A Decade Ago...

Travis hopped a Greyhound bus, and moved into my "house".

Us, ten years ago living in a van in Cali.

A few months later, we were down to our last $23. The plan, retirement at 26, hit a few snags.

What followed was a series of jobs, synchronicities and schemes that landed us in Arizona, aboard a donated Airstream camper, in the middle of nowhere, living on "borrowed" land and time.

Homesteading by amateurs. 

Clearing a driveway

The middle of nowhere was as good as anywhere.

Our existence  was a circular one.

We drove to the flea market on weekends. This served the dual purpose of charging batteries we kept behind the driver's seat, which powered our " homestead" for the week, and unloading our "products" which we made using the power provided by the said batteries. Life was a precarious affair punctuated by water hauling, battery charging, naked hacky-sacking and wild dancing by the fire pit.

We made "Rollerboards" that we sold at the weekly flea market to support our "retirement"

We scraped by like this for a few months. Our creative energy was high, but our funds could never  match our ambitions. Experiments with wind generators proved too costly, solar panels were beyond our means. We were heavily dependent on the car, as our means of transport and power, and it too needed maintenance we could hardly afford. When it finally exhaled its last carbon monoxide sigh, and quietly rolled to a stop, we were facing a grim reality. Retirement cost money and we had none.

Living in the RV park

So we did what anyone in our situation would do, we began working with mentally retarded people. Oddly enough it was a job we could relate to.

As our cash flow became steady, our thoughts turned away from the failed attempt at self sustainability. We moved out of the desert and into an RV park. Ironically, here we were surrounded by retirees or "snow birds" as they are called in Arizona. We watched these creatures, observed their migration patterns, studied their habits and nesting patterns.

This time of watching and learning the ways of the "snow birds", tempered our wild desire for freedom with the patience needed to earn such a freedom. The world didn't owe us anything. The desert didn't care how many great ideas we had, or how special we thought we were. That vast, hot landscape was impersonal in her judgements. If our preparations for life in that land were inadequate, that land would claim was what hers and cover it with a layer of dust. The only protection against such a fate was ... the set up.

This education in The Art of The Set-up, brings us to where we are today, celebrating our ten year anniversary aboard TARA, a key ingredient to our current scheme.

Ten years ago I could have not imagined that we would be living aboard one glorious yacht and ready to move aboard another. The lesson of the desert, the teachings of the "snow birds" and our own past failures at "freedom" are coming full circle. And this time around, at least for the moment, we find ourselves on the upswing.

Cheers!

Not Making a Splash

Those eighteenth century people were just wacky!

Everyone poops. This stinky subject is quite taboo in polite conversation, however if you ever speak with a TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) practitioner, you will not be able to avoid the topic. That's because how we poop, when, and other specifics regarding the final product, are important in determining your overall health. But I digress.

On a boat, there are, as far as I can see four ways (not including the above method) of dealing with this daily ritual. Each has its benefits and drawbacks. 

1.There are holding tanks that store waste and get pumped out regularily.  These take up space, can be stinky or worse leaky! 

2. There is the direct overboard method, illegal except for three miles off shore. Have I ever done it, yes, but I have not felt good about it, as the water is clearly no place to poop in!  

3.There is the holding it and going to the land head method. I think we can all relate to this one, and know how uncomfortable that could be. 

4.The composting toilet.  These must be emptied into a trash bag and disposed of on land. There is the inconvenience factor of having to store a brick of composting material, and the general weirdness of pooping and not hearing a splash.

And we thought multitasking was a 21st century thing!

To us the answer was a no duh. The composting toilet is by far the best option for us. After talking to some people, and doing our own research, we chose Nature's Head Composting Toilet.

Nature's Head Composting Toilet installed 

We talked to  people who have this toilet and they all recommended it.The nifty thing about this design is that it separates the liquids from the solids , which eliminates odors and makes for good (usable but not on edible plants) compost. The liquid is stored in the jug you see with the black strap, and the other deposit falls thru the big opening. There is a handle on the side that is used to stir the peat moss, which mixes everything including toilet paper together. This gets emptied into a bag when the bin is 3/4 full and used or disposed of.  This should be done 6-8hrs.  after the last use, as that is how long it takes for the fecal bacteria to no longer be present. 

Ok, that's all fine, but is this thing really gonna be fresh and clean? Does this separation thing really work? After using it for a while, it does seem, that because of the design, the liquid is directed into the two holes in the front, even while the big hole is open. 

OK this is something I didn't want to ask, wanted to know, and now will answer. What about streaks? Because of the opening is so big, the deposit goes straight down to the compost bin without touching the sides, so no streak issue. Phew.

We have only had this toilet several days, but so far so good. No smell at all. Only the good feeling of making a  real contribution ;)

It's Electric!

