Working on the To Do List and Getting Ready for Christmas

11/22/15-12/21/15

ENJOYING FAMILY, FRIENDS and GREAT FLORIDA FOOD

Our Cocoa Village Marina stop has proven to be a good location for many visits with friends and family over our first month in Florida.  One day we traveled to The Villages, a community of 100,000 residents, in north central Florida to see Wayne's youngest brother and his wife,  We enjoyed hearing all about their new life in this unique senior citizens centered town..

Colleen presented Patty with the quilt that she had made for her.

The golf carts seem to outnumber the cars in The Villages.
Here are a couple of, believe it or not, golf carts.

Golf carts everywhere!!

One of the many town centers in The Villages

Another town square in The Villages

Statue of Harold Schwartz, founder of Florida's The Villages

On another day our old friends, Pam and Richard stopped in to have lunch, watch the tail end of the Cocoa Village Marathon and to take a little cruise on the Indian River.  Pam always brings Cheetos to Wayne and Publix white mountain bread for both of us.  Thank you Pam!!  On this visit she also brought us a poinsettia plant, which was a good thing as it's the only Christmas decoration we've had up for most of the holidays.

Richard, a very accomplished boater, was captain for most of our
Indian River cruise as Pam sat up front and enjoyed the view.

These are a few of the marathon runners near the end of the pack.
 Look closely at the guy on the right

 One Saturday our friends Roger and Marcy (I'm sure you feel like you know them well enough to claim them as your friends by now) introduced us to lionfish as a delicacy to eat.  These are very threatening-looking fish which have begun to invade the waters of the southeastern US.  Its spines look (and are) venomous and they have few natural enemies.  But, boy was it a tasty appetizer. Google "lionfish" to see some great images.

A lionfish mural near the restaurant Grills in Port Canaveral

Marcy digs into the lionfish appetizer.  That's
 not a grimace you see but a smile of anticipation.

Winter in Florida means art and craft shows. There's always a risk of an overdose of tackiness and what Wayne calls garage art. This one in Cocoa Village was well stocked with ocean-themed items, many of which were unique and interesting.  Wayne gives it a 3 and Colleen says it deserves a 7. 

Colleen and her dear friend Marla enjoying dinner at Cafe' Margeaux
in Cocoa Village.  The waiter's recitation of the evening's specials
 was so eloquent that it was almost impossible to make a choice of what to eat.

Of course, Marcy and Colleen look forward to
getting together to quilt.  We're working here
on a quilt for her son, Nick.

We went out one evening to a new restaurant in Cocoa Village, Pub Americana, with friends from near our home in North Carolina.  Just our luck, we were seated near a window and had a great view of the Cocoa Christmas parade.

Shrimp tempura - very lightly grilled and with a tasty sauce on the side

Our friends Dave and Nancy

Cocoa's Christmas parade

Wayne and Colleen traveled to Orlando with friends Roger and Marcy to have dinner with high school classmates of Wayne's.  Members of the Oak Ridge classes of 1964 and 1965 met for dinner.  About 20 people attended the event.

We enjoyed a morning with Roger and Marcy at Jetty Park near Port Canaveral.  Port Canaveral is now one of the busiest cruise ports in the world, 45 miles east of Orlando.  Many Disney and other cruise lines depart from here as well as many casino cruises.  The waterway is being widened to almost double what it was originally and we watched barges as they dug out the channel on this day.

The tug boat is towing a barge heavily loaded with sand out into the
 Atlantic Ocean.  We watched this action and lots of fishermen in the Canaveral Barge Canal.

A 700 foot ship coming into Port Canaveral

SOMETHING NEW

Colleen worked all during our first month on the boat on Christmas presents.  Since it's not Christmas yet, she can't show them to you.  Maybe in the next blog.  She did want to show you a new project she's learned how to do.  These little bowls are made by wrapping a thin strip of fabric around and around a clothesline.  Then you coil the wrapped clothesline around and around itself, zigzag stitching it on the sewing machine and shaping it into a bowl as you go.

Easy and fun!

Aren't these cute!  I'm eager to make some more.

REPAIRS and UPGRADES

New TV antenna - the white round thing

Hooking up the wiring for the antenna and removing the antiquated wiring became a chore as usual.
This easy installation took about a day and a half to complete.  Most of the time was spent taking the boat apart just to pull the wiring.

New "mesh" window covers that Wayne made for the front of the boat. 
This fabric blocks 80% of the
 sunlight from entering the cabin.

Another set of window covers that Wayne made.  These are made from
  Sunbrella canvas and block 100% of the sunlight.  We can trade out these and
the mesh covers depending upon how much light we want in the cabin.

This is the propeller shaft access to the stuffing box.  It is in the bottom of a closet where all the shelves had to be removed.  A steady stream of water was leaking around the shaft and into the boat thus necessitating an adjustment to the packing nut. We had never done this so we hired a marine service to do the task.  After two trips to our boat and two and a quarter hours of trying to loosen the lock nut, the technician had an "Ah ha" moment and realized that the nut was left-hand threaded.  The repair then was ten minutes.  The bill was for two hours at $95 per hour. Wayne had spent an hour trying to turn the lock nut the wrong way too!

