Crystal River Boatin'

Amber and I sometimes get delusional views about the way the world normally works.  Our normal day off will be on a Monday or Tuesday.  There is a very different scene when you go out on a Monday night verses a Saturday night like the rest of the world does.  For easy going people like us, however, Monday nights work just fine.  Try it sometime.

So we went out with some friends, Burt, Joey, and their son Harley, from work to Crystal River on a Saturday. We met them down there in the late morning and put their Polar flats boat in the water at Pete's Pier.  After a short mishap with a self bailing system on the back of the boat where we thought we would fill with water and sink, we idled south, went under King's Bay Drive and stopped right around the corner from the mouth of Magnolia Springs.  The water was shockingly cold compared to the blazing Florida sun but it did not take long to acclimate to the 72 degree water and enjoy floating around on my "safety noodle." Which I took with me every time I got in the water that day.  It was then that Amber and I really started to see how many people were out doing the same thing we were.  There were boats, kayaks, and stand up paddle boards (SUPs) everywhere.  And I mean everywhere. It was like traffic but on the water.  Anytime we take the Blue the sailboat or the jon boat out we are almost always the only people on the water. That's the difference between Monday and Saturday.  We clamored back in the boat and squeezed our way into traffic.  We spent a little time checking out some of the canals which is where our friends use to live and their son grew up.  We could see schools of darting mullet,  diving turtles, and a mother manatee with her baby sunning by the edge of the canal.   We then motored up to the "parking lot" at the entrance to Three Sister's Springs.

Not my picture but you get the point

Three Sister's is a group of three springs that is only accessible from the water.  There are walkways around the springs that are only accessible by land but you can't get from the walkways to the spring water.  Also the "parking lot" for boats at the entrance to the springs has large cement poles in the water to stop any traffic larger than a kayak, stand up paddle board, or swimmer from gaining access.  We caught a lucky break and coasted into a spot that was just abandoned by a fellow spring goer. Traffic was even more concentrate at this point with even more people swimming than in vehicles.  People had there boats anchored all along the edge of the water and were bailing out to swim to the mouth of the spring.  We had a few bites to eat and chatted with or boat neighbor before we all jumped out and followed suit with the rest of the crowd.  We had to merge in with swim traffic and inch our way against the current up to the spring.  It was a very surreal experience being among 50 other people enjoying the cool spring water and warm sun while floating above one of nature's beautiful and mysterious wonders.  We snorkeled above each of the three springs until we reached the point where the chill of the water outweighed the fun. We kicked lazily back to the boat and clamored back into the boat.

At this point we were all starting to get a little hungry so we decided to motor down to The Plantation.  On the way we ran through 10 or so sailboat hooked to mooring balls, most of them for sale. Joey whipped us in next to the ones for sale so that Amber and I could check them out and dream.  We decided since this trip that we are going to go back in our sailboat soon and get some numbers from the boats and make some calls.  We would probably find a better deal on a boat there than online.


We continued down to The Plantation and docked
in the canal.  They have a great bar by the pool and canal that us guys lounged at while the girls relaxed in the pool.  We had a few drinks and a very decent crab cake before hoping back in the boat.

We hit a couple more spots along King's Bay including a roped off swimming area above a spring at Banana Island but the water was too dark to see anything. Also Twin Rivers Marina about halfway up to channel to the gulf to see some of their friend's boats docked there.

At this point It was getting late. We were all pretty worn out and ready to eat and call it a day.  We loaded up the boat and drove down to The Freezer in Homosassa.  We had an amazing meal of delicious snow crab legs, some of the freshest shrimp you can get, and probably the best clam chowder in a bread bowl I have ever had.  It was the perfect way to end the day

The Grand Floridian at Walt Disney World!