We have been shopping around for an electric motor for our dinghy, Miss Gen. I didn't want to spend more then 100 bucks on it, since we weren't sure it would be strong enough to work for us. So when this 55 lb thrust appeared on Craigslist, we snatched it up, and gave it a test drive. The verdict:  we aren't going anywhere fast, but it does push us along fairly quick. Its also super quiet, easy to mount, and best of all uses no gas! 

Billy is always so curious to see what we're up to, but too scared to follow us.  I hope in time to get him riding the dinghy. He's very intrigued by it, and smells Chopper from head to foot whenever we get back from a jaunt.

Bread

We have slowly yet ruthlessly cut out  all processed foods from our diet, and we recently hit a road block...bread. Have you ever noticed how hard it is to buy bread without three syllable words in the ingredients list?

Home baked bread, yummy yummy

Baking my own bread has always seemed way too intimidating and time consuming, but as my priority shifts to eating only simple foods, I make time and begin to bake bread. As a result we haven't bought bread in weeks!

NO-KNEAD YEAST BREAD

2 (1/4 oz.) packets yeast
1/4 cup warm water
3 tablespoons turbinado (fancy name for raw brown sugar)
1 tablespoon salt
3 cups + 3 cups flour, divided (we use wheat or unbleached)
1/3 cup vegetable or corn oil ( we use olive oil)

Directions:

1. To proof yeast, pour warm water into a small ceramic bowl and add the yeast, but don't stir. Set aside    
 (when it begins to foam slightly you know you got good yeast).

2. In a large bowl, pour hot water over turbinado and salt. Stir with a wooden spoon to completely    
dissolve.

3. Combine 3 cups of flour with the hot water mixture. Pour the oil on top of the dough mixture, add the
 yeast mixture on top of that, but do not stir.

4. Top with the remaining 3 cups flour and mix well. Begin with a wooden spoon and move into
squishing the dough with your hands. At this point the dough should be pliant and moist but not    gooey.

5. Cover the bowl with a damp towel (paper towels work great) and set aside to rise for at least 45
 minutes.

6. On a lightly floured surface, divide the risen dough in half. This recipe calls for no kneading, and others who use this recipe say they don't knead and it runs out fine. I do like to knead it a bit myself and give it a good couple of turns on the countertop before I put it into bread pans.

7. Flatten each half  and put into bread pans or on a cookie sheet, one for each loaf. Cover again with a moist towel and let rise again for another 45 minutes.

8. After the dough has risen the second time, preheat the oven to 375 F and bake for 23 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy!

Makes 2 huge loaves.
Prep time 2 hours (mostly waiting for the bread to rise)
Cooking time 23 minutes

You can improvise and add your own seeds, herbs etc. You can also glaze the bread before baking for a crispy crust. I have found that the wheat flour breads come out denser and are a great complement to soups, while the unbleached is just a fluffy slice of heaven.

OTHERS

I wanted to share this great video. Here's a couple of regular people, sailing, working and livin! Love the photography and music, really inspired me to make more videos! Check it out and send them some love!

Ready, Set, Spring!

Baltimore is blooming! The new energy of Spring has arrived bringing with it longer days,  beautiful flowers and yes... boatwork!

We have not yet gotten into the full swing of it, and are still wiping away the warm sluggishness of winter. I really enjoyed winter this year, making full use of the hibernation instinct, burying myself into books and studies. I discovered a wonderful site called culture unplugged, that supplied me with fresh perspectives and insights. I dove into the research of  herbs, tinctures and teas, and found a great site where I mispronounced every botanical name on the list . I made my own laundry detergent, baked my first ever loaf of bread, and watched my mushroom batch develop a nasty case of mold. I began to oxygenate our water, did a 7 day fruit fast, and began cooking with coconut milk. I watched Travis make a  to- die- for cheese sauce out of papayas, durian muffins and a bitter melon dish that still has my mouth watering.  I downloaded free audio books and listened to books I would have never  read. I snuggled with Chopper and Billy and began learning the native american flute. Its been a really fun winter!

3M SRINKtape vs Seafarer tape. 3M wins!

But, the boats, the boats are calling! We took the cover off of Me Voy a couple of weeks backs. And here boaters, if you have stuck with me this far, here is your boat tip. When putting on the cover we had a choice of two tapes. One $70 a roll (the white one), one $16 dollars a roll  (the clear one). The cheaper one turned to dust after about three months, most of the seams gave way and we had to retape with the more expensive one. So there. If you don't want to spend the money and don't mind retaping, you can expect about a three month life span on the Seafarer tape.

