Never let it be said...

...That we sit around doing nothing:)

The phifertex fabric arrived for the shade curtains on Thursday afternoon via UPS...who always deliver in these parts later in the day...soooo....I couldn't start anything new so close to dinner time:(

 That's the long brown box right there. It has to be out of the way or we will trip over it on the cockpit deck.

 

Let me digress for a moment....

 

I think I told you that the shower (master, that is) is in pieces, didn't I ? I am rather reluctant to show any photos of it here...perhaps I will show you when it is all looking gorgeous again!

 

We had struggled to find a suitable 'fabric' for the inner lining of the shower box where the wood had rotted out. Would you believe we couldn't buy the plain fiberglass wall board that shower enclosures are made of..why?

Anyway...we had to improvise. It occurred to us that sign board...you know, the kind that sign writers use for their signs, would work. It is a sandwich of tough plastic and aluminum. It has a white surface that should work well for the inside of the shower....we hope.

Of course the plastic cling stuff needs to be removed after it is installed.

 

 

Waz has been in the bowels of the shower installing the board. We did the measure four times, cut once routine...we don't have any extra board!. First though, we had to figure out how to cut the stuff. It was decided, by our collective experience with such things, that we would buy a plunge router to do the job, and we also needed a work table, now that we had given the old inefficient one away to the airconditioning man...who will return and give us a good rate ($) for further work on the units he regassed...but I am digressing again..merde!

 

So, it was decided, after letting our fingers do the walking on the computer/google, that we would make a trip to Fort Meyers, one hour south of here, to the Northern Tool Company to purchase the table...which happened to be the only one in stock, and though it was already on sale, being the floor model, we asked for another percentage off...no box and no instructions!!! So..they took an additional 10% off:)

We visited Home Depot on the way and bought the Plunge Router. Onwards then to the Northern Tool Company. It took a bit of figuring out how to break the table down (it was on display), but we finally got all the parts put away and checked out.

By the time we got back to the boat it was late afternoon, so it was too late to do anything.

 

Tomorrow!

 

While Waz got his 'stuff' together out on the dock, finished measuring the space to be covered and got cutting, or should I say, 'routing', I was trying to set up the sewing machine et al upstairs on the fly deck. Before I could do that, I had to open some windows but before I could open the windows, I had to clear the space of the 'stuff' we had stacked there and covered with a HUGE tarpaulin prior to leaving on our trip. I needed Waz's help to do some of this, so it was well into the afternoon before we got started. Did I tell you we had a lovely breakfast first??:)

 

There I go...digressing again! lol.

 

Poached eggs on zucchini, ham and cheese with avo and campri  tomatoes...absolutely delicious!.

 

(By the way...If you want to see any of these photos larger...just click on the photo and you can scroll through them all. To get out of that mode, click the X on the top right corner to get back to this blog, or hit the 'esc' button top left of your keyboard!)

 

As we often only have two meals a day, breakfast needs to be satisfying!

 

Where was I?

The windows? ah, yes. The windows on the fly deck were filthy, so they needed to be soaped and washed before rolling them up. This was done but again it was time consuming and I would have expired if they had remained closed. Hot day!

 

 The view down the canal...fortunately there was a good breeze!

 

Here's the thing...There is nothing like necessity to get us motivated to do get us to DO anything!

 

The foil over the window has kept us cool until now...and with the curtains drawn closed, the heat stays out...mostly.

 

 

BUT....we cannot see outside and cannot open the windows to take advantage of the breeze!

 

So, I had a brain-wave. Why not make shade curtains that clip to the hand rails over the outside of the window? These would be made with the same fabric that the back curtains on the boat are made from.

 

Phifertex (The fabric) had been ordered online, along with clips and webbing...sturdy webbing! It is for the outside, so it needs to be.

As one who likes to be prepared, I made all the clips and straps at once. Saves time ultimately!

