Check-in/OK message from Mike's Spot SPOT Messenger

Mike's Spot
Latitude:25.65175
Longitude:-81.27971
GPS location Date/Time:05/26/2010 15:47:30 EDT

Click the link below to see where I am located.
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Message:This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.

Raising the safety factor for millions who step into the outdoors each year, SPOT notifies friends and family or an international emergency rescue coordination center with status messages based on situation and need. Ask for Help (or SPOT Assist), Alert S.O.S., Check-In/OK and Track Progress-all with the simple push of a button.
http://www.findmespot.com

Looking for a great way to share SPOT tracks and waypoints, stories and photos? Head to http://www.spotadventures.com and see how users are creating their adventures and sharing them!

Check-in/OK message from Mike's Spot SPOT Messenger

Mike's Spot
Latitude:25.32886
Longitude:-81.13822
GPS location Date/Time:05/25/2010 16:32:01 EDT

Click the link below to see where I am located.
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Message:This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.

Raising the safety factor for millions who step into the outdoors each year, SPOT notifies friends and family or an international emergency rescue coordination center with status messages based on situation and need. Ask for Help (or SPOT Assist), Alert S.O.S., Check-In/OK and Track Progress-all with the simple push of a button.
http://www.findmespot.com

Looking for a great way to share SPOT tracks and waypoints, stories and photos? Head to http://www.spotadventures.com and see how users are creating their adventures and sharing them!

Check-in/OK message from Mike's Spot SPOT Messenger

Mike's Spot
Latitude:25.12394
Longitude:-81.14448
GPS location Date/Time:05/25/2010 13:44:00 EDT

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.12394,-81.14448&ll=25.12394,-81.14448&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Message:This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.

Raising the safety factor for millions who step into the outdoors each year, SPOT notifies friends and family or an international emergency rescue coordination center with status messages based on situation and need. Ask for Help (or SPOT Assist), Alert S.O.S., Check-In/OK and Track Progress-all with the simple push of a button.
http://www.findmespot.com

Looking for a great way to share SPOT tracks and waypoints, stories and photos? Head to http://www.spotadventures.com and see how users are creating their adventures and sharing them!

Check-in/OK message from Mike's Spot SPOT Messenger

Mike's Spot
Latitude:25.00953
Longitude:-81.12787
GPS location Date/Time:05/25/2010 12:19:30 EDT

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=25.00953,-81.12787&ll=25.00953,-81.12787&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Message:This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.

Raising the safety factor for millions who step into the outdoors each year, SPOT notifies friends and family or an international emergency rescue coordination center with status messages based on situation and need. Ask for Help (or SPOT Assist), Alert S.O.S., Check-In/OK and Track Progress-all with the simple push of a button.
http://www.findmespot.com

Looking for a great way to share SPOT tracks and waypoints, stories and photos? Head to http://www.spotadventures.com and see how users are creating their adventures and sharing them!

Check-in/OK message from Mike's Spot SPOT Messenger

Mike's Spot
Latitude:24.85836
Longitude:-81.1403
GPS location Date/Time:05/25/2010 10:24:26 EDT

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.85836,-81.1403&ll=24.85836,-81.1403&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Message:This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.

Raising the safety factor for millions who step into the outdoors each year, SPOT notifies friends and family or an international emergency rescue coordination center with status messages based on situation and need. Ask for Help (or SPOT Assist), Alert S.O.S., Check-In/OK and Track Progress-all with the simple push of a button.
http://www.findmespot.com

Looking for a great way to share SPOT tracks and waypoints, stories and photos? Head to http://www.spotadventures.com and see how users are creating their adventures and sharing them!

Check-in/OK message from Mike's Spot SPOT Messenger

Mike's Spot
Latitude:24.7193
Longitude:-81.17064
GPS location Date/Time:05/25/2010 08:23:28 EDT

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.7193,-81.17064&ll=24.7193,-81.17064&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Message:This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.

Raising the safety factor for millions who step into the outdoors each year, SPOT notifies friends and family or an international emergency rescue coordination center with status messages based on situation and need. Ask for Help (or SPOT Assist), Alert S.O.S., Check-In/OK and Track Progress-all with the simple push of a button.
http://www.findmespot.com

Looking for a great way to share SPOT tracks and waypoints, stories and photos? Head to http://www.spotadventures.com and see how users are creating their adventures and sharing them!

Check-in/OK message from Mike's Spot SPOT Messenger

Mike's Spot
Latitude:24.7082
Longitude:-81.08863
GPS location Date/Time:05/22/2010 11:03:36 EDT

Click the link below to see where I am located.
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=24.7082,-81.08863&ll=24.7082,-81.08863&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1
Message:This is Mike and Bev on "Walkure" just letting you know that we're OK.