Chopper has been a bad influence on us and has refused to let the beautiful Spring days be wasted on work. Bike rides, ball playing and beach exploration are on his list and he totally disregards the lists we made which look like this:

Me Voy:                                                                                     TARA:
install LPG water heater (propane heater)                                   paint section of overhead
Install sink foot pump                                                                  replace section of rub rail
install composting toilet                                                               re Sani Tred deck
get/install berth lights                                                                   bright work
make/ install hand rail/shelf                                                         paint guest stateroom
install cat door to to litter box (placed under the satee)                install composting toilet
install solar panels                                                                        install stern letters
install wind generator                                                                
build cockpit roof
redesign stantions to accomodate a gate
rebed stantions
bottom paint
install thru hull for cruise air
install cruise air

If you've seen our previous lists you'll know that this is really not bad. There is a lot of  install vs. build tasks, even though a boat install usually will involve some kind of destroy/build function, I still like seeing those coz generally they are relatively quick, in boat years that is.

So with the coming of April we will be putting it into a new gear.  We don't expect to accomplish all the things listed here before moving onto Me Voy. We are planning on moving aboard this April and putting Tara for sale shortly thereafter. This is going to be one exciting month!




* Just for the record both Travis and I agree that we like Chopper's list much better!

Happy Renouncing!

Dear Blog,

Sometimes when I write to you, it will have very little to do with boats.  I hope you forgive me. However, because I know how much you like the topic, I will try to keep your interest by inserting 

nautical terms into this very land-lubbery post.

 

 Notice the gentlemen to your port? They are the Nagas, followers of Lord Shiva, who smear ash all over their bodies to symbolize their renouncement of having "burned" all worldly desires in pursuit of Divine Communion. Notice the lady on your starboard? She is a Catholic celebrating Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting and renouncement and the beginning of the season of Lent, or 46 days of purification in preparation for the Resurrection of the Christ. Its curious to me that these two traditions are so strikingly different, and yet so similar. Its kinda like the raghaulers and the stink pots. Each looks at the other  with incomprehension, and yet they are both floating in the same drink.

Tool Storage

Travis working on the steering in our future"workshop"

I recently heard some big wig CEO say that five years is a reasonable amount of time to expect a return on your investment. This made me think of MeVoy, whose five year anniversary we will be celebrating this April.

Although we no longer like to make any firm plans that involve boats, I'll share with you our plan pencilled in sand. We are thinking that around Spring time we will be permanently moving aboard Me Voy. She is now the brand new boat we had hoped to have, complete with shiny floors and an interior smelling of varnish. If all goes well we will do a quick haulout early spring,  and be moving aboard sometime in April.  This will allow us to get all of our stuff out of TARA and  give her a good once over. After that we are hoping to throw a party themed "We've sold a boat named TARA', followed many happy nights rocked to sleep aboard our one boat.

The phenomena of the 'monstrous pile' in its early stage

For now, let me show you the rest of this brand new boat. Travis has done so much this year, that I've had a hard time keeping up with his progress. So for this installment of "Our Old Boat" I'd like to show you the tool storage we have come up with.

Because both of us like to do everything, with the exception of dentistry (ouch!) ourselves, we have collected quite a number of tools and materials that we both need and admittedly don't want to part with just yet. In our prior experience, these things either get shoved places, never to be found again, or get left out, eventually forming a monstrous pile that threatens anyone who dares to disturb it. This is not really a problem (yes it is I hate these piles!) on a boat that goes nowhere, but it is completely unpractical, unsafe and unacceptable in our sleek new home, that will be bouncing thru waves, heeling, and in general behaving like a sailboat.

In the old layout there were a couple of holds and drawers that held the basic toolage, but given our previously stated needs this wasn't going to be nearly enough. We needed more space to live our dream of piddling around making little things on aboard. We contemplated turing the crew cabin into a full on workshop, but didn't want to loose the option of hosting family, friends or crew in this already nice double bunk cabin. In the end we decided to change the aft cabin from a single berth with a locker to a workshop/galley.

Since I already covered the galley in a previous posts here and here I'll stick to the workshop area. To the left is what we had to work with.  Actually what we had to work with was much more rotten and foul then that, ( the first picture gives you a better idea of the original state of things) but this is the space we designated for tool storage: one hanging locker, and two chests, painted in bilge coat white and grey.

The tool chest storage was pretty straight forwad. It will hold Travis' carpentry tools, handplanes, saws, etc,  my roll of painting brushes, and also serve as Choppers step to his doggie door (more about that later) The other chest holds all our powertools that have cases, like drill, jigsaw, grinder etc., my airbrushing equipment, and also serves as a seat.

The challenge left was the hanging locker. Drawers were the thing we kept visualizing, but because of the curve of the hull it was quite a daunting project. Travis put on his yacht carpenter hat again, and went  
to work.

