Two Grand Banks and A Nordhavn

Walk into a bar...

Just kidding, but I did run across a video that was nicely done of the three up in the Pacific Northwest.
Enjoy.

Pic O' the Day 9.30.12

Junkanoo Band on Compass Cay, Exumas, Bahamas

Pic O' the Day 9.29.12

Sea plane lifting off from Warderick Wells, Exumas, Bahamas

Look at all that blue!

Pic O' the Day 9.28.12

Foggy morning in N. Carolina

Alligator River Marina

We had to wait for hours before we could leave. 

Next to a lift bridge that wouldn't open in this fog.

I hate when that happens...

Pic O' the Day 9.27.12

Sadie and Radar

Cruising the Tennessee River

Sometime in 2005

 Saw this while surfing around this morning... 

For my Pirate friends and my cat friends.

Pic O' the Day 10.26.12 ... I Mean 9.26.12 (Thanks Jim)

Sun Rise somewhere in the middle of the Gulf of Mexico

When the sky blends with the sea.

Pic O' the Day 10.25.12 oops! 9.25.12

Marsh Harbour, Abacos, Bahamas

Good boat dog.

War Stories

Our sweet old girl, Sadie

Spanish Cay, Abacos, Bahamas

Home ... Old Man River...

Just got home... 73 degrees and no humidity... what a change.

Pic O' the Day

Abaco Coconut

Yes, we're traveling... Homeward bound.

Pic O' the Day

Radar on his first cruise 

just a pup

Pic O' the day

Heading under the Sydney Lanier Bridge in Brunswick, GA just before sundown

This shot was taken after a long 38 hour run 

that started at the Alligator River Marina in North Carolina.

2 long days and a night made this a welcomed sight.

--------------------------------------------------

Leak repaired... An expensive lesson learned, never; Never put chlorine tablets in your strainer baskets.

New Dishwasher is in and functioning well. It's all coming together again.

I'm smelling BBQ!

Adios,

Istaboa

Today's Pic

View from Long Island Breeze Bar

Salt Pond, Long Island, Bahamas

Sitting here quietly, enjoying my coffee in the peaceful solitude of our salon, I hear the bilge pump kick on... then kick on again... and again.

After investigation, I realize there's a sizable leak in the bronze housing of our main raw water strainer. 

So... you know what I'm doing today.

It's always something; but I'm glad it happened while we're on board and not while in Memphis having that cup of coffee in the peaceful solitude of our living room. That could have been a real mess. Maybe catastrophic.

Adios,

Istaboa

Pic Of The Day

At anchor on the Bahama Bank

No, still nothing exciting going on; yes, still walking on the beach, smiling and thinking... and waiting for C2Shore Upholstery Group to finish our cushions...

Really nothing to post...

...is why I haven't posted anything for a while.

Been getting up early and walking to the beach; you have to go early because it's been very hot.

I've come to enjoy these walks. Plug in ear buds and put on some music makes walking on the beach like meditation. I've found I really like Irish music, it makes me smile. 

As I was walking, smiling, and thinking a few days ago, I came across these folks Kite Surfing. Really looks like fun.

These iPhones come in quite handy. Taking pictures while listening to music and answering a text...  and all of this is going on while I'm smiling and walking on the beach—with the Atlantic Ocean pounding the shore—listening to the Pogues.

 That's now my kind of multitasking.

Then it's back to the boat and managing the boat polishers while lying around trying to stay cool.

These are the Dog Days of Summer.

Though...

We've actually accomplished quite a lot on Istaboa.
Being here in Jupiter, waiting out hurricane season, has given us the opportunity to work through some of the projects we've been needing to do for a while.

• The Hydraulics System has now been inspected and modified a bit to make it more reliable.
• The Air Conditioning water lines have been re-plumbed and are functioning well.
• The boat is shining like new.
• The engine room looks like new again.
• New Salon cushions are being fabricated and due to arrive any day. (fingers crossed)
• The old strainers and sea chest have been cleaned. They were once again filled with shells, but that should be a resolved problem now.
• The Bose surround sound has been repaired and is functioning again.
• New dishwasher to replace the old leaky one.

