Wednesday, November 30, 2016

And the list goes on...

GPS
Depth and speed monitors
Radar
Battery monitor
Windlass
Refrigeration
Sails
Rigging
Anchor chain
Bimini ...

Monday, November 28, 2016

Rainy Day

Back in the marina, waiting for workers again. The contractor who is working on the windlass left because rain was coming. The man who is working on our refrigeration called an hour and a half after he said he would come.
"I am sitting in the parking lot, but I am trapped by the rain"

Apparently people in the BVI worry that they might melt.


Sunday, November 27, 2016

Another day in Paradise?

In thinking about writing this blog, I had some concerns that I would have too many days talking about the beauty, the sailing, the diving, the snorkeling,  how wonderful it all is. At this point I wish I had more to say along those lines.

The morning started out beautifully.

Friday, November 25, 2016

Ahh...

Out of the Marina.
Sails are out.
Depth finder is working.
The new bimini is up.
The speed gauge is working.
The GPS is working.

Thursday, November 24, 2016

Making Rhapsody our home

The upside of sitting in a marina and waiting for workers is the time to organize our boat. We have added many things that need a new resting place and we had many things already on board that needed organizing or eliminating.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Holes in our boat

Sitting in a marina.
Watching workers put holes in our boat.
Holes are not good in boats.

Sunday, November 20, 2016

Final installment: The saga of the crate

Success at last. 
After the futility of yesterday's motoring around trying to find a closer spot to dinghy to and from, we found the right people to help us.

We went ashore and started making inquiries.  The first stop was a fuel dock just inside the lagoon we circled yesterday. Entering the fuel dock from land you have to pass a sign that says "Government Employees Only". Sometimes it is good to feign ignorance and just walk on by.

Friday, November 18, 2016

The crate part 2

Driving the crate 5000 miles and shipping it another 1300 miles were the easy parts. Once the crate arrived in St. Thomas, it was delivered to the top of the hill where the hardware store is situated. For those of you unfamiliar with boats, they tend to have difficulties getting to the top of hills.

Wednesday, November 16, 2016

Moving the stuff, the story of our crate - part 1

How to get our belongings from Oregon to the British Virgin Islands. This has been a subject of debate and consternation ever since we bought Rhapsody. We have been able to bring some with us  when we came down for vacations,  but there always seemed to be more.

Monday, November 14, 2016

Slowing down

Moving and doing have been a constant theme since August. Getting rid of most of our possessions, getting the house ready to sell, driving across the country, delivering our goods to be shipped to Rhapsody,

Friday, November 11, 2016

Lesson learned, again

Buying a boat is just one step of many costs along the way to living aboard. After you buy the boat, then there are the repairs, the upgrades, the alterations. Since we bought Rhapsody two years before moving aboard, we thought we had plenty of time to get things done before we moved aboard.

Wrong.

Thursday, November 3, 2016

Our lives are about to change

Five years of planning, learning, listening, asking, fretting, worrying, being excited, traveling, selling, donating, all comes down to this:



the sense that our lives are about to change.
Yesterday Rhapsody got wet. (So did we with the huge downpours here, but in a different way). 
Rhapsody got launched, and we moved aboard. 
Our new home.