Raising the safety factor for millions who step into the outdoors each year, SPOT notifies friends and family or an international emergency rescue coordination center with status messages based on situation and need. Ask for Help (or SPOT Assist), Alert S.O.S., Check-In/OK and Track Progress-all with the simple push of a button.
http://www.findmespot.com

Looking for a great way to share SPOT tracks and waypoints, stories and photos? Head to http://www.spotadventures.com and see how users are creating their adventures and sharing them!

Summer

Well, it looks like we'll be leaving Marathon for the summer. We'll head out probably on Tuesday next week if the weather forecast holds.
We decided that it will be just too hot here to work on the Irwin without AC and we don't want both boats in the same area in case there's a hurricane. We'll be taking Walkure up to New Port Richie. (We had planned on Tarpon Springs, but Tim found us a private dock in NPR that's cheaper.) I'll be helping Tim and Julie get their boat "Love is All" ready (finally) for cruising.
I'll be testing SPOT today so look for the SPOT message. As we travel, we will be sending SPOT messages at least once a day. As we cross Florida Bay we'll SPOT more often. That will be our only big crossing on this trip, the rest of the trip will be coastal hops or ICW, so one SPOT be enough.
Here are another couple of "after" pictures of the Irwin.
Oh, put your thinking caps on, we'll have to name the Irwin. It's name is currently "Queequeg" after the Moby Dick character, but I think we'll change it. We're thinking something based on the names of our granddaughters Chandra, Kahlenn and McKenzie: "ChaKahMac?" Input from all our readers is welcome.

A few "after" pictures

Well, almost "after." I have been working every day for the last week or so to get all the old food and junk out of the Irwin so the roaches won't have as much to eat.
I've also been doing a lot of cleaning and checking system to see what works and what doesn't. In the process I have made the boat look a bit more presentable. Here are a few pics I took today. Please note that I tried real hard to hide the water damage, but if you look closely, you can see it in some of the pics. Two of the pics are from the same angle, but look at the stove; in one it's covered and the other it's not.

As the worm...ah, er, engine...turns...

Yep, it turns!
More Irwin update:
Yesterday, I sucked out about a quart of heavy, tar-like gook from the engine and replaced it with clean fresh oil. Today, the oil pan drained easily and I put in 5 more quarts of fresh oil. Now, finally, with the compression lever "off" I can turn the engine easily with a wrench. Close the compression valve, and it won't turn; open it and it turns easily. Whew! That's a load off my mind. The engine isn't seized.
It looks like our "free upgrade" might just work out.
Keep your fingers crossed.
As for Walkure, it looks like we will be traveling up to Tarpon Springs for the summer. We hope to head out around May 26, weather gods willing. It should take us about 2 weeks to get up there, less if the weather cooperates. Lots to do between now and then, what with two boats to get ready...

Irwin Update

Spent a couple of hours cleaning out the Irwin today. Little by little I'm finding out what works and what doesn't. The shore power system works, the battery charger (old and inefficient as it is) works, the refrigerator works (good news), the stereo works and the lights work. Basically, the electrical system works; even the batteries aren't as dead as I had thought. A little distilled water and another few hours on shore power will tell if they need to be changed right away. (I will get new as soon as I can, but it would be nice if the old ones hold out till the rehab work is done.)
I tried changing the engine oil today but whew! It was a mess. The old oil is so thick it was like trying to pull tar through the pump. I got about two quarts out, then decided to put a quart of fresh oil in to see if it would dilute the crap sitting in the bottom of the oil pan.
The transmission seems OK. It will shift in and out of gear, and I can spin the prop in neutral, but not when it's in gear. I've done one oil change on the transmission, and will let that sit a while and change it again, just to be sure all the water is out.
In another week or so, I will be putting the Irwin to bed for the summer. I can't believe the way the previous owner left it. Food in the food lockers, the engine not properly stored, etc. But then, if he hadn't left it that way, I'd have never gotten it for free!
I've included a couple of "before" pictures. Just wait and see what it will be like in the "after" pics!

Still busy!

