Farley’s Friday: A Dog Underway

November 9, 2012November 9, 2012 ~ 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.

Farley and Sails — 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.

Farley Tethered — 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

November 7, 2012November 7, 2012 ~ 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 Travel Lift — 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.

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

Next up was the main.

Mainsail Rigged — 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 . . .

Mattina – A Week On The Hard

November 1, 2012November 1, 2012 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 7 Comments

Before I blog, I want to say I’m thinking of everyone affected by the hurricane and wish them my best. We were lucky to be in a spot that Sandy missed.

So it may look like Matt is doing all the work, but that’s only because I took all the pictures. I just wanted to point out I worked hard too.

We arrived at the marina in St. Augustine on Wednesday and have been working hard to get ready to launch (yesterday – we are now in the water).

First up: Open of the boat and check she’s dry. Yup – very dry, making us very happy. We ran a de-humidifier over the summer to help.

Next: Wash the marina dirt off the boat.

Matt washing boat — Rub a Dub Dub, a Man, a Woman and a Dog in a (I won’t say tub) Lagoon 380 S2.

Once the boat was clean, we waxed the hulls.

After that, it was on to maintenance. We prioritized things that need to be done while the boat is out of the water. We won’t put the sails back up or deploy our safety gear until after we launch.

Matt and Props — Matt changing the gear oil in the sail drive, maintaining the props and changing zincs.

We hired marina staff to paint the bottom of Mattina. We scrubbed the dinghy and painted its bottom with the same bottom paint used on Mattina.

The last step: Check thru hulls are clear and working.

Today is the day we’ve been waiting for. We launch this morning and then we move on board.

Sailing Season. The MATTINA Adventures Begin.

October 24, 2012October 24, 2012 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 11 Comments

Some days are bigger days in life than others, and today is one of them.

After a long drive from Winnipeg, Manitoba to St. Augustine Florida, Matt and I have arrived at our boat. MATTINA is a Lagoon 380 S2 and has spent the summer on the hard.

Where does the name come from? MATT and KrisTINA.We put our two names together, but wait! There’s more. Mattina means morning or beginning of the day in Italian. And my mom was born in Italy. With the start of every new day, there’s an opportunity to start a new adventure. So the name MATTINA seemed like a good fit for our boat.

Mattina both sails up — Mattina in the Exumas (2011 – 2012 Season)

We’ve owned MATTINA since July 2009. We’ve sailed her from Delaware to the Bahamas and live aboard during the winters.

Our dog Farley keeps us company. He has his own blog on Friday’s so if you want to see how a dog does sailing, Friday is the day.

Mattina’s Summer Home

So now the work to get ready for the season begins. We decommissioned her last spring and we found in her in great shape this fall.

Today we start the commissioning process. This is our second boat, and over the years we have created a large spreadsheet to keep us organized. We go through each line item and get our lovely boat ready to hit the seas. Checking off items on the list is somehow very satisfying.

Our launch is scheduled for Halloween. So the question is, can we get everything done on time?

This week is the week for changes. Over the summer I don’t blog about cruising, but during the winter, well that’s different. My new schedule for posting is:

MONDAY: Writing

WEDNESDAY: Cruising

FRIDAY: Dogs.

You may have guessed that writing, cruising and dogs take up a big part of our lives. I hope you enjoy the posts and if you are out there cruising, I’d love to hear from you.

Does Your Writing Give You Nightmares?

May 31, 2012May 30, 2012 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

This is my latest discovery. I’ve been sailing my Lagoon 380 S2 for three years now and never had a bad dream about it. Well, life changes.

My fourth novel, yet to be named, takes place on a sailboat in the Bahamas. So this week, I’ve been dreaming scary dreams about sailing, and it occurred to me it’s because I’m writing a murder mystery set on a boat.

Bad weather, sailing alone, boat malfunctions, crazy people who try to get on my boat . . . and I’m only 20,000 words in. What’s going to happen by the end?

I wonder what Stephen King or Dean Koontz dream about. It can’t be good.

Has your writing changed what you dream about?

Sailboat Stored For The Summer

May 9, 2012May 8, 2012 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Up on the hard, as they say. Mattina, our Lagoon 380, has been stored for the season.

Every year the list of tasks seems to get easier as we store and secure the boat for the summer.

The handy Excel spreadsheet seeps into every aspect of my life, including keeping track of boat tasks. We have a three page to-do list to remind us of everything that needs to be done.

Some of the important items that keep our boat in great condition include:

Taking all sails and canvas down and storing below
Flushing water maker
Waxing
Maintaining engines and genset
Emptying food lockers, fridge and freezer (Get to eat everything left in one day)
Washing all settee covers
Plugging through hulls (don’t want any unwanted critters to get aboard)
And on and on it goes…

It’s sad to put the boat away for the summer, but we look forward to getting back on board in the fall. The more we do in the spring, the easier it is in the fall when we are anxious to get going again.

Dogs Underway

April 27, 2012April 21, 2012 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 10 Comments

#dogs #sailing

Does your dog have a favourite place to sit when you’re sailing?

Farley likes to sit on our trampoline if and only if:

– we are on a beam reach

– the seas are calm

– the engines are off

– the sails are up.

If all of these criteria are not met, he’ll hide down below or in the cockpit. If the seas are rough, he has a spot in the cockpit where he can brace himself on all four sides. If it’s rough enough for us (the humans) to be tethered to the boat, then Farley wears a tether too. He has his own harness, tether and life jacket.

West Indian Whistling Duck

April 18, 2012April 3, 2012 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

While we were out kayaking we spotted this pair of West Indian Whistling Ducks. The ducks are nocturnal and secretive, so felt lucky to see them

I had my dog, a wheaten terrier, in the kayak. The ducks didn’t seem bothered by him. They waddled around, curious of us, but not frightened.

I know I’ve mentioned this before, but cruising on our lagoon 380 sure gives us ample opportunity to see wildlife in their natural setting. One more glorious day in the Bahamas.

In case you’re wondering, the ducks actually whistle.

Sea Turtles

April 4, 2012March 30, 2012 ~ Kristina Stanley ~ 11 Comments

#sailing

One of the joys of cruising is that the view from our home changes every day.

This lovely sea turtle swam by our stern. We were lucky and the waters were calm, giving us a perfect view. This guy stayed with us for a while, driving the dog crazy, but we loved it.

Who knows what will swim by us tomorrow.