catamaran

Farley’s Friday: A Dog Underway

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 7 Comments

Farley here.

Well, I’m on the water, moving south.

Before we left the dock, I helped Matt get the sails rigged.  We started early, just as the sun was coming up. Matt and Kristina wanted the sails up before the wind picked up. I guess it’s not great to have full sail up when the boat is tied to the dock.

I tried to tell Matt what the fastest way to get this done was, but he never listens to me. I know how the sails to go on, he just doesn’t understand dog speak. Plus if he was faster, I would have the trampoline back.

Hard at work at dawn.

Our first day on the water was cold and Kristina was overprotective. She made me wear my harness and tethered me to the cockpit just because I kept trying to go lie on my trampoline. How embarrassing. The other dogs don’t have to wear a harness when they’re on the Intra-coastal waterway.

I think I’m a little bored.

But best of all, I saw my first dolphins and barked at them. I had to let them know I’m the boss.

Woof, Woof.

Mattina: A Week at the Dock Commissioning

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 5 Comments

Seven days working on Mattina on the hard, followed by one day launching, and then another seven days commissioning gets her ready for traveling south.

Mattina hanging in the travel life always makes me nervous. The crew at St. Augustine are professional and take their time, and we launched safely.

Mattina in the air: this is just not normal.

Early mornings are a great time to get the sails up before the wind starts blowing. The sails are stored below during the summer, protecting them from sun and wind damage.

We hoisted the Genoa first.

Rigging the genoa is easier than the main, so we start there. Gives us a sense of accomplishment.

Next up was the main.

Happy at the dock with the main sail on. All battens checked, no sail damage and lines are in great shape.

The engines are maintained, the dinghy is operational, the fridge and freezer are keeping food cold, the BBQ is keeping us fed, the genset and solar panels are giving us power, the SSB is picking up Chris Parker (weather network), the Wi-Fi antenna is allowing us to access the internet, the water pumps are pumping, and we’re just about ready to leave the dock.

We won’t test the water maker until we are farther south and into clearer water, but I know it will work.

Next step, untie the lines and start heading south.

Thanks for reading . . .

Guests on a Cruising Catamaran

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

#Sailing  Keeping guests entertained is easy on a catamaran, especially it the guests are adventurous. This was the first time spearfishing for our guests and they loved it. Not only was it an adventure – they brought home dinner. Lucky for us we had an excellent chef visiting too.

Other things to do with your guests . . . beach walking, playing the surf, swimming, kayaking, windsurfing, shell collecting . . .  You get the gist of it.

Happy Spearfishing!

Conch For Lunch

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

#sailing Anyone hungry?

These queen conch make a fabulous conch salad but take a lot of work to get into a bowl. The easy part is finding them.  The folded over lip means they are old enough to be harvested, otherwise they need to left alone at the bottom of the sea.

How does one make a salad?

  • First use a hammer and screw driver to make a hole in the shell.
  • Proceed to get the conch out.
  • Clean the skin off. (a slimy messy job)
  • Hammer until soft.
  • Soak in lime juice, to make it softer.
  • Cut into small cubes.
  • Mix with tomatoes, red pepper, lemon, lime, onion, and touch of hot sauce.
  • Get some crackers, invite your friends, and yum yum, it’s lunch time.

Fishing Off a Catamaran

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

#sailing Does it get any better than pulling a Mahi Mahi up the back steps of your catamaran? Bahamas offers incredible deep sea fishing. The catamaran offers a great platform to fish from.

Get your gaff ready, fish bag open, and pull it aboard. Then get ready for a fantastic meal.

Cruising Dogs Need to Swim

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 1 Comment

#sailing How may people does it take to get a dog on a boat? Apparently four.

Two to swim with the dog, one to lift the dog onto the boat and one to clap encouragement.

I say this in fun, but there are many situations where your dog has to swim.

Here we couldn’t get the boat closer to the beach, so the only way for us to get on board was to swim.

Before you take your dog cruising, make sure it can swim.

Farley doesn’t love it, but he can do it.

Finding Time To Write

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 3 Comments

#writetip Every season I have the dream that I’ll have endless hours to write. We live on a sailboat. What could we possibly have to do to keep us busy?

When the wind changes direction, and we have to move the boat, it’s not like I have an option. I can’t say, “This is my time to write, close a door and settle in.” Sometimes I’m even mid-sentence when an issue comes up and I have to move quickly. So much for completing a thought before leaving my Mac.

What I’ve learned is to write in short bursts. I still get my writing time in, just not in long sessions. I’ve also learned that if it’s impossible to write, I read about writing and how I can improve. Short time frames are useful if you read one good writing tip and think about how you can use it on your novel.

Meanwhile, I’m living on a Lagoon 380 S2 in the Bahamas, so who will feel sorry for me?

Arrival in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments
Pure Happiness

Monday is usually a day I blog about writing #sailing But we’ve arrived in the Bahamas.

Farley represents how we feel.

We left the Florida coast at 4 AM and arrived in Lucaya, Grand Bahamas at 3:30 PM.

Crossing the Gulf Stream was a little rougher than we expected, but we had enough wind to motor sail. We would have preferred no motor, but were happy having the main and genoa up to boost us along.

The window to cross was short and closed up behind us. We are now waiting in Lucaya  at the Sunrise Resort and Marina for the wind to settle down and let us move further south. It’s a great place to get some writing done.

After this we island hop, so internet access could get a little sketchy.

Trick of Provisioning

~ Kristina Stanley ~ Leave a comment

If you’ve never tasted a Florida orange or grapefruit freshly picked, you should. #sailing

The last items we provision for before we leave Florida and head for the Bahamas are oranges and grapefruit. We buy them fresh, and then here’s the trick if you want them to last..

Wrap each piece of fruit individually in foil. Then store them in a dark, dry spot on the boat. They’ll last up to 6 weeks.

When the fresh fruit and vegetables get thin on the boat, that last orange tastes amazing. After that, we know it’s time to head to civilization and find supplies.

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Writing Under Way

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Sailing and writing together again. #writetip #sailing Off watch is the best time to write. I find when I’m on watch, there are too many distractions and I can’t focus on the words. Maybe I can do some editing ion watch, but not always.

A catamaran provides many spots to sit and write. If the seas are calm, lying on my trampoline always inspires ideas. This is where my digital recorder comes in handy.

If it’s too hot and sunny, I hide in our main salon. If the bimini is providing good shade, I’ll write while sitting in the cockpit. The one constant when I’m writing: Farley is always at my feet.

I guess the message is sailing and being underway is not an excuse to miss out on writing.

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