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Published: November 20th 2016
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Dolphins
These playful creatures love to swim along the boat; hard to get a good photo since I am so distracted just watching them! It has been a busy week for us. We arrived at Turner Marine just outside of Mobile, Alabama last Friday. It is by far the most economical marina we have found, at only $0.41 a foot per day and so we decided to stay the week to get some work done.
And besides our usual provisioning, laundry and showering, guess what we did all week?? More sanding and painting, sanding and painting (
see our previous post )! What could we be sanding and painting now, you may ask?? Since we are now in salt water, we wanted to make sure the boat was properly sealed, so we took the time to repaint our decks and insides of the bulwarks (which we knew even before we left that we would have to do at some point) as well as parts of the engine room.
The marina is a real “working” marina, so fortunately they happily accommodate people working on their boats. It made it much easier being able to take everything off the deck and get the whole deck done in one pass.
When we arrived at the marina we were given a spot along the dock, right behind a large, steel
sailboat. We soon learned from people at the marina that it was a homemade boat; built by a man in his 80’s!! He had put it in the water 4 years ago after spending just over 4 years building it. Quite the feat!
Lukus was very interested in the boat and was hoping to meet the builder, but we were told he was at his home. Apparently he had not been to the boat in quite some time and most thought the boat had all but been abandoned.
As the story went, the man, Tom West, had taken it out less than a year after putting it in the water and ended up losing his leg (
read his story here ). The rope attached to the anchor got twisted around his leg and as the anchor went down, he figured the rope got caught in the prop. The rope nearly severed his leg, and unfortunately the doctors could not save it.
After weeks of recovery, the fitting of a prosthetic and painful months of rehabilitation, he was finally able to return to the boat. However, shortly after, his wife, Marsha, was diagnosed with breast cancer and so they returned to
Pier at Mobile Bay
Close to the marina we were staying at (Turner Marine) Indiana for her treatment. In between, she has also had to have a hip, both knees and a shoulder replaced.
Amazingly however, the day before we left, we spotted a couple trying to unload supplies from a truck into the boat. Tom and Marsha had not abandoned ship after all. Lukus quickly stepped up to offer a hand and helped them transfer all their things from the truck to the boat.
He then found out that Tom had found a diesel leak in his bilge and so Lukus offered to help fix it. We both boarded the boat and got a look at the interior. Seeing the inside amplified the enormity of the undertaking this elderly man had embraced. At 56 feet long and 16 feet wide with a 65 foot mast, it can sleep up to 12 people, has two dinette areas, a full kitchen and two heads.
Marsha and Tom had quite the stories. We spent a couple hours listening to them talk about their adventures both building and sailing the boat. Having built it in the middle of Indiana, far from any water, they had to have it towed over 150 miles to the
Ohio River.
Sadly, when they put it in the water 4 years ago, both were healthy and agile; able to hop over the rail from the boat to the dock. Now both use canes and are unable to sail the boat without help. But they are determined to enjoy their boat and spend as much time there as they can.
They both reminded us that life is short and our futures unknown, so it is important to seize every opportunity to really live. This man, a professor of engineering, with a Masters in Astrophysics, had learned to weld as a young man on a farm. He didn’t know anything about building boats or sailing; but was inspired by watching sailboats from a distance. So in his golden years, he decided it wasn’t too late to learn what he needed to learn, and put his dreams into action. He named the boat “Faith” because he had to just believe he could do it.
No matter how old you are, what you know or don’t know, or what you have done in the past, if we have faith, we can achieve great things. It is easy to find excuses
Tacky Jacks Alabama
Funky little restaurant along the Intercoastal Waterway to keep us in our comfort zone, but in reality, none of those excuses hold validity. Bottom line; it is only doubt and fear that holds us back.
Yesterday, we left Turner Marine to head into the Intercoastal Waterway along the southern shore of Alabama towards Florida. Our good friends, Nancy, James, Lucas and Marcos on Living Life and Andrew and Jack on Tranquility II stayed behind for a few more days. So we had a little farewell party, as we may not see them now for a number of months. They will be moving more slowly along the coast, while we will probably cruise a little faster. We would like to reach South Venice, about halfway down the west coast of Florida in the next few weeks. Lukus’ brother has a place in the area, so we would like to spend some time there.
Today, we are anchored on the Alabama/Florida line, about 10-15 miles west of Pensacola. Cruising here yesterday, we were graced with a quick visit from a couple groups of dolphins (I don’t know if you call them groups, pods, schools??) swimming by the boat. I don’t think I will ever tire of watching
Intercoastal Waterway Gulf
Along much of the Gulf, there is a waterway that runs just inside the coast. So far, we haven't had to go out into the actual Gulf, but soon we will be heading into the big waves! these playful animals, with their perpetual grins!! We also nudged our way through a field of jellyfish; there must have been thousands of them!
The winds are high today, forecasted to reach gusts of 28 knots (almost 52 km/hr) and so we have decided to lay low and relax (ok…essentially, be lazy bums).
November 20, 2016
And this is how we roll; after a lazy morning yesterday, we spontaneously decided to move on. We pulled anchor around 1pm and headed to Pensacola Bay. By the time we dropped the hook, it was still gusting hard and getting cold and dark. So we snuggled down for the evening and enjoyed a lovely curry dinner. We ended our first night in Florida with a surprise fireworks show off the shore right in front of the boat. Someone must have told them we were coming (Lukus jokingly
Today, because of the cool weather (it was down to 54 F this morning) and winds, we decided to keep moving along the coast; may as well move while it’s cold and stop for sightseeing when it is warm. Winds are supposed to die down later today and warmer weather
is on the way!
We are definitely in saltwater now. Our boat is covered in a film of salt and we leave a trail of foam behind us (Lukus said it reminds him of our frothed whiskey sour drinking friend(s), that it would make them “really thirrrstyyy”!!! You know who you are…ha ha).
There is more buoyancy in salt water than fresh (Jess, this equals us floating better - and moving faster from the sharks - lol); Lukus is worried with his blossoming “beer gut”, he won’t be able to dive without a lot of extra lead!! But all in all, our boat builder must have really known what he was doing; Abigail is handling extremely well in salt.
To Mark, from Lukus: Waters are calling for Amy Kirsta to skim across it’s surface…when should we expect your arrival?? We keep watching our stern for you!
Lukus quote for the day: For all those who somehow think you are going to live forever "on earth", realize reality now, so you can enjoy the time here while you have it.
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Capt. Robbo
non-member comment
Gales of November and beyond
Emy and Lukus, Washington Island and Gills Rock (where I am) got hit by storm force winds close to 60 MPH. Several docks were damaged. My boat (The Shoreline) is safe and secure in a heated building where I can work on it. Snowing today, enjoy the warmth down there.