I asked Nate where the third board was. His reply, "it went overboard." I assumed at that moment that it had bounced or slid or fell overboard...
At any rate, I didn't ask questions, I just quickly went down below and checked on Peppermint Patty. She was huddled in the bow birth. I closed her in by shutting one of the interior doors. I felt so bad that it was the bow, of all places, that she should be riding out this weather. But, there was nothing else I could do at this point. I had to get back up above and remedy our situation.
We kept our heads on and somehow managed to get the anchor and chain back up onto SV Athena. It took a combination of boat maneuvering and muscle power (thanks Nate!). Keeping in mind we're in the middle of Boca Grande Inlet with 6 foot waves and shallows very nearby. I tried to keep the bow downwave, since that seemed to keep the bow bouncing to a minimum for Nate working on the bow at getting the anchor back. At the same time using the motor to position the boat to ease the resistance on the chain allowing Nate to pull the chain up. Then, we had it, phew. I headed us out of the channel to keep our ride as calm as possible while Nate better secured the anchor. Once secured we made several attempts at trying to turn SV Athena back up into the wind and back through the channel. But her underpowered motor, even with sail up, could not turn us up into the wind and waves. We turned back down defeated, heading back out of the channel into the Gulf.
It was difficult to imagine making another long trek back on the outside of the islands.
I was dreading it.
Thinking clearly in my mind, this is why it's difficult to sail on a calendar.
Nearly on the Gulf side of the islands, we decided to make one more shot. We went in a lot closer to the shallows to get out of the heavy waves. Still a bit fearful of the shoals, knowing we would be on them instantly in this weather if anything else should go wrong. Some rough waves, but we made it through and into the intercoastal waterway. We decided to anchor close behind an island out of the wind to take a break and recollect ourselves.
It was so amazing the difference behind the small island we purposefully anchored behind.
It was hard to believe the boiling Boca Grande Inlet was just minutes away.
Our anchor spot was calm, quite warm in fact. Nate took a swim and checked our prop and bow for damage.
We laughed heartily over and over after Nate had informed me that I had, in fact, thrown the third companionway board overboard in my adrenaline rush. It's been 2.5 weeks now, and my left arm/shoulder is still not quite right.
The anchor spot is one of my favorites, we ate a yummy lunch and relaxed, but unfortunately, we couldn't stay. We still had miles to make this day. We lifted anchor and set on our way.

P.S.
I owe my eternal gratitude to Nate for making our trip that day through Boca Grande, one that we all (myself, Nate, Peppermint Patty, and SV Athena) can look back on in this life as an adventure that we made it through.
Nate may look at it differently, but I think we made a pretty good team that day :)

It was for me however, a shakeup, and a hard earned learning experience.

Lessons learned. She (the boat) will take as good a care of you as you of her.
Things I should have done differently: 1) had an anchor lock put on the boat!; 2) turned us back around when the water started getting rough and rechecked the anchor ties; 3) gone through at slack tide (Russell's advice); 4) not had a calendar timeline; and, 5) been wearing our lifejackets when the water weather started to get rough.

As an additional side note: I had for a bit been thinking about buying a house. This weekend "adventure" caused me much pause. How was I going to be able to keep up with a house AND the sailboat, if I wasn't keeping up with SV Athena now. There's a lot of responsibility to boat ownership.

P.S.S. where's my boat woodworker? I know you're out there. I don't have your number on my phone and Nate is still out of the Country as far as I know... How are the new companionway boards coming? Peppermint Patty is getting frisky to escape.

P.S.S.S. My cell phone also got soaked with salt water during the "adventure" as saltwater was coming into the cockpit from the rough waters. I tried to "wash" my phone in fresh water... It never revived.

Weekend Out

Well, after many failed opportunities to move the sailboat back to Goodland... because of weather, lack of crew, or inability to take off from work at a moments notice... the weekend had finally arrived that SV Athena would once again be moved... or, would she? Now a month behind the original move date, after the universe had made many valiant attempts at getting me to stay in Ft. Myers for the summer...
It happened. on the way home from work, less than two days from setting off. I was walking down the dock and ran into one of the dock masters. I told him I was getting ready to leave in two days to move down to Goodland. He said, "oh, i thought you were going to reconsider staying here..." "No," I said, "but don't be surprised if you see me back here this time next year..." and I walked the long walk down the dock to the sailboat... Deep in contemplation. after all.. why, on the thought of coming back here this time next year, wouldn't I just stay here this time this year...? By the time I had walked the nearly 0.25 mile walk down the dock, I had decided to stay!
What with summer mosquito season soon to come, no sense rushing to get closer to mosquito zone...
Since we were all set to go and the weather looked liked wind, we decided to do a three day trip anyways, because I really felt the need to get off of the dock!
and make a loop around Sanibel, Captiva, Cayo Costa.
Pic on the top left is heading down river.
Pic top right is the Sanibel bridge in the distance.
We made it down the river to the sanibel bridge in about 3 ish hours. Not bad, the wind and the tides with us.
Of course, as soon as we got beneath the bridge and had to start heading out and around the Sanibel Shoals... we were beating pretty hard against the wind and making little progress under sail only. Other sailboats in the distance, under what appeared to be full sails, were heeled over near 45 degrees, while others simply dropped sail and motored. Under reefed sails, if we were ever going to get anywhere, we decided to motor sail. One of the problems with sailing on a calendar... Having to get somewhere by some time regardless of the weather...
Finally making it around the shoals and turning into a broad reach, the engine was once again put into rest mode and we enjoyed a whirlwind sail up the coast, even with two reefs in the main and reefed jib. The wind was blowing pretty good (I really would like to get a handheld wind meter - hint hint) and we were finally in stride with the waves.
past Sanibel... past lower and upper Captiva...
But we weren't going to make it through Boca Grande inlet before dark. The current charts were predicting strong outward current most of the late afternoon and into evening. I didn't want to beat against that and the wind in the dark, so we decided to hide out from the wind up behind (Gulf side) Cayo Costa (bottom left pic) and watched the sunset (bottom right pic). We still had quite a bit of wind and it was a bit of a rocky night.

