All That Dog Gear

After 10 years of cruising with 3 different dogs you either learn a thing or two or you go crazy - or maybe a bit of both. We are frequently asked how we handle two large dogs on a boat, both by cruisers with a dog, ones contemplating cruising with a dog, and those who are just curious.

While living this life with our canine crew certainly has its challenges, it is made easier by having the right gear onboard. So we asked Dyna and Dylan what are the items they wouldn't want to be without on aCappella. Note, neither Dyna nor Dylan are acting as paid spokesdogs. Although they both would look terrific on TV or in an ad...

Here is their list of the ten+ best dog items to have onboard.


1.  Pee Mat

The most frequent question and the one boaters want to know the most about is - where do they "go"? We have an article on the ActiveCaptain website that explains the technique we've developed to train three different dogs for doing all of their business onboard. We even trained Dyna at 9 years old so there's no excuses about old dogs and new tricks. Key to our technique is a marker for their spot.

We love our plastic, fake grass doormat. It's easy to clean and store, can be moved about as needed, and well, was cheap. We keep two mats onboard - one spare as Dylan is so well trained he refuses to go unless the mat is out and right side up. About a year ago we began getting questions about where to find such mats. It seems these slightly tacky doormats have fallen out of favor.

We purchased our last one at the Ace Hardware in Callao, VA and a recent visit showed they still carry them for $9.99. I've looked at Home Depot, Lowes, Target, even Walmart and have not found them there. A search on the web turned up one through Amazon at Ace Hardware Direct for about $11.

We removed the plastic flower but that's up to you.


2.  Harnesses

Our number one priority onboard is safety. Owning dogs who's genetic makeup compels them to seek the water meant having a way to retrieve them. Trust me if you haven't tried it, hauling a 70 pound wet dog back into the dinghy can be a challenge. So anytime a boat is underway the dogs are in their harnesses.

Having used numerous ones over the years, we know that not all harnesses are created equal. The most important thing to look for is one that is made up of two circles of webbing - one that goes around the neck and the other behind the front legs and around the chest - connected top and bottom by straps. This offers additional support underneath making lifting easier for you and better for the dog.

We have found in recent years that most harnesses have moved to loops that simply surround the front legs without the straps. Not only is lifting awkward as you are basically pulling them in by their head, I believe it puts far too much stress on their shoulder joints.

Our latest find was a new Kong harness with an added loop on the top. Previously we have simply used the back strap to grab and pull them in which works fine. We like it because it gives a larger target to grab and could be easily snagged with a boat hook if needed.

Each of our canine crew members, past and present, have been pulled back into the dinghy using their harnesses. It is easy for either one of us to do, but we end up getting soaking wet. We have never needed to retrieve a dog from the big boat. This is partly good fortune and partly a strict rule that no dog is permitted to enter the water from aCappella. That means no swimming from the swim platform, ever. Our dogs know that swimming happens through the dinghy. There have been instances where the dinghy was tied up along the main boat and a dog jumped into the dinghy and into the water. It's hard to get upset about that. We've learned to keep the doors closed so it can't happen.

Update, December 2014:  We discovered a flaw in using the Kong Harness during an emergency overboard situation. When the harness was immersed in the water for about 30 minutes the webbing stretched so that the dog was at risk of falling out of the harness during lifting. You can see the full details in the following blog entries. We are investigating other options and will report our findings in a future entry.

Swims With Dolphins

Swims With Dolphins - Lessons Learned

Crew Safety - Let's Get Started 

3. Double Dog Leash

If you've followed our blog for some time then you have read about our good friend Larry. For anything boats, boating, or even vaguely involving the water, Larry knows all. One area he is particularly skilled at is making lines. They're almost works of art.

One day Jeff was describing the problem of being able to quickly tie-up the dogs in a variety of situations. We briefly had a leash with a plastic clip setup where we could clip it around a leg or post but the flimsy plastic didn't hold up to the dogs pulling and eventually broke.