In the summer of 2013 we were treated to an absolutely amazing vacation.  We were put up for for 3 days in the gorgeous Grand Floridian Hotel at Walt Disney World.  Now Disney is only an hour away from where we live and between my Mom's friend who gave me tickets every year for Christmas, and my sister who worked there for several years, I have been to Disney more times than I can count. But I had never experienced Disney like this.

When we first got to the hotel we opted against the valet parking, primarily to save money to spend on important things.  So we park across the street and drag our luggage to the front door.  We are greeted before we make it to the front door by a very sharply dressed and warmly welcoming young maitre d wielding a tablet.  He goes through his programmed, yet genuine sounding, spiel as he leads us through the door.  What an imposing and breathtaking view the lobby is.  We ooed and aahed as we soaked in the realization that this was our home for the next 3 days.  The young man then asked our name.   After punching it into his tablet he says "oh, wait here i'll get your key cards."  His surprise, albeit slight, was kind of worrisome.  We looked at each other with puzzled expressions for the two minutes it took to grab our key cards and a cart for our luggage.  He could see our confusion.  "We are heading to the upper floors." he said matter-of-factly and our luggage was placed on a cart by another man. "Follow me," he continued and strode off towards the elevators.  He passed out our cards in the elevator and explained more.  "In order to get to the 3rd floor where your room is you have to first swipe your card on this sensor here and then push the number 3, or else it won't let you up."  We were blown away.  Not only were we in this amazing hotel but we were on the private floors! We were way out of our element but loving every second.

When we step off the elevator we are greeted by a man introduced to us as our concierge.  He smiled warmly, motioned to the desks, and informed us that if we needed anything at all to see them and to not go downstairs with the rif-raf.  We got a good laugh out of this the whole trip. He was calling the people that had to stay on the two downstairs floors rif-raf. and we couldn't even afford to stay down below if we wanted to.  We were taken to our room and our luggage was placed lovingly around. The maitre d had gave us a rundown on everything else involved, like navigating to the parks and information on the restaurants, and then left us to get settled in.  

We had park hopper passes, we had paid for meal plans, and we had spending money.  The rest of the trip was really a blur. We did anything and everything. We made sure to go to magic kingdom, animal kingdom, epcot, and blizzard beach specifically. Where we had a blast at each one. We even had fun lounging around at the hotel and its gorgeous pool late at night.  We ate a lot of really great food including the highlight at Narcoossee's in the Grand Floridian itself were we could see the Epcot fireworks from our tables window.

It was truly and amazing and unforgettable experience that I think we will all treasure forever.

Sailing the O'day daysailer!

What a blast!  We took the O'day Daysailer 17 out for a spin around Lake Harris in Leesburg. The wind was gusting pretty good so we were moving along at about 5-6 mph with occasional gusts that had us going above 7.  I have this nifty Timex Ironman GPS watch that tells speed and distance for biking and running but it worked great for this too. Now I know what you are thinking. "You were going 7 mph and you thought that was a blast?"  "Yes I do," I reply. When you are on a beam reach heeled over nearly 45 degrees where you feel like you are standing up straight, pounding through waves, side rail in the water, that's pretty fricking intense! 

I also got to play around with a few (albeit basic) techniques that I hadn't tried yet from the sailing book I got from Mr. Mike from Naples.

The first was a technique for getting out of irons in a controlled manor.  I screwed this up on a Hobie cat wave while in the Bahamas.  I ended up putting us into the rocks that time.  So the book said when you are in irons and want to move to starboard on a port take you sit on the port side and push both the boom and tiller handle to the starboard side.  After doing this the bow of the boat immediately turned to starboard, the main filled, and we were off on a port tack. It was brilliant! and while this is a basic technique for most sailors I had not learned it yet.  I believe I was pulling the tiller towards me thinking that when the boat started moving forward from the wind on the main sail and I would need the rudder turning me starboard. Now I realize the wind is pushing you backwards first. and then the sail fills to move you forward.

