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A sailing sabbatical update

Wow. A lot has happened and I just haven't  been connected to the internet long enough to update this blog properly. One things first:
 If you'd like to see where I've been and where I'm going, my sister Tracey is updating a Google map that can be found here: 
https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=11HKL1_fkKlTTvOPasc_hbjbghI0&hl=en

My nephew Toby has joined me for a period of time. We left Marco Island, Florida on June 28th and then set out to cross to Bimini on the 4th of July.

Its now July 15th and we are at the Bay Street Marina across the channel from the Atlantis resort in Nassau.

That's all I have time for now. I'll try to update a little more frequently.

Oh... sailing is hard work and pretty dangerous. Don't let anyone tell you differently.

The Microplastics Initiative

I’m excited to also report that I’ve been invited to assist with the Microplastics Initiative through Adventurersand Scientists for Conservation (ASC). If you don’t know, Microplastics are plastic particles smaller than five millimeters in size and they pose a massive environmental and human health risk when they enter our waterways. Toxins including DDT and BPA adhere to the particles and then enter the food chain when ingested by aquatic life and can accumulate in birds, fish, marine mammals, and potentially humans. 

The goal of ASC is to compile a comprehensive microplastics dataset and use that information to effect change in order to turn off the input of microplastics pollution at their source. To aid in this endeavor I’ll be collecting water samples, sending some of them to ASC, and evaluating others for the presence of microplastics.

I invite you to follow along, ask questions, and provide input and suggestions through my website www.MrReedatsea.com.

A working vacation

It was definitely a working vacation. Above is the seaReed as she pulled into the dock and I took possession and then the before and after pictures from the interior from that time until three days later when she was all cleaned out. The owner left wet gear throughout the boat and so mildew was everywhere. I wiped EVERY SINGLE surface of the interior of the boat with bleach. She smelled like a swimming pool afterwards!

After getting the interior cleaned up and livable, I took her for a sail. After all, I didn't get a boat that was a complete fixer upper. I wanted to be able to sail her. So I did. That's the video in the last blog entry.

There is still a list of chores, but none that can't be done underway. 

Officially a boat owner

They say the two most exciting days in the life of a boat owner is the day that he buys the boat and the day that he sells the boat. All I can attest to at this point is that it feels good to be one step closer to setting sail. 

I've taken the maiden voyage on the seaReed.

So I might have purchased a boat

The sea trail ans survey of the boat I was considering buying was an interesting experience. Five minutes away from the dock on the way to the haul out the engine sputtered and died. A kind man along the canal towed us back to the dock and we sat for an hour before a mechanic arrived. He quickly determined that the fuel cap was cracked and had let rainwater into the tank. He rigged a temporary tank and we were on our way.

The surveyor found a list of things the boat could use aesthetically, but my main concern were two sea cock valves that were frozen open. If the hoses were to fail, huge amounts of water would pour in. That's a bad thing on a boat apparently!

I made a counter offer that included fixing anything that included a haul out, the owner agreed, and so I'm closing on the boat on March 28th.

That will give me about 10 days on spring break to sail her around and continue to hone my skills before my June set sail date.

The Razr lives!

The Razr flip phone is the best! At one time had had three brand new ones in a drawer that I bought off eBay for $25 each. When one went down I just switched the simm card and BAM, new phone. It had been so long since I upgraded that AT&T offered me an iPhone for only $50.

I drank the Kool-aid.

I need a simple unlocked phone to use in the islands however so I dug out the last Razr I took with me to Belize when I last volunteered there a couple years ago. $4 on Amazon for a new charger and I'm good to go.

The Razr reminds me of a simpler time when people actually talked to one another. Welcome back Razr!

I think I'm buying a boat

Well... My offer was accepted. There still needs to be a sea trail and survey done, but it looks good.

I'll be heading to the Caribbean on a 1989 O'Day 322.

I love it when a plan comes together

Wow! It's been a busy week.

1. I have rented my home to a wonderful couple. They've signed a lease and given me a deposit.
2. I sold my motorcycle.
3. I made an offer on a sailboat.
4. I now have all the money I've budgeted for the next year already in my savings account.

The plan is really taking shape. Should I be frightened??

I'm a sailor

I finished a week-long immersion course with the Blue Water Sailing School in Ft. Lauderdale and already I'm confident that I could sail eastward toward the Bahamas on my own. By the end of the course I was able o single handedly pilot a 53' boat through a figure eight man overboard drill under full sail. 

I can set a course, read a map, and sail a boat. What else is there to do but practice and I can do that at sea, yes?

The plot thickens

As will happen when you start planning an adventure, the plan is rarely the finished product. I had originally scheduled myself to take sailing lessons in March and set sail on July 13th. I didn't plan my sailing lesson earlier because my son and his wife had a baby due in early January.  Little Scarlett however had other plans and was born healthy and happy on December 13th. Then, due to a postponement of something I had planned for in early July, I am able to set sail as soon as school lets out in June. I should be prepping the boat and be at sea by June 6th, more than a month ahead of schedule.

There's so much to learn!

The teacher become the student...

 Step one:

The first step has been taken! I've put down a deposit for sailing lessons with the Blue Water Sailing School in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and book a flight for the end of March!

The student's mind

I recently heard an interview with a martial artist competing on The Ultimate Fighter and he said, "I want to be like water because Bruce Lee said we should be like water. I don't know what that means, but Bruce Lee said it so it has to be cool."

The entire quote is this: “You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” 

My interpretation of Mr. Lee is that we must be adaptable to the situation. The situation I'm in now is that I must once again become a student. A student intent on learning a completely new skill set and to be able to actually utilize these new skills. It's very much like when I learned to sky dive, or scuba dive, or even simply to drive; There are skills I need and if I learn them and follow the established rules, there's an excellent chance I won't die.

Time to study...

Every Journey Begins With That First Step

Mark Twain said, "Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

Three hundred sixty-five days sailing throughout the Caribbean. That's the plan. I will be setting sail on July 16, 2016 and pulling into port July 16, 2017.