The Retirement Wake on S/V Imagine

Last November we started making wine on the boat, yes we have a floating winery.   The process and equipment really is not that bad to store and use.  We made three types, a White Zinfandel, Argentina Malbec (my favorite), and a German Liebfraumilch.  We bottled close to 90 bottles and that is a lot of glass on a boat.  So this year we decided to use a collapsible bag that holds 1.5 liter.  We will still actually bottle some to give away like we did last year.  They are great gifts and we even took one to a wine tasting in Galveston.  It was the first wine that ran out with quite a few talking about it. It was funny watching them study the label to find out what winery it came from.           The process is fill a 5 gallon container with the juice and yeast, maintain a tempature between 70-75 degrees and after 7 to 10 days you can rack it (move to the main carboy) for secondary fermentation. The whole process takes about 4 to 5 weeks.  The whites you can drink right after you bottle th

Every since we have had our boat, even before we moved on board fulltime we sleep good on the boat. Our bed is almost a queen size in the aft cabin. However the 4 inch foam that has been there since 1998 is worn out. We had purchased a memory foam topper and that helped for about a year. We knew something had to be done. We talked with other boaters that choose memory foam and it was a fail for them. Doing the same foam again was an option, but we wanted something more like a real mattress. We had heard about a local person who makes custom mattresses. They had a booth at he the Texas Mariners Cruising Associations Spring Fling. The small test mattress they had for display was impressive. We got the information to contact them later. Alesi Handcrafted Mattress started in 1940 when his dad founded Simons Mattress in Houston Texas. They split away doing custom mattress for antiques and other various special circumstances. They ventured off in to marine mattress with this bei

While we work closer to the day of cutting the dock lines and cruising off to our dream, we are slowly but surely checking off our boat projects.  Most of us who have boats always have a project, and always will.  Our Catalina 380 has a decent size refrigerator, but a tiny freezer unit.  We have a large icebox we used to store "stuff". (All the stuff you thought you would use on the boat when you made the down size to the boat, but never did.   The stuff which was given away or placed on the if you want it take it table at the marina. The project is an Engel ice boxy conversion kit..  The kit says it will bring down a 50 quart area down below zero.  The ice box was a little larger than 50 quarts, so with some modifications, we have a pretty decent size freezer for a boat.  The unit is super simple to install and runs on 110 or 12 volt and detects which power it has.  Initial power up pulls about 5 amps but drops down to about 3 amps wyhen on DC.  With some insulation and

Captain's Log TMCA Spring Fling 2016 Pleasure Island Texas The crew of S/V Imagine has maintained a vessel that is ready to sail.  Even still being attached to a dock while we work and finish projects until she is ready to cast the lines off.  We have done extensive sailing in Galveston Bay, completed a trip to nowhere into the gulf, but so far no passage in the gulf.  There is an annual trip called Spring Fling from our area to Port Arthur Texas. We were able to log 110 miles offshore in the 2 trips.  Yea I know, but it was a start with 2 different types of days.  One had very confused seas, and the other was a laid back sail.   Pleasure Island history: The U. S. Corps of Engineers created Pleasure Island from deposits dredged while constructing the Port Arthur Canal, completed in 1899, and the Sabine Neches Intracoastal Waterway, completed in 1908. In 1913 a dance hall and roller coaster were constructed.  In 1941 a private investor built the Pleasure Pier Ballr

What a cruise to NOWHERE!  Yes, we are going nowhere was the theme.  We had no specific destination, but to the Gulf of Mexico.  The winds were our guide, fair as they might have been they took us to nowhere in particular.  It was great experience to navigate down Galveston Bay, out of the Houston Ship Channel and into the Gulf of Mexico for the day.  I know how bad can that be, but with the Houston Ship Channel being one of the busiest ship channels in the US it requires some skill and caution. For some it was the first time in the Gulf, and others just another trip.  We jump on every opportunity to go somewhere even if it turns out to be nowhere.  The winds were fair in the Gulf, but we did maintain about 5 knots. The return we stopped over for the night at Laguna Harbour, just east of Galveston Tx.  It is a housing development with a developer who likes boaters.  Yea eat your heart out Florida Boaters!  They have areas for us to tie up, plug into electricity for free.  We went t