So a few years ago Larry brought me the best birthday present he possibly could have. It was two leashes fashioned out of boat line with brass clips on either end and a brass ring that floats on the leash. Perfect! Now we can quickly and securely attach their leashes to a park bench, a fence post, and yes, even the stanchion on the dinghy. Plus it looks terrific - very nautical.

At this year's Annapolis Boat Show we ran across a guy who was making and selling similar leashes. So you should be able to find one if you're not lucky enough to have Larry as a friend.

4. Life-Vests

With safety as the most important criteria onboard it is a requirement to have good quality life-vests onboard for the whole crew. We really didn't like the cheap yellow ones you see everywhere with the float material on the back and straps that attach underneath, for a few reasons. First, our first lab Duke was able to chew through all the straps in the time it took me to grab and tie-off the spring line on our lobster boat. But even if your dog isn't the king of chewing I began to question how safe they actually where given all the floatation was on their back pretty much on level with their heads.

So I turned to the Internet and read hundreds of reviews. At the time nothing even came close to the vest from RuffWear. The flotation material wraps down around their sides with a portion that wraps under their neck keeping their head above water. There are no thin straps to quickly chew through and it has a large sturdy holding strap across the top.

If you're wondering, it's not a bad picture, Dylan really does not like wearing it and gives that sad-dog look but hey, I'm the mom. We do not keep them in the vest all the time. I know many people do but given their skills in the water we don't feel it's worth the "torture." But the rule is, if conditions are such that we break out our life-vests, they get theirs too. Captain's orders!

5.  Pet-Step

We discovered the Pet-Step after our first year of cruising with our beloved Tucker. We needed something to help us get a 75 pound dog off the boat on fixed docks. We've successfully used it in a variety of situations, from the transom door, the swim platform, when the docks where high and when they are low. The first time Dylan saw it he had to be bribed to use it. Of course, Dyna just charged ahead.

Last year Dyna nearly ended up between the dock and the boat in Charleston when the front paws made it to the dock but the back ones missed. Fortunately she was wearing her harness and her dad was a good catch. So now we even use the ramp on floating docks. And when we're not using it, it folds in half and easily stores in the lazarette.

6.  Dog Nest

It's important for your canine crew to have a spot that's theirs - where they feel safe and secure. For Dyna that's her nest bed. Unless it is very hot this is typically where you will find her when we are underway. And in a pinch it can even hold two crew members.

7.  Soggy Doggy

This is a recent find from last fall. I can't remember who told me about it but it's terrific.

Soggy Doggy was developed by a women who was tired of wet, muddy paw prints left throughout her house. It's made of microfiber - still not sure what that stuff is - and has about a billion tiny fingers that are designed to grab the water and muck off their paws as they walk across it. We have two, one at the cockpit door and one at the starboard side pilothouse door which they use to go out on the bow. They work quite well, although I still have an old towel to wipe paws on really bad days. It's also good for getting the last bit of dust, sand, or water off of the human crew's feet.

Dyna would also like to add that it can make a great pillow if properly manipulated.

8.  Storage Box

Most people who see us with the dogs want to know how two large dogs can possibly fit on a boat. Honestly, fitting the dogs is not the problem, it's all the dog stuff that takes the space. We had a growing pile of collars, harnesses, leashes, old towels, poo-bags, throw toys, and much more by the cockpit door. It looked bad, was hard to find what we needed, and threaten to become a tripping hazard.

So I found this plastic box that we placed in the cockpit with room for us to store and organize all of our outdoor doggie paraphernalia.  

As an added benefit, we now have a convenient bench to sit on when removing or putting on shoes.

9.  First Aid Kit

A major concern for us, especially with an old dog, is having a medical problem when we might be days from a vet. We are fortunate to have two of the best veterinarians on the planet overseeing our precious crew and over the years we have worked through a set of medications and instruments we carry with us.

They are stored in a sealable plastic shoebox and full instructions for each item are taped to the lid. These include what each is used for, dosages, timing, etc. I have even included something descriptive about the tablets - color, shape, distinguishing imprints. This was done after moisture got inside the box and removed all the writing from several labels. I also now seal each container in a ziplock bag and put the medication name on a piece of paper in the bag.

