November 10 2011

Well here we are just over a year later and, well, I've learned some things. As a handywoman I have learned how to plan, cut, build, stain, fiberglass, gelcoat, lay flooring, plumbing, heating istalation...and on and on. I am definately NOT Canada's worst handyman!

When we first came here, members of our family thought we were completely nuts! Now they have had time to come and visit and see what life aboard is all about and......they are all in love with it. "Oh my God" they say and "wow this is the life , I dont want to go home" etc etc. They have seen how we have grown together as a family. They see sharing and laughing. They feel a dramatic drop in stress levels when they are here. They dont even really notice the smaller quarters of having 8 or 9 people onbard. Life is really different and they all seem to settle right in. We have gone from "the crazy part of the family who ran off to live like a buch of pirates" to "The ones who were brave enough to make the change and live a better quality of life that they all with they had the balls to do". Not to temp Karma but I do chuckle with a little bit of "told you so" in there.

Now that doesnt mean it's been a piece of cake. One of the things I have learned over the year is that living aboard is a simple life but not an easy one. There is work to be done on a daily basis. especially when you are refiting as you move in. I have learned that you need to earn your vessel's respect. As rediculous as that may sound, it's true. Your boat will try you, she will test you, she will even try to break you. But if you never let her down, everyone will get along just fine. When we first got her, she was in very very very bad shape. Her previous owner could not keep up. We came along and saved her and for that she has leaked and dripped and burst and smelled bad and fell apart and at times I wanted to sink her myself. However, there was much more love in the "love-hate" relationship we started out with. I learned that as upset or angry as I may have been at times.....I could NOT turn my back and walk away. And I'm thankfull every day that we never did! You should see her now! We still have a ways to go but, we have almost completely rebuilt the entire interior structure (except the head and stern cabin). We have gone from 40 year old yellowing wood stain to a deep high gloss mahogany. We have beautiful natural color woodlook pvc flooring. We have some new portholes and just installed a forced air furnace! Our deck is officially water tight and ready for a new glossy white and black finish this spring!! Our hull has been cleaned and everything down there is fantastic and in good repair!! We have a bigger fridge and more storage is in the works! We also have all the luxeries of surround sound, etertainment consoles and a flatscreen tv. And we can still move in here! The boat is quite roomy in design. and we have turned the empty space in the bow into a cabin with a double size bunk.

I have learned how much a family cand happily live without. I knew that we would not have a lot of the things you can have in a house and I knew that we really dont need a lot of things. Even though media tells us we do. Now that I have lived aboard for my first year I cannot believe how much useless crap people are forced to buy!! How many people have boxes and boxes in the basement that they dont even know what they have inside? Or six sets of that and three or four of those and all the "super amazing" gadgets that can do all the incredible things that my kitchen knife can do! I look back and I have learned that we really dont need much to function in life and be happy. and I am happy with that!!

What else have I learned? I have learned a lot about myself. One, I love fishing! Still don't like eating it mind you but love to go out and get em! I have learned that I am a much more patient and determined person than I thought I was. I have learned that life is good, no matter what. I have learned that I love the excitement that comes from living aboard, wether someone's boat hits your boat at 4am and you get to watch the sun come up with the coast guard or you get to go sailing with your new friends on a sunny peacefull day. I love to stick my head out the cabin hatch in the mornign and smell the fresh air, even at low tide, which typically is a nasty smell but for some reason, I like it. I have learned more about my kids and husband that I would have been too busy working too hard to learn before. I have learned that I still do like snow,it was mostly the -40 temperatures that went along with it in southern Alberta. Mostly though, I've learned that in a high tech, star trek, faster, newer, better, now now now kind of society that we have, I have been able to find, contentment, peace, an happines by living outside the box, not just thinking about doing it.

Have we sailed of into the sunset yet? have we gone to exotic and tropical location for as long as we feel like it? No, not yet, that will come. For now we live in the most temperate sub tropical location in Canada. It is absolutely beautiful here! our winters are warm and summers are long. We have lots of great friends and it's never more than a stone's throw to go out and explore, and see and do. For example we went outback camping in July on one of the islands most beautiful beaches! it was amazing, sleeping right on the beach, sitting by the fire listening to the waves. Hiking up to the waterfalls barefoot while the morning mist was burning off. Building sandcastles at the foot of the cliffs that frame part of the beach. Seeing a pod of Orcas swim past us at about 150 feet of the shore!

So really if you were to ask me if I would go back to land? With all we've done and all we have and all the world out there waiting for us? .......It would have to be kicking and screaming.

Next, I will have to post some pictures.

