Still major contributors to S.W.Florida's economy

Hello everyone: Still a lengthy list of projects to undertake in the next couple weeks. First pic is showing the wind instrument that failed on us last year, we didn't really need it but it's nice to have, makes sailing more efficient, so I removed it and pulled the rotor and wind vane off the top of the mast as well as the wire out all the way down the inside of the mast and into the boat. I assembled the thing in on the table and could get it to work for a half hour or so then it would crap out. I took it to a Raymarine service center in Naples and they swear there's nothing wrong with it. When we removed the wire we tied 100 lbs test fishing line on it and left the line in the mast in order to facilitate pulling the wire back in. While trying to pull it back in today, me at top feeding and Traci on the bottom pulling, with about 10 feet to go something went "twang", Traci went "oh oh" and I quietly swore just slightly above to myself. So, the electrical fish tape in the picture is the one we have that is about a few feet too short to make it down the mast to pull a new piece of line up. The shiny new gold coloured water pump is the new raw water pump to go on the starbord engine along with the new alternator that is supposed to be here on Monday. The speaker is indicitive of the new radio I bought on black Friday for Traci to listen to her tunes and the new light bulb is 36 new led's assembled on one bulb that is going to replace our anchor light at 10 times the brightness and 5 times less power consumption. Also a beer in the picture, I'll have to take care of that shortly. We've added to new 90w solar panels that seem to do a bang up job of keeping the batteries up. We've ordered a new hot water heater that is to be delivered on Monday and finally a new anchor and swivel that should make Traci's life much less stressfull. I have to give her credit, she has all the anchoring signals down to one simple jesture, involving only 1 hand and 1 finger! "Traci, drop the anchor", I get the signal, "Traci, is it on bottom?", I get the signal, "Traci, lift the anchor.", same signal. Anything to do with anchoring is quickly and easily understood. The other day right after getting groceries she stepped down the few steps into one hull and huge package of toilet paper fell down on her. I told her she was lucky, she was almost........wiped out. :)

The other pics are Traci's updated cupboard, the shiny new toilet installed but leaks fresh water, a valuable commodity, and a couple of our neighbors decorated boats all lit up for Christmas. A new fresh water solenoid is on it's way for the toilet that should fix it. That's about all I got for now till more stuff comes in and when we finally get underway.

Dave and Traci

Update of the daunting tasks (seemingly)

Hi All: Just and update to show that we are slowly working on the boat when we get time. The pictures are showing the floor with no flooring, my epoxy repair job around the hatches and what the doors and stuff were and what they are going to look like, cupboards over the sink and last but not least our latest purchase that once hooked up will make Traci a much happier camper! Sorry Brandi, it's going in our bathroom so you can't use it, you still have to pump.......Paul and Shannon are under way heading south and we'll likely see them next weekend over the thanksgiving holidays.

That stupid owl attracts birds I think. I think it has a boyfriend owl visiting up there at night as we find regurgitated bird parts on the deck once or twice a week, unless it's ours?

We like it here on this dock all by ourselves, tied secure on the end with lots of room and privacy but this dock is not permitted as a live aboard dock and so we eventually have to move over to where we were last year with a single girl named Sarah on a homemade houseboat. We saw her last week and told her we would be moving over near her again and she said "come over and join the hood." I'll post a few pics after we move.

Weather has been hot and pretty great. All I have for now, take care and talk soon.....

Another couple months.....

Hi All: Marking off the days till we're back here, working on the boat in an exotic place!

This past Monday I was on a flight to Jersey for the week to work and was minding my own business when the guy in front of me put his seat back and it came back so far that I couldn't read a magazine, all I could see was the top of his bald head. Suddenly I had this urge to apply a spread fingered, full handed slap to the top of his head and tell him to move his GD seat. I didn't of course but I had to chuckle at the concept, put me to mind of a Bugs Bunny episode where he was whopping Almer Fudd on the head with his ears. I had to share that.

For years I've been thinking my first name was David but now I'm pretty sure it's my second name. Seems every time I'm driving Traci says "Jesus David", I thought it was David Mark, go figure.

We've been chasing down leaks that are appearant with all the rain as of late. In the head with the door closed there was a drip on the door handle, turns out the actual leak was pretty far away coming from around a hatch. The water leaks into the core which is balsa wood sandwiched between 2 layers of fiberglass, and runs to wherever on the inner lining on the inside of the boat, makes it hard to find the actual leak. It's occured to me to try and remove the hatches to reseal and while they're out, paint the exposed core with a couple coats of epoxy and caulk the joint at the inner and outer skins so the leak remains local and easier to find.
I'll take some before and after shots when I get back to Florida and get it done.

