Author Archives: Mark
Hmm! Not What I Expected
If you are a regular reader of this blog, you already know I have been selling our home wares on eBay and Craigslist in preparation for our move aboard Cream Puff. As I get money in my PayPal account, I purchase something on the wish list for Cream Puff. So far ~ knock on […]
What Are The Odds?
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Bogart’s famous line from Casablanca: “Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine” Of all the stores in all the towns and all the cards on all the shelves in all the world, what are the odds Cindy and I would pick […]
Big Bend Power Station
We took a little side trip this week to Big Bend Power Station in Apollo Beach, Florida. Why on earth would we go to a power station you may ask? Well, it was a cold day and the Tampa Bay water is below 68 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the location of a power station using […]
SSB Radio
Have I told you lately how much I hate my SSB radio? This continues to be the project from hell. I have just spent the last 6 days installing the final components during which my body was upside-down, pretzelized, compacted, stretched and turned inside out. I am now convince to be capable of installing electronic […]
Drilling Holes in the Boat
Any boat owner will tell you, it is always a little nerve wracking to drill a hole in the boat. This eye is a location for the helmsperson to affix their harness in rough weather tethering themselves to the boat. Gee, I hope we do not use it very often. But wait, there’s more… About a […]
Ab initio
ab in·i·ti·o [ahb i-nit-ee-oh; English ab i-nish-ee-oh] adverb Latin: from the beginning. It seems this year, a fresh kind of New Year’s Resolutions are taking America by storm, one word resolutions. If I am to believe the mass media, gone are the days of making lists and promises. This apparently is according to all the people who claim to […]
Arrrgh!!!
I was really hoping this post would be the last of the geeky stuff bragging about my successful setting up of the SSB radio. But alas, the saga of the SSB radio installation continues… The idea was to pull out and replace a very old GPS unit with the SSB in the navigation station woodwork. […]
Goodbye to Good Friends
(click any picture to enlarge and start a slide show) Our good friends, Jonathan and Monica, left St Petersburg today for the first step in a long journey. They set out for the Caribbean and then they are off to who knows where. We wish them nothing but fun in the sun, fair seas and […]
Published!
News Flash! I’m sorry; I have to interrupt the string of Geeky postings. I know everyone is anxiously awaiting the next installment in the series. However, I have some very good news. I recently submitted an article with pictures to Southwinds Magazine. Southwinds is a regional sailing news publication covering all aspects of sailing and […]
Geeky Stuff (part three)
I’m not sure the Geeky postings deserved a third in the series but, the installation of the Single Sideband radio (SSB) has taken a real twist…. I purchased an Icom M802 SSB radio. I had enough money in my PayPal account to buy the radio (I am selling our unwanted household stuff on eBay and […]
Geeky Stuff (part two)
(click any picture to enlarge and start a slide show) So, the computer installation is finally completed. Per my previous posting, I made a design change at the last minute. I removed the existing back panel in the area where the computer was to be installed and replaced it with some wooden slats I fabricated. […]
Geeky Stuff (part one)
I apologize upfront for the nerdy update. You non-nerdy types may want to just skip this one. (click any picture to enlarge and start a slide show) As a follow up to my post regarding installing new stuff, the past few days have been spent sorting through a muddle of wires aboard Cream Puff. When […]
There’s No Palm Trees Here
Since this month was perhaps our last opportunity to see fall foliage for a while, we packed up our camera gear and took a jaunt to Nantahala National Forest, Chattahoochee National Forest and the Tennessee Great Smoky Mountains. Rather than a tedious essay about the beauty of this area, I will just let the pictures […]
Squeaks
(click any picture to enlarge and start a slide show) This past week Cindy celebrated her birthday aboard Cream Puff. We spent an entire week away from land. We started by anchoring in the Manatee River. Yes, they do have manatees in the Manatee River. This was followed by a fantastic sail offshore in […]
eBay Karma
I’ve been doing a lot of buying and selling lately. I am selling stuff on eBay that has some value but we do not want to put in storage for the time we are cruising. It is amazing how much stuff I have listed. And, on the flip side, I’m buying stuff for Cream Puff […]
