Cosmic Bus Ride

This picture was taken in the early morning, on the way to the Miami boat show, prior to consumption of even a drop of rum!

Good Friends and Fried Fish

At this year's fish fry the weather was delightful and the food was delicious. However, everything else pales in comparison to the commaraderie of the sailors who attend our events. Like my favorite sneakers or old pair of levi 501s - my fellow sailors in ECSA just fit right. There is something unspeakably comfortable about being around people who share your passions.

Two more things off the list

Today it is official - We are over the top of the apex on our pre-departure (Bahamas) boat projects list - it's downhill from here on out! I've heard it said that the real joy of anything worth doing is in the planning and preparation. If that's true - we rightly should be ecstatic. This past weekend we tackled the two remaining big projects on our list: new battery and door installs. Chris some how managed to muscle off our old, very large, very heavy batteries and put on four new very large, very heavy batteries - all without injury or incident. When I arrived on the boat Friday night, the new batteries were in, the old batteries were out, and all appeared to be working appropriately. We even had an opportunity to put the batteries to the test when the marina power went out Saturday night. All systems go.

Next order of business - install our new custom companionway doors (made by www.zorcor.com ). We got off to a rocky start on this project. First, we noticed that the instruction video, which was the only form of instructions that came with the doors, was for the wrong boat - totally differant installation. Then Chris ran into a guy that had the same doors built for his boat. The guy told Chris his installation took three days. Not ones to back away from a challange, we started our door install. For a couple of hacks, they look pretty good. Trouble must have had the day off, because miraculously, it did not show its face. In the 24 hours that we have had doors, we are very much enjoying them and don't know how we went so long without them.
The pre-departure list now is pathetically short and easy - Yippee!

Why do anchors only come up after midnight?

You see that big red power boat in the photo above? I must say it is much scarrier looking at midnight when it is dragging anchor and coming at you. I'll back up a bit. Chris, Park, Coco and I headed out Saturday morning to meet up with the Windsors who were bringing their new boat home from Fort Pierce. The plan was to meet at Marker 21. The wind blew from the south at about 30 knots most of the day, so we motored all the way. We have a good dodger/canvas, so really, it was not a bad day at all. Me and Chris listened to tunes in the cockpit and Park/Coco watched movies in our cabin. We got to Marker 21 just before 5pm, and saw Imagine tucked in behind the island. She looked even prettier in person that in the pictures.
We got LaLeLu anchored, situated, and headed over to say hi to the Windsors. The island gave us good protection from the wind, and we had a very enjoyable evening complete with lightening displays passing by on either side of us. It was very entertaining watching the magnificent lightening in the distance, while chatting with our buddies and drinking a rum/coke. When we went to bed, it was completely calm and still. Of course, as all sailors know, the wind is mischevious and enjoys playing a good trick whenever the opportunity presents. At about midnight, we were awakened by the unmistakable low howl of a thunder cell. The dodger was shaking and the bow was bouncing and slapping. Chris went up into the cockpit and I heard him yell "Kenny!" Next thing I knew, he was zipping off in the dingy and I saw Imagine slipping sideways over towards the Island. I watched from our cockpit as Imagine got resituated, while the big red power boat made several unsuccessful attempts to do the same. It never could get reset and finally ended up motoring and waiting it out in the channel. By morning, the big red boat was back in the anchorage. It was a rough night - but no damage done and by morning, we had all earned a new badge. The trip back home was suprisingly calm. We tried a few times to sail and hoisted the headsail. The wind was pitifully light, so it was a day of motoring again. Our cat Coco took it all in stride - here's a picture of her taken during one of her many cat naps.

An Afternoon Cockpit Gathering

Last weekend we were finally able to answer that nagging question, "Just how many people can you fit comfortably in your cockpit." The answer is 8. Kenny and Pam stopped by the marina last Saturday to fill us in on the details of their new boat acquision / survey results. While we were chatting, Paul and Carla stopped by to hear the details. Brandon rode his bike over and joined us. It turned into a very entertaining impromptu' cockpit party.

