Day 6: A note from Cyrus

Cyrus will be posting comments on this blog from time to time.  Today we get to hear Cy's perspective on the adventure, the boat, Florida, etc.  The rest of this post is a dictation:

(Cue: What do want people to know about Florida?)

Cyrus:  It is verrrry hot.  They have a lot of pools in the motels. Even an airport (there was an airport next to one of the hotels we stayed in).  There's a lot of big waves and one pushed me over close to the shore when I was far out.  I collected a couple of shells- I'm selling them for 10 cents each.

(What do you think about the adventure?)

We'll have a great time swimming.  I bet we'll probably see tons of little sharks or something.  What do you want me to catch? (please leave comments for Cyrus about what you want him to catch)

(What do you want people to know about the boat?)

AWESOME!  There's a big bedroom...well-not that big.  And there's a little Cyrus spot close to the motor and its loud.  We can put a little wood cover over it so the motor is not that loud.  I can go up in the front of the boat.

(Anything else?)

On the plane we went high above the clouds- high above the land.  Like a map from above. A wing was in a cloud.  My birthday was 6 days ago.

(Favorite part so far?)

The boat is AWESOME

Day 5: Maiden (like baby) voyage

Bonnie and Brian took us out sailing on our new boat, Mirage, today. They not only took us out on a day's sail, but showed  us every system, nook and cranny in the boat: How to start the engine, back away from the dock, stay in the channel, raise the sails, and last but not least how not to be afraid of swimming in a river in Florida. (Sharks, alligators, stingray). They also tirelessly answered all of our general questions about boating. Bonnie and Brian are leaving nearly every piece of equipment on the boat for us- including dishes, a coffee pot etc.  They also have been trying to find us a cheap place to stay and have been giving us great advice about local businesses.  Bonnie bought Mirage in 2005 and she (the boat) has had a very special place in Bonnie and Brian's life.  We will take care of her!
They have been incredibly gracious to us.  We can't thank them enough.

We traveled up the ICW (Inter-coastal waterway) from New Smyrna (Si-mer-nah) Beach toward Edgewater.  While anchored, we saw a few porpoise- a mother and baby and a few juveniles- which is just part of the trip, but still so cool.  I feel like those tourists at the top of Rocky Mountain National Park freaking out over an elk.

What's next?  We must take Mirage out of the water for a complete survey and determine where and when we will be doing the work that will make her cruising-ready.  So- it's research time!  Thank you Google!

Love this kid!

Day 4: We bought a boat!

I will have more details about the boat and this amazing couple tomorrow.  They are generous, adventuresome and caring.
We did not make it to the Kennedy Space Center- which breaks my heart more that Cyrus' or Tyler's hearts- I WILL see the space shuttle up close soon! Mark my words.

PS-
If you did not see this: http://www.takepart.com/teach?cmpid=teach-sem : You missed an amazing documentary about the people that make our educational system successful.  Loved it.

Day 3: Moving right along

Map of our drive today

Not really surprising, but dogs are not allowed on most South Florida beaches.  We searched and found a great place to share our fun with Zander: Jupiter beach, an off-leash dog beach about 1 hour north of Fort Lauderdale.  Zander is still not too sure about those waves.

We then traveled north along I-95 to New Smyrna Beach to look at a Pearson 303- I think the fact that the Denver area code is also 303 is a big selling point...we might as well name the boat Bronco- unless they lose tonight. I have a feeling I will be writing more about this boat very soon.
Her owners offered to take us out on a cruise on Saturday- even if we don't buy the boat.  Pretty typical hospitality and friendliness from boating folk.
Cyrus and I had the opportunity to use the head (boat bathroom) for the first time.  This boat has a manual pump head- so you do your bizness and then pump it to a holding tank.  Very exciting!

Cyrus took this picture of the Pearson 303

Tomorrow we are going to the Kennedy Space Center- not to look at a boat... but to look at some cool space stuff!!!  In my other life I am an astronaut.
Oh yes... any many people have asked what a seacock is: see pic below :)

Day 2: Electric Boogaloo

Ok- sorry for the cryptic 80s reference title...it has nothing to do with today.

