It's GO Time!

Sails on....check!

The time has come!! We are setting sail on Saturday! Yay!! We'll make our way down the ICW (intra coastal waterway) to Lake Worth, Florida which is our launching point to the Bahamas. It will take us over a week to get there cuz' we're not in a rush, & then we'll have to wait for the perfect weather window to cross to the Bahamas. So...we'll still be in Florida for a few weeks BUT we'll be on the move. We are so excited!! We've been getting Malaika ready for months & now it's time to go. So many projects & now we get to go have some fun. Here's a few pics of what we've been up to this past week....

We pulled off the anchor and ALL the chain to inspect it & remark it. All 275 feet of it. We have to mark it so when we drop our anchor we know how much chain we have out. The depth of the water determines how much chain we put out, sooo...every 25ft, we have a marker on the chain. (All our cruiser friends know this stuff of coarse but our friends & family don't....gotta explain this anchoring stuff.. ;)

You can see here which part of the chain spent more time in the water....

 

We hired a diver to clean the bottom of the boat....lots of marine grossness starts to grow on the bottom of the boat after a few months in this river. The boat does not run efficiently if there is a lot of "growth" on the bottom so it needs to be cleaned. In the Bahamas, this is a project Scott does. We just can't bring ourselves to voluntarily jump into this river....so we hired somebody.

On Tuesday I spent 3 hours & $600 at Walmart provisioning the boat. Grocery shopping is my least favorite household chore. I hate it. After THREE hours in Walmart I was pretty much fried. However, we now have enough food & supplies to last us for months. Then...the real chore...putting all of it away in an organized manner in lockers behind the couch cushions....it took hours.

We also had the upholestery for our settees (couches) dry cleaned. It sure was a lot easier removing the foam than putting back in. Ugh. Don't want to do that again for awhile.

43....that's me! Here's to another good year! Thank you God!

Yesterday we celebrated my 43rd birthday. Despite 30mph winds & COLD temps my hubby made sure I had a really fun day. Together we finished putting away all the provisions & then bundled up to go hang out in St Augustine. We don't have much cold weather clothes. We had to dig deep in our lockers to find jackets, hats, etc. They've been stowed away for 2 years & smelled very musty....thank goodness for Febreeze!!

1st stop....San Sebastian Winery

We stopped into the winery to catch the FREE wine tasting. Turns out, they were having a sale. By one case of wine, get one free. Happy Birthday to me.

Next stop....the water's edge.

We walked around our beloved St Augustine for awhile & settled on a place for lunch. "Scarlett O'Hara's". It's a pretty popular place in St Augustine...especially with the college kids, but it was afternoon & we'd never been there & we were really cold so we thought we'd check it out. Total SCORE!! We were pretty much the only people in there & got a table for two in front of a fireplace directly below a huge painting of Miss Scarlett herself. Yay!!

When we got home from our lovely afternoon, our friends were hanging out at the Marina. They heard it was my "day" & wanted to say Happy Birthday! So nice!! Thanks Dan & Kathy! Our friends Dale & Karen from s/v Jessie Marie opened a bottle of champagne & everybody toasted my birthday & good friendships. My friends Greer & Aaron gave me a wine picnic basket/bag which will come in so handy in the islands. Thanks guys!! I loved it! Later in the evening we went to another wine tasting that was packed with about 100 people. It felt like my big birthday party! Fabulous day to say the least.

Thanks honey for an awesome birthday!

Tomorrow we have a million little things to do and then......it's time to go!!! Woo Hoo!! It's officially the start of the trek south. Can't wait.

Love & miss everybody!!! XXXOO

--Michelle, Scott & Jib

 

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Just The Two Of Us

Hi everybody! Like the title says...it's just me & Jib this weekend on the boat. This is a picture of us on our way to Eleuthera, Bahamas last January. I'm clearly the photographer in the family because this was the ONLY picture (out of hundreds) that I could find of just me & Jib. Hmm...we'll have to work on that.

Anyway...Scott left early Friday with some buddies from the Marina to transport a boat to Ft. Lauderdale. He should be home tomorrow afternoon. So it's just me & Jibby. It's been raining pretty much non-stop for 12 hours so Jib & I are kinda stuck in the boat feeling like a couple of mushrooms....poking our heads out every now & then when it stops raining for 2 minutes.

Working on a "delivery". I think it's a bit of a man-cation too.

