Minus One Day and Counting
I was supposed to be going home today, but the latest schedule has us loading OceanFlyer tomorrow at 9am.
So what to do? How about buying a vacuum cleaner.
Karen had scoped out a vacuum cleaner store last time we were in Fort Lauderdale, but we never made it there. So off I go, into unknown territory. As I explained to the sales person in the store, my idea of a vacuum is my shop vac or my nine foot tall cyclone vacuum I use in my wood shop for dust collection.
I want something powerful, but small, and not too many attachments to lose. It had to do hardwood floors (soles in boat lingo) as well as oriental areas rugs, upholstery and some other small nooks and crannies.
He was very knowledgeable; he obviously had dealt with boat owners before, because he totally got it. I ended up with his first recommendation, but not before we did a quick review of some lower priced options just so I could say I shopped around.
The new vacuum in place.
He threw in some extras and I was done. As a postscript, I did give the Miele Jasper a quick trial aboard and it did just what he said it would. But the most remarkable feature that he did not mention was just how quiet it was. It was amazed and taken aback; hard to do with me and vacuum cleaners.
Finding a coffee maker was next on the list. Karen and I had decided on black since it hides the yuck and most of the built-in appliances on OceanFlyer are black. Karen had looked at every coffee maker online and had concluded that they are all crap and short lived. So the decision was made to keep it simple, no fancy stuff, and just get a bare-bones Mr. Coffee. If it dies, it's less than $20 to replace. And for $20, it is a nice looking unit with all the features we wanted, 10 cup, the ability to pull out the carafe and pour a cup before it is done, and simple on/off switch that anyone could master without ever reading a manual.
Some roach traps were on the shopping list (Karen was worried the trip through the heat and Panama Canal would lead to bugs) and then I went back to the boat to unload, get everything out of its packing and stowed for the trip west.
I also ran through all the systems to make certain that everything was ready and operating for the short ride tomorrow. As I was finishing up, I went outside and saw that Steve Fithian was aboard Lady Jane with the technician from Village Marine water makers who was taking care of some last minute service items.
Steve said that YachtPath had called and they wanted the Lady Jane this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning. He was scrambling to get Captain Marty back, who had just got home after being on the boat earlier in the day and also trying to get the water maker service completed in time.
I seized the opportunity and asked if I could ride along to get a preview of the loading operation. It would be nice to see it done, before I actually had to do it the next morning.
I was now part of the crew on Lady Jane along with Captain Marty and his son.
It was 5:15pm before the technician signed off on the water maker and we cast off. It was a perfect evening. The sky was starting take on the colors of sunset and the wind was calm and the water peaceful.
We made our way north toward Port Everglades and berth four, where the Palembang lay. She is easy to spot from a distance because of her two massive, John Deere yellow, on-board cranes.
Lady Jane makes her way out the Dania Cut to Port Everglades.
As we approached you could see her decks were filling up with all manner of boats. From the 143 foot Feadship, to what looked like a 30ft fishing boat. Hard to judge size from 75 feet looking straight up.
My first view of the M/V/ Palembang as the sun sets.
The crew had just tied up a sport fisher alongside when they waved us into position. No radios, just hand signals and the occasional yelling. That surprised me given all the VHF radios on-board.
I grabbed the strap lowered from the Palembang and secured it to the forward cleat while Captain Marty's son wrangled the aft strap. Captain Marty tended to the tasks of shutting down all the systems and making certain everything was secure.
Lady Jane waiting her turn to be lifted.
The three of us boarded the launch that took us to a nearby boat ramp where we caught a cab back to the marina to get our cars. Total elapsed time from leaving Harbor Towne Marina to our return, one hour fifteen minutes. All very anticlimactic, but a great preview for tomorrow.
The sun sets as we leave the Palembang until tomorrow morning.