Author: David

Eileen and I spent a month at Cooper Island during COVID restrictions in the BVI’s. If you wanted to move, you first had to contact the local Police constable who would authorize your movement on a specific day. We decided to stay put at Cooper Island as it was a beautiful spot with only a few other boats in an anchorage that typically has 45 boats all on mooring balls. We considered ourselves lucky to be able to enjoy a typically very popular spot in relative solitude. Turtles swam by our boat everyday, and the snorkeling was fantastic! I guess that is one positive COVID experience……

After a few days of sailing, we made it to the Bahamas and cleared into the country at Green Turtle Cay.

Next, we continued on to Marsh Harbour where we picked up Jessica and Lauren who spent a week with us sailing the Abacos!

Here are a few photos of our fantastic week in the Abacos!!

We are FINALLY starting our adventure! Headed to the Bahamas on Sunday! It has been a bit more involved with the boat than expected, but we are leaving! If you want to follow along, we will have tracking enabled at the following address: tracking.redportglobal.com/anonymous/Raven
You can see our current position in Florida, but the real fun begins Sunday May 12, 2019 (about 3pm west coast time).

PS – You can also go to the map page and click the link!

We are having quite a bit of work done to Raven, and it is coming along nicely. Here are some of the things being done to her. We are looking at moving aboard the end of January if all goes well! That’s in just a few weeks!!

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I am actually beginning to believe we will be living aboard our beautiful floating home in just a few weeks! Can’t wait!!!

Our wonderful new home now resides at the Harbour Towne Marina in Dania Beach where she is being outfitted for liveaboard cruising!! I’ll take photos as her new systems get installed!

Yep, if you visit us aboard Raven, you will receive (a little bribe here!) our one of a kind Raven crew t-shirt!!

Raven was launched October 2, 2018 at the factory in South Africa. Here are a few photos of this big milestone!!

Well, production delays at Leopard have pushed back our delivery date to November 15th! I am back in California (round trip first class airfare compliments of Leopard Catamarans!!) and am back to working on our Aptos remodel. I have acquired a drone and, while not hammering nails or swearing at uncooperative door jambs, I am trying to improve my flying and photography skills. For your enjoyment:

Here are a few photos of where I have landed in Ft. Lauderdale: Topeekeegee Yugnee Park (a Native American named park). This seems fitting as I used to live near a  federal campground in California named Waa Kaa Luu Hep Yo (also a Native American named park).

I’ll give a quick updated synopsis of my solo trip east:

(Unfortunately Eileen is staying behind to complete our Aptos Remodel )

Day 1 Saturday August 4, 2018 – Hathaway Pines to Coso Junction Rest Stop in California – 307 Miles. Narrow Hwy 4 (about 1 1/2 lanes wide!) was packed with cars! Most cars I have ever seen on this stretch of road! Made for a challenging drive with a 5th wheel trailer! Temp through the Mojave Desert was 115 F. Glad my AC works!

Day 2 Sunday – Slept in until 7. Breakfast of cereal, yogurt, banana, AND OJ!! Made 480 miles today. I passed under lots of high tension power lines. I’m sure I have contracted some sort of electrical anomaly now. Would have gone on longer, but:

Made it to Flagstaff Arizona where I spent the night at Black Barts RV Park because I was kicked out of the Walmart parking lot with about 5 other rvers! We get no respect! Im not a Walmart advocate now!! Getting new tires tomorrow, Oh Joy!

Day 3 Monday – Tire purchase day! Looks like I will be adding 4 new tires to the trailer. Did not expect this, but I guess  peace of mind is priceless. Will be spending one more night at Black Barts RV Park. Did some tool shopping and looked for a wheel cover for the trailer wheel (I left it in the Walmart parking lot!). Cleaned up the trailer and spent some time organizing the interior. Having lasagne for lunch. Up early tomorrow to pack up and get the new tires at 0900.

Day 4 Tuesday – 

New tires! Now on to Ft. Lauderdale….,,.

Days 5 and 6 – Thank goodness nothing much to report! Lots of miles and sleeping next to big rigs at free rest stops!!

Day 7 – Weiner’s Mobile Home Park! I missed the office closure by 15 min. and they don’t open again ’till Monday! Upon asking a gentleman in the park if he knew of a number I might call, he responded with “Hey man, I don’t sell drugs!”  Haha, I thought immediately of the Wizard of Oz and Dorothy telling Toto that “We’re not in Kansas any more!”….welcome to Ft. Lauderdale! I responded with “Not looking for any, thanks! He didn’t know of an office number, so I decided on plan B. Don’t stay at Weiner’s Mobile Home Park!! Pictures of where I landed tomorrow!

Well after all the dreaming, wishing and planning it’s really happening!!!! It’s been a two year journey to see this adventure be almost ready to push off. Yes, we are not there yet and at times I believe we both had questions if we were really going to do this. First it started with the question of… (cue Talking Heads Song, Once in a Lifetime) “And you may ask yourself.. How do I work this? And you may ask yourself Where is that large automobile? And you may tell yourself.. This is not my beautiful House! and this is not my beautiful wife (okay hold up there! so far so good there). Our once beautiful house now belongs to Bob and Nancy as of last summer, along with most, but not all of our worldly possessions. From there we have bought the shotgun shack, which sometimes we fondly refer to as the crack house or our chunk of coal that gets shinier every day.

So… our Shotgun Shack is Aptos/SeaCliff, California we have been living among the dust, dirt and grime that comes with construction. We are now on the home stretch to complete the project and almost ready to have it rented out, so when we return from the BIG Adventure we will have something to return to and would still be able to live in California. Even though most days have been a lot of back breaking work, it’s been fabulous to be by the sea, take time to ride our bikes, do hot yoga, walk down to the beach, walk down for ice cream, spend time with family and friends. Well what can we say… retirement is hard work, and hard play. And we have been making the most of being here. It’s going to be hard to disconnect from here when it’s time.

So for tomorrow, David will be saying the last of goodbyes to family and friends and it is now time. Then, next step by the end of next week David will be hooking up that large automobile and headed to Florida with the 5th wheel; which soon will be our new tiny house to live in for about two months while the boat is delivered and we have additional work done. By October we should have the 5th wheel and the truck sold off, and moving on to our new floating home.

As for me well.. I am staying behind for one more month completing the chunk of coal, let’s hope it looks like a diamond by the end of August. The plan is to meet David in Florida and start really enjoying the retired life, which hopefully will look like, less work, more play and more time for my bike.

Still seems a bit off, but it’s really happening! Stay tune for David’s travel across the country! Hopefully he won’t blast all the way to Florida and will enjoy some of the trip and see a few sites along the way. Although I know he is really excited to get to Florida he might not be able to take the road less traveled.