The Marina has been very busy....the migration south is in full force now. Boats are coming & going almost everyday. We LOVE St. Augustine & Hidden Harbor Marina but all this activity is getting us really excited to start our own migration. We'll probably be leaving in 2 weeks. So meanwhile, we keep plugging along getting Malaika ready for the islands. Most of the big projects are done. Just little things now. We will put the sails back on this week....I can't wait cuz they are down below with us right now taking up WAY too much space & making it impossible to organize the inside of the boat. It's not all work though...we've been having fun too. St. Augustine has no shortage of festivals & things to do. Last weekend we went to a "maritime" festival. It was so fabulous we went again the next day. The highlight of the event was a boat race with boats that were made the day before.

Day One...building the boats

 

 

The cutest boat was the "Damn Good Beaver"

 

My favorite was the "JunCanoe"

I'm also happy to report that Jib has recovered perfectly from his knee injury!! Yay!! We were looking at a $2500 surgery if his ACL was torn. Looks like it was just a strain. He hasn't limped in days & is climbing the ladder out of the boat again. Whew.

We've been shopping quite a bit too...getting new gear for the season...finally using all the gift cards from our wedding. Yes, it's been four years. What can I say...we're not big shoppers but we are grateful for the gifts & it's been so fun ordering stuff!!

Scott's ready for some fishing...got new fishing rods too.

One of Scott's favorite new toys is a sewing machine. Sewing machines are a nice luxury to have on a boat. You can do canvas work, repair sails, etc.

Scott also made a beautiful wood case to store it in. I'm not allowed to touch the sewing machine.

He's made a lot of cool stuff for the boat...practical things that we needed but I did convince him to make me some new pillows.

So....things are in motion. Malaika is almost ready. And so are we...

Love & miss everybody!!!

 

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Like Sand Through The Hourglass.....

I can NOT believe how the time just keeps slipping on by...I have not been a good blogger. I'm sorry guys....I promise the blogs will be more frequent when we get moving but now...we're in the marina. Working on the boat. All day. Every day. I just haven't felt inspired to write lately....I'm working on it. Writer's block I guess.

Scott putting the finishing touches on the varnish

Scott has varnished almost every piece of wood on this boat...inside & out. It looks amazing.

The varnish is just one of a gazillion projects. We've had the transmission rebuilt,

New transmission going in.....big bucks. Still not perfect....hopefully we will totally fix this week...

bought new dinghy's (yes, "dinghy's"... plural...we have an extra dinghy at this point,

Towing our newest dinghy home.

Scott rebuilt the fridge, the oven, put in an SSB (super hero of all radios & a 2+ months long project) & so much more!! It really is a full time job keeping up with the boat.

Scott also built flower boxes & planted herbs which have fully blossomed into our beautiful herb garden

My most favorite improvement of the season is our newly rebuilt (by my hubby) oven. It is sooooo awesome to have an oven! It's sort of one of those things you can easily learn to live without...but once you have it....YAY!!!

Fresh home made bread

Home made pizza

 

Wish we could install a washer & dryer...but that's still me. Our car is kaputz & the laundry mat is not within walking distance so I do what I can by hand but we have a major mountain of laundry piling up. Something I must deal with this week. I have so many other pics to share....I gotta get in my blog mode.

One new side note....our sweet Jib woke up the other morning & could not walk. Um....yeah...me & Scott were pretty upset. It SUCKS to see your pet hurting. As the day went on, Jib moved more & more but not enough. We took him to the Vet that afternoon. Jib has the equivalent of a strained or possibly torn ACL. Our Vet said strict rest for 2 weeks & then we'll re-evaluate. If it's strained, Jib should get better with rest. If it's torn, he'll need surgery. Which is unbelievably expensive. Poor Jib. He is basically on "house arrest" & it's driving him nuts.

While Jib is rehabbing...he surrounds himself with his best buddies. He's always found the most comfort from his toys..

 

Stay tuned everybody....it's only gonna get more exciting from here. We're hoping to set sail in 2-3 weeks!!! I CAN NOT WAIT!!!!

Panama or Bust!!

Love...Michelle, Scott & Jib

 

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Fitting In

Ok....I've been back on the boat for 2 weeks. I could lie & tell all our blog followers, friends &family, that it's just been sailboat bliss for the past 14 days. One thing I'm not....is a good liar. I love my husband. I love our boat. I love our dog. I love the ''cruising life''.

So....why is it so hard to be on this boat right now?!!