The second thing I tried was using the jib. Correctly.  I definitely don't know all the tricks with it but we at least played around.  We had tacked to the far west side of the lake and went on a run back.  We had the main to starboard and Amber pulled the jib over to port and we were off.  Were sailing smooth and fast.  It is such a difference from the heeling on a beam reach.  I had never before had the jib to one side and the main to the other. It was very cool and a very breathtaking view with both sails filled and towering above us.

There is something truly magical about sailing.  Its calming and peaceful.  Its just you and your chosen company at one with the wind, the water, and the boat. The only sounds other than your conversation is the splashing of waves on the bow, the bubbling of a wake behind you, the ruffling of the sails in the breeze, and the light slapping of lines on the mast. We had brought a cooler with drinks, we didn't have a destination, and we didn't have a time limit.  It doesn't get any better. 

Return of the nightly!

Burn by Rocky Patel

Not a bad smoke.  I realize that sounds harsh but I am enjoying this cigar quite a bit. It is perfectly wrapped. Rich nose on the wrapper. Has a perfect draw. Nice peppery, cedar notes with a pleasant bite on the smoke.  Another quality smoke from Rocky.

Its been a while since my last cigar actually.  The last cigar I had was a Romeo y Julieta Habana while in the Abacos a couple weeks ago.  I have one more in the humidor along with 2 Cuban Monticristos and 2 Cuban Cohibas. Hopefully they are real!  But I will have to review those too when I smoke them.

Can you tell it was a long night...?

Project Drift S14 (part 4)

When we last left our heroes they were locked in a battle of might and wits with the subframe bushings and the leaky gas tank. Last week I got the last subframe bushing installed while Austin was over to help.  Today I made the trip into town to pick up the replacement fuel lines for the ones I cut thinking I was going to install a racing fuel cell.  After cutting the lines I compared prices of fixing vs replacing.

Fix:
$5 - JB plastic weld
$6 - Fuel lines
$2 - Clamps
$0.2 - Duct tape

Replace:
$150-200 - Fuel cell
$75-125 - Fuel pump
$??? - Fittings
$??? - Fuel lines
$??? Trunk floor modifications and bracketing for cell

It's easy to see why I went with fixing vs replacing. Also I already have a walbro 255 fuel pump in the stock tank which is more that enough to feed the planned turbo upgrade.

What was the duct tape for you ask? The crack in the tank was not very big and I think the jb weld will do a fine job but the reason it cracked in the first place was because one of the two metal straps that hold up the tank caused a stress crack right on the edge where the strap presses against the tank.  I tried to put a few layers of duct tape between the tank and the straps on both side to provide a little bit of cushioning and protection.  We will see how long it lasts.

So I picked installed the lines onto the tank and the tank into to car.  So except for wiring the fuel tank is completely hooked up. Wiring is going to come in one fell swoop later on in the build. For now the fuel tank is one more thing off the list.  Next will be getting the motorcycle jack out to put the rear subframe back in the car and removing the airbag system parts that are stuck in with tamper proof torx bolts. Stay tuned! (no pun intended)

The sickness blues

There is nothing like being stuck inside on your two days off with the flu or cold or some shit to really piss you off.  Especially when the medicine has you feeling just well enough that you think you could probably do something productive but you know that you would be passed out shortly after from the exertion.  What would I have done today if I wasn't sick you ask?

• Take out 'Blue' the sailboat for starters.  He's been calling to me and i'm wanting to gain as much sailing experience as possible for upcoming plans.
• Pick up gas lines and star keys to remove the airbag system on the drift s14.  The fuel tank is patched, the new subframe bushings are installed it all just needs to be put back together.
• A weight workout and a bike ride.  The bike for the triathlons and the weights just because.
• Drinking.  No explanation needed.
• Grilling.  Love me some grill time.  Maybe would have done some marinated chicken. Or my personal favorite slow and low pork ribs.

But instead i'm stuck in bed. This is much better than the stuff above...

