October 28,2010

Primer

sanding before painting

 new paint

On Oct 13th and Oct 25th the aluminum posts got some much needed attention. This was a family effort and everyone participated. This work included clearing off the aft deck, sanding and scraping the posts. Then painting on a coat of primer and then painting one to two coats of brightside polyurethane. The posts sparkle now!

Oct 28, 2010

So our biggest project to date has been the installation of our new aft head. Andrew and Jay spent 2 days working on installing new black water tubing,replacing a broken Y valve, cutting starboard to cover all of the old holes in the fiberglass, as well as working on all of the wiring required for our fancy flushes. Andrew spent a third day to actually get the head installed. I am very thankfully for all of their hard work. They both did an excellent job!! I am proud of both of them.

Electric panel

Andrew and Jay working

Elizabeth installing the flush panel

Jay hard at work

New Head

sump pump Oct 9, 2010

Andrew and Sabastian had some not so much fun work in removing the sump pump under the forward stateroom bed. We noticed that the forward shower was not draining properly and decided to investigate the issue. We had to remove all of the bedding to get to where the sump pump was located. Sabastian climbed down into the bilge area and started to remove the screws. When the smell got to strong Andrew took over. The pump was successfully removed and then we were off to Hurd's Hardware to locate a new pump and switch. The installation of the new pump and switch went well and now the forward shower drains properly.

VA Boating Safety Course Oct 16, 2010

The VA Boating Safety course book covered know your boat, before getting underway, operating your boat safely, the legal requirements of boating, boating emergencies what to do,  and finally, enjoying water sports with your boat. We woke up early on Saturday to head down to the Mathews County Rescue Squad to take our test. We watched videos and had an answer question segment after each chapter. The class began at 8:30am and the test began at 2:45pm. The kids finally finished with some help around 5:00pm.  The test was an open book multiple choice test. The power squadron that was supervising the class was very patient with the kids who needed a little extra help  in some of the areas. All four of us successfully passed the VA Boating Safety course! We are all now legally certified to drive the boat.  Now we have to put our knowledge to the test and do our best to follow the rules of the road.

Sabastian's Entry on Va Boater's Test

I had a boating test on 10/16/10. You had to watch little videos and answer questions and you had to sit in your seat for more than an hour. We left our boat at 7:00am and stayed until 5:00pm. It was long and boring but I passed and got my boating certificate. Now I am legal to drive a boat. I liked chapter 6 best of all it was about having fun and being safe on the water.

Paisley's entry on VA Boating Class

Early one morning I woke up and went to the VA Boaters test. The class had to go over the booklet and after that I took the test. Everybody passed including me. I never have to take the test again because the card is good for life. My favorite chapter is chapter 6. It was about having fun on the water like fishing, hunting, and jet skiing.

Paisley's entry on life on a boat

My version of life of living on a boat. When I wake up I eat breakfast. At 9:00am I have school until about 2:00pm. After school we have fun like listening to a cool story on tape or maybe watching t.v. but the funnest thing to do is to swing on the rope. Do you want to know why it is the funnest thing to do? I will tell you. Because you get so close to the water but never go in the water.

October 5, 2010

Last week we had lots of wind and rain. The temperature outside was in the mid 80's so the rain did not feel bad at all. We had a tropical storm coming up from the south and it took 4 days for it to pass us by. On Thursday the wind and rain was at its peak. We were under a tornado warning from the hours of 7am until 1pm. As the wind and rain picked up in the morning the kids and I added 3 extra lines to the boat and filled up our fresh water tank as precautions. Sabastian raced down our dock and over to B dock to catch our neighbors cooler which got picked up from the wind and caught it with a net. He also caught Paisley's raincoat which went flying by as well. During the rescue of Paisley's raincoat he lost his net and had to go get another net. So after it was all said and done Sabastian rescued 3 items from the water. It was a very successful morning.

Sabastian's Entry #4

I am living on a boat. I will tell you why i do and do not like to live on a boat. I like to was and rinse the boat. Also, I like to tie knots. I really like to go fishing. I do not like to do the dishes.

Sabastian's Entry #3

My favorite job is to make knots. First, I think it is fun and entertaining. Next, it helps in a part of tying up the boat. Finally, it is cool to learn trick knots. I have already learned to tie the French Hand Cuffs. That is why i like to do knots.