I know many of you will want to know a list of what we carry but I am intentionally not including this as it is really individual to your pet and should be worked out with your veterinarian. Each summer when we return to our homeport in Maine we schedule their annual checkup and go over all of our medications. We discuss any new conditions. For example, Dylan had a serious allergic reaction a couple years ago so now we carry steroids. You have to be careful with dosages - dogs are not just small people and a child's dosage is rarely the right amount to give. Make sure your vet works with you on this and write it all down at the place where the medications are stored.

Be realistic about what you can and can't do. Jeff has an advanced EMS license and has intubated people. So our vet showed him how to intubate a dog and provided the equipment should Dyna's breathing become critical. We even carry a canister of pure oxygen for emergency use that attaches to all dog emergency gear.  We carry syringes for giving sedatives in major emergency situations. Only carry equipment and drugs that you know how to administer.

Having these things onboard gives us peace of mind.

10.  Step Stool

This one is boat dependent. We have a high freeboard all around the boat. It's one of the things we loved as it meant added safety for the whole crew, both human and canine. But Labs are friendly, curious dogs and we found them continually jumping their paws up onto the teak caprail to greet visitors or just to see out.

I found that an inexpensive plastic one-step stool provided just the perfect height. By placing their front paws on the stool they can see over the caprail, greet visitors, and receive their much deserved attention. And with two stools, they can setup the perfect picture captured by our good cruising buddy Robin Roberts.

11.  Dog Food Websites

OK, so this last one isn't officially an item but it's something I'm not sure I could live without. If you are new to our blog then you may not realize how very special,... um, coddled,... oh alright, spoiled our canine crew is. Do not even imagine that any ordinary dog food could pass through those precious lips. Disgusting and foul things off the street, yes, but ordinary dog food, no.

The food they eat is not available at a local grocery store or Walmart. So I use a variety of online stores to order their food and have it shipped to marinas. In general I find the prices about the same as the specialty shops and if you signup for their email specials you can usually eliminate or reduce the shipping costs. These are ones at I have used and like:

PetFoodDirect.com
MrChewy.com
PetFlow.com

Life onboard without our canine crew is just not an option for us. Yes, it takes more effort but pales in comparison to the rewards. The items above have made it easier to keep the crew safe, close, and happy.

Great-great-great-great...

Today we helped JoDee at the vet with the final wellness check of the litter of puppies that were born back in late April. These puppies are Dyna's great-great-great-great-grandchildren. The puppies couldn't be cuter - we almost stole a couple of them!

Dylan's Fifth Birthday

Today is Dylan's fifth birthday. It's hard to believe that nearly five years have passed since we first brought him home and introduced him to the boating lifestyle. He has become a terrific cruising dog. The pictures above show him on the first day he climbed onboard along with another from last week. That exact picture of him as a puppy was voted best nautical pet picture on a website 4 years ago and Dylan won a free life vest. He's still one of the cutest guys I know.

It's been five years of adventure, fun, kisses, and belly rubs. Happy birthday, Dylan! We look forward to many more adventures to come!

It's Dyna's Birthday!

Today is Dyna's 14th birthday. That's, well, really old in dog years. The hearing is shot. The back legs are weak. Sleeping is the favorite pastime. But let Dylan bark about some looming danger or Mom and Dad grab the leash and she's right there. Dyna ain't gonna miss any of the action.

It's been quite a year since Dyna celebrated her 13th birthday. She spent a leisurely summer back at her land-based home in Castine, Maine.

She ensured the boat and its crew came through Hurricane Irene unscathed.

The biggest change for Dyna came in September. She had life saving surgery in Richmond, VA to help her breathing. Although she is no longer allowed to swim, she still is up for a good romp in the dog park.

She put a few more overnight passages under her belt. Checked out new marinas and anchorages and always found the breezy spot on the boat.

And of course, helped keep a watch on the dolphins.

