We are back!! Thank you so much for praying us through the last several months of moving off the ship, traveling to get the new vessel and delivering it safely home. We appreciate your prayers so much!!
Now we need prayer for the work ahead in preparing the vessel for departure. This includes replacing the batteries, the anchor windlass and both head systems. Interior modifications are not extensive and consists mainly of adding shelving, rebuilding the storage area in the aft cabin and transforming the table area into a lounge/bunk. There will be some painting, minor varnishing, a few plumbing reruns and other small projects. In-between all this work, the three 5x10 storage units need to be sorted.
Thankfully, Mary is able to do a lot of work and this enables Eric to use some of his time on side jobs for our personal support.
(Pelicans at Sarasota Bay)
We are now anchored at St. Petersburg! After leaving Fort Myers early Monday morning, we headed out into the Gulf with beautiful weather. The winds even cooperated for a short while and we were able to fly the Jib for a couple hours. However, the afternoon wind forecast soon turned hard on our nose and forced us to travel inside.
We had a very good trip across both Sarasota Bay and Tampa Bay. We also passed some huge ships in Tampa Bay with no problems and were glad to have smooth seas for good maneuvering.
Bridges on the inside are numerous and prove to be very stressful with shallow water, tides, currents and timed openings. Tomorrow we hope to travel outside for the last of the run to Tarpon Springs. If weather cooperates, our jump may finally happen. Please pray for a good 72 hour stretch of fair winds!
(Anchored Freighters off Miami Coast)
After prepping for Hurricane Dorian, we waited out the storm as it churned for three days just off the coast from us in Fort Pierce. Winds never exceeded low, tropical storm force and none of the rains were torrential. It took several more days to ready the boat for departure and we finally left Fort Pierce on Sept. 8th to begin our journey to Louisiana.
Extra care and caution is being taken as we make our way home. We don't want to put undue stress and strain on the vessel until we have worked out any bugs in the systems.
We have traveled ten days so far:
- Day 1: Fort Pierce to Lake Worth where we anchored the first night. More tropical systems were developing in the Atlantic. Hot but good breeze at night.
- Day 2: Lake Worth to Key Biscayne. A very long, sixty mile run in rolling/pitching waves. The boat handled very well and has a comfortable roll, not snappy. The rolling however, caused a water line to come loose in the engine room and we lost water pressure for the onboard systems. Eric repaired it with a solid, temporary fix. The system will be properly dealt with when we get home.
- Days 3-5: Anchored in Key Biscayne waiting for a tropical system to move on. Very hot days, good breeze at night.
- Day 6-7: Key Biscayne to Vaca Key (Marathon). We pushed steadily for 12 hours and reached Marathon just after sunset. The last several hours were spent dodging hundreds of lobster/crab traps. Very stressful end to a day that was for the most part, beautiful weather and calm seas. We spent that night and the next at a dock. This enabled us to get needed rest (electricity means A/C), supplies, fuel and water.
- Day 8: Marathon to Little Shark River. Very remote anchorage on the Everglades Coast. Beautiful but very hot, not much sleep. We have screens for the ports but do not have screens for the main hatches so ventilation is limited at anchor due to wind directions. The Everglades are saturated with mosquitoes!
- Day 9: Little Shark River to Everglade City inlet (Russel Pass). A quiet anchorage just inside the inlet. Beautiful but very hot, not much sleep.
- Day 10: Russel Pass to Moss Marine (Fort Myers). Heavy weather moving in for the next several days. Anchorages are very hard to find along this part of the coast at our size. Very shallow water. We will have to dock till the system moves through. This will allow for much needed good sleep. We will be able to travel inside for a good distance even if the weather in the Gulf prevents us from going along the coast. Eric will spend the next day plotting our next course.
(Eric making extra dock lines)
Right now the hopeful consensus on this monster hurricane is that it will make an early turn to the North and just graze the coast. This would bring only tropical storm to Cat 1 winds possibly topping 80 or so. Very doable.
- Everything has been either removed from the deck and stashed below or very securely tied down.
- Extra heavyweight, double dock lines with chafing gear and spring lines tied to pilings and fenders placed to protect against side pilings.
- We have a good stock of water, food, propane and fuel.
- There is good shelter here and we will have electricity (A/C) till the winds top 40, then the marina will be shutting off the power.
- This is going to be a long storm, possibly 3 days. If all goes well, once any strong winds are past, we will get the boat ready to move and be high tailing it out of here to head for home. There are other possible storms in the Atlantic heading this direction and we are praying for a solid window of opportunity to move out once Dorian passes.
Please be praying for the following:
- Our safety and that the boat will not be damaged.
- A window of opportunity to safely head back home
- Peace during this whole ordeal
Thank you so much for your prayers!!
(Eric working on 1st set of solar panels)
The transition is going well and we have made a lot of progress toward getting the boat ready for delivery to Louisiana.