One of the most popular questions of the last 6 months was, "Do you have a boat yet?"  To which I always replied, "Not yet," with maybe a sigh and a wink or a smirk...  Tyler and I thought a great deal about how and when to get our boat.  I should be clear: Tyler has been thinking about that for about 11 years, I recently joined in 6 months ago.  Aside from one, both or all 3 family members jet setting across the country every time a boat looked promising, we felt that the best idea was to wait until we arrived at our first destination and then begin finding a boat.  Correct that- THE boat: our home, transportation, entire life for the next few months.
This is not as crazy as it sounds.  A popular saying among people who live among boats is that "boats grow on trees."   I'm hoping maybe there is a money tree next to that boat tree...
Along with getting our bearings, a rental car, non-hotel coffee and swimming today- we looked at our first 2 boats!  2 boats in one day may seem like a small number if the process were like purchasing a used car: kick the tires, look at the interior and make an offer.  One of the most important parts of this boat purchasing process is the opportunity for Tyler to talk to the men selling the boats.  (sorry if this part sounds pretty sexist- I would hang and talk if our 7 year old were not...well..being 7.  We ARE planning to speak to a woman tomorrow)   Included with the pics of the boats are some bits of information gained from the seller.  Priceless.
Boat 1 was a 32' Ericson that needed a great deal of work and it is dry docked- so we got to climb a 20 foot rusty set of portable stairs...hooray!  Tyler got to hold a real seacock- sorry no pics of that!  Needless to say, he feels much more secure now.  Information learned: centerboards bang and rattle, diesel fuel is 7-9 dollars a gallon in the Bahamas and relying on Mr. Magoo (autopilot) may lead to a friendly meeting with a Cuban gunboat.

Boat 2 was a 30' O'Day.  While checking out the boat we were visited by local wildlife- a small (according to the local man) iguana and his friends.  Information learned:  hurricanes are "no big deal, just look at (the weather) happening around the country,"  the only thing you really need to know about sailing in the Bahamas is how to judge the depth of the water by the color.

And one final picture: the reason we are going on this adventure:

4:00am Adventure day 1!

Forgive me if this post rambles a bit- it's 4am and Tyler and I are already awake (our flight is 12 hours from now).  We are awake because we are excited, we are nervous, we are ready to go and possibly because we had a little too much fun at our send off/son's 7th birthday party last night.  I think it is fitting in this first post to acknowledge our amazing, amazing friends and family.  We could not have asked for a more loving conclusion to our time in Denver.  Thank you to each and every one of you- whether we saw you at the party or in the few weeks before our departure.  We are blessed.

What is this adventure?
About 9 months ago...pretty ironic that this crazy idea has the same gestational period as a baby...we decided as a family to embark on a travel adventure.  The plan has taken many forms during that time- driving to and through Mexico, Central and South America, volunteering on a Chilean ranch, working during the wine grape harvest and festivals in Argentina- all of these were wonderful ideas (and could actually happen) however, the most compelling idea for adventure has us taking to the seas.
Short version:
At 3:45pm today we will be flying to Fort Lauderdale in order to buy a 27-37 foot boat and sail the Caribbean for the next 6-10 months.  If we fair well, we will make it to Belize or as far as the Panama Canal.  This is stage 1 of what we hope will be a new part of our lives that includes living and working abroad.

Why?
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness, and many of our people need it sorely on these accounts. Broad, wholesome, charitable views of men and things cannot be acquired by vegetating in one little corner of the earth all one's lifetime.”
― Mark Twain, The Innocents Abroad/Roughing It    

Traveling and living in different countries has always been an important part of who I am and who Tyler is (Cyrus and Zander have no choice right now).  Some of our friends may not know this about us because we have spent the last 9 years in Denver, CO.  Don't get me wrong, Denver has done a great deal for us- it is where our son was born, where we bought, fixed, and sold our first house, where both Tyler and I have advanced our careers.  We woke up 9 months ago, however, to the realization that we were moving further and further away from what we valued most- family, travel, adventure- and inching ever closer to a routine of working 50-60 hours a week, digging a gigantic debt hole and ignoring each other. 
So- we sold our house (an adventure in itself), paid (most of) our debt and here we sit- now 5am with one way tickets to Florida.  I'm not sure how this adventure will end, but I know that we've taken the most important step already- now we just have to keep moving "boldly in the direction of our dreams."

First Post: More to come

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