2009 Comes to An End

Well here it is the end of 2009 and we aren't on the waterways yet, but getting closer. We spent a few days on the boat last week for a bit of R&R and also to accomplish a little work on her. Since Chuck is driving on the east coast and Charlotte is in Denver, seeing each other is a bit of a challenge, so the meeting in Savannah on the boat was much needed. Chuck and Lood (a friend) pulled wires to begin the installation of our windless, so us old folks won't have to pull the anchor up by hand (it's a must have). We were also, so fortunate to be in Savannah at the time our dear friends that we met at the marina (Brandon & Carryn) set sail for their 2-year cruise. We wish them good winds and great adventures as they head south for the winter and pray that our paths meet again. Just a brief update, and as we approach 2010, we are working hard to return to our boat and also set sail. We'll keep you posted on our progress. God Bless all of our family and friends and may you all have a wonderful New Year.

Went Sailing - Finally

At long last the boat is finally sea-worthy and we were able to take her for a sail. It was fabulous. We had good wind (10-15 knots)and only had to use the front sail and moved along quite nicely. We were out for about 5 hours and had a great time both sailing, and watching some racers that has one whole side of their boats in the water. I think we are too big for that to happen unless we run into really really bad weather. We had some friends from the marina go with us so Chuck could get a good feel for the boat for the first time out. Chuck said she handled really good and feels very comfortable with her now. I am attaching some pictures; one is the sail from my vantage on the boat, the water splashing up towards the boat when we had a little tilt, and a picture of the Captain and is first mate.

Unfortunately 'Dun Workin' isn't quite ready for any long trips as we had planned. We still have work to do on her (project boat turned out to be more of a project than planned. And now because it is the end of June and we haven't been able to head out as planned, the heat here is unbearable (record highs in the 100's with gee-wiz humidity), and we have run out of funds to fix the boat, we have had a shift in plans. The dream hasn't gone away - just put on hold for a while.

New plan. Chuck and I are both going back to work for a few months to build up the "boat fund" so we can get it totally fixed so we can do the long term cruising that we want to do. To accomplish this 'back to work' thing (yuck!!!!) Chuck is going to go back to long haul driving and I am going to do some contract work for the NAED and maybe some other things if they pop up. Since it is so hot in Savannah, we don't want to sit on the boat here, so we are going to move back to Colorado. While Chuck is driving, I will be staying with Aaron and Adriana to start with I(they have a nice basement bedroom and bathroom)and hopefully I can help out with Adri while she is going through her chemo and after she has surgery. If they get tired of me, I'll go stay with Julie and Randy for a bit too. After all, I have all my family in Denver.

We are really looking forward to seeing the family again as we have missed them. I think we will be there at least through Thanksgiving, and possibly longer. We will see. So the concept of "Dun Workin" is now being followed by "NOT" Life happens!

So for all of you who wanted to go sailing with us - the offer is still there, just delayed.

First Dingy Ride

Yesterday we went for our first dingy ride since we have been here. Chuck had to have some work done on the outboard (of course) and it is now working like a charm! So... out we went onto the water - actually moving! For Charlotte it was a little scary, because we are talking about a 7' rubber raft instead of the 40' sailboat. But (especially for the family) she wore her life jacket and braved the waters. It was actually very fun and we saw a little bit of the island that you don't see from the streets. Traveling this way you get to see all the houses with their private docks and boats ranging from large to very small (falling down docks too).

Since we aren't moving yet, Chuck took the opportunity to attend Sea-School and get his Captain's license. You can get different levels and this one is called a six-pak. Anyway, he is going to be going to school for the next 10 days and get his certification. Exciting for him.

Well there isn't much to elaborate on as we are still working on das-boat and getting closer to actually sailing..... we can't wait.

We love and miss everyone and look forward to seeing you sometime in the near future. Once we get underway - we still hope for visitors.

Chuck & Charlotte

Words from Sailors

A collision at sea can ruin your entire day!

And - most appropriate:
A boat is a hole in the water, surrounded by fiberglass, into which you throw money!

Chuck & Charlotte

The Perfect Storm

The Marina that we are staying in is also a full functioning boat yard. It has all sorts of boats in the yard that are being worked on. There is also a full crew of workers that are interesting individuals themselves. The boats range from small power boats, large yachts, sailboats like ours, trawlers, tug boats, small fishing boats, large fishing boats, tug boats, and dolphin cruise boats. As I was walking through the yard today I noticed that they had brought in a commercial fishing boat and it reminded me of the boat that Captain Billy (George Cloony) owned and took his crew out to make a large catch and answer their financial needs. I could see Bobby, Murph, Sully, etc. Well maybe I was really seeing George Cloony and Mark Wahlberg (hehe). I've included a picture of this boat for your viewing pleasure.

This brought a new reality to me and that is I am getting a whole new level of education and culture than I've ever had. I am very grateful that I grew up an Army Brat because I had an enormous life education; and I now believe this is another chapter in my life education.

Geriatric Moment

Everyone has said they can't get into our blog. Well guess what folks... my 'geriatric bad.' Go figure. I put the wrong address in the email.. of course it was only one little character; I said use @ and it should be .
Enough of that, so let's get everyone updated.

