Varnishing Teak - Yuk!

Unless you're someone who enjoys working tirelessly around your house so that you can win the "Yard of the Month" award, you probably wouldn't enjoy the yearly task of varnishing all the exterior teak on your boat.  Some captains have a lot to dread, but in our case the Hunter 410 only has a few small pieces of exterior teak.  This past weekend, the companionway hatch handles received a good sanding and four coats of varnish.  We constantly have people commenting that C-Time doesn't look like a 15 year-old boat, and I think that small efforts like this one are worth the effort to get those compliments.  Of course when we finally leave for the Caribbean, we'll have to trash her and make her look undesirable so we don't have a problem with theft.

I read in a cruiser's blog last week about a couple who painted their dinghy's outboard motor bright yellow to deter thieves.  Our first sailboat, a 14' enclosed bow boat, was yellow, and we never had a problem with someone trying to steal her.  Maybe that's the answer.  Paint everything yellow so no one else wants it.  Nah.  We prefer the compliments.

No Terry Cloth Bath Skirt This Father's Day

I would dare say that most fathers enjoy a card or a call from their children on Father's Day more than the gifts that they typically receive.  You all know I'm right.  They may have bragged on that ugly tie or hand-crafted coffee mug, or even that terry cloth bath skirt, but deep down they really cherished the thought, time, and effort more than the actual gift.  Well this year my Honey excelled on all counts.  I had been trying to decide whether we should get an inexpensive waterproof case for our iPhones for taking underwater photos, or make a big investment in the new GoPro camera.  Carla took the initiative and not only bought me a GoPro Hero3 Black Edition camera (http://gopro.com), but she also bought several additional accessories for it.  Eat your heart out Fathers.

And thanks Drew, Matt, and BA for the special Happy Father's Day wishes.  I hope that all of you eventually know the pride and joy of being a Father.

Is It Too Late to Get Our Deposit Back?

I read another cruising couple's blog (http://morejoyeverywhere.blogspot.com) during lunch today that was very different from all the other cruisers' blogs.  After almost two years of enjoying the cruising lifestyle, they have become self-proclaimed Anti-Inspirational posters.  They once shared the same dream that many wantabe cruisers have, and that is to quit the jobs, sell everything, and cruise the world.  Now that they've enjoyed enough of the cruising lifestyle, they want to share the "honest" side of the story.

So why does anyone want to leave the normal comforts of a land-based home to endure the hardships of a cruising lifestyle?