Over the weekend, Jereme and I decided to take a little inventory of our life jacket situation aboard s/v LAHO.
It’s probably because we recently ordered two Stearns sospenders automatic vests , and will soon be ordering PLB’s (personal locator beacons) and tethers/jacklines before we officially set sail to round out our safety gear. So, I guess safety was just top of mind this weekend. 😉
We cleaned out one of our cockpit lockers and sorted through the bevy of jackets stuffed down in there. Turns out, we had nine life jackets on hand (not counting Oliver’s new vest)!
^^ta-da!^^
We decided to keep all but one…so a pretty crappy looking jacket got tossed. Now we have a nice even eight life vests on board.
We thought the life jacket frenzy was over UNTIL… Jereme pulled out an awesomely stinky 2-piece wet suit from the depths of our locker! Can you say, surprise wet suit!!! 😉
I’m guessing the suit is circa 1997 or so, and probably has been tucked away in the locker ever since. Jereme, of course, had to try on the stinky suit (or at least the jacket half). And it fits like a glove!
You better believe we brought that bad boy home to give it a good wash… or three. It stinks! If anyone has a good tip on how to get bilgy-boat stank out of a nylon wetsuit, please let us know. (But we are definitely keeping this suit since we don’t already own one — it could come in handy one day!)
Before we could pack up the suit to bring home, Oliver made sure to cozy up to it and create a nice, stinky little nest for himself while we completed a few more boat projects. …He got a wash later on too. 😉
>>Thanks for visiting LAHOWIND sailing blog! We’d love for you to get to know us and follow our story as we attempt to navigate a whole new world of sailing.
…Learn more about us and our sailing + cruising adventures.
We’ve gone from handy dandy on this boat to artsy fartsy!
After falling off the wagon last year and basically throwing in the towel at week 20ish because I just had WAY too much going on, I’ve decided to give Project Life another go in 2014! Let’s face it…this year is sure to be one for the record books, so I definitely want to document it to the max. Plus, I’m hoping to have much more free time once we officially set sail! 😉
Project Life is basically just a modified way of approaching scrapbooking/memory-keeping. It’s meant to be a much more casual approach to documenting the everyday. I LOVE the concept behind Project Life, and how it easy it makes organizing your photos and memories. And luckily, it can be done either digitally, the traditional paper way, or a combo of both! Last year, I opted for a combo method, but this year I’m going ALL digi.
^^Project Life 2014 Week 1 Spread^^
As for my personal approach to Project Life, I’ve adopted a ‘weekly’ 2-page, 12×12 digital format for my layouts. You can purchase the digital templates here. My PL weeks run Monday thru Sunday. I’ll keep everything (photos, scrap paper, journaling, etc.) digital since, hello, we will be living on a boat and probably don’t have enough storage space for actual albums/page protectors/supplies, not to mention where the heck would I get my prints made while we’re island hopping through the Caribbean?
After all 52 weeks in 2014 are complete, I’ll be able to print the full year of spreads as one bound album. As you can imagine, my spreads are very photo heavy. And since I’m going digital only this year, they will include lots of digital brushes/stamps and journaling too (all done in Photoshop of course). My all-time favorite PL inspiration comes from my super crafty sister, Susan. I also love love love Ali Edwards brushes and use them quite religiously (probably a little too much perhaps). I also find lots of other great PL inspo on Pinterest and Instagram (#ProjectLife).
My 2014 Cover Page is done (for now — but chances are I might end up modifying this later on), as well as my Week 1 Spread. I utilized several elements from the Jade Project Life Kit this time around…these colors seem to work well with our photos AND our boaty lifestyle.
2014 COVER PAGE:
^^i kept the cover page super clean and simple this year with one main image.^^ WEEK 1 LEFT SIDE:
WEEK 1 RIGHT SIDE:
Here’s to hoping I can get through all 52 weeks this year!
>>Thanks for visiting LAHOWIND sailing + cruising blog! We’d love for you to get to know us and follow our story as we attempt to navigate a whole new world of sailing and cruise through the Bahamas + Caribbean.
…Learn more about us and our sailing adventures.
Things are really taking shape around here! We might actually be able to cut those proverbial dock lines and set sail one day (soon). 😉
You might remember our original boat project list from way back in June, and then our first list update in October.
Well, our current and pending boat projects somehow seem to be winding down (yay!), yet still seem simultaneously overwhelming (boo).
However, we have made a conscious decision to try our darndest to not add any major projects to our list (which is surprisingly pretty difficult to do — note the additions at the bottom of this post). We know there will always be improvements and upgrades we could make to the boat (and sink our $$$ into), but after our list below is complete, we really don’t “need” anything else. We want to freaking cruise people! Not work on boat projects for the rest of our lives. 😉
^^maybe we can finish the majority of our list so we can do more of this.^^
I am happy to report that items #15, #21, #22, #24, #39, and #46 have now been scratched off and marked complete!!! And items #26+27 are in the works. The only big ones left are installing solar panels, fixing our tridata, and replacing our fridge.