No matter what..it beats working...& yet...it's been an adjustment for the three of us (Michelle, Scott & Jib) these past two weeks. I think what it boils down to is that, 24/7 with your family....on 38 feet....is umm...anxiety provoking?!! Maddening...Intimate...lovely...nails on a chalk board...you get the picture. We're adjusting...with love. I drive Scott crazy. He drives me nuts. We're learning to live together again after 3 months apart. We're learning to do that on a 38ft sailboat. Hmmm...wish all couples had a chance just once...to do this. It's hard. It's awesome. Which end of the spectrum do you think you would fall into?

Jib is Switzerland. He loves both of us. Well, he pretty much loves everybody but we like to pretend we matter more to him than others.

I had this whole other blog planned with pics of all our new & exciting "stuff".. But I'll post that another day. The boat is looking beautiful. Scott has done so much work. I cant wait to get off the dock & go sailing.

Sailing..take me away....

Love, Michelle

 

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On The Blog Again!!!!

Malaika's home for now.....and yes...that's our pumpkin

Well Hello everyone!! It's been a long time!! I've missed doing the blog....I just havent felt too inspired these past months. However, I had a great reunion with my hubby

We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary Oct 3rd

& my sweet Jib (after 3 months apart),

moved back onto the boat, and now.....my writing instincts have kicked back in...sort of..

Sunrise 30,000 ft up...heading home..

It's been quite an adjustment learning to live on the boat again. I can't believe how a few months away has made this feel like such a foreign place.....and yet, it feels like home too. Scott has been on the boat since the end if July. Upon my arrival home It was suddenly very clear that he & Jib have made their comfy little home...without me. Scott has done so much work & made so many changes that I felt a bit out of place. I keep forgetting little things....conserve water, turn off the propane when done cooking, turn the fridge on once the sun has been up for awhile, turn the fridge off before the sun goes down.., what's the power at?! Oh yeah...did I mention our car is completely dead? For reals this time. She's a gonner. She did get us across the country 4 times so i guess she did as much as she had left....but now..she's dead & we have no transportation. We're selling her for scrap metal. Some company will come pick her up & everything. They're paying us $300 plus, we're keeping the new alternator & battery we bought this spring. It's not a total loss.

It's great to be on the boat again. Just earlier today the boat parked behind us left for the Bahamas....can't wait to be off the dock & on the move.

Check into tomorrow's blog to see all the changes on Malaika! Scott has been working very hard. We have lots of cool new stuff. The blog is back! Yay!! I've missed it all...my hubby, my jib, my Malaika, & my blog! Welcome to season 3...it's officially ON!

Love,

Michelle, Scott & Jib

 

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The Other Woman

I don't know the story behind why boats are always referred to as "she" but they are. Perhaps because they are beautiful & powerful. They can take you to places you've only dreamed about & bring tremendous joy to your life.

They provide shelter & safety in a place that is often unpredictable & dangerous. They can help your soul soar to greatness.

They can put you in a place of total peace & unity with the universe. In return, they demand A LOT of attention. They need total devotion and endless tender loving care to make the soul soaring greatness, one with the universe thing happen. All this TLC also costs a pretty little shiny penny.....or millions of pennies, give or take a few. If I'm sounding a little jealous of her it's because Scott & Jib left a week ago to head back to Florida to take care of Malaika. The mistress. Her need for attention has created quite a ruckus between the Captain & 1st Mate. While I understand her TLC needs....i think its worth a pout or two....or three. I will join them in October. That seems so far away. I chose to stay in Phoenix & restock our cruising kitty & spend some more time with family while Scott & Jib return to Florida to take care of "HER". Malaika needs quite a bit of work this summer to ready her for our next cruising season. We plan on sailing way beyond our familiar safe zone of the Bahamas this year so we need grown up sailor stuff. The truth is, I'm not very helpful with the kind of boat projects she needs right now & can be more helpful by making some money for the next adventure.

Meanwhile, I miss my husband. I miss my sweet Jib. I even miss Malaika but I'm not gonna tell her that. 11 weeks to go but who's counting.

Love & Miss my blog readers too. Hope y'all stay tuned in. I know the blog has been lacking a bit lately but "Scott Michelle Voyage" will be on the high seas soon seeking more adventure! We're Panama bound this season with Malaika. Brazil bound by next summer for the World Cup....with or without Malaika. Not sure if we can get her there in time....but we'll (cross my fingers) be there.

Love, Michelle

 

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