Our New Fridge...

My sweetie just helped me make a cover/insulation for our new fridge :) As you may remember we recently bought two Dometic portable fridges for ORION...one 53 quart which we use exclusively as a fridge and one 33 quart which we use exclusively as a freezer. We "tested" them for a few weeks now and are extremely pleased...actually we are ecstatic...they run on our solar panel and wind generator only (!), so that we have not had to use our engine or our 2K generator for charging up the batteries at all...AT ALL...and it is over a month ago that we bought them :-)

We also decided where we want the units semi-permanently placed (they are portable, so can be moved again if we feel like it)...the fridge will stay in the main salon and the freezer in the aft cabin...the reason is quite obvious: one uses the fridge much more often than the freezer. Since ORION is a Morgan 41 Out Island she has a center cockpit, so both main salon and separate aft cabin can easily be accessed...in other words we can still reach for the ice cubes quickly and put them in that sundowner, hahaha ;)

Today I will report on the fridge only, leaving the freezer for another day...after all we are retired and it's hot in the Caribbean, so one project at a time please!

Our friends Bruce and Connie, who also have a Morgan 41 Out Island, were interested in our new refrigeration set-up...Connie wanted to see some pictures, which inspired me to make this blog post...thanks Connie :) Maybe some other cruisers and our landlubber friends will be interested as well...so here are the gory details...

We decided to put the fridge right next to the galley, sacrificing one of the benches surrounding the dining table for it to sit on. This will still leave enough space for Rick and I to dine and entertain in the main salon...however we usually dine and entertain in ORION's huge cockpit, so no big changes to our every day life are involved...phew!

For good insulation from below we put two layers of closed cell foam on top of the seat cushion...we used a blue camping mat (the ones you buy rolled up at big stores like Walmart for placing underneath a sleeping bag) for all of the insulation...we just cut it to fit! Then we cut pieces to fit the outside of the fridge and attached them with duck tape...omitting the spaces where the fan blows and the air intake. To hold the fridge in place when times get rough...after all we do live on a sail boat...Rick screwed in two Ubolts in the wall that separates the galley from the dining area to attach a strap.

Here is the "naked" fridge...

Here is the "shell" made of closed cell foam mat...

Here is the cover put on loosely...

Here is the completed cover attached with duck tape...

Here is the fridge put in place and strapped in...

View from salon towards galley...

Fridge can be opened easily from galley...

Holds everything we need in a compact space...

We put additional insulation on the inside...I used a car sun shield (cut it to fit)...this prevents "sweating" on the outside of the lid :)

I placed a pretty quilt cover on top of the fridge...this insulates as well as adds a touch of decor :)

Here is another view of the dining area with the fridge in its place :)

There you have it...our new fridge and dining area on ORION...all in one :) Life is good!

 

 

'tis the Season!

The Holiday Season :-)

We are wishing our family and friends all over the world a wonderful one!

Merry Christmas...Happy Holidays...

And a Happy and Healthy New Year 2013...

from the Two Sweeties on ORION

God bless!

 

Home Sweet Home...

Okay...today is Sunday...we are still at the mooring ball and I am happy to report that our batteries are almost fully charged again :) This anchorage at Dakiti is a great place for us to recharge, because the wind blows steadily here 24 hours a day! Despite this the anchorage is extremely calm...there is no rolling action at all and the boats hardly move here...a big outer reef and an inner sand bar filter the waves coming in from the ocean...quite fascinating! Of course we could recharge our batteries with our 2000K generator, but we don't want to (!)...we want to see how long we can go without having to use non-renewable energy...or putting it simpler we want to see how long we can get by on wind and sun alone :)

In the meantime we are exploring Dakiti anchorage and saying hi to several of our friends, who are here at the moment...Stephen (SV Loose Change), Harry and Linda (SV Kuahela), Mark and Willie (SV Liahona), Don (SV Rover), Steve (SV Nonsuch), John (SV Stingo), Paul and Lynn (oops...need to check the name of their boat), and Rick and Debbie (SV Miss Heidi)...it's a community out here :-) We went to the sand bar today and then snorkeled around ORION, where we saw a million (or so it seemed) star fish on the white sandy bottom...what a surprise! There were big ones, medium ones, and small ones in different shades from beige to brown...it feels like Christmas down there :-)

We have been working on re-arranging some of the interior on ORION to permanently accommodate our new fridge and freezer. It looks pretty good now...we moved the 33 quart freezer to the aft cabin and kept the 53 quart fridge in the main cabin...a little bit of special touches here and there with the addition of two new LED rope lights (one in the galley and one in salon) and voila ORION feels like a home again rather than a camp site :)

Stay tuned...