Into The Wild Blue Yonder

The plan is set.  Now begins the implementation of said plan. Not many people have the freedom to choose to do such a thing, the means to do so, or the mindset to work for it. Even rarer in a life decision of this nature is the joy of sharing your life with someone who wants it as much, if not more, as I do.

What is the plan?

In its simplest form it is buying a boat and sailing off into the wild blue yonder.

Oh ok, that's it? That's not that big a deal, you might be saying.  But ask yourself realistically what it would take for you to really be able to do that? Let me elaborate our current plan so for while you follow along at home.

We want to purchase a live-aboard sailboat in roughly the 30-35 foot range.  Then, starting with day and weekend trips, learn our boat and what we need as far as gear and provisions are concerned. We would like to move up to working say 9 months and sailing 3 with the ultimate goal, if we really love it, to live-aboard in the Bahamas.  We are both very experienced at serving and bartending and could shine at any restaurant we would work at. 

This is not really a new plan either.  For the last year or so we have flirted with the idea of doing this but after a recent trip to the Abacos we are sold.  After 3 days of permanent smiles and seeing other people doing exactly what we want to do we left with the powerful feeling that this is what we have been drawn towards with our life choices.  

Amber is even more easily mobile than myself.  She has only a few bills, the only permanent ones being a storage unit, cell phone, and automobile insurance.  She grew up on boats as a kid since her dad is a lifetime fisherman.  She is never more happy than when she is by the water.  I don't think I've ever seen her more at peace than when she spent those days looking out over the crystal clear turquoise water of the Abacos and told me "I want this."

I, on the other hand, am slightly more difficult.  Even though I have whittled my life down to a fraction of what my previous life consisted of I still have a few hurdles to overcome. I have a pending divorce for one. Not fun but it was a choice I should have made years ago.  I have never felt happier or more like myself and I have never once regretted the decision. That also brings into play my daughter and stepson. I see them weekly and will continue to do so. They just have to get use to spending time at sea.  :)  That also ties into my bills. My permanent ones are child support, automobile insurance, and student loans.  There are other bills that I can cut ties with like satellite, internet, Spotify, magazine renewals, Xbox live, Warcraft, rent, the x-wifes cell phone (don't ask), and Amazon prime membership.  My little wiener/Chihuahua Hercules will becoming too.

Luckily we both have extremely supportive family and we will have a place waiting if we change our minds or something happens

So now to the nitty gritty.  This is our plan to implement over the next 2 years. The main reason for that length of time is because that is how long it should take us to save the 10k we feel we need to get a decent boat. We then plan to spend the third year, saving, getting the boat equipped and provisioned, and sailing on day and weekend trips to learn how she behaves and what she needs for extended sailing. After that we will have to see where we are and what are potential work/sail ratio can be.

