Author Archives: Mark
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 […]
Boats and Birthdays
I recently celebrated my birthday. What better way to do this than to enjoy a few days aboard Cream Puff. As a part of my birthday celebration we went to the boat with a list of nothing. Usually, I have an assignment listing of chores needing to be done, checked, learned, cleaned or lubricated. This […]
My $45,000 Rental Car
I am flying to St Petersburg ahead of Cindy and need a rental car for 4 days until Cindy catches up with me. Being the very tight fisted individual I am with money, I check all the web sites, discounters and wholesale groups for the best possible price for car rentals. After all, a car […]
Dirty Bottoms
Cream Puff is out of the water once again. We recently had bottom paint applied. The purpose of the bottom paint is two fold. First, it protects the fiberglass hull from direct contact with the salt water that can cause pitting and blisters (not good). Second, it prevents growth of barnacles and all sorts of […]
Please Don’t Kill Me
Cindy and I just returned from a fantastic 10 days aboard Cream Puff. Every time we are aboard we become more motivated to eradicate our land life and step in the world of fulltime cruising. When we have mentioned full time cruising to our – land – friends in passing, often the question of safety arises. They […]