He used mahogany for the draw faces, and aluminium for the drawer boxes, that our good friend Eric bent and welded based on T's measurements.  Travis then attached some heavy duty drawer slides,  cut out linings for the tools to lay on, and used brass door locks from Lowes to keep the drawers locked. Its shocking how much we can store in these drawers, and keep the place looking tidy.

There are still some things to figure out in this space, like how to best utilize the vertical wall, but that fun will  be had when we move in and figure out our needs. For now I think we have covered the basic storage/living space and with the exception of some rugs, curtains, and new upholstery we are ready to go! Um...move in that is.

Polar Bear Plunge

The other day we had our own version of the Polar Bear Plunge. Chopper was on his way to take us for his daily ball chasing on the grass, and Billy, who in my opinion, has become way too casual about jumping on and off the boat, missed the dock as he was jumping off the boat and plunged into the icy drink. Brrrrr. 

He screamed and struggled to climb up the boat. When he realized that he wasn't going to be able to climb the hull, he turned and swam for the nearest pylon. The tide was low but he climbed the pylon like...well like a cat trying to get out of freezing cold water. When he was within reach I grabbed him and puled him up. The poor guy was soaked and freezing. He was in the water for a good minute maybe two.  I admit I totally panicked and didn't know how to help him as he struggled  to climb the boat. Next time I'm going to remember the good advice of lowering a blanket, a sheet or anything that is long enough that he could climb in case he needs to. 

Wrap-up

On a beautiful 60 degree January day in Baltimore, we loaded our trusty truck and headed to pay Me Voy a visit. This was not to be a pleasure call, and we were not doing this because we had nothing else to do. No. This was going to be a day of getting our faces slapped with plastic, our asses kicked by 46 feet of boat. Again.

"Are you building a fort?" someone asks us as we waddle with the 2x4 bundle.

Oh no it much worse then that. We are putting a plastic cover over a sailboat. It has to be done you see, and since paying the small fortune to get it done was not an option, well here we are.

It began well enough with Travis knocking together a frame, while I handed him stuff.

The building of the frame went fairly quickly and was quite enjoyable.  Travis whistled little tunes while cutting and measuring, I fluttered about the deck taking pictures, and fulfilling my other duties ( handing stuff and now also tying knots)  and with the sun still high, Chopper was looking a bit more lively. Perhaps there will be time for ball playing, he was thinking. Perhaps we could come knock off now and come back tomorrow, I was thinking. Both of our hopes were dashed as Travis began to unroll the plastic. The dreaded plastic.

We started with the bow, going around all the shrouds, cutting and taping little reinforcing squares, making sure our cuts are straight and in the right place so everything is lined up when we tighten the lashings that will hold the bottom of the plastic to the toe rail.  It. Was. Frustrating. The plastic we used was called Ma Ka, and it was reinforced with fiberglass threads. Good for its strength, bad for razor blades.  In the end, while a slight breeze blew, I hacked at the flapping plastic with a nearly dull blade, taping whatever I could hold and pull together. I was having my doubts now.  Maybe getting it done wouldn't  be such a bad idea.

I kept these thoughts to myself as we continued to cover the boat. Going around the shrouds was bad, but I'm not sure it was the worst of it.  At least there we could stand up straight. To make progress along the side,  one had to hunch over and slightly lean, and hold that pose for roughly three hours. Ouch. We worked each side together, wrapping the end of the plastic around 1x2's which would then get lashed to the toe rail and tightened.

With each pull on the lashing our spirits grew and our sentences became short and efficient. This might work. Almost done. Need to stand up. Soon over. I vacuum now.

In the end, it doesn't look like much. A simple shower cap to keep the wintry rain and snow off our deck. I will not be mad however, if the snow decides to skip its appearance in Baltimore this year. It may be totally insane to long for  these warm winter temps, but my toes refuse to feel guilty. They are, without the least bit concern, soaking up the January sun in flip flops. They just won't listen to apocalyptic reason.

After finishing up, we stumbled down the dock to the truck. If you notice in the first picture there's the tiniest little corner on a sign on the top left hand of the picture. See it? We didn't. It read No Parking 4-pm-6pm. It was 5:56 when we finished. Rolling our cart back to the truck Travis and I both had the same thought, "Oh No!" That was all we could muster too. There was not enough energy for a good dose of curse words. And guess what... it was there! Just as we left it. Two hours parked illegally in one of Baltimore's prime traffic areas, causing one hell of a traffic jam no doubt. Just sitting there, without even a ticket! "Oh Wow!" was again all we could say. Dumbfounded, with our tails between our legs, but full of the new energy of gratitude, we high tailed it our of there. All in all it couldn't have turned out better.