Striper – MV Simple Life

Teresa Arrives

Teresa arrived and we were excited to start our trip south but first we had to finish the maintenance projects such as…

I burned through two Dremels using cut off wheels.

It was not all work this summer. If I was not watching Cozi TV with my Dad I was probably enjoying “Dinner & a Movie” each night with my brother Eddie and his wife, Doreen. They are amazing cooks and I eat well while I am home. Dad & I Celebrated his 90th birthday with a visit from his sister Maybelle and her husband, Armand. Dad’s is 90 years old and I’m still hearing new stories from my auntie Maybelle about when they were young growing up together. It was nice to see the three of them together. I wish I had taken more photos but here are a few…

Dad’s 90th Birthday

Cozi TV makes me smile as I watch the Six Million Dollar Man or Little House on the Prairie and it’s like it’s 1979 all over again.

As the morning temps kept getting colder the marina was empty under a full harvest moon.

We watched as friends also set sail in search of warmer weather.

Saucy Fox Departing Warwick, RI for points south

We found some time to catch a small striper

Finally we untied the dock lines and cast off. It was a great feeling to be sitting in the pilothouse as we pointed Simple Life south.

I wanted to top off the fuel tanks so we stopped in Newport, RI at the Newport Yaching Center.

The New Simple Life has 4X as much power and 2X the speed but also consumes 4X the fuel. Even with the fuel tanks more than half full a top off of the tanks means 890 gals.

Soon we were passing Misquamicut State Beach and running the inside of Fisher Island.

As the sun was getting low we decided to tuck in behind Fisher Island for the night. We arrived at our chosen anchorage and found a CG Cutter anchored so we dropped next to them.

Below you can find a walkthrough Video of the CGC COHO

https://www.dvidshub.net/video/776029/virtual-tour-uscgc-coho-wpb-87321

As soon as I dropped the anchor and started paying out the anchor chain… it stopped… Hmmmmm.. Better go check the anchor locker. I found a dreaded “Chain Knot”!!!!

We spent some time untangling the anchor chain before making dinner and relaxing in the salon for the night. We will retire tonight and in the morning decide where we are going? Winter 05, Leg 001 looked something like below.

We ended last winter season in the Abacos, Bahamas. It was an amazing experience to be able to spend so much time exploring the Abacos. When we heard that category-5 hurricane Dorian had made landfall on Elbow Cay in the Abacos we feared for the safety and well-being of the Bahamian people. Worse yet… Dorian seemed to stall out over Freeport in Grand Bahama Island.

Category 5 Hurricane Dorian over Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas

Treasure Cay was our favorite spot in the Abacos and we were stunned to see that little more than the concrete bar top where we sat was left standing.

Destruction of all but the Concrete Bartop at Treasure Cay in the Abacos, Bahamas

Condos lining the shores of Treasure Cay, Abacos

I have been reading all the Bahamas Facebook group posts and find it inspiring to see how many US boaters are making their way back to the Abacos to help with the reconstruction efforts. If it works out, I would be proud to join the Abacos support group.

This summer was very busy for me and I only got to take the boat out for a couple of weekend trips to Newport, RI. Thanks Preppy for convincing me to stop working on projects and get out there. The rest of the summer was spent on boat projects and family matters.

My sister got married to her boyfriend of many decades, Michael. They were kind enough to let me officiate their marriage. Just call me Father Mahty 😉

Seeing my family after being away all winter is something I look forward to.

Spending the summer on the docks means lots of nights spent with friends.

Preparing to spend all winter cruising somewhere warm means having the boat hauled and put on the hard for new bottom paint, zincs, and hull waxing. This year I was managed to get all that done is only 4 long days. Each night after the working long days under the boat, it was time to walk over to the marina fire pit and relax.

After being under the boat all day a fire & IPAs are just perfect

There is nothing like a clean bottom.

Now it was time to use the marine travel lift and splash her back in the water.

Fall 2019 Splash Down

I got back into my slip just in time for a nor’easter that blew three moored boats in my marina ashore.

I will start off this winter’s cruise with friends and fellow cruisers, Buddy & Renee. They are long-time sailors and just fun to have aboard. They put their beautiful Tartan 44 on the hard and came aboard but before casting off. … we set out to celebrate!

Now the time has come to cast off the lines so stay tuned for the next post detailing the first leg of our odyssey.

Tag: Striper

Southbound

Teresa Arrives

MV Simple Life – Summer 2019