July 12th 2011

I realized toady that haven't blogged for quite some time so here I am. Lets see, the last 6.5 months have been busy and fun. We are still working on the re-fit and have come a long way. I have continued to sand and re-stain the cabinetry and wood inside. We have put down a new floor in the galley, a product called Allure. It looks like hardwood, even has a raised grain , but is made completely of pvc. Its 100% waterproof, doesnt swell or shrink and installs like tongue and groove slats. So far it's working out really well, we plan to put it throughout the boat as we redo each section. We have been plugging away at the deck of the boat all winter, trying to patch and fix in between rain and wind. Last year we tore off all the teak decking and are putting down a new layer of fiberglass. I am happy to say that we are almost ready for the last full layer of fiberglass!!!! after that its all about the shine!! Long time coming but well worth the work. We are also building a new bow cabin, the space was unfinished and used fo storage. We have other plans for the storage and within a couple days, the space will be a private, double bed size cabin! I sure am glad I married such a great carpenter!! If you can "do it yourself" and have the patience to make sure you do it right (as cutting corners with a boat will be your undoing), you really can accomplish what at times seems like the impossible.

I have to admit that there have been times when I looked at all that needs done, I took it all in at once and kind of freaked out, but as with any project you have to take it one item at a time. when we started re-doing the forward cabin and the enitre ceiling was mush, I actually cried. However, we pushed through and now the entire section, inside and out is brand new. I guess it's her way (the boat) of getting us ready for whatever comes. Others have said that boatlife is a labor of love, either that or one of the many ways to go crazy! But honestly, I am feeling like she is a member of the family and you can't just turn your back on that. She was lost and broken, without hope, and we came along and, well, adopted her iin a way. I know that as we keep going with this life and re-fit, that we will only become a better ,tighter team. We will know that we can overcome any obstacle, which will be an amazing feeling to have when we are out at sea because you never know what will blow your way.

Speaking of being out at sea, our friend Paul finally realized his dream and was able to purchase his own sailboat last month!! It was wonderfull to see him sail into the harbour on his new 40 foot beauty, the El Sueno. So for the first time ever, I was able to go out sailing (no our boat is not ready yet) It was amazing!!!!! The sun was out, the wind was fair, once we got the sails up and the engine was off........wow. Just the feeling of being out there with nothing but the wind and good friends, hearing no engine just the wash of the waves as we cut through the water!!! I really wanted to just keep going!! I'm sure that there will come a day when we've been at sea for 3 weeks and all I'll want to do is see some dry land, but untill then, let me out there!!!

As for the kids, well they are coming along just fine. Our youngest has loved it from the start so he's just fine. Our stubborn 11 year old daughter is finally coming around nicely, she is visiting family right now and actually wants to come home!! yay. As for our oldest (17) well it wasn't his thing untill his girlfriend came to visit before she moved over and fell in love with boat life!! So now he's thinking about it a little more openmided like. And that is a good thing. We have had my parents come to visit to see what kind of craziness we are up to and they are in love with it too!! they have been here 3 times and each time they never want to leave!!!

We have doen so much more together as a family this last year than ever before! Hiking, exlporing some of the trails and AMAZING beaches the island has to offer. as well as fishing, sailing, and just spending time together sitting in the sun, playing games, crabbing etc. we have really grown close and that it what its all about!!!

Well, we have had way too many adventures to list all at once so I figure I should blog more frequently. I should have some wicked before and after pictures to load up soon!! so to all you land lubbers I gotta go have some fun. To anyone thinking about boat life full time.......DO IT!!! You'll never look back!!!

Monday December 13th 2010

So far, winter over here is, well, FRIKIN AMAZING!!!. I have spent the most of it in my hoodie and runners! We did have a few days of snow and a max cold temp of minus five degrees for that period , but after that it's been pretty much rain / sun and about 5 to 10 degrees. I really don't mind getting wet and I do NOT miss the chilling snowstorm winters of Alberta. So now for the story.

