Life Sux

It has been a week since our daughter left. We are getting back into our routine, boat jobs, daily living chores, and work.  

Steve fixed a few nicks in our Portland Pudgy dinghy, Putz Sea. Don't get the wrong idea, the PP is very difficult to damage, but it does live a rugged life with us. From time to time it gets dinged up.  

Repairs are manageable, he simply bought a few plastic hangers, heated one with a heat gun, heated the damaged surface and melted the two together.  He then heats a flat tool to smooth the surface. It is as easy as that!

Steve has also been varnishing the cockpit.  After varnishing the caprails he has caught the varnish bug and is slowly tackling the other wood surfaces.  I have to say I prefer it varnish, but it is a lot of work to maintain and I'm certainly not volunteering to assist.  Hahah

I have been spending time at local establishments during the day working online.  I enjoy my alone time off the boat and allowing Steve to do the things he enjoys.. like boat work..

Every morning Steve makes coffee and we sit around reading the daily events on our devices. We have a little breakfast and listen to the morning net on the VHF.  Then he turns the Honda 2000 generator on, that he runs for an hour each day, and watermaker, which he runs for seven hours a day since it makes a little over a gallon an hour. I wipe down seat cushions and surfaces. Then sweep the cabin and bathroom. I then spray the cushions with lysol.. I'm afraid I have become a lysol addict.Then he takes me ashore so I can work and he returns to the boat to do his work.  Doesn't that sound like we are living an exciting life. Hahah

Well I did skip how I wash a load of clothes in two buckets in the kitchen sink twice a week.  And of course there is shopping for groceries. We do that a few times a week.

 Had to sneak in some pics of my lil GMan

We also visit the veterinary.  We have him processing Schooner's Rabies Titer test to complete the paperwork needed for her to receive her EU Passport.  Once it is completed we will head to the Honduran Bay Islands. We expect this to happen around the first of June.

That is all for now folks.. until next time be good to yourself and Others..

We are off the grid

We now make our own water! Yeah! We make our own power and water so basically self sufficient. How awesome is that?

Steve and Schooner Sailing

Friends boat SV Syrinx

My Herbs

Steve has frankensteined a RO watermaker from using one of these survivor 35 desalinator and a motor. It draws very little power and makes about 1.5 gallons an hour. So not a lot but enough. Tastes so good. There seems to be many cruisers using this same system.

At The Reserve Marina

We have enjoyed our time here in Belize.  We don't enjoy the cost but enjoyed seeing old friends and meeting new ones.  We have stuck around Placencia and Sapodilla Lagoon. There is a new marina, well one that has been in developed for years in Sapodilla Lagoon. They have finally opened the bar and store so it makes it a great protected area for cruisers. Oh they also have self serve machines to wash laundry. They have been very welcoming to all of us cruisers.

At Anchor in Placencia

We are heading to Isla Mujeres. Which is one of our favorite locations. Our daughter, Samantha, and her boyfriend are flying in for a visit mid April. We are looking forward to the visit and to finally share our world to one of our kids. Neither of them have ever experienced what our current lifestyle is like. So this will be exciting.  

St Paddy's day parade

They have visited us when living on the boat in a marina before leaving the states. But never have they experienced what life on the hook is like. I have to admit, I am also nervous.  Not sure why I am nervous they already think I am crazy.. hahah

Well I guess that is enough for now. Of course, once again I will have to push my grandson's pictures on you.  Oh and remind everyone that I am freelancing as a remote bookkeeper and virtual assistant, in case anyone is in need of some assistance. You can contact me directly or here.

Remember to be good to yourself and to OTHERS

Powering a Sailboat While Cruising

Easter is rapidly approaching. Are you a grandparent out during prime time cruising season? Are you going to miss your grandchildren giggling and laughing while scrambling to find those precious colorful eggs? How do you find the balance of family and passion?

The internet has change many things for the better.  It is helping travelers stay connected to family and friends during sentimental times by connecting them through videos and chat.  Now you can even go “Live” to share instant moments on platforms such as Facebook and Snapchat.  Traveling Grandparents can watch special moments that parents caught on their phones.

To share in those precious moments you must stay up with technology. You must power the many devices, which can be a challenge while traveling in your home on the water.  This challenge can be  sore spot in many traveling couple's relationship. The constant management of power can be exhausting.  The constant drain on stored energy these devices take can add up fast. Oh and the components needed to transfer that energy.  What the heck is an inverter and why do we need it?

Since all vessels work on DC power like a car the DC power must be converted to AC power to operate most devices.  Inverters are used to convert the power.  Generators are also used to create AC power.  You may also use solar or wind to fill battery banks up then invert the DC power to AC.  You can also simply run the engine to generate the power. Each Captain has their own preference and pocket book to which process they will use on their vessel.  All this work to operate that laptop or phone to watch those precious videos of your grandchildren's first Easter egg hunt.

I know I am one of these grandparents. I too will be missing a very special boy's first Easter egg hunt. I will make sure my devices are charged and my Wi-Fi connection is strong. So you are not alone.

I asked a few groups of travelers.  Many of them expressed their sadness of missing those special moments but felt traveling was worth it. Others felt their fellow travelers were now their family.  Yet others said they were very content with the videos because it shielded them from the drama that sometimes comes with visits with family.  I admit, I am with those people. I dont mind the videos and pictures.