Still a few more projects to do before we go back to Memphis and do downtown for a while. We're looking forward to a large shower and a tub... and a real king sized bed, not to mention some of Ms. Payne's BBQ.

So that's it, nothing exciting to post.

Though I did see a picture of a monkey that I liked. A newly discovered species, a Cercopithecus lomamiensis.  Sounds like the name of a Nordhavn, doesn't it.

and read a paraprosdokian I thought funny.
"Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine."

I found this odd. 
While looking at our blog analytics site I noticed a peculiarity. It seems that within a week or so there have been over 200 hits, all from the U.K., on my post eulogizing Neil Armstrong. 
Why so many; why only the one post; why stay on the  page for 10 to 12 minutes? Weird.
If you're one of these folks from the U.K. and you read this, please explain.

And today we're spending our Saturday watching Forrest Gump... we love this movie. 
Forrest just got shot in the buttock while saving his buddies in the jungles of Viet Nam with napalm exploding hot on his heels. Stupid is, as stupid does.

Now, you're caught up.

Thanks again for checking up on us.

Adios,

Istaboa

ps... Forest and Lieutenant Dan just went through the hurricane at Bayou La Batre. What a blow!

A Very Nice Labor Day Holiday

As I was preparing for a typical Labor Day for Crew Istaboa, which is like any other day to us, Mel was working in the shadows, covertly arranging a get together with my son and his family. I'm glad she did, it turned out really well.
Mason, Lindsey, and Silas live in Jacksonville and they drove down on Sunday for a couple of days.
It turned out their visit coincided with a Labor Day party our friends here in Jupiter had invited us to. (They put on a great party! Thanks Guys!)

So upon arrival we took off to Guanabana for a quick lunch.

 Silas, Mason, and Lindsey

I've written about Guanabana before, it's kinda like eating at Tarzan's house and a fun place, Silas and his Mom and Dad seemed to enjoy it a lot; Silas really liked the police boat that was tied up at the docks.

Then we went to the beach, which was really hot, and let the boy check out the ocean before heading back to Istaboa to hang out and catch up before Bart's party.

Silas likes boats....

... as well as flash lights. He's such a cute kid and a nice little fellow too.

So then it was off to Bart's and Nat's party.
They have a beautiful home and everyone in the neighborhood must've been there; they really out did themselves.
There was a pool and the kids all enjoyed that before diving into hot dogs and hamburgers. Bart told us to bring Radar and Muddy and they had fun also; especially when the kids started feeding them their burgers. (Our dogs can eat anything without getting sick)
Keith Hernandez, the famous Baseball player and now Sports Broadcaster, was there and we all enjoyed getting to know him. He's a very nice fellow.

Keith and Mason...  and that's Bart and Nat in the background just over Mason's shoulder.

It was a big night and all the Taylor clan enjoyed themselves.

Then the next day we decided that having all these boats around and not letting the little guy go riding in one was just wrong. So we loaded up and drove north to Stuart where we have the Albury in storage and took Silas and his Fam out for a ride then lunch at Wahoos. 

 Think Mel likes the little pirate?

Silas had a blast in the Albury and he likes to go fast. He had a big smile on his face the whole time until after lunch. I think too much partying had finally wore him out. One minute he was grinning ear to ear, the next he was sound asleep on GrandMel's shoulder. So we took the boat back to the Marina and loaded the boy in the car and off they went back to Jacksonville.

We don't do these get togethers often and this one was the first time for Mason and family to stay on board. It worked out well... Silas had a big time and I think his folks enjoyed it too. We did.

So... It was a Very Nice Labor Day indeed.

Thanks for checking in.

Adios,

Istaboa

Sorry, couldn't resist...