Thanksgiving was spent with family in Tennessee.

A quiet Christmas onboard but there was no way she was sharing her Christmas treat.

Most of the winter was spent at Ortega Landing in Jacksonville, FL were there were plenty of dog friends.

And even more dog friends.

She supervised aCappella's electronics refit and even endured a week in a La Quinta hotel.

There were two trips up the St. Johns River, one requiring her to entertain two Garmin engineers and a magazine writer. A visit to the Outback Crab Shack. An invite to a fellow cruiser's house for dinner. A visit from Castine friends Sue and Bob when aCappella was in Fernadina Beach to attend an MTOA Rendezvous. Almost daily visitors to the boat wanting to say hello.  And two different stops at Cumberland Island.

No wonder this old girl gets tired sometimes.

As we started heading north, another generation of Dyna offspring entered the world as Dyna's great-great granddaughter had her own litter of 7 puppies. What is cuter than a puppy?

A few more stops at marinas and anchorages heading north including several days at Dowry Creek Marina...

and this season's cruising has come to an end. Dyna supervises the projects needed to be done before aCappella can be given a rest for the summer.

Soon Dyna will travel back to Maine for a few months of R&R while she dreams about her next adventures.

Happy Birthday, Dyna!

Using the new Garmin electronics while underway

Here's an introduction to the new electronics and Garmin setup in aCappella's pilothouse.  We'll shoot more videos over time showing specific functions, how they work, and what they look like.

From the Depths of Hell Straight to Heaven

Jeff has this theory that doing an overnight every so often is good for keeping our skills sharp. He's probably right but even in the best of conditions I find it wearing. It usually takes a day after we get in to get back to normal.

So our habit is to simply drop the hook after an overnight and crash. We catch up on sleep, shower, put on clean clothes, and ready ourselves to re-enter civilization.

This trip we would be stopping in at Dowry Creek Marina, ActiveCaptain's number one most consistently highly rated marina. We wanted to be at our best when we met Mary and her crew.

Our plan was to anchor off the Neuse River relax, nap, catchup on emails, have a quiet dinner, sleep in, have a good breakfast, cleanup, and be at Dowry Creek by early afternoon. Well that was the plan.

Our offshore travel gave us an extra push of current throughout the entire 24 hours. When we arrived onshore we realized that we could go another 40 miles and reach Belhaven to reduce our travel on Saturday (notoriously bad due to weekend small boaters). Anchoring in Belhaven would put us less than an hour away from Dowry Creek and even with sleeping in and a leisurely breakfast, we'd be there before noon. It was the perfect plan. Well, almost...

We pulled into Belhaven just before 5 pm having been underway for 36 hours. It's a good anchorage and we had no problem securing the boat in for the night. Right away the heat surrounded us. We looked forward to it cooling off when the sun went down.

By 8 pm the temperature had barely budged below 90 degrees and the mosquitoes began to converge due to the lack of even the slightest breeze. The mosquitoes were tiny, bigger than no-see-ums but smaller than the Maine variety. There were hundreds that left huge welts with each bite and caused a deafening buzz. Our night of hell had begun.

We quickly closed the doors above and retreated below where we had screens on the hatches and tried to settle in for the night. None of the crew was sleeping. Dyna lasted until midnight and then demanded to go above and out on the cockpit looking for relief. The heat was unbearable so we threw open all the doors certain the monsters would eventually recede with the night. We were so naive.

We alternated between huddling under a sheet to avoid the mosquitoes and enduring the bites to cool off. And through it all was the constant buzz. I don't know which was worse the bites or the sound.

By 2 am we were using every tool we could find to waste those little blood suckers - flyswatters, hands, even the vacuum cleaner.

My twin brother is the sort who believes in killing no living thing and will carry spiders, ants, and other creatures out of the house rather than swatting them. I am fairly certain even he would have been swatting and yelling, "Die sucker!"

At some point we all fell asleep from pure exhaustion. Sunrise had never looked better. We hastily ate some cereal and gulped some coffee and prepared to haul the anchor.

