Best Life

 So busy on the boat yesterday there was no room for me.  So I walked about.  In the Port of Palm Beach there is the Florida Sugar & Molasses Exchange.   Paul and I had seen huge flatbeds with great big bags of white "sand" being transported but could not figure out what they were transporting.  Maybe it was the dredged sand and they were selling it?  Yesterday I figured it out.   Huge bags of sugar are loaded onto flatbeds 8 at a time and stored until time to export.  Apparently this is a large part of Florida's economy.  Grown in the muck of Belle Glade the raw sugar is transported to the port,  It is dumped and stored before being sent to refineries.  Best smell in the town when the trucks are dumping!   The other end of the port is all containers coming and going.  The port operates 7 days a week and never slows down.  The port exports to all the Caribbean islands and has its own railroad spur t...

 The boat yard is loud - sanders, grinders, hammering, beeping trucks as they reverse, large machinery moving and differing music clashing.  Also the cruise ship Margaritaville docks right next with constant announcements over the loud speakers. And then there are the smells.  Paint, oil, diesel, wood and some kind of burning.   Work progresses on Quiet Time.  Solar panels are 100% completed.  Batteries are arriving tomorrow.  The battery for the generator is installed.  Waxing and buffing continues.  The guy doing this (his name is also Paul)  is OCD about every square inch.  He goes under the running lines, into crevices from the hatches and in between the snaps holding the isinglass in place.  She looks good. We vacated early so Paul (buffer man) could work where we were standing and working. I took Paul (husband) to MacArthur Beach just north on Singer Island.  There is a 2 mile hike to the beach across a boardwal...

 We were not the first ones to the yard this morning.  When we arrived the new solar panels were being delivered!  They were placed and Paul secured half of them.  New wires are being placed in the battery cabinet and the boat continues to be waxed and buffed. The shine on her top half of her bottom reflects beautifully! Captain Pete stands guard near the yard office.  We have booked our launch back into the ICW next Wednesday at 930am.  We have let all the contractors know so if the work is not completed, they will have to dinghy out to the boat.  A great incentive to move quicker!

 At the end of our first week on the hard there seems to be just as much work to be done.  They have finished buffing and waxing the top half of the bottom and have started the top deck.  How glossy and brand new it looks!  Painting has not started but I did pick a dark blue. The old batteries are out (sitting out back waiting to get hauled down the ladder).  I'm glad I don't have to carry the 160ish pounds apiece down the rickety ladder.  The hodgepodge wiring has been yanked and is also waiting to be hauled off.  And the fridge leaks.  A worn down supply line cannot be repaired.  We are hoping a replacement can be found.  A local marine store is working on locating one. We also found a leak under the kitchen sink at the shut off valves.  Ugh!  And the lady giving us an estimate for the isinglass is MIA.  Okay.  We have been told to wait and get it done elsewhere for cheaper.   We have booked at least anoth...

 We said goodbye to friends and left Miami yesterday.  We headed back to Lake Worth Beach City to a new air BNB while work continues on the boat.  We awoke this morning to cloudy skies and a forecast of rain.  The plan was to remove the old solar panels (and keep them intact for reuse by someone else).   How quiet it was!  No compressors, no generators, no sanders, no boats being moved.  We saw only 2 other people the whole day.  As we finished getting the last of 6 panels off the top, the rain started.  Not too hard though so we decided to go ahead and scrub the hardtop free of the dirt and grime that had collected beneath the panels.  By the time we were done there was no need to rinse.  It was pouring!     But we got the job done and had dry clothes available.  Now our electrician can start first thing in the morning.     There were 3 different types of solar panels all poorly patched together. ...

Yesterday was a day of ups and downs.  Frustration with our bank for delaying our wire transfer.  After multiple phone calls and a million security questions it finally went through late afternoon and the contractors can start ordering supplies.  Thankfully it went through before the weekend and we did not  lose days sitting around with no work being done. We decided an afternoon on the beach was a must after more trips to ACE and Lowes for materials for Paul's to do list.  Easier said than done in Miami.  Sooo much traffic.  We were only 6 1/2 miles from the beach but it took almost 2 hours!  Worth it though to hear the waves and smell the ocean as opposed to cars and fumes. A cat nap, quick picnic lunch and a walk in the surf and we were recharged.  And then we received news that our family is adding one more officially.  Super excited!  We couldn't be happier! We headed to downtown Miami to meet friends and have a celebratory dri...

 We made a quick stop at the boat yard this morning before heading to Miami.  The old names are finally off the side and buffing has begun.  The left rudder that was loose and lost a bearing is off and waiting for new parts.   Tonight we met with other members of the Blue Water Cruising class we have been a part of for for the last two years.  Nice to see everyone in person and brainstorm ideas and pick brains.  Nice to be inspired and inspire others.  Being a part of this community is truly heart warming. Bayside Marketplace is huge and jamming with music and people.  After eating and talking with everyone at Margaritaville,  Paul and I rode the Skyview Observation Wheel.   A brief stroll around downtown and we called it a night.