As I write this I am comfortably aware of my surroundings. Across the cabin a ceramic heater hums quietly. It's 72 degrees inside the cabin. Sea Bird rests at the dock in Oriental, NC. I am at my usual spot, in the settee, one foot resting on the mast. Feeling her heartbeat. Talking with her, silently. Sensing her mood.

She is not quite as comfortable as am I. Currently it's 47 degrees outside. The forecast tonight calls for 39 for the low. Tomorrow will be worse at 24 with 15-20 mph winds from the north (I really should convert that into knots, but I seem to have lost the capacity to automatically do so). I can feel her react to the breezes. The lines snubbing her, keeping her centered in her slip. Limiting her. This is not what she was built for. She wants to go, to leave this place where she is held captive to the cold and the wet. To be free, flying before the wind, warm salty spray on deck, playing with the ocean like a puppy plays with its mother. To have dolphins once again riding her bow wave. Resting at anchor with nothing around but sea grass and oyster beds. Exploring new places. Revisiting old ones.

As they say in the islands, "come soon".

Everyone (not really everyone, just my wife and my friend Al) has been telling me I should update this blog. And looking at the statistics, there are a surprising number of people still stopping by. I don't know who you are, but here we go.

The time we have spent back "home" has been productive. Some things have worked out well, some have not. We tried our best in all areas, and that, in the end, is all you can do. Carol has relished the time in her garden and with children and grandchildren. (OK, so have I.) But after being at home for a couple of months, I realized that for the first time in my life, I was becoming concerned about the appearance of... my grass? And that's not me. (Don't get me wrong, I love that guy who mows his grass three times a week. His grass looks amazing. It's just that I have never been that guy). I decided that the FBI would call that a clue. I started driving for Uber. It's a HOOT! Carol has taken a contract job that will keep her occupied until about September of next year. Thanksgiving was fun, and we are now looking forward to Christmas with the family, with a real wood fire burning in the fireplace.

In in the spring, I intend to start to work on Sea Bird. She has been neglected, and I need to apologize. And repair. And upgrade. Because in the fall, after Carols contract ends, we intend to take her south once again, where we will leave her someplace warmer than here for the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays. And then, in Janurary, the coldest part of the season, perhaps we will venture to the Bahamas, where the warm winds will spirit her between the islands. And we will explore new lands, together. Again.

Patience, lady.

Well, it's been a bit.

For both of you still following this blog, I guess it's time to catch up.

Just to recap, we stopped in Oriental in May of this year, with the intention of staying for a couple of weeks to visit family back in Charlotte, NC. 

We are still here.  There are a couple of reasons for that.

Carol has two great passions in her life.  One is that she loves to garden.  She is most happy planting, weeding, watering, and doing all manner of work in her yard.  Over the years she has spent much time and effort in the patch of yard just outside our back door.  She calls it "Duloc".  (See the cartoon movie "Shrek".)  It has paths through it and many varied plants, flowers, and shrubs.  I don't know what they are, but they are pretty.  And she loves to garden. 

And you can't feed that beast on a sailboat (sorry Sea Bird!).

The other reason is family.  One of our children was struggling.  She was facing the prospect of raising three children alone, with limited resources and finances.  While I don't agree with all of the choices that have been made in her life, this is family, and one doesn't turn one's back.  Especially when grandchildren are involved. 

And you can't feed that beast from a remote location (sorry Boot Key!). 

It all started innocently enough.  We were staying at a friend's house that they had generously offered while we visited with family.  (Our house was leased.)  You may recall we had sold all of our cars except for Carol's.  As the house we were staying at was about a 30 minute drive from where our daughter (and, more importantly, grandchildren) were, we made do with differing agendas and schedules as best we could.  After all, it's only for a couple of weeks, right? But those couple of weeks drug on into June.

And the lease on the house wasn't really working out.  And it was set to expire in August.

Somewhere around late June (we are back for two weeks, remember?) and without any mention of going back to the boat, I floated a trial balloon.  "I'm getting tired of  sharing a car.  If we stay here much longer, I'm going to need my own car."

"OK, get one that can tow a trailer and haul mulch."

