Posting this to create some awareness for other cruisers and M/V Close Knit. See the attached video that they filmed while anchored in Sunset Lake, Miami, Florida. Visit their blog to let them know about your experiences and show them some support.
Tag Archives | featured
House Bill to End Tax Deductions for Boats Used as Second Homes
A bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives would end tax breaks on vessels qualifying as second homes. Typically, these are boats that have a galley, head, and berth and are 26 feet or longer.
Huatulco, Mexico
After 34 hours of very light sea we arrived in Huatulaco and pulled in through many rocks and a very narrow entrance and moored at a new dock without power or water. We didn’t mind since we really just wanted to get off the boat for a while and relax. We had to wait for customs to come down and search the boat, pay them $40 USD in cash which will never make it to the Government.
¡Me Encanto Puerto Rico!
As Puerto Rico slips from the sight of our metaphorical rear view mirror, I cannot let it go without declaring my deep affection for this magical island. The four months spent exploring this remarkable location were filled with surprises, frustration, breathtaking beauty, befuddlement, wonder, awe, and people with an easy smile and warm hearts.
Back in Nassau again
It’s been a couple of years and the place hasn’t changed a bit. As we pull into Nassau Harbor Club, there’s Peter the Greek standing on the dock. With his long bushy hair flying in the breeze, he starts barking his usual orders, telling us how we are suppose to dock, even though we have docked here many times before. He is a bit of a wildman. The Crazy Greek. Behind his back is Frenchy the boatwasher who is laughing at Peter’s rants and offering to help us tie up before he washes our boat. Some things never change.
Eliana Spring Checkup (N76)
I decided to take Eliana out of the water to take a close look at her underside. We used Knight & Carver in San Diego. The crew there are pros, so even though my adrenaline was pumping, they made it easy. From the moment Eliana was extracted from the lift basin to having a pressure washed bottom and sitting comfortably on blocks in the yard was a span of only 2 hours.
A Month in Marathon, FL
A month spent in Marathon, Florida snorkeling, owl spotting, strolling the docks, and watching the bed races. Annie got a daily walk around the back nine of the golf course. There is a 1 1/2 mile road around the course and we walked it daily. Not much traffic and there were lots of interesting houses, plants and other people and dogs walking, jogging and biking also. The daily highlight was the Owl count. Alongside one of the holes there were a pair of Burrowing Owls. Almost every morning there were two Owls standing beside the burrow. Sometimes only one, most days two and then one day one flew off and another one popped up out of the ground so there were three that day.
Sea Spirit Fuel Economy Data
I thought I’d interject a quick blog entry with some fuel economy numbers for Sea Spirit. As you may recall, she’s a very slippery Sparkman & Stephens hull design, so we knew she’d get good fuel economy. But we were so busy learning how to run the boat that it took us a couple of months to get around to truly measuring it.
In order to do the measurements, we picked a calm day (of which we had plenty in the Exumas), and made sure that our GPS speed and our speed-thru-the-water numbers were confirming that there was little to no current. We then warmed up the boat to normal operating temperature, and ran her at various RPMs in order to measure the fuel usage.
Sans Souci is in the Med!
Great news reported from Ken Williams. His trawler, Sans Souci, made it to the Med aboard the freighter it has been traveling aboard. Sans Souci is a Nordhavn 68 trawler. Great News! Check out the shot of the beautiful blue Turkish water!
MV Dirona Featured on Three Sheets NW
Everybody’s favorite Nordhavn 52, M/V Dirona, was recently covered by the awesome blog Three Sheets Northwest. Checkout the Hamilton’s interview to see some great Dirona photos and read some great tales about what the Hamilton’s would do differently the next time around.
