Thursday, October 28, 2010
We returned to the boat yesterday to finish up waxing & buffing the starboard side hull and bring more boat stuff aboard. Everything is stowed and we wait to be launched. It was suppose to be yesterday but the lift hasn't been fixed yet. Yesterday we had record heat & humidity for October---90'. It was a tough night for sleeping and we will have record heat again today until a front goes through this afternoon. After the front the temps drop to low 80's again.
We are sitting today out.....there is nothing that can't be done in the water and when it cools off. They are still working on the lift. We hope it gets done today since there are 2 boats in front of us and when the wind picks up they won't move any boats. Getting launched today is not looking good right now.
Oct 28, 2010
Oct 25, 2010
Home again..Thankfully!!
Monday, October 25, 2010
Today is our 35th wedding anniversary. So....we decided to drive 3 hrs home to hop in our shower & scrub off the dirt & grime from the boatyard!! Afterwards we went out for dinner.
We have one hull cleaned & waxed, the starboard side still waiting. The cockpit has been cleaned with Collinite 940 and waxed with Collinite 945. A very dirty job but worth it in the end when you look at the sparkling white fiberglass. (Thanks Bruce for the recommendation). Once in the water we will do the rest of the deck. Kinvara was suppose to be launched Wed. but the travel-lift has broken down and they are waiting for parts. So....we plan to return Wednesday and hope for a launch on Thursday. Green Cove Springs is not what we would call a marina but a storage & do it yourself work-yard with 1 bathroom & shower each for men & women. Thankfully there are not many women to share the space with but Peter doesn't have it so easy. It is inexpensive storage but you really don't want to live aboard for very long!! We made a reservation to be in St Augustine for next week so we look forward to that!!
Today is our 35th wedding anniversary. So....we decided to drive 3 hrs home to hop in our shower & scrub off the dirt & grime from the boatyard!! Afterwards we went out for dinner.
We have one hull cleaned & waxed, the starboard side still waiting. The cockpit has been cleaned with Collinite 940 and waxed with Collinite 945. A very dirty job but worth it in the end when you look at the sparkling white fiberglass. (Thanks Bruce for the recommendation). Once in the water we will do the rest of the deck. Kinvara was suppose to be launched Wed. but the travel-lift has broken down and they are waiting for parts. So....we plan to return Wednesday and hope for a launch on Thursday. Green Cove Springs is not what we would call a marina but a storage & do it yourself work-yard with 1 bathroom & shower each for men & women. Thankfully there are not many women to share the space with but Peter doesn't have it so easy. It is inexpensive storage but you really don't want to live aboard for very long!! We made a reservation to be in St Augustine for next week so we look forward to that!!
Oct 23, 2010
Living...on the hard
Saturday, October23, 2010
Friday morning we had the car packed to the roof with more boat stuff and headed 3 hours North of our house. Kinvara is stored in Green Cove Springs on the St John's River. It's 25 miles south of Jacksonville and just 20-25 miles inland from St Augustine. It's a lovely area but the marina is a do-it-yourself working boat yard. No amenities and a basic bathroom facility with 1 shower. We are "on the hard" so everything moves on or off the boat via a ladder. The pictures show our view from the second story. There are 2 boats beside us, one registered in Pirates Cove, R
I and the other Newport, 
RI. So far there are not many here yet.
I and the other Newport, 
RI. So far there are not many here yet. A big difference between storing in Florida or New England is the clean factor. Our boat is so incredibly dirty. It looks like it's been sitting in the yard for 5 years even though it was covered with a UV sun cloth!!
We have done one good scrubbing wash but it still needs more before we can wax. Tomorrow we start cleaning & waxing the hull in order to launch on Wednesday. It's hot during the day but cools off in the evening!!
We took a ride to West Marine in St Augustine today for supplies and made our reservation at St Augustine Municipal Marina for a week. Peter has to repair our stern navigation light as well as our starboard running light. The new Bridge of Lions is open and the temporary bridge has now been taken down. It looks fabulous!
Oct 20, 2010
Green Cove Springs
October 18, 2010And so a new season begins....
Today we drove 3 hours to Green Cove Springs to check out Kinvara on the hard. She was moved from the storage yard to the work yard. This is step one in launching Kinvara for another season of travel. The last time we saw her was the end of April.