So much for arriving at Dowry Creek refreshed and cheerful. 

Fortunately, we were greeted at the dock by very experienced dockhands who knew which way to walk when I asked for a forward spring line. We were quickly snugged into the dock, met Mary, and heard about the Cinco De Mayo dinner that evening.

We've been here 24 hours and it's clear to see why boaters love this place. There's a strong boating community led by Mary and her crew. We've met so many terrific folks. Every night is a party, tonight the boaters are meeting for take out Chinese. We're happy to stay for a few days while we wait for the winds to die and the Norfolk Railroad bridge to open again.

Right now it's heaven on earth!

Slowing Down

Our previous impression of the ICW through Georgia

aCappella draws nearly 6 feet so cruising through parts of the ICW are challenging. We need to depend on tide to get us through numerous shoal areas, carefully planning our departure time and the speed we travel. So we've fallen into the habit in recent years of just heading offshore for certain portions.

Cruising offshore definitely has its charms. On a really good day you glide along on autopilot enjoying the beauty. The person not on watch can read or nap or more likely work on ActiveCaptain data. And we can cover quite a lot of distance quickly. But when NOAA lies (excuse me, when predictions don't prove to match reality) it can be anything but fun.

The last time we cruised the ICW all the way through Georgia and South Carolina was 2005. This cruise we planned on doing another hop from Fernandina Beach, FL to Charleston, SC, an approximately 20 hour overnight. You know from our April 20th post that on our first attempt we didn't even make it out of the inlet. On our second, 5 days later, we found the "predictions didn't match reality" so we bailed out at Brunswick, Georgia and spent the next week traveling the ICW, stopping at ActiveCaptain Sponsors along the way.

Morningstar Golden Isles

First, we stopped at Morningstar Marina Golden Isles. They have a fantastic, long, face dock. It's the perfect thing for entering and leaving easily. We ran into some fellow MTOA'ers and got to meet Harbormaster Chris and Dockmaster Chick, both true professionals. We had a great dinner at the Coastal Kitchen at the top of the dock. And in the morning we found muffins and a newspaper on the back deck. We still can't figure out how they managed to elude our crackerjack security team.

How'd they get through our security?

We then spent a night at anchor so we could time the tide to go to Isle of Hope Marina. What a quaint and beautiful town.

Isle of Hope Marina - another long, easy face dock for transients

The marina facilities at Isle of Hope are great. They have a loaner car so off to the grocery store we went and even mailed some hats. We just happened to arrive on the night of the weekly boaters' potluck supper. We met tons of other boaters and ate really good food. Dyna and Dylan got to have a play-date with the other boat dogs and Dylan met his new love Tillie - see the previous post.

Beaufort, SC - a wonderful place to explore

Our next stop was the Downtown Marina of Beaufort. Beaufort, SC is a town we had visited previously and loved. If anything it was even better than we remembered. Another long face dock for easy access. We met up with several other boaters for a terrific dinner at Emily's where the waitress exuded southern hospitality. Dylan had another tryst with Tillie. We loved just strolling through the town.

Charleston Harbor Marina - Wow

We finally made it to Charleston on Saturday, a week "late." We're staying at the Charleston Harbor Marina which is a beautiful resort marina. Every boater deserves a little pampering now and then. Of course, we love Charleston and have been here many times. But the Charleston Harbor Marina is a real step up from the others. A beautiful pool, whirlpool, nice grounds to walk on, and easy access to Charleston with their free shuttle or the inexpensive water taxi. We've been having a great time.

We left each place with the feeling that we wished we would have stayed longer. So we've been asking ourselves. What's the hurry? Moving inside is fine with the right information - thank you ActiveCaptain contributors - and a small amount of patience. We're rewarded with many wonderful destinations and fun times with other boaters.

So while offshore still has it's charms, we'll also be planning more travels "inside" with longer stops and more destinations. Hey, when you're on your boat, it's all good!

Dylan's new girlfriend...