 

Dakiti, Culebra

ORION under sail

We are back in Dakiti, Culebra...left Tamarindo Grande this afternoon and had a nice sail under jib only...hooked up to a mooring ball just before the sky opened up again for a rain storm. It is actually getting a little bit chilly at times...I know I know...everybody up north is laughing their buns off, but for us tropical kids anything below 85 degrees Fahrenheit is "chilly" and I'm sticking to it, hahaha!

We'll be here for a day or two...hoping to fully charge up the batteries with the consistently strong breeze that usually blows at this anchorage and then head out again. Living the cruiser life :) Stay tuned :)

 

To the rescue!

Well...today seems to be a special kind of day! As if the moving mooring ball this morning wasn't enough excitement for the day we just encountered our first rescue at sea...successfully I may add up front, so nobody needs to get unduly worried. Also please note (for those who do not know me) that I am a doctor's assistant by profession, so I know what to do in an emergency...most of the time anyways. This is how it all went down: My sweetie and I were relaxing in the cockpit when I heard somebody screaming somewhere in the water...this is not an unusual thing here at Tamarindo Grande beach where mostly young people come to hang out for the day. Young people because there is no transportation to this beach, in other words one has to walk from Flamenco beach for about three quarters of a mile uphill and downhill on a narrow path through some thick vegetation at times...you get the drift...

where it happened

So I heard the scream and didn't really pay too much attention to it, but then it started again...and I saw a woman in the water behind ORION and a man walking on the rocks talking to her. "Fair enough", I thought to myself the guy is with her! Then the woman in the water screamed again followed by whimpering sounds and when the guy waved to me with his arms crossing over his head I knew they were in trouble! My sweetie went in the dinghy to see if he could be of help. I saw him toss a life jacket to the woman in the water...she took it, but a minute later let go of it (!)...obviously in pain. That's when I put on my mask and snorkel and fins and jumped in the water. When I reached her she gasped that her shoulder was dislocated...Rick threw me another life jacket and I told her to hold on to it with one hand so that I could pull her behind me towards the beach. She was very brave, did what I told her and with combined efforts we made it to the coral reef that surrounds the beach area, somehow got a pair of swim shoes on her feet, so she did not get cuts all over from having to stand up to walk a few feet to the beach...uff! Rick had put the dinghy ashore and met us at the edge of the water. We were able to get her to a sandy area in the water where she could relax a little bit without having to move the dislocated shoulder.

where we took her

Her name is Jen and her boyfriend is Dev...I kept her talking, because she was near fainting from the pain and the shock. Jen has a history of dislocated shoulders, so she did not panick but knew she needed help badly. Rick went back to ORION to bring our cell phones, some water, and Ibuprofen for her pain.

I asked them what happened...they told me that they were both snorkeling by the small reef around the corner (located not far from where we are moored with ORION) when they saw a lot of sea urchins...so according to Dev he climbed over some rocks to get out of the water, then turned around to help Jen come out by holding onto her hands and pulling her arms towards him...pop...the left shoulder came out of its socket! She fell back into the water...and that's when we entered the picture!

Okay...back on the beach we had her sit in shallow water, but the waves were coming in toppling her around...I decided that we needed to move her to stable ground and into some shade, because she clearly was showing signs of shock! Luckily two young women and a young man came to help us...the two women were medical students from the States...they agreed with "my treatment" and helped us move Jen onto the beach, where we sat her down in a shadowy area under a bush, her back propped up by some huge backpacks provided by the three that came to help. I am so sorry that I forgot their names, but I know they will forgive me...and I will not be mad if they don't remember mine!