The clips are necessary to hold the top and the bottom to two different railings. Easy to put on and easy to remove...or so the theory goes. There are a couple of hitches, but we will get to those later:)

The idea is to make 9ft long curtains that are 24" deep, clip them top and bottom, and they are secure and provide shade for the salon windows, while allowing breezes and some added privacy. Problem is...we have to undo them to move along he side of the boat, if necessary. We don't need to do this a lot, so figured ...what the heck!

Mission accomplished, me thinx!
The true test was first thing this morning. There was a little sunlight coming in the open window, but not enough to cause serious heat. Perhaps because the temperatures were lower this morning??


I had made the port side curtain first, because it was afternoon already and we needed it there first. I cannot take more than sideways photos of that one without being out on the water, or across the canal on the neighbors side.   The pilot house door is open....which has created it's own 'thang'..but more on that later...port side!

 Port side...you can see how well the shade cloth works! looking aft.

You can see the clips!

From inside it looks like this...we can see out, but are shaded and have some privacy.

So...with the rear windows taken care of, it was time to take care of  the forward windows and door.

The pilot house door created a momentary challenge, but we got around that one. The forward challenge was different to the rear one. Clips only on the bottom because the top needs to be fixed with tenax fasteners.  There is a nipple attached to the boat over which a fastener is pushed to keep the covers attached. These curtains needed to be longer because the hand rail is higher than the rear windows, so we don't have a view out the windows, but we do have cool and breeze. Cant have everything!

 Ok..so I forgot about the triangular window. BUT, I would have to cut frabric with a bias, and I didn't want to have it gaping at the top, so opted to leave it the way it is.

Looking forward down the port side.

The curtains were finally finished  mid afternoon and more clips were purchased...I have clip fever, obviously!:) I had seen other places to put them, and where we had previously failed to affix things as perhaps they should be.

JoAnn's is just down the road, fortunately, so another trip there, along with a trip to the local Ace Hardware for some caulking for Waz and the shower.


The rear curtain had been held down by bungee cords, and I had always  thought this was not efficient, but it worked to keep the tarpaulin on the back seats at the same time, when it rained. With clip-fever, I decided to remove the curtain and attach clips.
(The curtains have been scrubbed 'clean', but still look dirty...fabric is actually camel colored)

Now the top end of the back curtain (which isn't contained in a track) is clipped to the top side of the port/stab'd rear side curtains to keep them together so that when it rains, the water doesn't flow inside, the way it used to...thus.

It looks like this...on the outside...left overlaps right...

At the same time, I needed to secure the side rear curtains to the hand railing so that the new clips at the top, holding the back and rear side curtains together, didn't pull the side curtains off the railing at the top. It might all be a bit confusing, when you cant see the big picture, sorry! Anyway..THAT works too:)

 

Everything is much neater and works much better and with lots less fuss.:)

 

 

Following a dinner of crab cakes and cole slaw on the fly deck (having cleared all the sewing stuff off the table), we sat out back on the fly deck with a chocolate/mint flavored coffee and watched the sun go down:) We haven't don't that for a while, and it reminded us of why we love living on the boat...best views in the world!

 

 

We took a walk after the dishes were done, and the last of the orange was hanging in the sky. It was cool and lovely.

 

It is always so satisfying to finish a project, but there are always more to complete.

 

I am going to renew the windshield  reflectors tomorrow. They have been on there for 18 months, and though they still do their job, they could be more efficient.

 

These are the photos of when I first made them. I will just sew the new panels on top of the old.

 

 They are so bright and shiny, when new. Now they are dull...but will look like this again:)

 

After that, I have some bags to make to contain the window covers when we take them down for moving.

 

We have no information about Waz's Green Card yet, so we are in a holding pattern! ho hum!

 

That's it for now...time for bed.

If Only...

It would rain heavily for a decent amount of time to allow all the dirt and dust to be washed off the boat. We cannot open up the flydeck and vent that space out, because I haven't had time to wash the eisenglass so we can roll the windows up. To roll them without cleaning first, would be folly...too much sandy grit will damage the glass for good!