It was a typical rainy winter day on Sunday December the 12th untill we reached the wee hours of the morning on the 13th. About 4a.m. we were awakened by a heavy wind blowing in. Not too out of the ordinary untill an exceptionaly large gust came across and we decided to get up and check out the rest of the boat. Especially the tarps that we have up protecting the deck. We found some rips but otherwise the tarps were holding fine, and the pouring rain was draining out the gunnels no problem. We went down into the main cabin and found the kids all awake due to the noise of the wind and the boat was rocking pretty good. At this time it was about 5 a.m. and since we would have to get up in an hour and a half, we thought we might as well just stay up as no one would be able to get back to sleep until the storm passed. As I prepared to make our morning tea and coffee and my husband went to the lou, we felt a solid thump from the starboard bow.
Now it's not uncommon for driftwood and logs to find their way into the harbour and with a wind that came up like this one did, we figured it was just that. We went out and peeked under the tarp with a flashlight and didn't see anything as far as the light penetrated the dark along the hull. Thinking the wood must have bumped off and moved past us, we went back inside to continue our morning. Two more thumps and some scraping and I decided I needed to take another look. And boy what a morning did we have after that!! You see, not everyone takes care of their vessels and, well on this particular morning as I lifted up the tarp to get another look at what could be out there, I found my self face to face with a 30 foot wreck of a steel hull sailboat which had ground it's way from the bow all the way down the starboard side.!!
This boat that is now making a fantastic mess of our hull has been an eyesore and a problem in the harbour for a while now. If any one has seen the movie "waterworld" you have an idea of the scope of rusted out, scarred, battered and covered in broken junk type of vessel this is. The only real use for this boat is for it to start a new coral reef for the fishes. Honestly. Actualy this boat was underwater last weekend.....should've left it there.
Anyway, back to the story. Okay so, there I was face to face with a wall of rusted blue and grey. It took a few shakes of the head to get it to register and not run into the cabin stuttering and shouting out sentence fragments. I gathered my senses and jumped into the hatch yelling "It's a boat! we've been hit by a boat!!" I was met by a chorused "What?!" and I had to repeat myself, which then garnered some "no way!" and "holy S@#!" and .. well you can imagine. What would you say?
Trevor ran out of the cabin into the storm, shoeless and without a coat, dove under and out the other side of the tarp to see the dingy davits (which hang off the back of the ship to hold the dingy on) getting tangled in the rigging as she's tossed about by the wind and waves. This is not good, at this point we could have had the mast torn off and or been gutted as the two ships continued to be thrown together by an increasingly strong windstorm. As Trevor is out there pushing the boat away and out of the rigging, he's yelling over the noise for me to call the Coast Guard via our friends here in Sooke who is an auxillilary member.
Now this is not the phone call you want at 5:15 am on a Monday morning. My friend Erin picks up the phone and I calmy ask her to assemble the boys as we've been hit by a ship. Again, I have to repeat myself and she springs to action. The Coast Guard is on it's way!
Trevor manages to get the bucket o' rust away from us, but the tide and the wind are pushing it closer to shore and our stern. The anchor finaly grabs an she stays relatively where she is except for the back and forth swing, from about 4 feet off our stern and out again. This may sound not so bad except that when the tide goes out and she is still sitting there she has 2 directions to fall over, and we are one of them.
Not too much more time passes and I see headlights on the dock. There is our angel in the rain, Erin, who stopped and brought us all some hot coffee while we monitor the wreck and wait for the coast guard. She tells me that they have been trying to reach us on our cell's from Victoria. She calls them back as she has better reception and I talk to someone in the office. He asks where we are and if we are okay. I say we are fine, no one is injured. He says the Sooke unit will be there soon to check everything out and make sure we are safe, but it's not their job to remove the boat. I say " but it's ON us. It just spent the last 20 minutes carving up our hull and when the tides goes out there's a 50% chance it will fall on us. At that point, we won't be okay anymore" He tells me that it's the owner's job to move the boat, but the coast guard will assess the situation and make a report. I say fine. I hang up. I need my coffee.
At about 5:45 am the Coast Guard comes along and sees the two boats near to "kissing" as the "Tetanus I" ( which I took the liberty of naming her) has swung back into our stern. Seeing it for themselves, they radio head office in Victoria and tell them that they absolutely have to move the junker as it is putting the family onboard the sailboat at risk. A few minutes later and they have their answer. Yes, they can remove the boat.
It takes about 20 more minutes to maneuver around and get lines out and men onboard the "Tentanus I". The rain and wind have subsided but it's still dark out at this pointand we are all quite soaked. Two brave souls go aboard and tie some lines on the bow so it can be towed. They pull up the anchor and find there is only 20 feet of anchor line, including the chain!!! Anyone who knows anything about being on a boat knows that for however deep of water you are in, you MUST have a minimum of three times that length in anchor line. eg: 30 feet of water = 90 feet of anchor line with a length of chain that is equal to the length of your boat. This guy didn't even have that!!
The sun was starting to rise and the sky was starting to clear. The Coast Guard towed the 'rustoleum' over to the Rotary Pier just to the south of us and tied it there. They couldn't take it to the Government Wharf (where they rescued it from last weekend) because it has been removed from there after it sunk.
We have come to get to know some of the boys from the "Guard" over the last few months so, once the job was done they all came back for coffee. There we were, on the bardge in the wee morning hours, watching the sky lighten, sharing a cup of joe with our 7 red jumpsuited rescuers and Captain Ralph who noticed all the activity on his docks and came down to investigate. We thank them and share some laughs (which we can do because we are all safe and sound) and they tell us that the last four calls into the Coast Guard have been for or because of this same boat.
Now, everyone knows that the owner is not well off and is not the sharpest tool in the shed. Nonetheless, still a tool. I know there are freedoms for all and on the water, who the jurisdiction falls on is not a shining beacon. But I wonder how much this happens. If you own and operate a land vehicle, you have to have a liscence, be capable, keep it in good repair with regular maintenance, and you have to operate it responsibly. This is also true for those who operate a vehicle on the water. Yet, here we are with gashes all the way down our hull. The person responsible for that boat is irresponsible and has gone beyond screwing himself up. He has now officially put others at risk because of his neglect. We are told there is really nothing we can do outside of insurance (which he doesn't have). All I'm saying is that if a reckless driver can be taken off the road, shouldn't a reckless boat owner also be taken from the water?
Still there is no doubt that Monday morning was not your average, routine day. It was strangely exciting, my adrenaline was going for hours. We started the day with a test and passed in flying colors, and the kids were happy that they got to go back to bed and miss the morning of school. Still love living aboard. Life is an adventure.

