Back on the Water
I have not posted to my blog in about 3 months because, frankly, there has not been much to talk about. Our major boat repair was completed in Mid-February, but we have been dealing with other boat issues.
Temporarily Stuck on Land on Elbow Cay
After a couple short cruises on the Sea of Abaco, Satisfaction developed a slow leak coming from the back of the boat that was difficult to find due to the boat liner. We had to have Satisfaction hauled out at the Marsh harbor Boatyard to try to locate the leak. After checking all thru-hulls and hull joints, the leak appeared to be coming from the stern tube that the propeller shaft goes through from the inside of the boat to the outside. Unfortunately, this is a rare problem but is a major repair to replace the stern tube.
First Cruise of the Season
For the last month or so we have been making some repairs and smaller upgrades to our Beneteau 41-foot boat, Satisfaction. Finding someone to make repairs here in Hope Town is not difficult because there are many boaters here that can fix almost anything on a boat. This is good for us because we are not that knowledgeable about boat maintenance. The other boaters do not charge you anything for their labor to do these repairs. Since they are all retired, they are just interested in helping people.
Back in Hope Town
It has been awhile since I posted anything, but we have been very busy getting our new boat ready. We took possession of Satisfaction in Miami, FL in early July. A friend and I moved the boat from Miami to Stuart, FL where he made many upgrades to the boat until mid-August. At that time my wife and I flew from Maryland to Florida to move onto the boat. We spent 5 weeks making upgrades to enhance our living and getting Satisfaction supplied for our trip to the Bahamas.
The Cost of Traveling in Italy
I got a couple inquires about our experiences traveling in Italy this past spring and summer. The inquiries were mostly about what to expect in the way of the costs when traveling in Europe. I cannot provide any guidance about the costs to travel in Germany, France, Spain, or other countries that we did not travel in as we only traveled in Italy. But I kept detail records of our traveling costs so I can provide some good data on Italy.
Homeless No More!
When my wife and I sold our home in Annapolis, MD in the spring of 2012 and decided to live on our sailboat, many of our close friends and family hinted we would regret selling our beautiful Annapolis home. And everyone else we knew just thought we were crazy to live on a boat; and it was a very small boat at that (Odyssey was only 36 feet).
Some Adjustments to my Portfolio
I am in the process of making some adjustments to my portfolio, so I thought I would post a quick note about it.
Southern Italy
After leaving the Bahamas at the end of March, we spent about 10 days in Florida visiting family, friends and preparing for our second trip to Italy. To get to Italy we decided to take another trans-Atlantic cruise. This 13 day cruise stopped in Funchal, Madeira, Gibraltor, and Alicante, Spain before our final destination at Rome, Italy. Taking a cruise ship to Europe is a comfortable way to travel as you do not have to deal with airports, but it does take a couple weeks, so it is only really practical for people who are retired.
Fishing in the Abacos
One of the many reasons to come to the Abacos or anywhere in the Bahamas for that matter is the great fishing. The Sea of Abacos is a shallow body of water and is perfect for people who want to just cruise around to all the different Cays to anchor out and visit each island. But just outside the barrier islands bordering the Sea of Abacos, i.e., the Atlantic Ocean, the fishing is fantastic. And, mostly, there are no laws limiting fishing activities.
The Windy Abacos
I wanted to post a quick update. It has been one of the windiest winters here in the Abacos in many years. The temperature has also been lower than average. Winds have been 20 to 30 knots on many days. Daytime highs have often been about 70 degrees and night time lows have been as low as 60 degrees. These temperatures have been about 5 to 7 degrees lower than usual.