Surprise!! Kinvara was in great shape. We were concerned about storing her in the Florida heat & humidity. Peter spread the "sun cloth" over the entire deck to protect from the UV rays. It supposedly cuts out 65-75% of UV rays. Below decks Jane had evey door and hatch propped open and all cushions were propped up like a house of cards. We then put bounce dryer sheets in every crevice, bowls of charcoal in every cabin, and spread bay leaves all over the place to repel insects. All this was advice from Canadian friends who store their boats in Florida for hurricane season. Well, it seems to have worked!! There was no mildew smell below, no signs of mold or insects. However we haven't put the below decks in order yet!! The sun cloth came off and other than being very dirty, the topsides was in great condition! We arranged to have the bottom sanded and painted this week and we are going back to stay the weekend on Friday to continue cleaning and organizing the interior. We have never lived on a boat on the hard so this will be a new experience for us (and Pretzel too) Wish us luck!
Pretzel met a new friend, Annie, a 10 week old terrier. She is living aboard s/v Mojo which is registered in Newport, RI. John & Barbara live in Glouster, MA in the off season. They are on the hard next to us also working to get launched.
Oct 9, 2010
October in Florida
We have been at home in Florida now since mid April and survived our first summer here. What we didn't know was that it was an extra hot summer. We just thought it was ordinary weather for Florida. We were able to swim in our pool every day. We also golfed 2-3 times a week....even in the heat. The secret is lots of sunscreen and lots of water! As long as you drink continuously you are fine. We even supplement some of our water bottles with drink mixes containing electrolytes. We had company in June and August. Now that October is here our daytime temps are in the 80's and night temps in the 60's. It's a beautiful time here. We have our season passes for Disney so we go into the parks periodically for the late afternoon, dinner, and fireworks show. This month Epcot has a Food & Wine Festival which features small booths from all different countries with 2 entrees, 1-2 desserts, and wine/beer pairings. Each portion is small so we split them in order to taste more. We stayed for a concert by Kool & the Gang ("Ladies Night" & "Celebrate"). It was fun. We look forward to December and walking around to see all the decorations. Who needs snow?
Once Kinvara was moved on the hard in April, Peter returned to Green CoveSprings to cover the boat with some kind of UV protective cloth. We haven't been back to see Kinvara since then so we are not sure what to expect. Everything was propped up like a spilled jigsaw puzzle for ventilation, anything not tacked down was removed, and it was thoroughly cleaned. Since this is the first time storing Kinvara in tropical weather we don't know what to expect upon return. Some Canadian friends we met who also store their boat in Florida spread charcoal all over to soak up moisture and prevent mildew. We hope this works!! Peter has scheduled Kinvara to be moved to the work yard on October 16th giving us 2 weeks to get some work done. The bottom has to be repainted, topsides has to be cleaned & waxed, and our starboard running light needs to be fixed. We need to check our sails and have our rigging checked & tuned.
And so another season begins next Saturday. We are looking forward to another adventure, this year in the Florida Keys. So if you are going to be in that area Jan through March let us know!!
We will start posting on the blog in 2 weeks to keep you updated on our progress. Hope to see some friends again that we met along our trip last year!!
Once Kinvara was moved on the hard in April, Peter returned to Green CoveSprings to cover the boat with some kind of UV protective cloth. We haven't been back to see Kinvara since then so we are not sure what to expect. Everything was propped up like a spilled jigsaw puzzle for ventilation, anything not tacked down was removed, and it was thoroughly cleaned. Since this is the first time storing Kinvara in tropical weather we don't know what to expect upon return. Some Canadian friends we met who also store their boat in Florida spread charcoal all over to soak up moisture and prevent mildew. We hope this works!! Peter has scheduled Kinvara to be moved to the work yard on October 16th giving us 2 weeks to get some work done. The bottom has to be repainted, topsides has to be cleaned & waxed, and our starboard running light needs to be fixed. We need to check our sails and have our rigging checked & tuned.
And so another season begins next Saturday. We are looking forward to another adventure, this year in the Florida Keys. So if you are going to be in that area Jan through March let us know!!
We will start posting on the blog in 2 weeks to keep you updated on our progress. Hope to see some friends again that we met along our trip last year!!
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