The aircon man didn't arrive as planned, last night, but he did call and tell us he would be here between 9 and 10am. He was true to his word. He thinks we have leaks in our two systems, forward bedroom and aft master suite....we have kind of known this was a possibility. We had the Salon aircon on last night, and that was just fine. Too bad it wasn't in time for out sleep, but we managed again with the two fans going full tilt.  I would much rather be able to put clothes ON, because I am cold, than not have anything left to take off because I am hot. I guess we  temperate climate folks need to adapt??

Waz was up and doing by the time I prised open eyes, around 8.40am. A cold water wash seemed to do the job of waking me up..kind of...a cup of coffee finished me off and got the brain working.

Just as we finished our ham and cheese croissant breakfast, the aircon man arrived. We will see him back in a week or two, to complete some procedures to make sure we have dehumidifying in the forward cabin, and the aircon in our bedroom is behaving.

The sun was slow to appear from under the overcast sky, but when it did arrive, it was fierce. Forecast for the weekend says we will have 90F most days..arrggghhhhh!!!!

Going to sleep last night, Waz and I were brain storming (no wonder I couldn't get to sleep quickly!!) about putting some more sun shade on the outside of the windows to help with interior heat. We got it figured out before he started snoring:)

We also need to put a tab on the dinghy cover to stop water pooling in the middle...the tab will go up and over the passarelle to make the cover tent-like. I see the sewing machine coming out of hiding in the very near future!!!

We have decided to make the new window shades out of Phiftertex . This outdoor fabric is what I made the back cockpit curtain out of, way back in Texas. It has served us well and cuts out 97% UV.

To leave the boat for our big trip, we cut silver metal 'paper' (that is normally used to insulate Hot Water cylinders) to fit all the inside of the windows. This has worked 'kind of' , but because it is on the INSIDE of the window, it still lets the heat in...as in, you can feel the heat on the paper. We didn't put it on the outside of the window covers (dark blue..duh!) because we didn't know if we wanted to leave them there and time didn't permit us to do that. HOWEVER...the heat would be a LOT worse if we didn't have it there:) We leave the thermo drapes closed as well, so this provides added insulation. BUT, it is no sufficient.

We have been out and measured the outside of the windows and what is required for the project....don't we love them? :) Waz is right now in the process of ordering the 9 yards of 54inch fabric with 22 clips and 25 feet of webbing to complete the job. The phifitertex is white in order to reflect, and it will let us open the windows for airflow without getting the heat, other than ambient warmth.

It is amazing how cool the cockpit deck is with all the curtains down, compared to when I take one of them off. Welcome to the USA (Florida) Summer heat:)

Moi on the back of the fly deck, washing her down (Note the stormy sky in background!) just after I made the back curtain, in Texas

This is the same material we made the front windscreen reflectors from, way back when in Texas. You can tell it is more than 90F, as Waz is wearing a cooly neckerchief....soak in water then refridgerate...he normally doesn't care about the heat:)

Here is our girl with all the curtains up over the cockpit deck. Now...Imagine that same look with curtains over the windows secured from the top railing (See the rail just above the back windows??) down to the hand railing, in the case of the back windows, and from  clips that exist already, on the top of the front windows, down to the hand railing on the bottom.:)

I will post photos when they are made.
All ordered and we will expect the makings within the next week..woohoo:)


We know we will be getting this same heat and humidity all along the east coast on our journey north, not to mention when we finally get into port/marina and need the same protection.

Well, we have to do SOMETHING to keep our brains active, don't we? :)

Time for some lunch...we have a date with Miss Mia, this afternoon, which we are very much looking forward to. Now that she is walking, we will be kept VERY busy, I anticipate. Too hot for a walk, right now, but I am sure she will find something to do on the boat with all the 'stuff' we still have lying around. I guess that might be incentive enough for us to get packing it all away!!!

Ciao for now..enjoy the day, and the weekend is nigh!

Home, Home on the Boat.

First....how we arrived here. It is a bit of a long story, so bear with me:)

We left Auckland in Sunday the 19th April, having spent the Saturday visiting with the mother and youngest child units, and cooking our dear friends C and L a salmon dinner. The child joined us and left for his city abode by bus at 8pm. We are so proud of the maturity he has gained in the 2 yrs since we saw him last, and have no doubts he will be just fine for another one or two. We will see him at Christmas on Maui...yes, we have already booked our flights for the new grandson's first Christmas on Maui.
We have a couple of Fix-it jobs to complete for the new parents while there and will enjoy time with them and the other child unit from NZ over the festive season.