What a spring!
Right after our visit with Tim and Julie, Bev's son Matt came to visit. He had a great time. We went out for a day sail. We went to Key West, saw a bed race, had wings at Kelly's, visited the Turtle Hospital, etc. Matt treated his mom to another trip to Key West and went para sailing and snorkeling. (Yeah, Bev went para sailing!) Matt even learned to blow the conch.
In Key West we stopped in at Schooner Wharf hoping to hear our friend Howard Livingston, but it turned out his Mom was ill and he was out of town. We did get to see a "Pirate Costume Contest." Arrgh!
The deal for the Irwin has gone through. We are now the proud owners of a 40' boat. It needs a lot of work, and the roaches have taken up residence in unbelievable numbers. I still wonder about the engine and we won't know if it runs until we put the boat in the water. I'll do all I can to fix the boat up before launching, but it will still need work after it's in the water. It will need a whole new floor, and probably most of the subfloor, and the teak cabinetry has been seriously water stained, but looks to be intact. I was up there yesterday working on it and discovered that the holding tank is right under the V-berth (yuck!) and not hooked up properly. So, there's another project.
The Irwin will be staying in the boat yard for the summer. It is just too hot here to be working without AC. So we are shopping for a spot to park Walkure for the summer. Bev will be going to MA to visit her grandkids and get some seasonal work. I will probably be in New Port Richie helping Tim and Julie finish the refit on their boat.

Busy, busy, busy

Whew!
Man it's been a busy few weeks. We've had a visit from our good friends Tim and Julie. They drove down from New Port Richie and spent a few days with us. We went to the Dolphin Research Center and to Key West. Now, Bev's son Matt is here and we went for a great day sail today and tomorrow we're off to Key West again for Conch Republic Days and another chance to see Howard Livingston.
And we just got word that the boat yard has accepted the offer to settle the yard bill, thus clearing the way for us to take possession of the 40 footer that may be our next boat.
And I retired so I could slow down!

Just a little update

What have we been up to the last few weeks?
Well, in between cruises on "Yankee" we've been keeping busy. We went to a CD release party for our favorite "Trop Rock" artist, Howard Livingston. Be sure to check out the photo of Howie singing my new "turquoise" hat. If you know Howie's charity work, you'll know what the turquoise hat means.
This past Sunday, we went with one of Bev's co-workers, Carol, to the "Southernmost Air Show" at Naval Air Station Key West. Wow! I didn't know airplanes could do things like that. A C-17 air transport (similar to the C-5, but smaller - still BIG) did a wing wave as it passed the center of the field. Then it landed, came to a complete stop in only 1500 feet and then...it backed up! There was also an FA-18 that walked across the field standing on its engine thrust. Freaky to watch a supersonic fighter standing on its tail doing "only" 90 mph.
There was also a husband and wife stunt pilot/wingwalker act. She stood on the wing while her husband spun the plane around through all sorts of stunts, stalls, upside-down loops, etc. Wild! Of course, there was a spectacular show by the Blue Angels.
The big news of the week is that we might (repeat MIGHT) be moving to a different boat. Gulp! Yes, there is a possibility that we can acquire a 40 foot boat for nothing. The boat's interior is a wreck, but I can repair it. IF (big IF) we can make this happen it will mean about double the living space AND the capability of sailing to the Caribbean, Mexico, Panama, etc.
If the deal goes through, we are considering options for Walkure. One is to turn it into a time share for the family. Each family member (my kids, Bev's kids, my sister, Bev's sisters, etc.) will each get X weeks a year to use the boat. I'd really like for Walkure to stay in the family, if possible.
Wish us luck.

Chris's visit

Here are a few pictures of Chris's visit to the Keys. There's a pic of Chris with Howard Livingston and one of her with "Spongeman."
Also, for all the Boy Scouts who might be watching, there's a picture of the "Pez Garden" in Key West featuring Lena Johnson, the first "Scout Mother" in the history of scouting.

Yankee and a milestone

Well, I just completed another cruise on Yankee. Again, we had a great group of scouts and had a great time, in spite of the rather chilly weather.
If you take a look at the ticker on the bottom of the blog page you'll see that we have now passed 50,000 hits! WOW! I had no idea when I started this blog that we would ever reach that number. Cool!
Bev's sister Chris was here on Walkure for about a week. It was good for Bev to have some company while I was gone. Yankee stopped in Key West for the day on Tuesday and Bev and Chris took the bus down to visit. We had wings at Kelly's and I bought a copy of the "Top Gun Cookbook." Now at last I will learn the secret of Kelly's Jerk sauce!
For those who may be worried that we suffer from a lack of culture here in the Keys, while Chris was here we took her to see a live production of "Guys and Dolls" at the community theater, and the Marathon Seafood Festival starring our buddy Howard Livingston. (This Saturday, Howie will be releasing his new CD and we will be heading down to Boondocks for the CD release party.)

While I was gone...