On S\V Imagine we try our best to keep her ready to travel, and we  have succeeded at that goal.  The other is to be as self sufficient as possible on fixing or improving our boat.  There are some things that are beyond our technical realm so we hope our other skills have a barter value in the future. The canvas on Imagine is slowly giving out, and we have acquired a sailrite machine to tackle the job.   I have ZERO experience in sewing, however Carol was 1982 FHA sewing with cotton winner for the state of Louisiana. Plus her mother who owns a quilt shop, teaches sewing did an outstanding job teaching this skill to her daughter.  It is a art that is fading away with a lot of the younger generation.  The Sailrite videos are AWESOME!  We followed the steps and really had to make only a few alterations and we are happy with the outcome.  Our next job will be the bimini, then the dodger. This is Carol measuring and marking the layout of the sailpack. (we discovered the cleaning cr

A big part of moving onto the water and living on our boat, and living the cruising lifestyle. We want to experience the areas we travel in.  To learn the culture, food, sports, music, etc.. We also want to make an impact on the areas we are in even if it is a small thing. To leave a positive wake behind our vessel and travels. While still in Kemah I kept seeing Capt. Dave across the pier from us take out children, adults, some appeared to have noticeable disabilities, some were not.  We asked him what or who he was involved with.  Myself being a huge sceptic in Non-Profits (mainly because most the money never really makes it to the person we want it to have an affect on) so I am very cautious on what I involve myself with.   Capt. Dave told me about Sailing Angels, and I was hooked.   100% of the money is involved with the people they serve.  100% volunteer!  http://www.sailingangels.org/ They have taken children out with various disabilities, children at risk, battered women, wou

South Texas can have some really nice cruising days in February.  You can tell it is going to be a great weekend when we see all the cars coming in on a Friday night into the marina with all the weekenders.  For us it is just another day living the life the only way we know how to.  We really try to keep the boat ready to go, and gain all the experience we can from each trip we take.  We did get a late start, but made great time getting down to Red Fish Island.  The wind was perfect for a good sail and we did not have to adjust anything after we got the course set and sails set.  It was really nice to feel the wind in the sails and enjoy not hearing a motor run.  We get to Red Fish anchor out with our MANTUS  anchor, and dinghy over to Mr. Happy which is a 65 foot Johnson that a Doctor has.  She is very proud of her "Johnson"!  They sponsored the party and had margaritas, and Mexican food.  Five boats decided to stay the night, with mild weather predicted, why not. After dark

We love to attend Mardi Gras, and we have always gone back to Louisiana to some small ones were my wife grew up.  Rumors were strong that Galveston has a pretty good parade, and they DO!  It is only about a 40 minute drive with minor traffic, but I figured with Mardi Gras comes food and some adult beverages.  So we decided for a sail to Galveston and stay at Pelican Rest Marina for the night.  Hitch a ride with some over our TMCA friends and we have a weekend! This is Imagine pulling out of Portofino Marina, and you can notice there is no wind, glass conditions, so the ole westerbeast will have to provide the power on this trip.  I tried once out in Galveston Bay to put the sails up, with no luck. Once we get into the Bay what a great view of the sun coming up. The forecast was for 40% chance of rain, and we got that at 0530 then we were left with a beautiful day.  Temps were a bit cool upper 40's then warmed to about Mid 50's by the time we arrive

When we were still dirt dwellers, we mowed grass, weeded flower beds, raked leaves etc.  Not that I minded that to much, I enjoyed it when our yard was all trimmed, green, and had flowering plants.  It was relaxing to sit back, and enjoy the view looking at the lake. Something was missing in our life.  Our need to move, travel, seek adventure. Living on the boat, yet still tied to the dock we do have the freedom to move.  Being involved with  TMCA here in Texas keeps us moving and active.  Our promise to keep the boat ready to sail is still being accomplished.  It only takes a few minutes and we can take off.  Hopefully we get to make the big jump to full time cruising next winter if things go well.  After the elections it might be time to get the heck out of town. Check out TMCA!   http://www.texasmariners.com/   So yesterday since the days are starting to get a bit longer and we have a warm day in the low 70's it is time to do some chores. I am going to wash the boat