ooohhhh... and, as I'm writing this, a dophin is swimming behind the sailboat, I'm sitting top deck, there's a cool breeze, the sun is setting, and peppermint patty is out and about chasing the wind :)

Do tell Miss Peppermint Patty...

Well, you see Tom-cat, how I ended up in the back alleys of this city...
It all began the day I jumped off the sailboat onto the dock, never to return.
It had been quite a weekend out on the sailboat, which is indeed a strange place for a cat, one might think.
The trip started well enough with the first morning off the dock the usual pleasant adventure. It was windy, so the sailboat was moving right along. My owner and friend sailed the SV Athena down the river, around the Sanibel shoals, and then right up the coast of Sanibel, Captiva, and Cayo Costa. The mainsail was double reefed and the only way I was allowed top decks was by leash. We didn't quite make it up to sail through the Boca Grande pass in time before dark, so we anchored Gulf side of Cayo Costa, which provided some shelter from the winds that had been blowing out of the east for some time. It was quite windy and the Gulf swell made it's way to our anchor spot and set the boat to rocking most of the night, albeit not as bad as I've seen it on previous occassion. The next morning we set off for the pass...
It was rough and getting rougher. SV Athena was heading with current but plowing directly against the wind and waves. I was tucked up in the v-birth when the bow started to oscillate up and down in larger and larger swings, 5 feet up, 5 feet down. The sound of waves splashing over the bow into submergence and water filling the anchor locker. Then it happened... The sound of chain plummeting over the anchor roller! The anchor had made its way loose and was now sinking towards the bottom of the tumultuous channel! Prior to continuing its decent it banged into the bow of the boat, which often results in the sinking of not so well made boats...
My owner also heard this sound and started shouting in a very concerned manner. I heard one of the companion way boards being removed and wondered if this might be my time to escape! I like to drive my owner crazy by darting onto the deck during the most unopportune moments. I decided to forego this time and stayed below. More action and concerned voices above on deck as my owner and friend frantically moved the heavy wind catching dinghy from the bow to access the anchor locker and cleat off the anchor rode, but not until all 96 feet of 5/8 inch chain had gone over. Luckily the chain was attached to 100+ more feet of rope. With the anchor rode cleated off, things seemed to settle down. Then my owner came down to check on me and close me into the bow birth so that I could not escape through the companionway, which it seems was now missing the top board...
Then my owner and friend somehow managed to raise the anchor back onto the boat and we were heading out the channel as things were better secured. Several attempts were made to turn the boat around and head back through the channel, but the engine just could not power through the wind and waves, even with the assistance of some sail. We headed back out to the Gulf, nearly defeated. After some time, now almost all the way back out the channel past the islands, one last attempt was made to get through the channel using an approach closer to shore. There was still some rough waters, but we made it through. It remained fairly windy the rest of the trip and I didn't dare venture out top deck. I vowed to leave the sailboat upon returning to dock. I was so scared and tears in my eyes. Even though I love my owner very much, I did not think I wanted to continue living the sailboat life...
Upon docking the next day, my owner's friend had set off, and my owner was about the marina doing errands. I jumped onto the dock, and only looked back once.
and that, Tom-cat, is how I ended up in the back alleys of this city...

of note, the above is a story. Peppermint Patty still resides on SV Athena, although the other facts in the story are true and many lessons were learned. more to come.

The Owl

The happiness I feel within bursts without and I see beauty everywhere.
Even in the city skyline built of manufactured environment in hopes of happiness.
They are all beautiful beings within searching for happiness without.

The wonderful windy breeze brings coolness through the sailboat.
I lay with a feeling of weightlessness and hear two owls conversing in the distance.
I wonder what they are saying.
One then draws very near.
I peer out through the darkness into the sky above.
Perched on the top of SV Athena's mast, the owl hoots some more.
Then swoops and soars into the night...


