Things about cruising that you tend to forget

The cruising lifestyle sounds so appealing when you hear people talk.  Warm weather, sandy beaches, no work.    There is the other side as well though, and some things you don’t really think about.      Of course there is the boat work, constant maintenance living in a salt water environment, but there are a couple of things you forget to mention when talking about cruising – Like how to get on and off the boat !!!
	On our boat, currently tied up to the dock there is a 42” long step, which is a 12” step or step down depending if getting on or off.  (Hint: stepping down is easier)  Every morning we head off to the showers on land.  We wear flip flops as we shower in them to prevent any stray foot diseases.     Try it out, can you put on flip flops, and make a 42” “jump” up 12”?  Sure, you can, now do it over water that is cold and salty while fully dressed.
Knock on wood, so far, no mishaps.

New Faucet

 Kris's coworkers at Vanmark Equipment were very kind, and gave her a Lowes gift card upon her retirement.  We knew we wanted a new kitchen sink faucet, and with the gift card we were able to get not only one for the kitchen, but also for the bath.

Old kitchen faucet.  It was very pitted in the chrome finish due to 15 years of use in salt water environment.

2-20-2021 A walk through Morehead City, North Carolina

 It finally stopped raining.  We had 5" of rain in three days.    Nice for getting all the items unpacked and organized on the boat, but we had enough rain, and when it turned sunny, even though it was cold, it was time to get off the boat, and go for a stroll.   

Here is a bit of what we saw.

Kris's farewell tour

Kris is officially retired.  WooHoo.   

Dean made the long drive from North Carolina to Boise to pick her up, and do a farewell tour.  Left Boise on 2/6/2021 to visit family in Bend, Oregon and  then to Seeley Lake, Montana to see friends. Enjoyed the 3 feet of snow and lovely -15 degree weather.   

Next break through in "self- "

	Cars have been testing "self-driving" and it seems to be getting closer a reality.  So, what can we do in the boating industry to match that?  Well last night it came to me as I was sleeping.  Around 3:30 am I heard a noise of a boat starting their engine.  Other than the time it really didn't make an impact until I realized it was my boat that was trying to start it's own engine.  By the time I got over to the starboard side the diesel engine had finally started and was running, a little rough but running.  I adjusted the throttle some and it just purred. So, if cars can "self-drive" let’s go for boats "self-start".
Doing some research, it seems like this "self-starting" has occurred to other diesel engines when the starting solenoid or starting switch are just right and the weather is just right.  There are several fixes that I will be working on with Kris to make sure it doesn't happen again.  Or maybe we should leave it alone and start to market it?
	Maybe the boat was sending us a sign that it is time to leave the docks.

Walking and shoes

You walk everywhere when you are on a boat vs driving when you are living on land.  To get groceries you walk, to get parts you walk, to do laundry you walk, most everyday you are walking somewhere to get something done.  Having good shoes that are able to be used for walking in sand, mud, gravel, or pavement is needed because you don't have space for option.  You probably have a good pair of flip flops or water shoes but for your heavy duty walking nothing beats a good pair of sneakers.

On land having several pairs of tennis shoes; old ones for working out side, ones that are good for walking, ones that are good for colder weather, ones for going to work in and basketball shoes isn't as big of a deal because you have the space.  As a side note if you want some really really good sandal go look at OOFOs, https://www.oofos.com.  I have a pair that I have worn for several years and have promoted them to friends and they have not been disappointed. Just recently I walked my good walking shoes out of their soles and it was time for a change.  The old ones went into the trash and the new ones are being broken in, lots of walking to do ahead.

Old ones on top, new on bottom

Brighten up the boat

At the time our boat was built, 15 years ago, the latest and best lighting was cold cathode fluorescent lights.  They had low power draw and gave off more light than any other at the time.  When you turn the lights on now they are somewhat dim but after a minute or two they warm up and put out decent light.  If you are just using the light for a few seconds then they really never give off enough light to make the area very bright.  

We have been looking for new lights that are brighter and use less power but finding ones that cover the old fixture marks has been daunting.  So we came up with the idea of gutting the old internal equipment and rewiring the fixtures with new LED light strips.  Wala you have fixtures that cover the old marks yet give a lot more light, right away.  Using a downloaded app for LUX measurements it showed the old lights at 0 when just turned on then after a minute had warmed up to 30.  The new LED lights turned on at 60.  The energy used by the LED is 1/2 the amps of the old lights as well.

Old dim light