Our wonderful 8 hp Nissan electric start outboard motor was sold.  Wayne finally realized that its 95 pound weight was too much to handle while stepping into and trying to attach it to the dinghy as the dinghy floated behind Cool Change.
Wayne offered it on Craig's List and sold it for enough $$ to purchase a new 4 hp motor
 that weighs only 54 pounds.

I know that the anchor windlass is in here somewhere.

The anchor windlass quit working in Cocoa after we had some issues with it last winter.  Wayne studied the owner's manual thoroughly and then climbed onto the front berth.  The front berth is like our storage garage so he had to remove a whole lot of stuff first, stick his head in the bow hole you see and then start electrical troubleshooting.  In the end he concluded the control box was not working and he ordered a new one ($150).  When the old controller was dismantled and on the work table, Wayne found that a wire inside the control box had corroded and broken connection.  A 2 inch piece of  jumper wire would have repaired the controller for free!

The dinghy patch held after the third attempt.
 The top tube has held air for over two weeks now. 

The new 15 inch GPS is finally installed.  This machine does
all kinds of electronic navigation things in a multi-function display and
Wayne is like a kid in a candy store playing with it.

I think that I can figure this all out.

Oh.  Here is the wire that I was looking for.

DECEMBER 16 - MOVING on to VERO BEACH

After a month at Cocoa Village Marina it was time to move on.  Our next stop is Vero Beach where we plan to dock at Loggerhead Marina for another month.

Our early morning departure with the sun coming over the horizon

Looking back at Cocoa Village Marina
We'll be back.

Most of today's traffic was sailboats.  We made an easy run
to Loggerhead Marina in Vero Beach, fifty-five miles down the
ICW

The Loggerhead Marina loggerhead turtle welcomes us back.

Sunny Florida, You Say?  Guess Again.

We haven't talked much about the weather here this winter because we haven't had much of anything good to say.  We've had lots of high winds and, in our exposed position at Cocoa Village, we were rocking and rolling almost every day we were there.  Both of us seem to have developed a sailor's roll as we walk.  We've also had more rain than any other year and some of the hottest temperatures Florida's experienced in a long time - many days of mid eighties temps and muggy humidity.

These palmetto bushes did not grow naturally with a lean to the east.
On this day the wind was blowing at 15 mph and gusting to 30.  Getting
from the dock to the boat was quite a challenge.

Not much better in terms of the wind in Vero Beach our first few days here.
The waves at the beach were so rough the beach warning flags
were at the high hazard level.

We wish you all a happy Christmas.  Thanks for traveling with us.

Wayne and Colleen

Back to Florida for our sixth winter on Cool Change

November 12th through November 23rd

We arrived in Merritt Island, Fl on Thursday and launched the boat on Friday the 13th.   Everything went well from lifting the boat through the 300 yard travel to and into the water.

This is the second on-land placement of our boat.  It spent 8 months parked about 500 feet away.  It was moved to this spot a few weeks ago ($180 cost that we had not expected) for the bottom to be repainted
to prevent the growth of barnacles and algae.

Cool Change weighs about 34,000 pounds with all our gear and the fuel load aboard.  This travel lift had no problem picking it up and carrying it to the water.

Up and away

It is truly amazing to watch as the boat travels across the lot suspended from the crane.

After sitting for eight months on land and not being connected to electricity, the batteries were kept at full charge by our onboard solar system.  Both motors fired right up.  We were concerned for the water pump on the starboard motor as we had a new seacock and hose installed on the intake side of the water pump while in storage.  After launch and as we motored from the travellift over to our slip, my friend Roger noted that the port exhaust sounded loud and did not appear to have water flowing out.  Unfortunately, he was right.  The impeller for the raw water pump for that motor had failed,  All twelve vanes of the impeller had disintegrated.  The starboard impeller that we had some concern about came through just fine.

Port engine impeller.  Where did the 12 three-quarter-inch long rubber fins go?
We may never know.

We hired a marine tech to do this job.  Wayne replaced the impeller on the starboard motor two years ago.  It took two hours and was readily accessible.  The port impeller was located next to a fuel tank with only eight inches of room to work.  For three hours Wayne passed tools and encouragement to the tech.  The tools were Wayne's.  The impeller was a replacement already in our spares on the boat.  The tech brought only his skills and supreme determination aboard.

Hired mechanic doing the job,  He knows that the water pump
 is there somewhere.  He can feel it but not see it.

Our view from our slip at Harbortown Marina

We stayed at Harbortown Marina on Merritt Island for three nights.  We spent two of those days just scrubbing and cleaning, both inside and out.   Florida black mold had accumulated over 8 months and was all over the decks and side curtains.  With bleach mixed with water and Fantastic,Wayne scrubbed all of the decks.  The black mold seemed to be locked to the deck with a clear coating or something and had to be scrubbed off.  That side curtains were mildewed both inside and outside. The entire second day was spent getting the plastic curtains to sparkle again  We could not use bleach on the clear vinyl, just water wash down. Then all were cleaned with 303 brand vinyl cleaner and polished with dry towels.