Is there a significance to the owl? or is it all just random......
Perhaps there is only significance if it helps us in our journey.
it is difficult for me not to want to see the connection between the sailboat, SV Athena, so named after the goddess that was said to often be seen as or with an owl...
not to mention the very tattoo artistically placed on my back of a sailboat with an owl (the Athenian owl) sitting on the spreaders from the mast.
At the very least, what seeing the owl really brings to mind is one of the reasons I was thinking of leaving Fort Myers... and, that is, because I thought I was missing out on seeing wildlife (the natural kind) by living in the "city."
The beautiful owl in the pic is from my friends lovely Lynne and rad Russell. Thank you!

Dichotomy?

A good friend asked me earlier this calendar year...

- How is it that you live life every day going between life on the water and life on land...?
I kinda shrugged my shoulders and didn't really know what he was talking about...

but, the words have stuck in my mind ever since.

Days like today... I could go without living on the water.
Yet another cold front has slammed through this week. The winds from the north screaming across the river lifting the water to a frothing boil tossing wetness and sea jellys onto the dock. I got completely and utterly soaked walking to the sailboat today, and it wasn't raining. shoes, socks, pants. soaked. soaked with brackish brown river water. I changed and put my slicks on to walk back down the dock and back to the office. took my slicks off at the car of course.
These are the days I think it is seriously a pain in the ars to live on a boat and try to have a "normal" professional job.

working so much, I find it much more difficult to maintain a sustainable "happy" life aboard the boat. I'm considering moving off. I'm not really sure how I genuinely feel about that.
I just haven't found a marina that allows live-aboards that is close to work and doesn't have what I consider some kind of "fatal" flaw. There was my favorite dock (except for the summer bugs) that is over an hour away from one office, over 2 hours away from my other office, and 3 hours from the main office... there was the way overpriced dock on Casey Key with the smoking drug addicts and midnight boarding... there was the fixed dock that was nearly impossible to get onto during low low tide and that Athena slammed against because the "nice" dock staff would loosen her lines at low tide and not retighten them... and now there's the floating dock (which is cool, but) that is 17 miles, or about 4+ hours of motoring, away from the Gulf and sailing. It has officially been 3 months since I've taken the boat out; 3 months since I moved up this darn river. Sailboats shouldn't be up rivers.
It's definitely more difficult to find a place to live on a boat these days, then it is to find a place to live on land.
There are other things I miss. some things I could change about the boat in order to miss less. but, I just don't seem to have the energy with all the time consumed by work.
something big just slammed into the hull of the boat...
Perhaps, I don't deal well with going from boat life to land life. I just don't think the two mix very well. not as a low key sailor trying to carry on a full time professional job anyways... there's a lot to deal with. although, i guess mainly, my issues are primarily finding a good place to live that is near work. If my favorite marina was near my office, things would be so much better.
something just slammed the boat hull again...
Time to retire to my floating bed.
things keep hitting the boat hull...

The problem with time-based plans...

The problem with time-based plans...
In 1,751 days from today (March 21st, 2009), 1,751 days will have passed, and it will (hopefully, universe willing) be January 5, 2014, regardless of anything I may or may not have accomplished.
We cannot speed up, or even stop, the passing of time.
The passing of time isn't a plan, it's a given.
Simply passing time waiting around for a certain date to finally appear on the calendar, or waiting around for anything in particular, does not prepare one's self for the date's arrival.
It reminds me of an example from a motivational tape I use to listen to a long time ago... A marathon runner that decides they need to sit and rest their muscles to save their energy in preparation for a marathon will not be able to run the marathon when the day arrives because their muscles, not having been exercised, will not be able to function!
It makes me wonder... if I'm not able to practice happiness while I'm sitting around waiting for time to pass, will I be happy beyond the arrival of the desired date?
Perhaps sailing, or anything for that matter, is just a side-bar to the overall life goal of finding happiness within rather than outside of one's self...

Lounging Lunches

Living close to one of my offices is great. I get to come home for lunch! and, Peppermint Patty is always eagerly awaiting my quick mid-day visit. Sometimes she watches the birds...

Patty has been mischievously doing some exploring with all our new neighbors... Two nights in a row she's jumped up onto the Catamaran sailboat next to us. Last night the owners were aboard, luckily they like cats... the previous night, they weren't aboard and Patty decided to make a full on exploration out of her adventure!

Patty and Plants...

Living on the sailboat, I've been missing shrubbery!
One of my friends for the holidays gave me Paperwhite blubs, which I've been trying to grow but is difficult with Peppermint Patty around... see pic on left of her munching their tips!
This past weekend I decided to purchase a couple more plants, a staghorn fern (which are very popular in florida) and a boston fern. Patty likes to nibble the boston fern, see pic on right.
Ya, they may not be very practical on the sailboat... but, I'm enjoying them all the same. I'll have to come up with a plan for securing them better. I'm thinking of getting some orchids and bromiliads too!