We have now been on the boat for almost 7 weeks, and every day is an adventure - not always glorious and fun, but definitely an adventure. We have had cold weather that was most unexpected, and some absolutely beautiful days. However,,,, with the beautiful days they have something down here in Georgia that is called 'noseeums' which is a very fitting name. These little creatures can get through screens and some netting and they bit you as though they are big bugs. They are only gnats, but they are so pesty it is unbelievable. They like weather between 60 and 80 just like us humans. So when it is colder they are gone... and when it is hotter... they are gone. Folks in Georgia and probably other southeast states support Avon with the purchase of Skin So Soft because it is the best repellent for these nasty little creatures.

We have discovered that there is much more work on this old boat that anticipated, but not to worry, we are still living the dream. There are days it seems to get a little fuzzy, but then brightens up with some little pleasures; sitting in the cockpit and watching the sunset; watching the dolphins play and swim by the boat; watching the otters play and splash in the water; laying up top and soaking up a little sunshine; and just watching the water and knowing very shortly we will be actually sailing and seeing some awesome sights in this country.

Well that is enough update for today and I'll be getting a little more consistent now that I have figured out the problem with everyone accessing this.

Chuck & Charlotte
Captain & First Mate

Winter in Savannah, GA

Well.... it has been rather cold here in the 'south' much to my surprise. This is in fact winter here (as in Colorado), but the cold is a little colder than usual. Yesterday it rained all day so we spent most of the day below. Today it was in the 50's and was beautiful and we got some stuff done.

We are working very slow at this transition, but it is a major adjustment going from a 3 bedroom house into a 40' sailboat. No complaints here... just a reality. My dear friend Tina told me I need to keep telling myself that I must remember that I am retired and not on any time clock and have the rest of my life to get things done. It's hard slamming on the brakes, but I'm adjusting rather well I think. So we are taking it slow bringing our worldly belongs onto the boat so that we don't get too much clutter in the process.

Chuck has been working on the real boat things that need to be checked out and worked on before we set sail. Today he drained the 60 gallon water tank, cleaned it out, resealed it and filled it again. That sounds easy, but when you are 63, a little stiff (hehe) and all of the work has to be done on your knees - it's not so easy. We have a long list of things to do, so we won't run out of projects.

We have met some really neat people since we have been here. I am surpirsed at the number of people that live on boats. The couple that we watched the superbowl with (they live on a large trawler (yacht) have been living on a boat for more than 5 years. There is another couple that is ready to take off sailing once they get a few more 'labors of love' done to ther 45' sailboat, and.... they get their house sold in Atlanta. There is another man that is living aboard his boat, but his wife isn't quite ready to retire, so she is still working as a school teacher and won't be here to join him until summer. There are more dogs aboard that I thought there would be too.

Speaking of dogs.... Jake has gone through a major adjustment too. After Roxie left the household, Jake was very sad and missed her. Then we took to the road and she again was confused - but is a great traveler. We stopped at some peoples houses where she had large areas of grass to run around in and play with other dogs again. Then we arrived at 'Dun Workin' and she was really perplexed as she didn't have any grass. The first night on the boat she wouldn't have anything to do with Chuck. She sat across the room and just looked at him. She was obviously very upset with him. But now - she runs around on the deck, lays in the sun and keeps a lookout for everything and everyone. We have a great park just outside the marina to take her for walks. So she is now doing well.

We are gearing up for a cold night tonight as it is going to be about 20 (yes - only 20). I thought we left this behind.... Hmmmm.... No problem - we have heaters to keep up warm so it's not really a hugh deal.

Well that is all for now. I'm still needed to get some pictures downloaded - but not quite that organized yet. Coming soon.

Love to All
Chuck & Charlotte

The Beginning of a New Adventure

We finally arrived in Savannah, GA on January 29th, 2009 to board the sailboat that sat dormant for 5 months awaiting the new owners that were taking a big leap to 'live the dream' and live on the sailboat and cruise for about a year.

Our sailboat is named "Dun Workin" which seemed very appropriate to us because we have both reach the so called 'golden years' and it was time to retire and enjoy life. Chuck has seen and done a lot of things in his lifetime, but Charlotte has been a bit of a workaholic and not ventured outside the 'box' most of her life..... It's time.

When we arrived in Savannah, after 2 weeks on the road the weather wasn't exactly warm. This part of the country has a cold front moving through and the highs for the next couple of days is about 50, but (get this Coloradoians) the lows will be in the mid 20's (we thought we left this behind - haha). Thank goodness we had a little electric on the boat to make it nice and toasty down below. In spite of the weather, we are very excited to finally be here and get things in order. We have Chuck's pickup and Charlotte's Infiniti full of 'stuff'' to bring aboard. Chuck keeps saying the boat is going to sink.... He hasn't seen me (Charlotte) really organize yet.....

We took our time getting down here after leaving Colorado, stopping to see friends along the way. We spent one night and part of a day in Galveston and saw some of the wreckage from Hurricane Ike that his them in 2008. Amazing to see up close what mother nature can do with wind and water.

So today the work begins. We will be making our long list of "to do's" and start doing. Unloading the vehicles will be done in small increments so there is room to move around the boat as we make it our home. It may be 40', but clutter around can make it seem like 20' in a hurry.

Leaving Colorado for this great adventure was of course happy and sad at the same time. Family is all there, and we had some great friends as well that we will miss. But....family and friendship extends across the miles, and we are confident that we will see everyone again some time. And don't forget the open offer .... come see us and sail with us for a few days. We will use this format to keep everyone up to date on our progress and our course in the event you may want to join us.

Well this is all for now and we will send pictures later when I get a little more organized and download some onto the computer.

Chuck & Charlotte