Springtime in Savannah, Georgia.  Sweet magnolia in the air can only mean one thing - falling in love.  And the bug has bitten Dylan.

First, the meeting.

Her golden brown color.  Her fluffy tail.  But will she play?

Tillie (formal name Tiller) is from Nordic Tug Quest.  Word has it that both boats are heading to Beaufort, South Carolina tomorrow and another play date is scheduled there.

How Great is Dyna?

When we woke up this morning we had a text message with this image attached. Dyna's great-great-great-granddaughter, Sophia, gave birth to her 7th puppy at 6:00 am. 4 girls and 3 boys!

JoDee and I once tried to count how many beautiful puppies Dyna was responsible for but it was too much. You can see our precious girl in her prime on the Birchwood Labrador Retrievers site. The second picture down is Katie:  Dyna's daughter, Tucker's sister, and Dylan's mother.

No surprise to me that our beautiful Dyna produced such beautiful offspring. But if you happen to get one of the girls beware, she has quite a stubborn streak too.

The Most Difficult Turn

There is one turn that is nearly impossible to make on any boat. It doesn't matter if you're power or sail, large or small, one engine or two. Making a 180 degree turn and retreating once you've left the dock or anchorage is difficult. Not necessarily technically difficult, but emotionally difficult.

We've just completed a terrific MTOA Rendezvous held at Fernandina Harbor Marina and had a wonderful time - good meetings, good venue, good marina, and great people. Our plan A was to leave and head offshore for an overnight to Charleston for a stay at the Charleston Harbor Marina - a new ActiveCaptain Sponsor - to visit dear friends, and to get our much needed Charleston fix. Plan B was to divert into Brunswick, GA by early evening if the weather was not good to stay with another Sponsor, Morningstar Marinas at Golden Isles. Plan C was to head back to Cumberland Island and anchor until we could execute Plan A or B.

All week we've been watching the weather forecast. It's hard to remember more confusing or changeable predictions. There's a system coming through mid-weekend and it was never clear from one forecast to the next what we should do.

So we decided this morning we'd throw the lines off and just stick our nose out and see what the conditions actually were. After all, we had some pretty good alternative plans at the ready.

We knew the inlet would be bouncy as we would have current against the wind but the wind wasn't predicted to be terrible - how bad could it be?

As we came around the first bend, I was still on the bow stowing the lines and fenders, I commented to Jeff that it seemed windier than I'd expected. He agreed. And sure enough as we started out the inlet we had a moderate bounce. The captain informed us we had about 20-30 minutes and then we could turn into the ocean and hopefully find calmer seas.

Another 10 minutes and aCappella was bouncing and bucking like a wild stallion. We could hear various items we'd failed to stow finding new locations on the boat, including Jeff's guitar. Fortunately, nothing was damaged.

The kids began to mutiny and the captain wisely said, "We're turning around."

So we're tucked into our favorite anchorage off Cumberland Island. Sunday is predicted to be the worst day, so maybe by Tuesday or Wednesday we'll stick our nose out to sea once more. No matter what, we're on our boat with those we love in a beautiful place. What could be better than that?

Her Chariot Awaits

Dyna will be 14 years old next month. That's like 90-something in people years. Her hearing is mostly gone, her back legs are weak, and who knows about her eyesight...

But she's happy and engaged and she still wants to be a part of it all. She loves dinghy rides and the beach and finding a good smell. She's not ready to sit out any adventures, especially if it involves a dinghy ride.

The last time we were at Cumberland Island we took the dinghy in every morning to take the kids to the beach on the ocean side. It's a beautiful walk through a canopy of old live oak trees draped in Spanish moss. The beach is wide and goes for miles offering the perfect paradise for a Lab. And of course there's always a chance of seeing the wild horses.

As we began thinking about our week here at Cumberland Island, we began wondering how we would get our precious girl the nearly 2 mile walk to and from the dinghy dock to the beach and then back.

Our spoiled girl didn't need to worry. Her dad procured a dock cart from the ranger station and turned it into Dyna's chariot. She quickly learned to just settle down, enjoy the ride, and arrive at the beach ready to frolic.