Look carefully and you can see the mold on the clear side curtains.and the cleaning towel.

Inside the boat Colleen was busy stowing clothes, kitchen supplies and foodstuffs, making the bed up with fresh sheets, setting out towels, vacuuming, Soft Scrubbing every inside surface and cleaning toilets and bathroom sinks and the galley.  Of course, many sewing and quilting projects also had to be unpacked and stowed in a special basket I keep for them.  My to-do list this winter includes six quilt tops, two wall hangings and lots of small projects that will be Christmas gifts for family and friends. We brought a large, new item onto the boat this year - a custom made bedspread that Colleen pieced with the help of some of her quilt guild friends.  It was so large, it had to be professionally quilted and the stitching is really beautiful.  This past summer it earned a third place ribbon at my guild's quilt show.

A new queen sized bed spread custom made for our master cabin bed

Deck Box Repair

The latch tore out from the front of the dock box that is located on our swim platform.  The original design was rather flimsy and was set up for failure.  A repair was made from starboard material and through bolted so that it will not fail again.

New window shades
Wayne is making new window coverings that will allow more light into the cabin while still blocking sun glare and the view from the outside.  The material used is a mesh fabric that blocks 80% of the sunlight.  In the day we can see out but people outside cannot see in.  Wayne made covers for the port and starboard side triangular windows.  He will make a cover for the three-panel front windows soon.

Outside view

View through the new mesh side curtain

Repairs yet to do:

Dinghy leaking air - third attempt at repair awaiting dry weather

Starboard stuffing box leaking - for you landlubbers that is the seal around the propeller shaft 

Anchor windlass is not working - we placed a backup anchor on deck should we need it in a hurry

Finally on the water again!

We  got underway finally on Monday the 16th.  We traveled only 7 miles south to Cocoa Village Marina.  Our good friend, Marcy, took command for part of the trip.  It was quite windy and she did a fine job of crabbing the boat in the wind and waves to keep us between the waterway markers.

"Captain" Marcy takes the helm

Our view from our stern at Cocoa Village Marina

View of Cocoa Village Marina.  Note the weather overhead.  Four days of wind and rain!

Since our arrival we've enjoyed exploring the area around the marina.  We are located right in downtown Cocoa, about a three-by-eight block area packed with good restaurants, a community theater, many gift and antique shops, a friendly local hardware store, ice cream shops, and art galleries.  It's a perfect pedestrian-friendly area with a local library and post office and nice park within walking distance.  Publix supermarket is only a mile-and-a-half away and movie theaters are close by too.

The marina office is straight ahead.

View of the captains' lounge.  Ken, dock master, and Kelly, office manager, are always
 cheerful and ready to assist any way that they can.  

Another view of the Cocoa Village Marina captains' lounge

The laundry room is one very appealing amenity here at Cocoa Village Marina.
  We almost feel we could write a book about the very bad marina laundry
 rooms and bathrooms we have known.  This is near the top of the good list.

Cocoa Village looking north.  There are many quaint shops in the Village.
  Antiques, collectibles, clothing, nautical decor and much more.

The community theater

Travis Hardware, here for over 125 years.  Every captain must
 visit Travis.  Their inventory is amazing!

All we could want in the way of good restaurants

Pizza Sunday evening at Ryan's in Cocoa Village

We're familiar with Cocoa Village because of many trips we've made to the area but this year, there was a new addition.  The Sugar Shack serves donuts and you have never seen donuts like these.  The caramel with sea salt is Colleen's favorite so far but, depending on the mood of the baker, you can find donuts covered with just about every ingredient you can imagine - from red velvet cake to Reeses Pieces to - believe it or not - bacon!

YES!  That is bacon on the donuts.

The enthusiastic staff will give you a donut-by-donut tour

While Wayne does repairs Colleen is quilting and crafting

First order of business after we got settled - make a bunch of Christmas ornaments.
Next job - making custom labels for quilts I've been sewing for my sisters-in-law.  The third order of business is a bed runner for my daughter-in-law, Maria.  There are lots of projects to keep me busy here.
I've also managed to get a library card to use at the nearby public library.  For fifteen dollars I have a visitor's card that's good for a year.  I am so excited!!!

Ornament making

  This quilt is for my sister-in-law Patty and is
 meant to look like a stained glass window.

Marcy and Colleen enjoyed a morning program at The Quilt Place
in  Rockledge, FL,a little bit south of Cocoa.

A sign that Colleen found on her walk to the library

The weather here was in the eighties for almost a week.  Colleen thinks that is way too warm but Wayne likes it.  Then the high sixties for several days. The past several days the temps have returned to the mid to high seventies.  The wind has been blowing 15 to 30 knots for 4 days now.  The first two days it rained pretty steadily and blew from the north.  So we were rocking and rolling quite a bit.  Now the wind is from the east at 15 to 20 knots and we are sitting fairly steady today but get blown away when we traverse the docks.

Happy Thanksgiving to all.  Until next time.