We made it!

We made it through our first hurricane season on Orion...Thank You Lord! Luckily we only had to move out into the mangroves one time. It was a great learning experience for us. Following are a few pictures which are self explanatory and show...at least a little bit...our life during the "hide out" in the mangroves. We stayed there for a few days and when the storm had passed moved back to the marina. Our Sailor Cat Whiskers had no problems at all and we are very very proud of her. Thanks to our good friends everywhere we never had a dull moment during this hurricane season. Now it's off to another season...this time a peaceful one :o)

 

It's the season!

Yes, that's right...it's the season. Atlantic Hurricane Season that is and it runs from June 1st to November 30th every year here in the Caribbean. We opted to stay put in Salinas this year, which is also known as a "hurricane hole". It basically means that there is some natural protection...in our case mangrove areas...from oncoming storms. Of course it is safest to leave the hurricane areas for the season, although sometimes a hurricane doesn't follow the rules and hits outside the predicted zones...such is life! We shall see what happens this year. It is always good to send a few prayers for protection and then be prepared as well as you can! We have been  busy stocking up on canned goods, water, and all the other goodies that don't need refrigeration.
Since it is the rainy season now, Rick waterproofed the Bimini top and I made a new cover for the Eisenglas (vinyl window) front panels and two small awnings for the sides. Our combined efforts resulted in a comfortable cockpit protected from rain and sun. For heavier downfalls we have Eisenglas panels for the sides, which we simply zip in!

We bought a sunshade for the front of the boat, which helps to keep down the temperature inside.



Our cat Whiskers also loves the sunshade and she curls up under it and snoozes whenever she feels like it...ahhhh...the life of a sailor cat :o)


Where is Whiskers?


There she is!

More Family Time!

May 2010

It's been a while since I last updated our blog! Here are some more pictures from our adventures in Florida. It was very special for us to be with our kids again! We thoroughly enjoyed visiting 7-mile-bridge (thank you Michael), the Everglades National Park (thank you Jessica), and South Miami Art Center (thank you Julia).

We had a great time and took a gazillion pictures! Thank you...thank you...thank you to our kids for taking time out of their busy schedules to be with us :o)

Family Time

April 25-May 4, 2010

Woohoo...We've been away for a while to spend time with family. Did not sail on Orion but took a plane to Miami, Florida. Our friends Jim and Pat took our cat "Whiskers" in their home in Ponce; their cat "Malcolm" was looking forward to her company...at least that is what Jim told us! We thank all three of them for making it possible for us to enjoy being away without having to worry about "Whiskers", our 18 year old sailor cat :o) You guys are the best!

Graduation Julia

On April 27, 2010 our daughter Julia graduated from Florida International University (FIU) with a Bachelor of Arts...Minor in English Literature...Magna Cum Laude...Member of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society! We are incredibly proud of Julia and her accomplishments. 

We still cannot believe how grown up our daughter is...Wasn't it just yesterday that we saw her sitting in front of Miami Dade College with her new Mac Computer? Four years have passed since then...unbelievable! Well, Julia's hard work and dedication have paid off and she is well on her way to her next adventures. As her parents we could not be prouder of her!

We all, especially Julia, were so thankful that her Grandfather, Rick's 90 year old father Harvey, traveled all the way from North Carolina to come and see her graduate. Way to go Grandpa! We know that Julia's  paternal Grandmother Betty and her maternal Grandparents Susanne and Hermann are very proud of Julia also and I am sure the heavens were singing mighty songs that day!

Abigail's First Birthday

We also celebrated the first birthday of sweet Abigail, Rick's first Grandchild together with Abigail's parents Mike and Michelle Goostree and a whole bunch of other people. Her actual birthday was on April 30, 2010, but there were several days of fun activities to accommodate everybody in the extended family. Michelle and her sister Jeanette are my step-daughters. Jeanette came all the way from Melbourne, Florida to join the fun :o) She also attended Julia's graduation ceremony. Jeanette and Michelle, together with our children Jessica, Julia, and Michael make up the most important part of our blended family and we are very proud of all of them. It was great to be together again in one spot, since the kids all live in Florida now and of course we are freshly baked "boat people" in Puerto Rico! We missed "the Tedster", Jeanette's husband. Ah well, reason enough for another get together in the not too distant future...we might even sail there!