S.aturday Sept 18th

Today, Trevors boss is having a staff BBQ up at his house. It was a beautiful house on a hill overlooking the ocean, very warm feeling inside with large timbers, raw stone and soothing colors. they had quite an eclectic mix of trinkets and items from all corners of the world, some modern , some antique.



Strange lot for a contruction crew. John, the owner opened the door to welcome us and I was face to face with a smiling, twinkling eyed, semi-flower child who has an uncanny resemblance to Paul Mcartney. The other guests were along the same lines. I felt like I was in a 1960's retro coffee house group of thinkers. I found myself looking for "smart" words to use, and avoided the usuall "stuff" and "things" and "um". However they were all exceedingly pleaseant and we had great conversation. After the gourmet barbeque we moved into the living room where we had our equipment set up.

We eased into our more mellow tunes and were accompanied by bongo drums, a tambourine and some strange rattle instrument from Africa or something. It was kind of cool to have theses different sounds in our music. Levi even got to play an original 1958 Gibson hollow body electric guitar. (It has an amazing sound and still stayed in tune )!

We take a break for coffee, tea, and pie. Along the conversation route we come to find that even though this particular group of music lovers is not incredibly musically inclined they have friends and family who are. Nice! It turns out that John's son is in a very renouned Vancouver band called "the Shiloh's" who make the papers and are being signed. Last fall during thanksgiving, they all sat around the fireplace and jammed with Tom Cochrane (he says as though is as normal as mowing the grass). next time he "pops over" they will invite us too. Oh and did he forget to mention that the other guest (can't remember his name to save my life) is Ringo Starr's cousin? Bulls#!t we say but apperently not. Yeah......Thanks for telling us BEFORE we layed into a bunch of Beatles tunes!

All we could say was wow. This little seashore town, neslted at the eddge of the rainforest, on the tip of an island has shown us some real gems. Beautiful people with rich lives, always ready to share a story and spiced up by exciting and intruiging musical experiences.

September 17th. (The Catch)

After jamming until midnight last night. Trev and I got up at 5:30 to go halibut fishing with Paul. We finally left at 8:30 (paul slept in)

It was foggier than I've ever seen it. Even on the day that I tried to forage out in it. So we were going pretty much on radar and GPS, but Paul knows the waters and his equipment so we weren't worried at all. It was pretty cool, zooming acros the water in a thick fog not being able to see where you are going. Kind of otherworldly , like crossing the river styx or something.

We had a great morning. Even though it was foggy it was quite warm. A few times the fog lightened up and we could see for miles. Nothing but gently rolling ocean. Another time, the fog was still thick around us except for and eye of blue above us, so we were bathed in warm sunshine while enveloped in a thick blanket of fog, laughing and drinking Paul's great coffee.