Farewell Jacksonville

It was with such mixed feelings that we finally threw our lines off at the Marina at Ortega Landing and pointed our bow north. We had stayed there longer than we have ever stayed in one place and it was certainly beginning to feel like "home."

It was sad to leave friends both old and new. Not to mention our personal Publix and many restaurants we came to love. We won trivia night twice at Tom and Betty's and should have won a third time but Jeff, well, that's another story. The whole crew had a wonderful time and we look forward to returning.

But it was time to go.

Our original plans were to leave by the weekend but there was a perfect weather window on Thursday and the weather was falling part after that until next week, so off we went. In fact we were part of a flotilla as Al and Bette on Plane to Sea took advantage of the same window and Paul and Dinny on Carry On used it to calibrate their instruments.

It was a terrific day offshore as we headed to Cumberland Island to anchor for a week. This is most definitely on our list of all time favorite anchorages. The island is wild and beautiful and has the most magnificent beach on the ocean side.

As soon as we rounded the island from the inlet we saw some of Dyna and Dylan's old buddies, the wild horses that live on the island. If you've followed the kids for some time you may remember the up close and personal encounter they had the first time we went ashore on the island. You can see the video here.

It's now Friday afternoon and the winds are starting to howl. Jeff is a little anxious as we had to drop the anchor 4 times before we were satisfied with the holding. It'll be a good test for DragQueen (our anchor alarm for iPhone and Android). We have a few days of poor weather and then the crew will disembark for jaunts on the island and who knows, maybe another meeting with the wild horses of Cumberland Island.

How Many Engineers Does It Take...

It's been a busy week for the kids. Monday two engineering managers from Garmin arrived and more people onboard means more potential for treats, belly rubs, and cuddles. Always a good thing.

We headed back up the St Johns River giving us a chance to delve even deeper into our new electronics with the ultimate experts. They took the opportunity to discover how to improve on their already great products by observing and participating in the trip planning and execution.

Also in tow was a writer from PassageMaker magazine. Fortunately, he had left the boat before the engineers became enthralled with the raising of the anchor. But I had my phone ready and was able to snap them in the act.

It was a fun trip. Good to be moving on the water and even better to be sharing the time with people we really like. Dyna and Dylan were the perfect hosts and look forward to having them visit again. And next time Dylan is hoping Otis will come too.

Painting antennas...

Since every person walking down the dock had the same reaction to this project, "I didn't know you could do that!" I thought it would be a good idea to document it a little.

Many boats like ours have white, fiberglass antennas. Over time the fiberglass starts to come out causing uncomfortable handling as the microscopic shards penetrate skin. And especially at the top of the antennas that bend in the wind, paint flakes off over the years.

About 3 years ago we thought the antennas were starting to look sad and were becoming painful to handle when we needed to lower them for bridges. We decided to have them all replaced as part of the electronics refit.

Then we had the owners of Lambs Yacht Center over to our boat and for some reason, the topic came up. Downing asked a key question: "Are the antennas still working?" Well, yes, in fact they were performing as perfectly as the day we first keyed the mic on any of the radios 9+ years ago. "Then why not just paint them?" he asked.

So I researched it a bit and even on Shakespeare's site they give advice that you can paint the antennas:

http://www.shakespeare-antennas.com/media/faq.asp?c=9&q=17

This would save a lot of money and avoid hassles of running cables through the bases of the arch. I honestly had no idea this could even be done.

So we purchased a quart of Easypoxy white from Defender for about $30. I lowered and disassembled the antenna sections and hung them in reachable areas around the upper deck. After some cleaning and light sanding, 2 coats of the paint were applied. To complete the job, another light sanding should be done and a final coat should be applied - I'll probably let these coats harden well and do that last part at Olverson's in May.

I found that Easypoxy went on better with a normal brush than a foam one.  The brush strokes seem to magically fill in and produce a nice, glossy finish. It all cleans up easily with mineral spirits.

