Still no parts! :(

Resting up for our next big adventure!

We are still waiting on the new generator pump to come in. It is supposed to be coming from TN, who knew it would take a week to come in?? Once the pump comes in the mechanic will troubleshoot the port engine. The mechanic thinks it might be a solenoid on the starter, not the neutral safety switch.
We had really hoped to head down to the keys for the next week or two, but now we are stuck at the marina. The mechanic knows we are hoping to go away and is coming out as soon as the part is in.
Dan says if worse comes to worse we will spend the 4th on the boat at the marina ;)

I want to crawl!!

But I don't think this is a good thing while on the boat :)

Still waiting on parts!

Mechanic was on the boat today, we need to wait for some parts for the generator. We are also waiting on the new neutral safety switch for the port engine. We were planning on going to the keys for a couple of weeks, but need to wait on the parts. If they come in soon we will probably head out soon after.
We have a book that tells us all the dog friendly spots in FL and there are many in the keys. Hopefully the water will be clean so we can swim off the boat.
As you can see Victoria is modeling her new bikini, she is ready!!!

Second Day!

Coming back from a doggy pit stop!


Toys, who needs toys!! I have a doggie water dish!


Steering the boat with a sleeping babe in arms!


"I am king of the world!!"

We were all up at 6:00 am, had our breakfast and decided to head a bit up the sound to another anchorage that was closer to a nice island with a beach for the dogs. Unfortunately the port engine would not start!
Dan tried everything he could think of, then we called the boat company. They gave us a few ideas, none of which worked. They suggested we call the harbormaster at Useppa Island Marina and he would find someone to work on it.
We left a message and then Dan got impatient and dinghied into the marina. He met up with a mechanic who said we needed to bring the boat in and he would fix it at the marina. Dan dingied back to the boat where we pulled up the anchor and tried to steer with just the one engine, it was impossible! We turned around and dropped anchor again. Dan dinghied back to the marina but the mechanic said there was some rule that did not allow him to do work off island. He suggested we call sea tow $$$.
Dan came back and told me and while we were discussing our options we saw a boat coming towards us. It was another Endeavour 44 that just happened to be passing by and saw us and came over to say hi!! We told him we had an engine that would not start and he had just had some work done on his and knew just what to do! What a stroke of luck! He rafted up to us and jumped on board. He had the engine started in 5 minutes!! He also saved us a lot of money$$! Turns out the safety neutral switch was screwed up and would not let the engine start. This switch makes sure you are in neutral before the engines will start! Of course it had also starting raining! We quickly pulled up anchor and headed back to the marina!
The sun did come back out and the waterway was so clear. We saw tons of dolphins in Pine Island sound. The dogs were going crazy as they jumped all around the boat! We got back about 4 and our neighbors helped us bring in the boat. Dan did a great job turning the boat 180 degrees with almost no extra room.
I had everything packed and ready to go.
It was a very frustrating experience for us all. The weather was just too hot, poor Victoria had a horrible heat rash over most of her body, and we were tired from lack of sleep.
We think we will more than likely just do day trips and weekend trips for now and then try another weeklong trip once the weather cools down a bit.
Once the house sells we will be moving to the Jacksonville area which will give us nice little boat trip to get the boat up there. We are also looking forward to having new boating areas. From there we will head up the coast and probably spend some time in the Chesapeake till it cools off.
It also gave a bit of the flavor of what it is like with all of us on board.

First day on board!

Victoria takes her first nap on board!


Danny hanging on the bow


Victoria the navigator!


The girls chillin'

We got on board Monday night and slept on board.
We stayed at the dock for the night, plugged in with the AC running :)
We got up at 6:30 to start our day.
We left the dock around 9:30 and headed down the river. The weather is gorgeous!
There was very little boat traffic on the river, so we were able to just relax.
We headed up to Cabbage Key and Useppa Island to anchor for the night.
Dan took the girls and Danny for a dinghy ride for potty break.
Victoria really seemed to enjoy herself, she loves the wind in her face!
We all sat in the cockpit until the bugs came out and we had to retreat below.
It was pretty warm all day and we were hoping it would cool down.
We started up the generator and fired up the AC units! heaven!!
Till an hour later when the breakers all popped!
Dan took a little bit and then figured out the AC strainers were plugged with seaweed. He cleaned them out and the system started up again.
Worked great for about an hour then it happened again. It is just too shallow here, with too much yuck in the water :( We had to give up the AC for the night.
We opened up all the hatches and had a pretty good breeze rolling through.
We finally fell asleep at 9:30.

Victoria's First Visit to the boat!

Hey - I can reach my toes in this bumbo seat!


Victoria playing on the floor in the salon!


Victoria's travel bed JUST fits next to our bed!!

Checking on the boat!

We are heading onto the boat this weekend to see what is on it. I have not been on board for 1 1/2 months and can't remember what is on it for provisions. We were going to go out this weekend but decided to wait till Monday, that way the waterway will not have all the crazy weekend boaters.
We will probably leave the dock Tuesday am and head out to the islands off Captiva for the week.
The pod is coming back to the house today so I can offload the baby stuff I packed 8 months ago. Who would of that the house would not sell before the baby got home!
We will set her crib up at the house and move the mini sleeper to the boat. She has been sleeping in the mini sleeper so it will be familiar to her.
We hope to set off on an extended vacation the end of June, beginning of July.
We do not know if we will make it as far as Massachusetts, but will try our best.
We are not going to rush, we are going to enjoy ourselves.
I have had several people ask about being on a boat with all of us, and after a month of living in 1 room I think I am ready!!
Besides the boat has all the modern conveniences, right down to a washer/dryer.
We are anxious to get a move on now that the adoption is done.
Victoria's certificate of citizenship should be here around the first week of July and then we can get her social security number and her passport.
The pediatrician is redoing her shots so we will be caught up the first week of July on that too.

Getting Ready

As some of you know, in March we bought a used 44 foot Endeavour catamaran. Our plan was to sell our house and move aboard for a couple of months and travel. Our house has not sold so we just plan on closing it up for the summer and heading out. If the house sells while we are away we will do the transaction via mail and have the house professionally packed! We are looking to relocate to the Jacksonville/St. Marys area. We really want to be near the water and near a military base. We will be getting all our insurance needs met by the military so it will make it easier for us.
Join us on our travels with two dogs and two kids!!
:)