Rick's 60th Birthday

Yap...just after the Grandkid turned one year young, Rick joined the Club of Sixty!! May 3, 2010 was the actual big day. The kids gave him a surprise birthday party a few days earlier with his favorite: an ice cream cake :o) They presented him with a gift card for Barnes and Nobles for some big amount, knowing that he will put it to good use for reading material or DVDs on the boat...Way to go guys! This was very thoughtful of all of you and totally unexpected, since we don't usually exchange presents for the grown-ups anymore...Guess sixty is a milestone again! Way to go Rick!

There's so much more stuff to report, which I will do in another post on this blog soon. I am still in awe that I had my three kids in one spot for a change...love you Jessica, Julia, and Michael! And of course...love you Michelle, Mike, and Abby!...And ...love you Jeanette and Ted! And...love you Harvey! God bless all of you! 

Sailing, Sorting, Simplifying...

April 2010
We have been full time live-aboards since we sold the house in March. Despite the immense change in actual living space, we have had no problems adjusting to life on Orion. Things are working out great and we are as happy as can be! With Rick still working I have the day to sort out stuff and arrange things the way I want them...all of which is so much easier now that we are here 24/7. There is no more rush at the beginning and the end of the weekend to put food and clothes on the boat and off the boat...Orion is our house now and we take her with us...how kewl is that? Little by little we are getting things sorted out. Life seems so much simpler now. Just the way we had envisioned it! Our new community in Salinas is wonderful and diverse. Nothing is ever boring here...from the locals to the live-aboards to the cruisers...everybody has a story to tell. We have adjusted to living with nature more and usually go to bed after the sun goes down. The facilities at Marina de Salinas are very nice, the staff is extremely friendly, and there is an atmosphere of peace around the place.

Our 18 year old cat Whiskers is a regular boat cat now...Whiskers the Sailor Cat is what we call her. I guess you can teach an old cat new tricks after all...grin. She sleeps most of the day curled up in the salon, just being happy and content with her new life on board. She is starting to explore on her own once in a while...getting up on deck, roaming around and getting into the dinghy to drink the rain water that pools in one corner...we are very proud of her for not being a "fraidy cat"!

Back to living on Orion: There are a million things to sort out and re-arrange and make new, but it is so much fun to do it when you know that this is it...this is your dream and it is coming true! Everything in a boat needs its place and it has to be a secure place, because stuff tends to tumble and fall when the sea gets rough. A Morgan 41 Out Island has a ton of storage spaces...quite unbelievable actually...and I am finding out quickly. 

First we needed to sort out the tools, because that would free space in the closet. We had two huge tool boxes that came with the boat when we bought it. They were incredibly heavy and smack in the middle of the best storage space for clothes! Needless to say that this is a man's err Captain's job...tools and tool boxes are not for the faint of heart. So Rick set to work one day, because he didn't want to listen anymore to my bickering telling him nicely to please sort out the tools. It took a rainy and stormy Saturday...and he got it done! I helped purchase some  small canvas tool bags and some zipper pouches and then left him the heck alone. We work as a team...I let him do his stuff and he let's me do my stuff. I am happy to report that all the tools are now stowed away in said canvas tool bags and zipper pouches, which makes them easy to store and easy to carry...Best of all, they are out of the closet :o)

Having this chore out of the way we went sailing the next weekend...to Coffin Island, as you might have guessed. Spent a nice Saturday and Sunday there and returned refreshed for the upcoming week. I made omelets filled with vegetables and cheese. Even the Sailor Cat enjoyed the trip, curled up, and fell fast asleep on the sail back to Salinas. Too cute! 

Back in Salinas, the next day we observed a Marsh Hen balancing on the dock lines. Whiskers got interested, but decided to let the bird be a bird. Good decision by our Sailor Cat :o) That beak looked awfully long...