Also in these photos you should take notice of my latest efforts. LaLeLu is now sporting new weather cloths and fresh varnish. The fun never ends with boat maintenance.

Coco the Wonder Kittie

Meet Coco - our new boat cat. We have dubbed her "Coco the Wonder Kittie" - not because she is wonderful, although she is - rather because we are always wondering where she is. You wouldn't think a cat would be so successful finding hiding spots on a 40' boat. She has her regular hiding places that we are familiar with - such as the "cat cave" (under a shelf and behind the pillows of the forward berth). She also has some mystery hiding spots.
We thought we lost her one time. We searched the entire boat - or so we thought. Not able to find her on the boat, we began searching the marina grounds and even drove the frontage road calling for her. Very sadly, we returned to the boat without our Coco. Then Park's friend heard a faint "meow." Turned out the wonder cat was in a food cupboard, perched in a basket full of microwave popcorn.

Tooting My Own Horn

At the ECSA (East Coast Sailing Association www.ecsasail.com) banquet this year, I was very pleased and surprised to receive The Dot Hardenstein Award. This award is presented to the female member who has helped the club meet its original purpose, which in part states… “its members shall actively encourage the highest standards of yachting safety, integrity, courtesy and camaraderie.” Wow! What an honor. It chokes me up just thinking about it.

I am also duly honored to be serving as ECSA's Vice Commodore for 2008. This picture shows the 2008 elected officers and governors. I think we have an awesome group this year and am very excited for the challenge.

Things that Make You Go Ahhhhh!

On Saturday we made a run down the river to Ballard Park for an ECSA weekend cruise. Didn't matter that it was cold. Didn't matter that the wind was too light. Didn't matter that we had to run the motor the whole way there. It just felt good to be on the water.

This was the first time we arrived at the Ballard Park cruise by boat. It is a really neat little cove that surrounds a state park. The boats nestle in the mud right along the banks and tie to shore onto trees. Joe C was such a gentleman to go around in his dingy and set everyone's stern anchor. We had 12 boats in the anchorage and another on the outside.

At some point during the night the wind picked up and a few boats were playing bumper boats. There was a flury of dingies just before dawn, as boats came unhooked from eachother and resituated. The wind continued to build and everyone was a bit uneasy at departure time. Once out of the protected cove, the river was a tempest. The wind was blowing steady at 25 knots out of the north (on the nose of course)and we saw gusts up to 30 knots. There were actual waves on the river. The water was so choppy that our depth sounder went wacky. A few of the smaller boats were not able to make any headway and had to tuck in for the night. LaLeLu pushed along at a respectable 6 knots. Chris and I were cozy under the canvas with jackets, coffee and blankets.

To top it all off, we had a dolphin escort us all the way down the barge canal on our way home. Park and I hung our feet over the side and ohhh/ahhh'd.

Out for a Quickie

LaLeLu is no stranger to the sling. She's been hauled out five times in the two years that we have owned her. Watching your 22k pound boat suspended from nylon straps is not for the faint of heart. No worries - everything went well.



This time we hauled her in order to permanently fix the shaft seal (that started giving us trouble in November). Mark of Marine Pro, who probably knows LaLeLu's running gear/engine better than anyone else on this planet, installed a new shaft seal. Chris took the opportunity with the boat out of the water to scrape the barnacles off and install a new sacrificial zinc to the shaft. She's back in the water and ready to go!

End of the Year Reflections

As the end of another year nears, I find myself being pulled every which direction. `Tis the season I guess. The boat stuff takes a momentary back seat on my priority list as the holiday routine moves center stage. 2007 went by in the blink of an eye – 2008 is lurking just around the corner. Seems an appropriate topic for a blog entry.

