BS1 11 – November

I am a few days late posting for November (I’m backdating this post for archives sake), however I have several very good reasons for being late which I believe you’ll agree are valid if you’ve been following along with us in near real time via our Instagram and/or Facebook posts. This was a big month, and it’s only given way to an even bigger one! The typical holiday season, eh?

 

Admittedly during the first half of November I really wasn’t able to post much as I was busy completing the main saloon facelift with two weeks straight of sanding, adding 2 coats of primer and 2 coats of paint (properly cured between re-coats), and William installed all of the floor and stair trim and laid the new oiled soapstone laminate we chose to cover the old (baby blue, 80’s) tile around the upper backs of the saloon settee surfaces.

 

 

*Vent On*

We wanted Corian countertops for both the galley and the head. Months ago we made all the plans, got all the measurements, requested estimates, and then tried to place the orders well ahead of time, except we were informed that the delivery times had changed and the absolute best anyone could do (on even our smallest project) would be at least 6 months (or more) out from the original delivery time we were expecting (and when I say delivery, I mean finished product ready for pick up as we intended to pick up and install the counters ourselves). This was unacceptable. We had already planned to be gone by that time. Well gone. And we are not willing to stay. So, after quite some consideration and searches for alternative solutions, concessions had to be made. Possibly only temporary, but it is where we are. This has changed our design a bit as we needed to add wood trim lipped edges to the Formica surfaces instead of the smoothly uniform all-in-one marine edged Corian tops, but aesthetically it will be fine. And if we weren’t upset about it no one would even know the difference, but it’s not what we originally planned and we needed to vent.

*Vent Off*

 

Rain was in the forecast mid-month but with only a month and a half left on our slip lease (and a week-long trip pending out of that time), we couldn’t afford to stop working so we turned our attention to the next biggest projects we could do indoors. For William this meant he got to begin tackling the galley, while I began preparing templates and ordering materials to work on a few more of our most necessary projects (mainsail cover, lazy-jacks, cockpit cushions, hatch covers, etc.).

 

On the morning of the 19th we dropped the boys for their reservations at the local pet resort and spa and hit the road to Daytona Beach for the night before heading on to our final destination in Miami and our cruise aboard Virgin Voyages waiting ship, The Scarlet Lady. This was the cruise we had scheduled when Covid struck in 2020 and all cruises were delayed as the world went into lockdown. The cruise we were so excited about; going to two new ports, with no one under 18 onboard, and no tipping. Plus as part of their special holiday gifts this year they added an extra $400 to our bar tab. It was well worth the wait.

 

Most of you already know the golden rule that what happens on the ship, stays on the ship so I won’t relay anymore detail than I’ve already shared on other social media, but I will say that by day 2 we were loving it so much that we booked another 8 day cruise for 2023. Yes, read that again and let it sink in. We now live and travel on a boat, and we still booked again! We were loyal to Royal for 20+ cruises, and now we are forever Virgins. Sir Richard is definitely doing something right!

We spent Thanksgiving in Bimini and disembarked back in Miami on the 25th (Black Friday), stopping again in Daytona for our usual Flea Market run and another nice overnight before making our way North on the 26th with another (pre-planned) stop at Sailor’s Exchange in St. Augustine to break up the drive along the way. Somehow, thanks to the Waze app we avoided a lot of the after-thanksgiving travel traffic and managed to make it back to North Myrtle Beach / Little River in record time all things considered and it was a pleasant leisurely drive!

 

We have now been home for a week. We are in crunch-time. The galley is, erm… 65% finished? 60%? All the important bits that have to be in before we leave are in, that is what is important. The refrigeration units have been moved/installed, the sink has been moved and accommodations made to fit the new water purification/filtration system (and spout) and both it and the new inverter microwave/convection oven have been installed. Oh, and the new Formica countertops and backsplash, and faucet too. We weren’t planning to change out the faucet but that came about last minute, as did the purchase of a new water maker (which also has not and will not be installed prior to our departure).

 

A lot of work still has to be completed before we’re ready to do anymore reveal, but it’s all coming along quite nicely! I asked William how he felt about the new space as he was standing in his new galley (only halfway finished at this point) and he said it no longer felt like he was standing in a boat galley, it felt more like a kitchen, in a house. Everything is now laid out in a more efficient manner, making the space more functional and fluid. All of the pieces are truly beginning to fall into place.

 

Now I’ve caught up for November. It’s not really a proper blog post, but I suppose it will do. It feels like more of a diary entry (ick), but then when I think about it, even again during this past month I’ve had more than one person say to me that they’re living vicariously through our stupid adventures, so a diary entry is apropos!

 

We’ll be back very soon with more news and fun stuff but for now I’ve got to get on with my projects – the last 4 weeks are here, and we need to be gone before the first of the year!

 

Until next time friends – fair winds!