After some cold and somewhat iffy weather prior to our departure, the Sunday morning dawned cool but clear. Woohoo! I had rather been expecting a bumpy ride out of the city, but we were in luck.

Auckland airport is fantastic...easy to negotiate and the food is great! Once we had filled out our declaration cards and checked in on the kiosks, our bags were on the conveyor belt and we were free to get a much needed coffee and breakfast food. Our final Flat White (kiwi milk!!!) and bran/walnut muffin with a banana to finish, went down well. We would be getting food on the plane, so we didn't fill up too much.

Our flight was on time, and we took off at just on 11am. Blue skies, and no wind to speak of.

AirNZ is always a pleasure to fly with, and this was no exception. A daytime flight out with yummy food...including the new flavor of Summer Nectarine Ice-Cream..Kapiti brand, of course...was most welcome. Our night time flight was yet to come.

We landed in Honolulu at 9.15pm-ish, and were picked up by the shuttle to the Honolulu Airport Hotel. Nice enough, and the staff were very efficient. We were a little hungry, but had eaten dinner on the plane. It was a small 'snack' of a ham and cheese Panini. No food available at the hotel so we just had showers and went to bed. The aircon was exceptionally noisy, but it helped to drown out the sound of planes taking off...cant have it all ways, I guess:)

We rose in time to get breakfast in the hotel dining room. Something we wouldn't normally do, but we were tired and didn't know where the nearest McDonalds was. Turned out, it was just a block up the road! Don't hate me for eating McD's...it is often the least expensive way to eat, when on a fixed budget. By comparison, a bowl of fruit salad and plate of eggs with corned beef hash and hash browns (I ate about half the meal, it was so huge) for two was almost $50!!!! yikes!

We caught a #19 bus into the Ala Moana Center for a day of looking around and enjoying the local food. By local, I mean the Japanese Department store, Shirokiya. They used to have a store on Maui, and I had always enjoyed the 'local' food there. This Shirokiya has mostly Japanese food, which I was very happy to eat, thank you. We bought a variety of food for Waz to try...Takoyaki (Fried squid) , Garlic Chicken, a Sushi plate and Inari as well.

All of it was excellent and we made sure to return the next day for lunch and more variety. More on that later.

It was warm in Honolulu, but thank goodness for the trade wind. It wasn't unpleasant warm, fortunately.

We stood on the third floor balcony at the Ala Moana Center and took these photos looking towards the city of Honolulu.

 ...and out to sea

 I had fun with my camera in the middle of Neiman Marcus Dept. Store, with the hanging butterflies in the escalator well....

 We met my SIL on the Yacht Basin side of Ala Moana Park.

 Looking towards Waikiki from the Yacht Basin. We are drawn to such places:) funny that!

We had arranged for my Sister-in-law to pick us up near the Center around 3.30pm. She drove us out to their home in Maunawili, through the Pali tunnel and out the other side. It is cooler up there...NICE!

Dinner and lots of catch-up before she drove us back to the Hotel. We had made a decision on our next day's foray into the city, so we slept like logs.

We walked the one block towards McDonalds (we had seen it on the trip into town on the bus), and were delighted to find, across the road, a Melaleuca Store. WOW! I had been wondering how I was going to get some more triple anti-biotic of this brand. I love that product! We bought six tubes. Future proofing!!

Our breakfast was standard...Sausage/egg McMuffin with a Hash Brown each. Water to drink.
Fortified, we caught the #19 bus into Waikiki, this time. We knew there would be a good walk, so we had sensible shoes on. I found that the sole of my right shoe was coming adrift...bah! More fixit coming up!

Walking the streets to find where we could access the beach was a bit of a trial. We decided to go through one of the Hotels along the waterfront, and this proved wise....a coffee shop was right there waiting to take our morning coffee order:) Waz opted for a mango smoothie, wisely.

