I’m beginning to think our home port should be changed to Ft. Lauderdale since we seem to spend so much time here.  This isn’t because it’s our favorite place, but it is where we tend to get repairs made or lately to wait to have work done.  We spent all last cruising season, November through May, in Ft. Lauderdale and Miami, waiting to get Seas the Day converted from a hybrid propulsion system to twin 40 hp diesel engines.  We couldn’t come to an agreement with Lagoon, so in June we returned to Charleston for the 2011 hurricane season and then came back here this November.  We now have a date for the work to be done and it should begin on March 19.  While we are excited to finally get a new reliable propulsion system, the late date is somewhat disappointing as we will miss most of this cruising season.  However, if all goes well, we will leave for the Bahamas as soon as the conversion is completed and we’ll spend two months in the Bahamas.

While we liked the idea of the hybrid, we had too many problems with it and finally came to the conclusion that for a variety of reasons it was time to remove the hybrid system and install twin diesel engines.  Other work we plan to have done in the next few months are installing solar panels, getting the mast cut down so we can get under the 65 ft. bridges on the ICW and getting the bottom painted

While we were in Charleston last year, we had our salon cushions recovered in ultraleather. We also had a sunscreen enclosure made.  Besides providing shade and lowering the temperature inside the cockpit and salon, it affords us privacy.  During the day it blocks the view into the cockpit and even at night with interior lights turned on the screens block clear views of the inside. We are still able to see out, however.

In Charleston we purchased kayaks and took paddling lessons.  We’ve been using them on the New River and are looking forward to taking them to remote areas in the Bahamas.  A purchase we didn’t plan on was new bikes.  In December, someone came to our slip, cut through two very good chain locks and stole our two Dahon folding bikes.  It happened around midnight but the bikes were locked to a fence under a bright light.  Someone walking their dog saw a man riding down the street on one of our bikes with the other under his arm and called the police, but they were never found. 

A few days after I returned from Duluth, we drove to Orlando and spent the week before Christmas at Disneyworld with my daughter Jennifer.  December is always a fun time to be there as the decorations are festive and there are special productions for the holidays.  In the photo Jennifer and I are on “New York Street” at Hollywood Studios surrounded by the “Osbourne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights.” Millions of holiday lights covering the building facades are synchronized to holiday music. Another favorite of ours is the “Candlelight Processional” at Epcot. The Christmas story is read by a celebrity while a filled stage of choirs sing Christmas songs.  This year, country singer Trace Atkins narrated the story on the night we were there.   The weather was unusually warm for Orlando with temperatures in the high 70’s all week which helped make it even more enjoyable for me, having just spent a month in Duluth. 

We now have several months in Ft. Lauderdale to get some things done before the boat is hauled out for the conversion.  Anyone who has been on Seas the Day lately knows that we have way too much “stuff.”  There isn’t room to move things out of the areas where the work will be done, so we rented a storage unit for a few months.  We’ve moved boxes of items we aren’t using, clothes we aren’t wearing, etc., into the unit.  Even though we have ample storage space on board, some of the “stuff” had been stacked on top of the two guest beds and in the two guest bathrooms.  Now we actually have two beds for guests and bathrooms for them to use!  Of course, the problem will return if we move all of these items back on the boat.  Perhaps it’s time for some donations to Goodwill.