Here’s where the list stands…
Flares & flare gunCheck fire extinguisher expiration dateShower curtainFloat switch bilge pumpExtra bilge pump under quarter-berthWine bottle holder affixChange boat nameRegistration sticker dinghyMaroon paint for boat stripeLight bulbs- Fix shelf/cabinet in head
Wing nut drawer guides quarter-berthSized rope with clasp for ladderStereo speakersNew fenders *Ordered ones sized more for a cruise ship than a 37ft. sailboat, and had to return them. Fun times shipping those back. Not!- Charts — Florida/Bahamas
Chafe protection for anchor linesFix hatch latch on anchor lockerPropane tanks and locker claspClean raw water strainerChange oil; oil filters *This was part of our engine overhaul + maintenanceFiberglass 4th side of engine oil catch tank *never actually did this, just decided it was unnecessary. Jib sail needs restitchingGenoa furling drum serviced *Dunzo! Read about it here.- Crack in bobstay
- Bow port window leak *We received our new portlights! “Install” is at the top of Jereme’s to-do list.
- Quarter-berth port light *We received our new portlights! “Install” is at the top of Jereme’s to-do list.
Overhead hatch leaking *Jereme has decided to do this also on our other (forward) overhead hatch.- Autopilot needs to be fixed
Fix/replace water tankService seacocks- Spreader lights
Soft spot on anchor lockerCockpit LED lightsToilet/vent for waste- Fix wind instrument/tridata
- Enhance anchor/chain; check what exists
Wax boat *never actually did this, just decided it was unnecessary. Oil leaks from timing gear *This was part of our engine overhaul + maintenance- Install solar panels, charge controller, and inverter
Replace plumbing to headFix shower sump pumpWaterproof canvas top- Fix/replace refridgerator
- Replace reef and topping lift sheaves
Bathroom sink faucetRebed chainplates in head- Install WiFi booster (new item)
- Replace dinghy valve and address minor leak (new item)
- Replace all the running rigging (new item)
- Replace the corroded windlass circuit breaker fuse and battery wire terminal lugs (new item)
- Maintenance on dinghy outboard motor (including carburetor cleaning) (new item)
Jereme kindly informed me that he added a few items to the list, but these have been completed. Thank god!
- Epoxied wood blocks to the transom for hose supports
- Sanded the floor board hatch edges (that were jammed)
- Tightened the dinghy davit supports
- Removed the plastic pipe covers from the standing rigging
- Replaced all the cotter pins with cotter rings
- Added new rubber end caps on our swim ladder legs
- Replaced hatch spring on our nav station
- Replaced all our dock lines
Keep your fingers crossed that we can get everything done in the next three to four weeks and meet our goal of setting sail by the end of January (or at least be ready to set sail around that time — weather is another issue).
So good to see you!
For me, 2013 will forever be a year to remember. So many decisions made, so many new people met and new places visited, and so many boat projects completed. There are truly so many things we are grateful for in 2013…
We bought our first sailboat. Jereme took and passed the ASA sailing courses. It was my busiest year to date for the photo biz. We had plenty of fabulous times with family + friends. Oliver somehow got even cuter (had to throw that in). We quit the rat race (aka our jobs)! And we made our cruising plans for 2014 super official! Two thousand thirteen was pretty darn great to us.
I’ve really loved sharing bits and pieces of our lives here on this bloggity blog of ours, and your support and kind words along the way have meant so much to us…so thank you!
But as the holidays come to a close, and we sail into 2014 (so to speak), we are super excited for what the New Year has in store!
Here’s to 2014 being filled with lots of sunshine, love, laughter, and amazing experiences! (And pretty photos to document it all!)
Bring it on 2014! We love you already.
Happy New Year! xo.
Posted in Boat Life, Other, Sailing Blog, Sailing LoveTags: 2013, 2014, Cruising Blogs, Cruising the Caribbean, Happy New Year, LahoWind, Sailing Blog, Year in Review
- The pelicans down at the beach by the Naples Pier have been a tad too friendly lately. ^^This guy^^ decided to poke around inside my camera bag the other day while I was shooting a family photo session. Not cool pelican, not cool.
- Okay, I’m starting to get jealous. Jealous of all the folks already cruising. We are SO close, I can almost taste it!
- Speaking of being “almost ready,” can we please talk about the fact that Jereme only has 8 days of work remaining?!! But who’s counting? 😉 I, on the other hand, will be dutifully working (2 jobs, 3 technically – but that’s another story) until we are ready to leave. Blah.
- Look at all the fun birthday loot Jereme scored on Sunday! (I cheated and just bought his Amazon cart, plus the Chris Parker weather book. So much for surprises.) PS – Thanks to SailFarLiveFree and Art of Hookie for two product recs!
- I am super pumped to start using my new Kindle Paperwhite! I cannot remember the last time I actually had time to read.
- It’s resolution time people! Besides switching up our massive holiday carbloading eating habits, I’m still working on my resolution for 2014. What’s yours?
Happy Happy New Year! Cheers to what I suspect will be a pretty darn fabulous 2014!
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Great pic of Oliver! He is just too cute.
I wonder what other treasure is buried away on you boat awaiting discovery.
We are both divers and the best way to get the smell out of a wet suit is to use it. The good thing is it doesn’t smell underwater. Once it is used – a fresh water wash and sun dry will help. This also works for a wet suit that has a mildew smell. It may take a few uses to go away.
Mark and Cindy
s/v Cream Puff
http://www.creampuff.us
Thanks for the great tip on the wet suit Mark+Cindy!!! I’ll have to make Jereme wear it a few times to get the smell out. 😉 -Kim
Looks like you’re ready to get out on the water with some friends to use all those lifejackets 😉
Your pictures are absolutely gorgeous, and Oliver is just a little ham 🙂 So photogenic!!
-jody