Maybe I can kidnap my GMan one day. Hehe

How do we afford all that traveling

What are we doing and HOW?  We are obviously not at retirement age, and we certainly are not from wealthy families. So how do we afford to just take off and travel for several years? Well all I can do is tell you how we do it, but know there are a ton of others doing it many different ways.

First of all we try to live frugally, which isn’t very difficult when you live on a boat and buying online is almost impossible.  We all know I am an online shopping addict… eeeekkkk  admitting it is the first step to recovery, right?  So it all comes down to food and entertainment.  We normally stay at anchor so that is free.  We cook a lot on the boat because Steve is pretty picky about his food.  Data is our biggest splurge.  We are probably online way more than we should be but it is the thing we indulge in besides food.

We probably spend about $24,000 a year in living expenses and boat maintenance.  So we work to save a few years of living expenses, then leave.  The first time we played until we hit a benchmark we set for ourselves.  When we hit that benchmark, we flew back to the states and were very lucky to find work that filled our bank account up again.  This time we want to do things a bit differently.

We want to do more….  I've written about adding in House Sitting in Europe this next summer.  We would also like to purchase a small truck for future land travel in the summers.  And we want to do all this without going back to working full time and having to stay in one place for such a long time.  It really depresses me.

So how will we accomplish this?  Well we are throwing our hats into the Remote Working Virtual World.  Yes there is such a thing and many already know all about this world.  We have met many of you and were blown away with your imagination and intuitiveness.  We are excited about trying this out and hopefully it will make all our dreams possible.

How do WE plan to work virtually? Well… both of us have always worked from a laptop in some fashion.  We are currently working on figuring out how we can do it while we travel.  Wifi has really opened the world up to everyone.  There are studies that found that workers from remote areas make more productive workers and companies are getting onboard with it. Here are a few interesting articles Remote vs Office Workers

The Benefits of Working from Home

I think we are a good fit for this type of work because it breaks the current template of an ordinary worker and we are experts at breaking out of what is considered “normal”.  We have read several stories of people taking off from the normal societal lifestyle to only return feeling awkward and uncomfortable.  This really started for us before we left because it took so much effort to stay on track and now we long for our fellow traveling friends because they are the only ones that understand us.  

Working remotely in today’s world you really have to throw out everything you every thought was the correct way of applying for a position.  You also have to think completely out of the box.  Today, you search in Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for a position.  You join Facebook and Linkedin groups for your particular industry.  The only thing I have seen that is consistent with the old days is that it comes down to who you know.   So now you must contact them through social media platforms.  You must also stand out….  

So to do that I have started working with this little bundle of energy that is an expert at standing out and she isn’t afraid to tell you what you need to hear.  I found her in a Facebook remote work group.  I watched a live video about women helping other women get jobs in the virtual world and Loved how direct she was… I hunted her down. Luckily she is living in Guatemala right now so I will physically hunt her down if needed.  Hahah  

She has a lot of programs where she helps other women find jobs.  You can find her on Facebook and here is her website.  Remote Like Me

I’m at the age that if I’m going to work I want to do work that I enjoy and am passionate about.  I’m interested in working with Nonprofit Organizations so I am currently researching for organizations that touch my heart.   I am keeping my options open to anything, including teaching English online, or in person.  Working on site is still on the table as long as I’m able to leave when we are ready.  

Steve is a different story.  He is currently concentrating on the boat.  I am going to try to capture all the important information of what he will be doing to Saga Sea when we return for all of you whom are interested.  I also am hoping to get him to write me some articles to put in a NEW monthly newsletter we will send out to followers regarding mostly boat information and living on the boat.  So if you want to receive the newsletter please sign up from the blog.  I am determined to learn all the new ways of today’s media world.  

Well I hope that explains what we are planning to do to keep us out there traveling the world.  We have one week and two days left before we are sleeping in our own bed…  we can’t wait and we appreciate all the help, support and motivation we get from all of you.  We hope we are keeping you entertained and motivated to step out of the box of life.  

I plan to check back in with you all right before we step on that plane.  I have a ton of information about getting your pet approved to travel out of the country.  

OUR DOG PARK CREW

Until next time my friends, be good to yourself and Others.

Coffee Hour with the Crew of Saga Sea 3 Miami Baby

Miami Time

I thought I would take a little time to let you all know what has been going on lately.  October has flown by and we cant be happier about it...

We have been extremely busy this month.  We had a small family gathering for my family that is currently here in Texas.  We all met in New Braunfel, TX  for some river time.  We had great weather, great food and good company.

Ive been steadily completely my TEFL certification (Teach English as a Foreign Language).  I'm at the very end of it the 150 hour program.  When we get back from Miami this next weekend I should be able to complete the final and be done. Yeah!  Then I will need to find a company to work for... help is always appreciated.. hint hint 😊

Currently, as in right this moment, we are lying in an Air B&B room in Miami, Florida.  We drove down yesterday with all the boxes we are putting on a cargo ship for Guatemala.  It is a huge to do item on our list and it feels great to give it a big check mark for completed.  Tomorrow, we are hoping it will be easy breezy then we can head to the beach for some down time.

After it is all completed we plan to hunt down a few other cruisers not far from here in Indiantown Marina.  We hope that goes as we plan..


Well I suppose that is all for now.. hope you enjoy all the pics..

Until next time my friends... be good to yourselves and OTHERS