Our new sail has arrived!! And it fits! Last night I dried out and removed the old sail, and this morning I hoisted the new sail. It looks fabulous and I can't wait to take the boat out and give it a try. Kudos to North Sails - they had the sail made and shipped to a nearby town in less than one month...and one of their staff delivered it to me right at the marina! Wow.
We all know that California is famous for its wine country. And most of us know that I like wine. I'd been thinking about jumping on a bus tour of some of the Napa Wineries, which aren't too far from here. But a couple days ago, I joined my friend Mike, and we bought cheese, bread and olives at the market, and enjoyed them in a wine bar. Hmmm. On second thought. I'd better stay off that bus. This wine is way too yummy.
Hello Armstrong Elementary!!
Here is part 3 of the questions that you have presented:
When will you be back?
We don't have a firm timeline. We'll take stock of our situation at various points throughout this adventure, and make decisions about our future plans as we go. We expect that we'll be gone for at least one year, and perhaps up to two years.
Most marinas also have showers and restrooms, so whenever possible, we take advantage of these facilities to have showers. At our marina in Sausilito, we have fabulous, free showers!! But some places are coin operated. Where there aren't showers available, we have a shower in our boat (but it takes up LOTS of our precious fresh water), or have a shower in the cockpit.
We have a propane stove and oven in our galley (kitchen), so we cook just like at home. We don't have too many kitchen appliances - no microwave or toaster!! But I do have a hand crank blender, and John has a hand crank coffee grinder.
Our head (toilet) is connected to a holding tank - so all our waste gets stored in the tank. Luckily, it is sealed very well and does not smell!! In the USA it is the law that your boat must have a holding tank, if it is equipped with a head. We can empty our holding tank at most marinas, which will have a "pump out station", also available at many fuel docks. I've also noticed that many of the people who live on their boats here subscribe to a mobile pump out station. This is where another boat ties alongside your boat, and pumps your tank into a LARGE tank on their boat. You are also permitted to pump your holding tank into the ocean if you are far, far away from land.
So far, we don't have plans to stop in Hawaii...but you never know!
No - there are several websites that track the occurrence of pirate attacks. We'll stay safe by never traveling in areas where pirates operate, or always travel in the company of other boats.
So far the best treasures we've found are the fabulous people that we've met along the way. But...we did pick up a vhf radio floating in the water one day!
After a night of howling winds and driving rain, I awoke to discover a new leak had been formed right over top of my computer and camera! Luckily, both dried out just fine. For the time being, I've created a little tarp above the area, but I hope to investigate further and see if I can figure out where the water is coming from. Apart from that, Renova is once again sitting pretty and basking in the glorious sunshine.
Most marinas have laundromats, and so far we've been able to wash our clothes and linens every week. I imagine that won't always be the case, and we'll have to do our washing by hand at some point. But at least a sailboat has lots of ropes and lines - these are great clotheslines!How do you store your food?
We have lots of cupboards on board Renova, but not nearly as many as at our old house. So while we don't carry as much food, we could still carry enough to last us 6 weeks or more. We have to be careful to store everything in plastic or glass containers, because the moist environment on the boat will quickly ruin foods that are left in their original packaging. But, we're usually not far from a store, so food is never a problem!How do you keep your food cold?
We have a fridge!!! It's not quite like the one you have at home...it is build into our counter, and you lift the lid from the counter and reach down into the fridge from above - sort of like a cooler. This helps to prevent the cold air from escaping as fast. Our fridge is a power pig...so it takes up lots of our battery power. Some days, we shut it off, if we need to conserve power. We also keep a couple of big blocks of ice in the fridge to help keep it cool.Can you eat only dried food?
No - so far, we eat the same foods that we eat at home. We're very close to a grocery store, so I pick up fresh veggies and/or meats almost every day. But once we leave the USA, fresh produce may be harder to find, or we may spend more time anchored in a harbour, instead of at a marina. When that is the case, we'll eat more dried foods like pasta and rice, and make better use of canned goods.Have you almost fallen overboard?
NO!!! We're very careful not to fall overboard. It is very hard to get back on the boat from the water, so whenever we are sailing at sea, we wear our safety gear. We always have our lifejackets on, with a built-in harness. We also have lines that run on each side of the boat from the bow to the stern - these are our jacklines. Whenever we are working on the deck, we clip on our harness lines to the jacklines, so we are always secure, and can't be lost overboard.