- The roller furling Genoa is on the fore stay and rolled up nicely.
- 2 sets of solar panels are installed, hooked up and generating 500 watts.
- The new panels for the bimini were finished in record time and they fit great!
- The new name 'Far Horizons' and 'Green Cove Springs' hailing port is on the stern.
- Eric replaced the impeller on the engine and has been spending time learning the systems on the boat and purchasing necessary gear and parts.
- The old anchor windlass is in working order and should make the delivery trip. It will be replaced with a brand new, updated windlass once we get back to Louisiana.
- Mary continues to deep clean the lockers, cabins and wood throughout the vessel while learning the storage areas.
- Provisioning and last minute supplies have been stored for the upcoming delivery.
We are turning the rental car in today but if unexpected needs arise, Uber is available. Tentative departure will be after Labor Day. At this time, Tropical Storm 'Dorian' is still very unpredictable concerning landfall and is expected to reach hurricane force. Our current location is safe for riding it out and we are well versed in hurricane preparation on boats.
Please be in prayer for the following:
- Securing a vessel for a hurricane is hard work. We will know how extensive preparations need to be at least a day or two before landfall if it comes in very near or over us. Pray for wisdom, peace and physical stamina.
Thank you for praying!
(Eric wrestling the Main)
It has been an exhausting three weeks since our last update. We finished moving off the ship in record time, cramming as much as possible into three 5x10 storage units. The last of the heavy shop tools were taken off the ship and stored in our small utility trailer. We appreciate the heavy lifting help from two wonderful, strong brothers. There is no way we could have done it without you. Thank you Caylon and Yani!!
The last large items were stored in the back of our pick-up and in the front seats, which was then parked along with the utility trailer in a safe spot near our reserved, future slip. Our new slip will be in the marina next to the one where the ship was docked. When we return to Louisiana the ship will most likely be on the way to its new home. Very difficult emotionally but we are prayerfully moving on with God's guidance.
We crammed the rental SUV to maximum and as Eric put it, "we looked like a kid moving away to college!" We left Louisiana on the 11th and arrived in Ft. Pierce, Fl. on the 12th. After several disoriented days, lots of paperwork and a few struggles, we are now settling into the new vessel.
- The vessel needs to be well cleaned inside and Mary has been making good headway. Interior pictures will be posted soon. The galley has very deep fridge and freezer boxes. The cooling system needs a touch-up but will wait till we get her home.
- There are two temporary AC units. A small window unit in the hatch of the aft cabin and a portable unit in the main salon. We are going to slowly acclimate ourselves to the heat as there will be no AC once we leave the country. However! One thing I specifically prayed for, was a vessel with excellent cross ventilation. There are numerous opening ports and overhead hatches throughout the boat for excellent ventilation. Thank you Lord!
- The cockpit enclosure is up and will provide fantastic shelter from the elements. Two of the enclosures' front, clear, strataglass panels needed to be replaced. We hired a local canvas worker and the new panels should be ready in two weeks.
- We have put window film for privacy on 7 of the 12 opening ports so far.
- The Mizzen and Main sails are now installed on the booms.
- The vessel will gets its new vinyl name 'Far Horizons' on Thursday.
Please be in prayer for the following:
- Wisdom for Eric as he learns the systems on the boat.
- Strength, stamina and good health for both Eric and Mary.
Thank you so much for your continued prayers!!
After much prayer, the Lord has directed us to our new mission vessel. It ended up being sail instead of power which will greatly reduce our yearly operating costs.
- At this time a deposit has been put down and closing will be in 2-3 weeks.
- A surveyor has been scheduled for the middle of next week for our liability insurance.
- Over the last several weeks we have been sorting through the ship and packing all manner of items. Two small storage units have been rented and the bulk of the storage has been completed. Most of the sorting left is Eric's tools.
- The boat is currently in dry dock in Ft. Pierce, Florida. We are hoping to be completely moved off the ship very soon and then drive to Ft. Pierce for the closing.
- We may stay in Ft. Pierce for several days to familiarize ourselves with the onboard systems and then bring the boat around the tip of Florida, through the Keys and along the Gulf coast back to Louisiana.
- We will then systematically go through the storage units, deciding what to keep.
Please be in prayer for the following:
- These final weeks of packing and storing. It's very physical, stressful and many things have to happen in a strategic way.
Thank you for praying!
Our new vessel:
1980 Morgan 462
Length 46 feet
Beam 13 Feet
Draft 5 feet 6 inches
Engine is a 90 HP Ford Lehman
Water tanks 195 gallons
Fuel Tanks 150 gallons
Genset is a 5kw Cummins
A big bonus with this vessel is it underwent a major refit 5 years ago. Her standing rigging and chainplates were replaced. Her engine was pulled and completely rebuilt. Battery system upgraded and new charging systems installed. Electronics upgraded. New prop shaft, cutless bearing and dripless packing gland. New genset. New refrigeration system. New stainless ports.
