12 Year Warranty?

I'm not really sure but I think our boat must have come with a 12 year warranty... We passed that anniversary recently and one thing after another has been going. Before long we will have a whole new boat!

The most recent item to bite the dust was our ice maker. Yes, I know we could use the little trays or buy a bag but having ice at the ready for a cold drink on a hot day is really more than a luxury. I think it's pretty much a necessity.

Besides the crew loves ice. Dee Dee comes running from wherever she is at just the sound of tinkling ice. We've even had to break up a tussle when a cube dropped near both of them.

So we looked up the part number and put another order into Defender. It had to be delivered by freight but we struggled it onboard. Jeff had already removed the old one so it was a pretty simple job to just slide in the new one.

The kids were fascinated and helped through the whole process. Shortly after completing the installation we began to hear the lovely sound of ice hitting the bin. By evening it was an ice cube orgy. The kids were crunching them, we were making Dark n Stormie's. Life was good because when the crew is happy everyone is happy!

Stop Talkin' Trash

Anyone who has even casually followed our crew knows that Dylan is the good dog and Dee Dee is, well, the other dog. I think the facts are well documented right here in their blog.

But there are those out there (and you know who you are) who claim that Dylan wasn't always the handsome angel he is today. I'm telling you now - stop talkin' trash about my boy!

Dylan is, and always has been, my perfect guy. I do not remember him pulling on the leash or biting Dyna or chewing on anything that wasn't his or running through the house doing mad circles. And I don't even remember writing about "One well-behaved dog is permitted..."

Anyway, that's my story and I'm sticking to it. I've got your back big guy.

Making Tracks

The whole crew on aCappella has been busy moving steadily north. Dylan has been showing Dee Dee some of his familiar haunts - Cumberland Island, Morningstar Marina Golden Isles, Charleston Harbor Marina, Barefoot Marina, Mile Hammock anchorage, Morehead City Yacht Basin, and River Dunes. They've also been exploring some new stops - Jekyll Harbor Marina, St Johns Yacht Harbor, and Osprey Marina.

The crew enjoys being underway. Dee Dee loves the pilothouse settee where she can cuddle up and sleep.

Or check out what's going on up ahead.

Dylan prefers to keep his dolphin vigil but does take a break now and then for a tussle with Dee Dee.

And the fun doesn't stop when we tie the lines or drop the hook. Sometimes it's an interesting dog from another boat.

At Barefoot Marina it was a row of jet skis that looked mighty threatening to Dee Dee. She kept them at bay by barking ferociously - every time she went outside for multiple days. Apparently it worked as they never got any closer.

Of course, some of the best stops involve dropping the anchor and just watching the sunset.

We have several more weeks of activity before the kids can settle into a routine back in Maine. Today while leaving Beaufort, NC they saw what will probably be their last bottlenose dolphins until next fall. They gave Dylan and Dee Dee quite a send off.

For now we're enjoying the waning weeks onboard and already thinking about plans for the fall. With this crew it will always be exciting and maybe even exotic as we're hoping to cruise to the Bahamas next year.