Boatyard Blues

Dorothy and I have been hanging out in Naples, FL for several weeks. SEASONS has been in a slip at Naples Boat Yard, while we have have stayed with friends in the area. We also made a trip back to Milwaukee, so I could present at the Chicago Boat and Sail show.  Presented several Safety at Sea sessions and a 4 hour class. It was a great trip home to see family and friends which we missed during the holidays.

The Naples Boat Yard is located on a back channel area and was only accessible at high tide for Seasons. During the last full moon the Low tide was really low. As you can see from the picture we were on the bottom and healed over. No damage to the bottom because of the soft mud.  Going on the boat was like entering a fun house as a kid.

We have been completing projects on the boat and having other work done by outside contractors. I am not an electrician, as a matter of fact, I have a very healthy fear of shock and fire from making a mistake. I found an awesome electrician to help us with our systems. As with a lot of projects on boats or around the house, one thing leads to another. At first we thought the port engine alternator was bad, it wasn’t. Now with a new House Battery bank system hooked up, replaced a bad starting battery under warranty, and a newly installed bigger shore power charging unit. The 75 watt Mastervolt Chargemaster Plus, Electron Pusher 3000 (OK I added the last part). A few more boat units spent, than our planned maintenance budget for the month of January, but electrical wise, we should be good to go the rest of the way around the loop. ( I probably just jinxed ourselves by putting that in writing. )

The never ending varnish work continues on the boat. I have a long way to go , but with sunny weather it will be easier. The upper helm cabinets are completely put back together.

I finished my seat riser project on the upper helm for better visibility while driving. We did some Canvas modifications to the upper deck.

We have purchased new road bikes for our arrival in the Florida Keys. The blue tires where a hit with a 6 year old boy at the check out. He thought they were cool, so that comment makes me hip (?) with the next generation. And of course Dorothy had to have a “Champagne” color for her bike. The old folding bikes broke down again, so we gave them to another boater with similar bikes for spare parts. He was thrilled and combined the bikes that afternoon.

Another Naples sunset photo