In the FBI, they call that a clue.  I bought a used Jeep Grand Cherokee, and installed a trailer hitch.  We moved back into the house and Carol set about bringing Duloc up to snuff.  We formulated a plan for the struggling ones.

I always knew this was a Real and Present Danger.  Carol is a family person.  Not than I'm not, but she has it in spades.  It's one of the reasons we work well together.  And it's why we did not head south with the rest of the gypsy clan this year.

And so I threw in with my lovely bride, and whipped the house back into shape, as she had done with me and  Sea Bird.  I rebuilt what needed rebuilding, brought power tools to bear against what was overgrown, and even hauled mulch.  We brought our daughter and her children into our home, to give respite, solace, and healing to that family.  Thanksgiving was once again a time to give thanks with family close at hand, instead of a time to try and stay warm on a mooring ball in a cold and windy Titusville.  And as much as I enjoyed Christmas in Boot Key Harbor with newfound friends, in a few days I am looking forward to spending it with our five children, seven grandchildren, and the rest of the family and friends.

Our future plans?  Who knows?  Sea Bird is a little beat up, as I mentioned.  I have discovered a broken bracket that both acts as an engine mount and supports the compressor for the engine driven refrigeration.  As usual, on a boat, this project snowballs.  I wanted to replace the engine driven refrigeration with 12 volt so we can leave the boat for more than a day.  BUT FIRST, I have to rebuild or reinsulate the icebox, so I can remove all of the existing components, install the new ones, replace all of the engine mounts, possibly install another solar panel to keep up with the load, replace the impeller, and, since I will have to decouple the propeller shaft anyway, this would be a great time to rebuild the transmission to get rid of that rough shift problem.  My intention is to start on all of this after the first of the year.  Maybe Carol will get enough of a garden fix, and I will get enough projects done on Sea Bird, that we can leave in the fall for the Bahamas.

I do miss the sunsets.

Merry Christmas!

Missed me?

We've been busy.  More on that later.

In the meantime, Paradise Cove Marina in Merritt, NC (close to Point Marina, where Sea Bird is docked) had a cardboard boat race.  We attended the inaugural event last year while preparing the boat, and it was a blast.  This year, I vowed to participate.  Drafting my eldest grandson, Dillon, we sat about engineering the perfect winning entry.  It was going to be epic.

The rules were simple.  The only building materials allowed were cardboard and duct tape.  Paint was allowed if fully cured before the entry was splashed (no painting on race day).  Propulsion was to be by paddle, and the contestants were to be timed around a course.  Best time wins.

The designs were mostly (flimsy) versions of your standard runabout.  What most people think of when they think "boat".  This design is fine when executed in something strong, light, and stiff like fiberglass (also water resistant).  The problem is that cardboard is not very strong over a span.  It needs some support, and that is where most people have trouble.

I, on the other hand, had a secret weapon.  People. 

One of the last jobs I had right after the economy tanked, early during the recent recession (that they tell me ended some time ago) was at Lowe's Home Improvement.  I spent some time in the appliance department, and while unpacking the merchandise, was struck by the many and varied bits of preformed cardboard that went into keeping the appliances scratch and dent free.  This stuff has remarkable strength to weight ratio, is not available to the general public, and became the backbone of my design.  Also, it was free, because I know the right people.  And, of course, no one else knows the people I do, or is as cunning as I. 

Right.

I chose a catamaran design.  The boat was to be built in Concord, NC and designed so it could be hauled to Merritt, NC in pieces, with final assembly to be completed there.  There would be no need to test the design.  As there were two paddlers, the power to weight ratio alone would assure our victory.  And so, we set to work.

We named our creation Warship 2981.  Warship is reminiscent of passage into our last inlet, where we encountered an actual Warship.  2981 is the store number of the Lowe's that actually supplied the building materials for the project (thanks to everyone!). 

And so it began.  We left Concord at 7:00am for the five hour drive to Paradise Cove and the race at 2:00pm.  We completed final assembly there, and Carol did the pre race interview.  Also, the race footage. 

It did not go as planned.

In spite of our DNF, a good time was had by all.  Video is available on my Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/monty.brumbles