• 1st step: Save money
• This may sound obvious and that's because it is. But I do not intend this information to be generic, but rather specific.  You can find general information anywhere. Lets talk numbers.  Our savings is basically zero right now.  I'm not really exaggerating either.  If I had to gather all the cash and account money right now and put it on the table it would probably amount to 500-600 dollars. No lie. This is mainly because we, Amber and I, do whatever we want.  If we want to eat or drink out, we do. If we want to take my kids to Busch Gardens, we do. If we want to have a bbq at the house with friends and family, we host that too.  We do not live extravagant lives but we do enjoy ourselves. 
• Our goal is to amass about 10,000 to buy a decent sailboat.  I can find decent 30ft boats for this price range and sometimes cheaper.  Ideally we would like around 33-35ft but for our dollar we would rather get a better condition, seaworthy boat that is a little smaller. We figure we can do this saving 50 dollars each, every week, for 2 years
• 2nd step: Reduce our debt to income ratio
• Sounds obvious but it is a complicated step.  Some of the bills we have can't disappear easily but essentially it is getting rid of satellite, internet, Spotify, magazine renewals, Xbox live, Warcraft, rent, the x-wifes cell phone, and amazon prime membership.  Most of these will have to take place right before we go sail but so be it.
• 3rd step: Gain more sailing experience
• I have only been sailing for 3-4 years now, and only really delving into everything sailing in the last year.  Before I jump headfirst into this and put my love's, my kid's, and my wiener's (my dog Hercules just to clarify) safety squarely on the shoulders of my sailing ability I want to know everything that I can.  I have an O'day daysailer 17 and a 12ft Buckboard that I sail currently. A friend of mine has a Hunter 26 and a Lagoon 450 that we will probably get to crew on soon for some valuable experience.  For now I will sail my boats and read up in a few books I have. Namely Royce's Sailing Illustrated that my grandpa gave me, and Sailing Fundamentals given to me by an incredibly generous man named Mike who comes into the restaurant I work at and owned an O'day daysailer 17 just like mine.
• 4th step: Shop for a marina
• Wow! have you checked the prices of wet slips at marinas lately.  It is still cheaper than rent but damn.  Our real quandary about the marina lies in the question of east or west coast? Of Florida by the way.  Amber and I both prefer the west coast. We love Crystal River, Yankee Town, Treasure Island, and Homosassa. (is there a gayer name than homo-sassa? haha) We aren't the only ones that feel the pull of the gulf coast.  My Grandparents spent a lot of time in their 23ft Kenner sailboat cruising in and around Tampa Bay when my Mom was a kid.  My parents have a 21ft pro-line center console they keep at Keaton beach marina for fishing and scalloping. The east coast is only good for two things: surfing, which I love to do, and getting to the Bahamas! The negative part is the east coast is more expensive for marina fees and the wave are bigger and unrulier.  We want to sail to the Bahamas but not just for a day or two anyway.  So we will probably try and find a reasonably priced, low key marina to keep the boat at on the west coast and enjoy smaller voyages until we make the big trip around to the Bahamas. If anyone knows of a reasonably priced, out of the way marina on either coast let me know at kaseynesselrotte@gmail.com.
• 5th step: Shop for a boat!
• Oh boy! The big one! Exciting and terrifying all at the same time.  Like I said before we want 30ft+.  At first, and it would be more practical, we were looking for a larger trailer/sailor.  But if we end up living on this thing full time 26-27 feet would not be enough.  And there are very few trailerable boats the are still seaworthy. There are some exceptions like the Nor'sea 27 but they are still going for 40,000 dollars!  We do not have our heart set on anything at the moment but we are both certain the right boat is out there and we will know it when we find it.
• 6th step: Outfit and equip the boat
• Now we get more vague.  We can't predict what the boat will need, what it will already come with, what repairs need to be made, or what we will need personally to live and be comfortable. Only time will tell,
• 7th step: Day and weekend trips
• This will be an exciting time. Learning the new boat. Experiencing the highs and lows of sailing, navigating, and weather. Experiencing life at sea, just us cut off from the rest of the world.
• 8th step: Cut ties
• This is a tricky one. Quitting our jobs, reducing our bills, establishing our plans for my kids, mail, and banking. Having the money to go is important but also tying up loose ends and making provisions for others is critical.  Having someone at home to handle mail and banking on our behalf. Having plans for renewing tags and registrations along with handling taxes or legal necessities.  I think as we narrow down our bills and get closer to sailing these things will become more clear.  The really critical part will be spending time with my kids.  How we will arrange meeting and sailing with us on board if and when we are full time.  This will definitely have to be reexamined closer to sailing and after the divorce pans out.
• 9th step: Chase the sun
• What more is there to say on this part.  We sail, we work b.s. jobs to keeps us afloat, we enjoy each others company and our freedom.  Even if we don't live aboard permanently we will be able to take some amazing vacations!  But first lets take this a step at a time.  Follow us on this journey as we pursue our dream and stay tuned for updates on our progress.

Cheers!