When I left on Monday, Traci was there with tools to rip up the linoleum, primer and paint so I'm curious to see what I return to. She never stops working.

Skype is dave.lockhart1. Pictures are Rose Island in the Bahamas from last year and crossing the Caicos bank the year before. We'll soon have new ones.

Take care, Dave and Traci

Wish you were here (to help with all the work)

The first picture is the view out of your bedroom portlight if you were here visiting (helping with all the work). You may or may not know that we moved our other boat this past summer that we've lived on more or less for the last 11 years in Canada and the middle picture is from the deck of our new location attached to our own lot and the next picture is where it was the day before we moved it. We would have still been there except for some greedy, beaurocratic crap that someone felt the need to rattle the chain over. Oh well, such is life.

Work continues here on the boat although it occured to us that for 2 or 3 years we've been working on the boat and very little change can be noticed, all the work has been bringing things back up to snuff so we have to choose and do something that will "look different" and have some impact.

Traci works so hard I often wonder where she gets the energy needed to take care of me! :)

That's about it for now, heading to Macon tomorrow to pick up a rental trailer and some motors and things MLEE has there.

We are on Skype most evenings and have a camera so we could give a tour, maybe show you a gator or a manatee. Can't remember how to link it off hand, will add in next post or a search in Skype should show us up.

Dave & Traci

Chugging along

Hi All: Today was the first day we've had that wasn't raining and the sun was actually out and it wasn't even too hot. We got some leaks sealed up by removing some old caulking and rebedding things although there's alot more to be fixed. Lots to do inside but it was so nice out that we were looking for stuff to do outside, along with the hourly rinsing off of the bird do do from the little gang that insist on eating christmas berries up there as well as blue stuff, evident from the leavings on our boat. We're getting a little tired of cleaning up after them so we went and bought an owl with a pivoting head that bobs and weaves and I tied him up on the top spreader just this evening. Tommorrow they will probaby have him covered with crap and be riding circles on his head.

The other picture isn't me giving anyone the finger, it's the little creature that I had to remove from the bathroom so Traci could use the privy again in complete safety. I set him free on the dock. A couple days ago a little frog with suction cups for toes had Traci let out a little scream as he hopped out from under the outside table. Now he chirps away in the evening on the dock from just beside the boat.

We sat and watched 3 manatees devour a bunch of seaweed and pick stuff off the bottom of a sailboat in the marina this evening but we didn't have the camera.

All I got for now. I should be recording all the repairs with before and after shots.

Dave and Traci.

Arrived in Florida

After working in New Jersey at the refinery which included a boring weekend, we pulled out on Thursday and made it to the boat yesterday, Saturday, in the evening.

The poor old boat has been sitting here alone for months and the resident birds decided that the mast was a great place to roost and eat the flesh off of a local berry which has a pit the size of a pea, which end up all over the boat as well as the processed berry in a different form. I attached a pic. It appears we also have a resident manatee who swims around the dock and eats the moss off the submerged dock foam and any floating tid bits that the dock traps.

We worked on the boat to try and make it white again until mid afternoon when it started to pour and hasn't stopped as yet. Had to get serious and use toilet bowl cleaner with bleach to remove the bulk of it. Inside the boat is great, no mildew, no flooding, no bugs and the air conditioner was still chugging along although we have it pretty cluttered at the moment.

Thats about all I have for now, will keep you updated as events take place.

Dave & Traci

First Post To Check Layout

Traci and Dave Lockhart
We purchased Daruma, our 40' catamaran, in Grenada a couple years ago and with no previous sailing experience we sailed, motored, drifted and anchored our way from there to Florida.
The next year (2010) we left St Augustine, Florida, and headed down the intracoastal waterway to Biscayne Bay and across the Straights of Florida to Nassau, Bahamas where we picked up our daughters and future son in law who joined us for 10 days as we enjoyed the Exuma islands, particularily Norman's Cay.
We recorded our previous adventures and pictures on another site which eventually closed up and we lost all of our email contacts, some of which can never be replaced and we can only hope they find us in a search.
We are currenly on our way to Florida to live, work and play out of the state and are planning to do some upgrades to Daruma and in January we are heading to the Bahamas once again for 4 or 5 weeks and hope to share our adventures with friends and family.  Coyaba and crew, http://www.coyabacat.blogspot.com/ will be joining us in Norman's Pond for some relaxation and great memories.
That's all we have for now until we get to the boat and start modifying things which we will document.
Dave