The Florida Conrads continue to enjoy the warm weather that Orlando graces us with. The close proximity to the ocean isn’t a bad thing either. It’s hard to believe that we have been here for more than four years now.
As much as we miss our families and friends in Idaho, California, Texas, Arizona and Utah, the glue that keeps us here has a strong bond. Today, as I type this entry, our high temp is supposed to reach 80. Chris commented that he was bored with the warm weather. I’ll bet three days in Idaho right now would cure him of his boredom. I am not as bashful at admitting that I do like 80 degree days in December. Admittedly, snow is pretty, but I prefer to enjoy it on TV or inside a snow globe. I distinctly recall that it is not so pretty when it is on my driveway and needs to be shoveled.

As I sit here trying to recall the highlights of the year, friends and family come to the forefront of my mind. Looking through photos helps me put the year into chronological order. This past spring, Debbie met up with her daughter Alison following a pre-wedding cruise, and our guest room was again at max capacity. Rod and Lisa had reservations for a few weeks following Debbie and Alison's departure and Sharon and Ed rounded out the year of visitors. Living in paradise does help encourage visitors – I doubt we would get near as many if we lived in Fargo, ND.

After school let out for summer break, we set out on our planned Bahamas trip. Jace and Amber joined. Unfortunately the weather did not permit our crossing to the Bahamas, but we made the best of it and hung out in Ft. Lauderdale, Miami and the Keys instead. There are several blog entries below detailing the trip. Hopefully, 2008 will be a better year for getting to the Bahamas.

This summer, Rod and Lisa ended their 2-year boat adventure and moved back to Boise. Bitter sweet for them - I am sure. For a few weeks, their boat was in a slip one down from ours. It was fun having them and their boat so close. Now their boat is in the yard at Harbor Town (our marina) so we still go visit her every now and then.

In July the Florida Conrads went to Boise for Alison’s wedding. It was the first time I had been back to Boise since we left for Florida. Amber wasn’t able to join us because it conflicted with her departure date for USCG bootcamp in Cape May, NJ. The wedding was beautiful and made for a good opportunity to visit with family. While in Boise, Chris and I stopped in at our old jobs and visited with former employers and co-workers. We got to see and spend some time with Robin Labrie, Paul Grisham, and Marce Barrera. We drove around our old neighborhood (The Boson’s weren’t home but I could tell they still lived there because of the flower color-combo out front - it was signature Leslie.) We got to tour Robin Labrie’s new subdivision (what talent that girl has!) It was great to see everyone that we did see – but sad that we did not get to see everyone we wanted to.


The fall brought a sad event for us – Park’s cat Taffy had to be put to sleep. She had been with us in Boise, and made the long drive to Florida in the backseat of Chris’ truck. One of my most vivid memories of that drive is Taffy screaming Meeeoooooow, Meeeeoooow for 2700 miles - Park read her stories and, occasionally, the cries would subside. Taffy had been sick for a long time – she had been diagnosed with diabetes shortly after we arrived in Orlando. Even still, it was very hard to say goodbye to her.

Fall also brought another big event – Amber left for Port Huron where she was stationed for active coast guard duty. It was sad to see her leave, but she makes us all so proud. She plans to start Airman’s school (in Detroit) in January or March, 2008 and then go on to AST training in North Carolina. Her goal is to become a rescue swimmer. Lofty goal indeed – currently there are only 2 women AST’s in the USCG. If anyone can do it – I have faith that Amber can.

Brandon landed an internship at a company that makes computer programs for retailers. He finally got to say adios to Walmart. No more working on Christmas Eve – yeah. He is still living with us, and has one more semester at UCF.

Park is in her first year of middle school. It was a bit of an adjustment for her at first – but now she is doing great. All of her classes are advanced placement and she gets almost all A’s. Smart kid – wonder where she gets that?

As always, this year was packed with ECSA and other boating adventures. Some of the highlights are featured in the entries below. The majority of our weekends and vacation days were spent either sailing or working on the boat. We love LaLeLu, but she is very demanding.

More than any year previously, this year I felt myself frequently in a tug of war with time - the current of life. I guess time moves as fast as you let it. My goals for 2008 will be to enjoy more sunsets, sleep in longer on Sundays, and spend more time floating on the raft in the pool. I am looking forward to the challenge.

