Great Loop "Just Do It"

More Practice and Still Living Aboard March 14 to March 20   Monday March 14 2020 Had a lot of fun today.   The morning was dead calm and had good coffee then Dianne started driving.   The goal was to travel to a new marina about 30 miles out and stay for a night.   The marina we selected was Harbor Village Marina 25 miles north. We plotted the route on two   different GPS systems and checked them against each other to make sure it was safe.     Jay the boat dealer said he would drop by and see the boat so I texted him our plan.   Jay texted back it was a good practice ride and very nice marina.   After we passed a south bound Barge Dianne said she was done driving.   I though she did a great job and even used the autopilot.   I took over and everything worked.   Even fired up the generator and had a hot cup of coffee during the ride.   The scenery was great. From the boat underway Picture of us in the docked   And me...

Life Aboard   Weeks of March 5 to March 22 Second Trip Out March 5 to March 22 2022 Drive out March 5 and 6th After much discussion we agreed try to put the Canoe on top of the boat to act as a tender when we anchor out.   So we mounted the canoe on the car  Friday evening before happy hour.   Left at noon on Saturday March 5 right after we finished the Parkinson Support group that meets  once a month.   Drove to some Hotel in Virginia and called it a day at around 10.   Skipped dinner for Ice Cream, after all why wait life is short eat dessert first.     We finished the drive on Sunday about 2:30.   Spend some time cleaning the boat and unpacking. Took the boat out on Sunday and had 3 or 4 very good docking experiences. Then went to the Irish Pub for Shepard’s Pie for me and Fish and Chips for Dianne.   Our goals for this trip are simple. Improve driving Find better ways to store stuff and practice living on board. Finish all repai...

First Week of Boat Ownership Repair Experience Feb 12-Feb 20 Drive Out Feb 12 to Feb 13th It is a long drive 14 hours made even longer due to late start.   Saturday we had a standard Parkinson Disease Self Alumni group meeting then had to wait for a new group to finish and explain to them the importance of continued practices and support.   So started out at 3:00.   Had Fried chicken in the car for dinner and kept driving so could arrive there Sunday and have limited Covid exposure.   During the drive had snow, rain and then air tires pressure problems.   Around 10pm we found a hotel and went to sleep.   Sunday was an early start and we finally arrived in Wilmington Comfort Inn at 4:30 after a brunch so, with better weather we made good time.   Had a Valentine day dinner at Outback and off to bed exhausted. Monday   Feb 14 Met with Jay the salesman for the boat at 9:30 and discussed the title change and next steps there.   Also explained the ...

Starting Repairs The day we signed the contract for the boat we started repairing it. The first thing we did was interview a guy that did boat upholstery.   I had arranged for him to come down to see the boat and give us a price.   This is where I realized every one knew everyone in the Carolina Beach boat Community.   He arrived and Jay said, “Hi Curtis! How are you Doing”.   Then they exchanged information about someone named Steve that shot a bear and had   it mounted for his house.   Curtis then gave me a price estimate to redo all the seats and beds in the curtains and the repair was then started.   Next I tried to arrange for waxing.   Josh who I found as a boat detailer said, “Oh you bought Bud’s old boat, I can try to wax it but I doubt it will help, it needs painting.” So then I tried to have the boat wrapped with Vinyl which was suppose to be cheaper than painting.   I contacted a guy and explained what I needed done and he said, “O...

Buying a Boat This is not an activity for the weak of heart or for inexperience people like myself to undertake lightly.   Many problems arise, if you like me have not limited knowledge or understanding. This makes having an advisor with knowledge of boat value and what is required is essential, to be successful.   First lesson learned was not every boat listed is truly available.   In some cases they are sold already and people are trying to find buyers for other boats or they never really existed and people are just trying to find new clients.   The second lesson is not many boat dealers really want to help out finding a boat from another company.   After talking to several dealers we spoke with a guy by the name of Jay (Sting Ray Jay) at Riggs Yacht sales.   We promised to pay him if he worked with us. He agreed and the search started. We found Jay as he had a boat that was perfect an 25 foot Ranger tug. He already had an offer but after talking with him...