When Rick returned with water and pain meds we gave it to her and kept her talking...she was very pale and her eyes started rolling...it was time to lower her head and elevate her legs to get the blood circulation going. We managed to do this alright, and she improved considerably. Jen is a very brave woman...she was in excruciating pain, but she did her best under the circumstances to stay positive, and of course we all made her laugh with silly stories...we all worked well together as a team :) Meanwhile Rick called 911 and was able to explain the situation and how to get to "the scene of the crime"...the latter is not an easy task...scroll back to the end of the first paragraph and you will understand! He walked to Flamenco beach to meet the ambulance and the police car that was supposed to arrive within a short time...yap my sweetie is not quite so young agewise anymore, but he can still walk "for about three quarters of a mile uphill and downhill on a narrow path through some thick vegetation at times"...better than most young ones :)

Back at the beach we had stabilized Jen's arm to her upper body with my dive shirt and she was resting now with her head low and her legs elevated by the backpacks...low and behold some 15 or so minutes later we heard what sounded like a four-wheeler approaching...and it was (!)...a policeman and a paramedic arrived in an all terrain vehicle and drove right onto the beach to our impromptu sick bay :) Soon thereafter Rick joined us as well, having walked back from Flamenco beach.

Everything went very smooth from here on...the paramedic brought a sling and put it around Jen's arm...and sweet Jen remembered to give me back my dive shirt...God bless her! Jen boarded the vehicle under extreme pain, and Dev was allowed to hop onto the back to accompany her to the hospital. As we all shouted our good byes and well wishes to her and Dev...they shouted back their good byes and thank yous to us and Jen put everybody to shame by remembering each and everybody's name...certainly no brain damage at all :)

In conclusion...all's well that ends well...mmmhhh...I already said that once today...We wish Jen a speedy recovery and hope that her ordeal is over by now. We are glad we could help and that there were others who helped also...that's what life is all about...doing good deeds one day at a time! God bless!

 

The Wandering Mooring Ball...

Bahia Tamarindo

Uff...this morning we had a rude awakening (!) at Tamarindo...the anchor alarm went on around 0500 (5:00 a.m.) right after a squall had passed through. What anchor alarm?...Thought you were on a mooring? Well yes...we are secured to a mooring ball, but my captain always puts on the anchor alarm on our GPS just in case the boat starts moving for some reason. Most of the time the anchor alarm comes on when the wind changes drastically, a brief check of the screen display usually confirms this and we turn the alarm off, so it can reset itself.

 

Not so this morning! This morning the alarm was for real, and because this has never happened to us before...since we never used mooring balls before...it took a few more minutes than usual for my captain's light bulb to go on in his head. Of course it was pitch black outside, which didn't make things any easier! By the time I woke up however it was crystal clear that we were dragging...with the mooring ball! So we both sprang into action...not many words were necessary...just confirming to each other that we had to let go of that mooring ball. I knew my part and of course my captain knew his part...working in the dark is a little bit different, but we made it without problems...luckily we were in deep water and not stranded on the rocks or some awful thing like that! And luckily we were in between squalls and had time to motor a bit further up to Tamarindo Grande to pick up another mooring ball before the sky opened up again :)

We are now moored securely (we hope) at Tamarindo Grande enjoying the magnificent scenery...and without the million and one flies I talked about in my last post...they must have read it, too and decided to fly away and bother someone else...how cool is that?

I am glad that my captain took precautions by setting the anchor alarm even when secured to a mooring...things could have turned ugly otherwise!

The rain has stopped, making space for beautiful sunshine to show off the turquoise sea around us :)

To top it all...three turtles have been splashing around ORION...I tried hard to capture one on my camera (ipad2), but it is difficult, so the one showing here is all you will get...for now!