I was worried about Bev having to manage the boat and get herself to work via dinghy. I needn't have worried. She did fine. She had no trouble starting the dinghy engine, and managed to get herself to work on time every day. The boat was in good shape and Morgan was fine, just a bit bratty about me being gone for so long and Bev leaving him alone all day.
On another note, no, the kids didn't go to Kelly's for wings.
Last night another cold front came through bringing thunderstorms, rain and lots of wind. Today, it's getting cold again. Where's this global warming I keep hearing about? I could use some right about now...

The life of a professional sailor...

..sort of.
Well, I survived my first cruise aboard "Yankee." Other than cold, dreary weather, it was fun. The scouts were great, they did all the heavy lifting. They raised and lowered the sails, raised and lowered the anchor, did all the cooking and clean-up. All Megan (the second mate) and I had to do was supervise.
The first day, we took the kids to Sombrero Reef for a couple of hours of snorkeling. Then we sailed to Newfound Harbor for the night. The kids kept anchor watch all night, in two hour shifts. The second day, although cold, was a glorious day of sailing. We averaged 8 knots all the way to Key West.
Just of the coast of Key West, the Captain ordered me to take the helm and he ran below shouting "There's 'Pirate's Lady!'" When he came back on deck he had a small cannon. He mounted the cannon on the leeward rail and told me to try to keep the boat to windward of Pirate's Lady, which was sailing right toward us and also trying to get to windward. I won, and we passed with the other boat on our leeward side. The other boat was also a Boy Scout boat and had their cannon ready. We fired our cannon first (thus winning the encounter) and the scouts on 'Lady' all fell down as if hit by our fire. 'Lady' answered our fire, but too late.
We anchored off Key West for the afternoon and were treated to a great view of the Navy Seals conducting a mock invasion of Flemming Key. We saw them drop parachute loads of supplies and several groups of men.
The following day, we docked in Key West Bight and let the kids have a day ashore. I wandered around KW and bought Bev a new pair of sandals and a tee shirt.
All in all, it was a fun time and a great way to earn a few bucks to pay down the credit card.

Rejoining the workforce...

...sort of.
As of February 15, I will be the new First Mate on the schooner "Yankee." For four, one week cruises this winter and spring, I will be assisting Capt. John Watson in introducing groups of Boy Scouts to the wonders of sail. We will be taking the Scouts on sailing expeditions from Marathon to Key West with stops at all the good snorkeling spots along the way. Each cruise will last 6 days and nights and will accommodate groups of 8 to 16 Scouts plus their adult Scoutmasters.
"Yankee" will be arriving in Marathon Feb. 12 so I can get oriented to the boat before the Scouts arrive on the 15th.
This will be a great opportunity to add to my sailing resume and perhaps serve as a learning experience for possible future charter work.
Here's a link to "Yankee's" website:

Schooner Yankee

I knew if I held out long enough, a "boating" job would find its way to me. It's a good thing I turned down that pharmacy job...

Bev gets a temporary reduction in rank from Admiral to Captain on Walkure during my absences. Now if she could just get the dinghy engine started without me...

Happy New Year!

Yeah, I know I'm a day or so late, but "that's life on a boat." We've been so busy, it's hard to keep up with where we've been and what we've been doing. Whoever said that life on a boat was laid back and relaxing hasn't lived on a boat. Our "social calendar" has been quite full.
We had Christmas dinner at the marina clubhouse. About 250 to 300 people attended. Richard Tanner and his wife Arla (see first picture) brought the ham, the turkey, the potatoes and the pumpkin pie. Folks from the harbor each brought a side dish to share. It was great.
Our friends Bette and Bill from "Inspiration" have now left the harbor, on their way to the Bahamas for a couple of months. We had them over for dinner on Christmas Eve, and we went to their boat for a "bon voyage" drink the night before they left.
On New Year's Eve, Peter and Carol from "Crazy Cat" joined us at the Hurricane, along with James and Diane from "Second Avenue." It being Thursday night, the wings were 25 cents, so we loaded up our plates with all varieties of wings.
The highlight of the last week was of course last night. Peter and Carol drove us down to Ramrod Key to have dinner at "Boondocks" and listen to Howard Livingston.
If you haven't hear Howard's music, you really need to give it a listen. He's always upbeat and happy, and his music is infectious. He will get you in a good mood. Check him out at:

Mile Marker 24 Band

As always at Howard's show, about halfway through he fired up the old Johnson outboard motor with the blender mounted on top and made margaritas for the crowd. This time, there was a twist. The first margarita was auctioned off for charity. (KAIR Kids Camp.) The winner was Mike Katz from Indiana who bid $400! See the picture of Mike and his wife in this post.

I even got to give a congratulatory hug to Howard's new wife, Cyndy!