Replacing the 16' VHF antenna and 22' SSB antenna would have cost around $800.  It would have taken about 3-4 hours of effort. Instead, the cost here was about $35 and an easier 3-4 hours of effort (not one curse word).

Unfortunately, the very shiny antennas now show how badly our boat needs waxing! There's a team coming to do that job next week. Then we'll be all shiny and ready to head back north.

A spin around Murphy Creek...

Ahhhhh!

Life at the Marina at Ortega Landing is nice. A few blocks walk to Publix for fresh meat, fruit, anything you might crave. Restaurants nearby. The field where the dogs play with their buddies. There's even a pool and hot tub and a beautiful clubhouse. You're surrounded by fellow boaters who are always ready to get together for cocktails, a walk to dinner, or just to chat or help out. We even have a car!! We'll talk about that in a future entry. To say we have been spoiled would not be an understatement.

We've pretty much been at the dock for 4 months, longer than we have ever stayed in one place before. It has become extremely familiar and comfortable. So we've been wondering, when does it stop being cruising and become a floating condo?

We knew it was time to get away. We needed to do a sea trial of the new equipment and do some calibrations. We'd never explored the St. Johns River. Mostly we wanted to feel like we were cruising again. The big question, would the crew remember what to do?

Friday we finally threw off the lines and headed up the St Johns River. It was a beautiful morning. There was light fog as we headed out the Ortega River. Just enough to let us really test the new radar. Dyna quickly found her bed in its new spot by the starboard door as our new helm chair no longer left room for it under the table.

Dylan still managed to squeeze in between the helm chair and the helm, his safe spot.

The first night we anchored near Six Mile Creek because everyone, and we mean everyone, told us we had to go the the Outback Crab Shack. There's a shoaling spot that prevented us from taking the boat all the way up and staying on their free docks. So we launched the dinghy and had a wonderful 2 mile ride up the creek.

The best part, the kids got to go. Jeff had called and asked - well, begged, really - if we could bring them and sit outside as it was too hot to leave them onboard. "I promise, they'll be really, really good dogs." Really?

The food was good, the atmosphere was unique, there was plenty of leftovers for the next day, and the kids behaved pretty well. All along the docks are signs warning against feeding the alligators. Maybe it's just for the tourists but we kept the kids close just in case.

The next night we went beyond Palatka were the river becomes quite narrow and remote and anchored behind Murphy Island, a spot recommended by some local cruisers and with great AC reviews. It was a creek really but quite deep. There was lush vegetation and we were told we'd see alligators.

We barely had our chairs out on the cockpit before Jeff spotted one sunning on a log. He stayed there for hours but we didn't see any others. We searched on the iPhone to find interesting alligators facts. Did you know they can go for 2-3 years without eating? Don't know if it's really true but it's a cool tidbit. We also found that alligators eat by "lurking." They just hang out somewhere until food happens by and then they grab it. Guess you can do that when you can wait 2 years for supper. Jeff suggested we let Dylan take a swim...

The night was so calm it felt like we were still tied to the dock. We awoke surround by light mist coming up off the water. In Maine we would have called it sea smoke. Don't know if there's such a thing as "river smoke." We imagined there were alligators hiding on the mist as we began our return trip.

Tonight we're anchored in Doctors Lake and tomorrow we pull back to the dock. All systems worked well and the crew passed with flying colors. I guess it's like riding a bike.

Splash!

The schedule was to have aCappella back in the water by 1:30 pm Friday - high tide. We all know the saying about boating and schedules. But I'll be darned if they didn't release the slings at precisely 1:30 pm Friday afternoon. She floated out of the hoist and we were back "home" in the Marina at Ortega Landing slip before 2:00.

We'd hoped to make this entry before now but we spent the weekend putting things back together. At least, as back together as we could given there's still more electronics installation work to be done.

Dyna and Dylan are thrilled to be back onboard and more or less back on their schedule. We are still living in the midst of boxes and dust and workman. But the kids have found their place on the settee and this afternoon Dylan has a playdate with Abbie. What could be better?