At about 11:30 I got a bite!! Paul pulled the rod out of the downrigger, handed it to me and said "here you go, have fun!". Well I kinda did. I thought that with deep sea fishing comes the battle of wrestling the fish up to the boat. The way Trev did with his Shark. However, Halibut don't struggle, they pretty much give up right away. Some will put up a fight once they get closer to the surface but not this one. I was convinced that I had snagged a shoe or (as in the case of a resident fisherman) a barstool or something. Yes he really pulled in a barstool, so now I've got a running joke goin on about pulling up the matching one or a table or lazyboy. Anyway it was just like pulling up dead weight, it was a bit of work as reeling in 170 feet of line would be, but I was actually suprized when I got it up to the boat and there was indeed a fish on my hook.

Paul gave the Halibut a good whack on the head with the Gaff hook and we hauled it ino the boat. Holy crap!!! Just as he says,"you might get a little blood on you" This fish starts thrashing and squirting like we were in a Brahm Stoker or Terrantino movie!!! Blood was flyin everywhere!! All over me and the boys, the whole back of the boat, on the ceiling in the cockpit, the steering wheel, in my cup of coffee!! You get the picture. All in all it was a great first experience with a big fish. We laughed and wooped it up and thoroughly enjoyed my first 30 pound halibut catch. We gave half of it to Paul and another quarter to Ralph (which he promptly whipped into a sushi dish ) and still had 3 large bags in the freezer. Way cool is all I can say, oh and next time I wont wear my favorite shirt out fishing!

Thursday September 2nd

Today we moved the Tia Dalma from anchor out in the harbour to our new home on the dock at Captian Ralphs. We tucked everything away below decks and cleaned up the top deck so we didn't loose anything over the side.

Trevor was concerned that the anchor wouldn't come up as she'd been out there since the end of June, just digging into the seafloor. However, one good tug in reverse and Levi and I were able to pull it right up. Our anchor winch isn't fixed yet so we did it manually and got a good workout, and a little slimy. We didn't hoist the sails or anything as we were only moving around in the harbour and it was too short a distance to do that (only about 1 mile)

Even under power of the engine, I cannot describe what an amazing feeling it is to slice through the water in a 55 foot sail boat (which also happens to be your home). I cannot wait untill we take her out in the big blue. That should be by the spring as we want to tour the local islands and hope to get down to Los Angeles and take the fam to disneyland! And we won't have to worry about packing too much or too little or forgetting anything at home, we can just take it all with us! I will never have to go through the drudgery of the post holiday clean up and unpack when the holiday is over! yay!

People on the water really are a different lot. Whether they live aboard or on the shore but spend their days fishing or sailing. I don't think you could find a more friendly, open, and laid back type of people. There are always smiles and waves. No one thinks twice about sharing their daily catch or parts for boats or fuel. Boaters all have their radios on the local channel and watch out for each other during the day. We have heard calls from the coast guard to assist kids in a dingy caught out in the fog all the way to someone ran out of gas or their steering quit working and unlike someone on the side of the road, fellow boaters flock to help the ones in distress. It's pretty cool to see in a world where we mostly think that no one cares or many are out for themselves, it's completely opposite here. Our friend went to the corner store one day and the clerk tried to talk him into buying a lottery ticket and he said to the clerk "I don't need to win the lottery, I'm already rich." he explained to the bewildered clerk that he has great friends, lives in the most beautiful and mildest climate in all of Canada, spends his days on the water, fishing and watches the sun go down with his dog and a cold beer. You know what, he's so right. In comparison with the life we left behind and the rat race and stress and never making ends meet, I feel rich as well. Especially after the move we did. Standing on the stern of my boat on a warm summer day as she moved along the harbour to the dock, time just stood still, nothing mattered and the clarity and peace of mind you feel during that moment is what it's all about. Forget the day spas and massage therapy, take a sail one day. It it exillerating!!

Saturday August 28th

It was another warm sunny day aboard. Today, Trevor and Levi went Halibut fishing with Paul. Although instead of catching a halibut, Trevor pulled in a 100 pound shark!!Way cool. They got it right up to the boat and took some pictures and live video (which are still on his phone) then let it go. will post the video and or pics soon.

Later that day, Paul took us out for a cruise of the Sooke basin. It was absolutely beautiful! We first did some salmon trolling, then we did some high speed ( what I like to call) Wave Bronc Riding! it was a case of hold on or fall out! The kids were bouncin' around like lottery balls and I looked up to see Levi loose his grip on the cabin roof with his left hand as we got airborne over a big wave and end up doin the superman at the moment of zero G's before we hit the water again!! We had a blast and Paul even let Lucas and Haley drive the boat. Which was pretty fantastic of him, considering that this is a 90,000$ charter fishing boat!! I have never seen sunch huge grins on their faces!!! After that we fueled up & brought in Paul's crab traps. We played around with some sunfish and headed back to our sailboat. All in all it was a pretty damn good day.