Pinedaville 2007

Another Pinedaville has come and gone. Sharon and Ed flew in Thursday and we were supposed to head down the river to join the party on Friday. This is the second time we have started a voyage on a Friday, and the second time that we have been sorry that we did. The morning was uneventful. Everyone took showers and did their last minute boat preparations. By noon LaLeLu was packed and running. As soon as Chris put her in gear it was obvious that something was wrong – the engine squealed and I could feel the boat “squat.” We cleared the dock and I frantically pulled open the lazerrette to have a look at the beast. Big trouble was apparent – water was coming in through the shaft and the shaft seal intake hose was wrapped around the shaft. At this point we had no way to get back in the slip and were drifting forward into the alley. I took the helm and Chris tried to stop the water by wrapping his shirt around the shaft log. Fortunately people on the dock saw the epic unfolding and Sharon and Ed threw lines. They pulled us to the T-head and before we even got all the way to the dock, I jumped onto the dock and ran to find the Yanmar mechanics that I saw there earlier that morning. We narrowly avoided haulout - the Yanmar guys were able to pull the shaft and replace the seal with the boat in the water. Phew! Bad news was that by the time we got her put back together, we were too late to make the last opening on the State Road 3 Bridge. We weren’t going anywhere that Friday – Score was Murphy - 1, Conrads and Guests - 0.

We drove over to the Pineda causeway to join our comrades for pizza. As usual, Jim and Donna exceeded expectations with their 10th annual version of Pinedaville. At first we were bummed that our boat was not among those in the anchorage, but as the sun started setting and the temps dropped, we started thinking that reverse cycle heat might be a nice thing. We stayed and chatted a bit, ate some pizza, and stayed until our butts were frozen and then headed back to the boat. Sharon made a cute little wind breaker out of a garbage sack – nice job McGyvor.

Saturday morning at about O’dark thirty we unplugged, untied and headed LaLeLu down the river so she could join her friends. The wind was behind us and very light. Spinnaker weather. We raised the chute and motor-sailed all the way under just Spinnaker. You get so much attention with that pretty sail up. People that passed on the river radio’d to tell us how pretty she looked. We flew it all they way to the anchorage and only doused it when we turned to anchor. Quite an impressive way to arrive into the anchorage. We got anchored at about 10:30 am and went into costume mode. The 2007 theme was cartoon characters. Our entry was Cat in the Hat. We loaded up into the dingy to make our grand entrance. Chris sat in the front ‘steering’ his fake cartoon steering wheel, Park shook her morroccas, Sharon honked the air horn, and Ed’s whirly hat spun madly in the breeze. We won the Best Costume award. Quite an honor.

Solar Stik Brian and his gorgeous wife Stephanie were there in their boat Empty Pockets. The weather was beautiful, and we had a fun day playing games and visiting with everyone. When the sun went down the campfires popped up and the music kept going and going. I tried to do my part in burning up the dance floor. Chris didn’t feel well so he hung out on the boat – bummer.


On Sunday we packed up and headed up the river with a group of others, including Brian and Stephanie. Fortunately for us, Brian is a maniac with the camera and he took gobs of pictures of us underway. In fact, I think that if we printed out all of his pictures and put them in a flip book, we could make them into a moving picture. We had a great time and, as I sit here typing this, I am already thinking about next year.

How do you come back?

The photos in this post are of our good friends Rod and Lisa (see their link in the side bar). They are photos that will accompany the soon-to-be listing on their boat. The photo titles read “Reaching off Vieques” and “Running wing and wing off Viesques.” When I saw them I thought, How cool to have such photos documenting that experience. My next thought was, how sad for them that it is over.