 The sculpture in front of the Hilton Hawaiian Village, which was beautifully landscaped. These are Hula Dancers.

 Looking back towards the business district.

 Literally, a walk in the park. Bouganvillea in bloom!

 Finally...the beach! We forgot our hats!!! and out of the wind, it was very hot. The hotels along the beach block some of the airflow.

Plenty of people out enjoying the sun/surf and sea on Waikiki Beach.

 Waz and I stood in the cool water for a short while...if for no other reason than to say we have put our feet in the water of Waikiki...I hadn't done that for many years, and this was his first time.

 As you can see, Hotels and condos line the waterfront. These folks were enjoying their infinity edge Hotel swimming pool...many of them with cocktails in hand:) We walked a mile or so along the narrow concrete path in front.

 The renowned 'Pink Palace', the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. One of the first Hotels on Waikiki waterfront.

 Looking along the beach towards Diamond Head Crater.

 Lots of folks in the water, and this Catamaran was taking tourists out for a sail. In the forefront is an Hawaiian Outrigger canoe.

 Bouganvillea is so bright and blousy:)

Having walked as far as we felt able, we decided to make our way back to the Ala Moana Center for more Japanese food. It was a walk of several miles, and we were glad to be on the shade side of many of the buildings, which meant we also got lots of cooling breeze.
On the way we passed the Honolulu Convention Center, which was closed. The interior was photo-worthy, don't you think?

Back to Shirokiya Food Hall.

We had a different variety of goodies, this time, and went downstairs to one of the bakeries for a sweet treat and something to take away for a snack. We were glad we did the latter.

We needed to be back at the Hotel for our night flight out to LA. Arriving there around 5pm was well timed. We had caught the bus back and then walked a block. We were grateful for the opportunity to sit and gather ourselves and rest our sore feet in the Hotel salon. We struck up conversation with a couple from Missouri, and enjoyed their company for an hour or so before catching the shuttle to the airport.
Our flight to LA was jam packed. Not only was it full, but we had a 17 month old baby sitting in our row of three seats. We always feel sorry for the children and parents when flying...baby had to sit on mother's knee and sleep was a long time coming on this 5 hr flight. baby couldn't stretch out in her normal sleeping pose and her poor mother couldn't relax either. We tried our best to catch come winks, but they were not restful. There are no frills offered on internal USA planes. No screens...you are supposed to have your own, these days, and food for sale only. We got water/juice or coffee for free, but nothing else.
We just had time to get a coffee and muffin (bran, again) before boarding the next flight to Houston, TX. Fortunately this is a relatively short flight from LA....about 3 hrs. We were grateful for the sustenance!

I read for most of the flight...Waz had retrieved a book someone had left on a seat in HNL, and I was very engrossed in this Lee Child Novel...I like his Jack Reacher novels.

We had two hours on the ground in Houston before the flight to Tampa. We decided on a meal at Real Food on our concourse, and were happy with our choices there. Fruit salad and sushi. Waz bought fruit salad only. 
I have to say, at this point, that we were really happy to be back in The South. There is such a different feeling to being in the south...We love the food, the manners and people are friendly and welcoming.

Our arrival in Tampa after the short 2 hr flight, was with great relief. Not just the lack of sleep,  but the three flights had taken their toll on us. We were so happy to find our car in the Hotel parking lot where we had left it for the duration. It was VERY dirty, but that didn't matter...a car wash was on the cards for the next day.

Driving on the OTHER side of the road again took all of two seconds adjustment. One feels a bit of a chameleon, at times.

We drove to a local Taco Bell, in Tampa and ate dinner before setting out on the 2 hr drive south to Port Charlotte. Arriving late evening, we tried to open the boat up to allow airflow, but it was hot outside and air wasn't going to happen. We put two fans in the bedroom on full blast, and pulled the bed clothes back to allow us to sleep on top without cover. We slept that way all night, waking in a bit of a lather.

With a bit of jet lag to take into consideration, we rose about 10am and ate our first meal..scrambled eggs with tomato..yum! before putting the first load of four into the washing machine.

