Home for the Holidays

So, I got back to West Virginia on Saturday (11/19/2016) and was welcomed back with a dusting of snow. I think that I like sitting on my boat in 70 degree weather much better.
I probably won't be writing the blog too much until January when I return to Florida. I guess I'll "see" you then. In the meantime, if you want to know more about the Great Loop, here are a couple of links:

America's Great Loop Cruisers' Association
Cruising America's Great Loop

Enjoy!

Phase 2 Complete

It has been a good week. Sunday, I went out for a long cruise. I was out for about 2 hours. I went east for about 1/2 an hour then turned around. I cruised west for an hour and turned around. After another 1/2 an hour, I was back at the Oyster Bar. I spent time learning the Garmin GPS. It's pretty cool. I did a little maneuvering just to see how she turns and backs-up.
Monday, I went for a longer cruise. I was out nearly 4 hours. I again cruised east and nearly made it to the Gulf of Mexico. I didn't quite make it. I guess trying the Gulf will be on January's agenda. I ran into a bit more traffic this time. There is a lot of barge traffic on the intra-coastal waterway. Some of them are huge.

Great Blue Heron

Tuesday and Wednesday, I worked at two elementary schools. The staff were all quite nice and grateful for the assistance. I guess it's tough getting subs. One of the administrators told me I could work every day if I wanted to. We'll see. I just want to keep busy and enjoy snow-birding.
Today, I spent some time with the factory rep. We again went over systems. I'm pretty confident that I can handle the boat. There are a lot of modifications I'd like to make and a lot of equipment that I'd like to have on board.
I had a visitor the other day. He just kept hanging around. But, I didn't have my camera and I thought for sure that as soon as I moved he'd fly off. I slowly made my way to the cabin, got my camera, and made to back to my seat. He never moved.
And speaking of wildlife, while I was on my long cruise, I spotted what I thought was a ray leaping out of the water. Google says sure enough, manta rays leap out of the water. Who knew?
Well, I've become convinced that I can live aboard! The conditions will be a little primitive, but the bunk is reasonable, the head works, the stove works, and the sink works.
Phase 3 will start in mid-January. I've made arrangements for a slip about a 1/2 mile down the road. They've been kind enough to let me use their shower and laundry facilities for the last two weeks. So, I'm looking forward to "moving in".

Phase 2 Continues

It has been a week of trials, travails, and finally triumph.
I mentioned the battery problem. The new battery seems to have solved the start problem. The boat's registration remained a problem until yesterday (Saturday 11/12). The registration was sent to the marina and it arrived yesterday.
I couldn't move the boat without a proper registration. I went and bought numbers to apply to the sides of the boat. I got that done today. The numbers are a little sloppy, but considering that the boat was moving up and down in the water and my feet were in that same cold water, not too bad.
I'm still learning the systems, GPS, radio, stove, refrigerator, batteries, the list goes on. But, it's all coming together.
I got the information on how to get substitute teacher assignments. I've got assignments for Tuesday and Wednesday. Should be fun.
So, after buying a ton of stuff, sleeping aboard for several days, fixing several problems, applying the registration numbers, I finally got to take her out for a little cruise. So, without further ado, here is Traveler's Wake.

Traveler's Wake

Phase 2 Begins

By Tuesday night, I had reached southern Alabama. As I had an 11am appointment with the Escambia County School District, I decided to spend the night in a motel. It was a dump, but I was able to sleep, get the election news, and have a shower.
I drove the remaining two hours to Pensacola and got to my appointment. In about an hour, I was done. I'm officially a substitute teacher for the school district. I'm waiting for an email that will explain how to get to the sub phone system to start getting assignments.

After the meeting, I went to the boat. Good news/bad news. There may be a problem with the engine start battery system. We tried charging the batteries at the marina. We spent a couple of hours waiting for that. During the wait, I looked for a canvas shop. Found one. I'd like to enclose the cockpit so that I have a little more living room in foul weather. The shop owner is going to try to get to the boat Today (Thursday). I also found a marine electrician. I'd like to have an extra bilge pump installed.
We finally got the boat in the water, but had to start the engine using the house batteries for a jump start. A quick cruise back to the marina and the boat is mine. I loaded all the stuff I bought and brought with me. I ate some dinner, had a glass of wine at the Oyster Bar (the Marina's restaurant).
I went to bed around 10pm and had a pretty good night's sleep.
Oh, and there is a little problem with the boat's registration. The lawyer hired to take care of that finally got around to mailing the paperwork to WV last Thursday. Of course, I haven't received it. So we'll have to figure something out.
I've got a few things to do today and I hope to be able to go out for a cruise this afternoon.

Phase 1 Complete

So, I'm approaching this project in several phases. I can summarize phase 1 in just a few words: Holy crap, I bought a boat. She is a Ranger Tugs 21EC. The 21 means that she is 21 feet long. The EC means Extended Cabin. The EC gives the tug a bit more room forward and provides a place for a small stove, an equally small sink, and a small refrigerator.
Phase 2 starts on Tuesday (11/8/16) and, yes, I already voted. I'll be headed for Pensacola, Florida. I plan on spending 2 weeks there and living aboard. There is not a whole lot of room on board, so I'll spend the time figuring out what things I'll need to bring on my cruise and where I'll stow it all.
Phase 3 should start after the new year. I'm going to be closing up my West Virginia cabin and heading back to Pensacola for about 2 months. During that time, I'll get the bottom painted and I hope to get an enclosure made for the cockpit.

Once phase 3 is complete, in early March, I hope. I'll sell my CR-V and cast off to attempt America's Great Loop. In short, I'll head to central Florida on the intra-coastal waterway. I'll cut across Florida on the Okeechobee Waterway. Then, I'll head up the east coast, through the Chesapeake Bay and out into the Atlantic. It's just a short cruise on the Atlantic to New York Harbor and into the Hudson River. I'll go up the Hudson to the Erie Canal and out into Lake Erie. From Erie, I'll go through Lake Huron and then onto Lake Michigan. I'll make my way to Chicago and join the Illinois River and the Tennessee River. Continuing south, I'll eventually get back to the Gulf and my point of departure.
With a little luck, it'll take me a year.