How do you re-direct at the end of the journey? Two years ago, Rod and Lisa quit their professional jobs, sold their beautiful house that overlooked a canyon/river, sold all their belongings, said goodbye to their friends/family, bought a boat and headed south. They confided in us that there were times along their journey where they hit their peak emotional lowest lows, and other times they experienced the highest highs. Almost in unison, they summed up their experience as being life changing – but didn’t elaborate on what that meant. There’s a blog entry that they posted on returning to their boat (on anchor in Luperon) after a visit to the states that I think explains it:

Julio drove with one arm atop the red Samsonite to keep it from landsliding onto him. And we were off on a typical Dominican taxi ride - fast and chaotic, but with a very friendly driver who seemed at ease with the other loco drivers.
It was a relief to be back to the boat and see that all was well. Instead of experiencing the anticipated culture shock upon returning to the D.R. after being back in the States, we found a comfortable familiarity. On our way back to Luperon I smiled as we passed a boy riding a burro down the side of the road. Smiled again at the sight of the typical game of dominoes taking place on a sidewalk table with players slapping their dominoes down with furrowed brows. Smiled at the sight of a beautiful young Dominican woman strolling confidently along with gigantic pink and blue rollers in her hair. Then I noticed I was just simply smiling. As much as we enjoyed our visit "home", it was good to be home. Oh sure, I miss running water and toilet paper in public restrooms but all in all it's good to be back.
When they first got back to civilization they thought they would just keep the boat dry docked – ready to go should the opportunity present itself. They recently decided that having that option available was too much of a distraction to their re-integration and have decided to sell her. Seeing the listing is hard for me to stomach. I don’t know, maybe I just think too much.

Just a Few Miles West of Crazy...

And I'm Driving As Fast As I Can.

It’s Friday at last (deep breath in, exhale). As a full-fledged, card-carrying member of the Monday through Friday rat race, weekends are my solace. The car trunk is packed with the necessary items to accomplish this weekend’s boat projects, and I just need to get through the day. The focus I was able to manage in the morning gave way to excuses in the afternoon. I convince myself that “nothing’s so important it can wait until next week.” Transported back to third grade – I watch as the time painfully, s l o w l y passes, click by click, on the imaginary big round clock above the chalkboard. I know I won’t make it all the way to 5:00 pm today. The big hand surely will be south of the 12 as I am driving out the parking lot and heading east. I will battle with the other rats for pole position, while detoxifying my soul with the help of Civil Servants, Jimmy Buffett or Lyle Lovett. Thoughts of deadlines and commitments fading into mindless thoughts of nothing with each mile I drive. The weight accumulated during the week will gradually lift from my shoulders – a vague memory as I pull into the marina entrance. I firmly observe the rules of D Dock: Rule Number 1 - Leave your baggage at the end of the dock. Someone pour me a rum and coke.

The Story of Me

Once there was a girl born to a family with a good pedigree. She grew up under the warm southern California sun and lived a predictable life. Somehow or another, the sea seeped into her veins without her knowledge or permission. I suppose it just happens that way when you are raised at sea level.

Her family owned a trawler and she spent many weekends crossing from Marina Del Ray to Catalina Island. When the sea was kind, you could find her belly-down on the foredeck – head resting on the teak toe rail, searching the bottomless green gray waters of the Pacific for jelly fish. When the sea was fierce, you could find her belly-down over the engine room floorboards - the hum and vibration of the engines, and the smell of diesel always kept her from getting sick.

Ironically, sailing never entered her mind until she had moved far from the ocean. What a silly notion that a girl in landlocked Idaho would be interested in sailing. As predictable as Pandora opening the box, the girl’s first sailboat awakened a sleeping passion. I am told that this passion can lie dormant in the soul for years, only to be re-awakened by the smell of marsh and salt air. Sailing was the catalyst that brought her back home to sea level. To the blue waters of the Atlantic - the opposite side - but home nevertheless.

The girl, now a woman, bears a tattoo of waves on her back and she submits that the ocean is her equilibrium. She lives in Florida but dreams of a day that she will have no home port. Most close to her don’t understand her passion - hobbies should not consume people, they reason. She supposes that those not born at sea level can never understand. Some passions run deep and flow through the veins, like heroin to the addict.