Sorting out the baggage, which we were climbing over, at this stage, and putting the contents back where they came from, we managed to empty them all and stow before going next door to visit with Stef and Mia.

Mia glommed onto Waz first up, then demanded to be held by me. She has begun walking since we left, and alternates between that and crawling to get where she needs to be. She has grown and put on some weight, which I noticed when I was tipping her upside down and flying through the air, while playing. She is just as perky and fun as ever:)

Lovely to have a south wind to help dry clothes and give us some much needed airflow through the boat. It is warm..in the 80's (early 30C) and humid. A little rain overnight helped to cool things down a bit, but not much.

We did a large number of chores yesterday (Wednesday) in preparation for the final visit from the carpet cleaners at 9am this morning. The carpets look fantastic now! Cream is not an ideal color for boat carpets, though it looks nice and bright. The salon carpet is now covered by a King sized sheet, to keep the carpet clean, underneath.

Time is not our friend...We had stopped at the supermarket on the way home, on Tuesday night, just as the store was closing, and bought essentials. I am grateful that we did, because it would have been a major issue to go shopping yesterday. Neither the will nor the way, frankly. It was 7pm before we felt remotely like eating, least night, and were grateful for the cold cuts and cole slaw we had purchased the night before.

It is overcast today, for which we are grateful. We have done more chores, and are anxious to see the aircon fella who will re-gas two units for us, as we cannot get any cold air right now. Perhaps tonight we will be able to sleep with the aircon on??

Our plans for the next couple of weeks are a bit up in the air. Waz has reapplied for an extended Green Card...the first he received was just for 2 yrs, and this one will give him 10 years, we hope. We don't know if an interview is required, so we have to stay in the area until we know one way or the other. With our boat insurance requiring us to vacate Florida by June 1st, we may have to re-enter the state by plane, if the interview is later than that date.

Our preferred summer destination is still North Carolina, where we can only stay 3 months, so we will either return to Georgia for a month or more, or go north into Chesapeake Bay. Lots of possibilities there.

We may also have some Kiwi visitors, this year. Friends travelling to Europe are returning via the USA, and we hope to catch them on that return trip:)

I need to go and put the last load of laundry in, so will carry this on in a day or five.

Looks like cooler weather until the weekend! thank you!!!!:)  Ciao for now.

p.s.  My new two burner Induction cooktop was waiting for us when we returned. I just cooked lunch on it with two pans..YAYAY! it works great!!!

How Time Flies ...

..when one is busy travelling and doing.
We are coming to the end of our long trip. It will have been 7 weeks since we left Florida at the beginning of March, and we are talking about what we are going 'home' to, on the boat. Home definitely is where the bed pillows are, no matter what island or state that may be.
We have so enjoyed our time spent reconnecting with friends and family and celebrating milestones such as Poppa's 93rd birthday. Waz's dad is still chirpy and spry and though legally blind, he is active and still has all his marvels:) We took him out to a favorite Thai restaurant for dinner and they kindly gave him an ice-cream plate with Happy Birthday written in chocolate syrup and a single candle to blow out:) He lives independently in a 'group' house with his little poodle, Marcy (male).

 

Another highlight of the trip was getting together with the rellies (cousins and siblings) for Sunday brunch, last week. We had organized this gathering a long time ago, and all were present! Lovely to meet new family members (baby) and see how much all the children have grown.

 

Without the kindness and generosity of our special friends, we wouldn't be able to stay 'home' in NZ for this long, normally. Having given up our physical home to do what we are doing in the USA, we are persons of 'no fixed abode' in NZ. We thank them profusely, and have so enjoyed their company and hospitality.

 

This blog will be brief. I will 'finish' it when we are home in Florida and on the boat and have a few days to gather ourselves and consider the next move, as it were.

There really is way too much to tell, about our NZ trip and so much of it is personal, which I wont be sharing. Suffice to say, the trip has been fabulous in so many ways, and we are sad to leave our senior members and those closest and dearest.

 

Adieu until next week when we begin another chapter of our boat-bound lives.