We will try and contact DRNA (Department of Natural Resources in Puerto Rico) later to tell them about the mooring ball that came loose at Tamarindo...we did not see it again, but all's well that ends well :)

Taking our house with us...Full time cruising is fun :)

peace and tranquility

We are truly enjoying ourselves in our new life as full time cruisers :) It is so nice to be able to take our house with us (!)...ORION is always ready to go and so are we :) This "no schedule thing" is working out pretty nicely and we are in the full swing of it. My captain is slowly but steadily learning to relax...not so easy for him after having been "on the go" for so many years, but giant progress has been made...instead of trying to work like a maniac to get something done he now actually takes a break or goodness gracious postpones it until later or even the next day! Unless there is an emergency our life is full of procrastination...how many folks can actually say that?...and we love it that way! There is no rush...no crazy appointments...no stress...especially now that our refrigeration issues have been solved satisfactorily! From time to time we are still pinching ourselves to make sure it's all real, hahahaha! Right now we totally enjoy our peace and tranquility away from everybody. We thank our friends for understanding...when we are ready we'll join the big party again...right now mother nature is all we need.

Dinghy ride

Of course once in a while we have to join the real world again...like we did on Monday when we dinghied into Dewey to do the laundry and some grocery shopping. This time of year is a festive one and people take pride in decorating the streets and their homes...in Puerto Rico it is traditional to put a fresh coat of paint on your house and make everything look pretty in honor of the Christ Child...it is a tradition that has become very dear to us after having lived here for over 15 years, a special time of year amongst a special kind of people :) Even the poorest and littlest place is transformed into a beautiful sparkling one with a little paint and a lot of Christmas lights! Everybody gathers, plays music, sings, dances, and is merry...it is a happy time of year...and celebrated accordingly. Yes...Christmas in the Caribbean is quite different to Christmas anywhere else!

Vibra Verde

So we went into Dewey and whilst we were waiting for our laundry to finish had a bite to eat at one of our favorite places Vibra Verde Health Food. They make magnificent sandwiches with home made bread and we each had one for lunch :) By the time I remembered to take a picture we had already devoured our sandwiches! Next time for sure :)

Then it was off to Milka's, the grocery store, where we stocked up on fresh vegetables and some other stuff. We like Milka's a lot...it's a small store but it's air conditioned and we usually find everything we need there...and the prices are very reasonable considering that they have to buy everything from the mainland Puerto Rico. This time we saw potable water there in 1 gallon jugs...the clear ones that can be kept for years without breaking! Rick went back the next day to buy 10 of them (we like to store spare drinking water on ORION just in case) and the friendly staff even delivered them to the dinghy dock for him! How cool is that?

ORION

Anyways...we had a successful laundry and shopping trip on Monday and of course enjoyed the rest of the day relaxing on ORION at Melones beach. Tuesday we moved ORION (our house) to the next beach up, which is Tamarindo. Melones is a nice place to stay, but it is the next bay up from the main ferry dock in Dewey and therefore has quite a bit of rolling action when the ferries arrive and depart...on Monday night ORION was almost at a 60 degree angle from one of the ferry wakes (!)...must have been a new ferry captain or something, because we never experienced anything like it before! Luckily we always have things secure in the galley and everywhere else...but I still had two cups "flying" and the boat felt as if she was going to turn over...no joke! So no more Melones for us for a while! Tamarindo as you may remember has some day time activities with kayak and snorkeling tours on certain days...apart from that it is pretty serene here, and we love it. We could have moved to Tamarindo Grande, but decided against it, because last time we were there a million and one flies invaded us during the day time...no joke either!

So Tamarindo it is until we decide to move on again. Tuesday we did some cooking and went snorkeling. We took a different mooring ball this time that is a little further away from the beach, but nearer to the reef. To our amazement we encountered a completely unexpected underwater world this time! Maybe you remember from my last post that the coral reefs here are in the process of coming back after being struck by coral bleaching some years ago?...and maybe you also remember that I mentioned that they are "growing" corals here successfully? Well...we found the "coral growing place" for lack of a better description...it is amazing! There are iron fence structures on the bottom of the sea (tops are open, so nothing gets trapped in there) and each quadrant "grows" stag horn corals...it looks as if hundreds of stags came down there, scratched their heads and left their antlers (!)...it seems to be working...it is totally amazing! Even more amazing: a spotted eagle ray glided through the water right next to us and then disappeared slowly into the distance...(insert pinch here)...And yes...we will get the new underwater camera out of its packaging and use it soon!

Because of the unfortunate lack of underwater pictures I will...this time only...enclose pictures of various food dishes that we prepare and enjoy on ORION...can you feel the yum? :)

 

breakfast on ORION