West Palm Beach and then some...

Sleeping on the boat is amazing. The boat, obviously rocks from side to side, acting like a cradle; every night the waves rock me to sleep. The bathroom, also known as the head, is one of a kind. When one flushes the toilet, also known as the head, the flusher heeds to be held down until the pump pumps the sewage up, over, and then down to the reservoir. The kitchen/living area, known as the saloon, is very spacious; there is an entertainment system, a work space, couch/table combination, and a nice big counter with lots of room for storage. The kitchen, known as the gully, is well, small, but much larger than on other boats. The there are tons of appliances that all fit like a puzzle, the fridge holds a lot, the microwave and convection oven get the job done, the stove and oven, the stainless steel sink, the cappuccino maker, toaster, and not to forget all of the storage space. Richard is a great cook who likes fresh, organic, natural foods, this is the first time I have eaten this well in a long time, I mean who knew there is a special knife for slicing cheese or cutting tomatoes (can you tell I have been living like a college student since I have graduated? I have however steered away from boxed macaroni!) The entire boat is like a puzzle, every floorboard, sole, has a storage compartment underneath it, which is one of the challenges, remembering where everything is stowed. My room, known as an estate, is quite spacious! I have my own closet, a few drawers, some shelves, and a bunch of windows, better known as portholes, and hatches. The deck of the boat if filled with rope, lines, that control the sails, whether it be the jib sail, the screecher sail, or the main sail. Well, I hope that gives you an idea of how I have been living the past week.

The past few days I have also been brushing up on my meteorology skills, thank goodness for that meteorology class I took at WSU! If you have not heard a hurricane has been brewing up just south of Cuba. Richard and I have been tracking it since Monday; however the meteorologist just deemed it a class III hurricane. Obviously, we will continue to monitor it as if moves north.

Day 4-6 have been spent on the open waterways of Southern Florida. Day four we departed from Stewart, FL and sailed south to Lake Worth, FL. My first time sailing the ocean, funny thing there was not enough wind, so we motored down. It took us about 5 hours until we entered the ICW (Inner Coastal Waterway), a river way between the coast and the mainland. We anchored there. The next morning, day five, we were going to make our way down to Miami, however the weather was not favorable, the hurricane was growing and we did not want to go to where there may be winds of 30-45MPH! The next day, same story. We woke up, checked the forecast and no good. Richard came up with the plan to stay north, basically were we were, until the heavy winds would pass. Those days, waiting out the weather were spent, lounging around, reading, working on mini projects, going for a swim, journaling, cooking and eating, what a life! Day six and we moved a little further south. We are not docked in a slip in West Palm Beach, FL. Conveniently, this marina is only 45min away from where Ezequiel is. He is going to come visit tonight! Yipeee! And because of the bad weather, I get to go stay with him for the night and celebrate his 30th birthday with him tomorrow, the 9th of November! Yeah, thatís right 30! Hahahaha

Paloma, the tropical storm, which turned into a hurricane, forced us to wait out the weather in a nearby harbor. Taking up anchor for the first time was not that bad. On Blue, there is an anchor that is mechanically controlled, yep that means no pulling up anchor for my ëmuscularí arms! Haha! We motored down the ICW, going under my first lift bridge, and docking at West Palm Beach Harbor. Docking was also an experience, learning what line goes where, how it should be tied down, putting up the bumpers, and connecting all the cables (water hose, electrical cords) to the dock. After getting all settled in Richard and I attended the local farmers market. We stocked up on fresh produce, beard, and pasta. Later that day Ezequiel picked me up, West Palm Beach is about 1hr 15 min away from Ft. Lauderdale, where he lives. Ezequiel stayed for an amazing dinner, and then we took off, back to Ft. L to celebrate his BIG day!

Sunday the 9th, the big day of Eze turning 30! Ezeís dad, Carlos, invited us to a local deli for a truly ëAmericaní breakfast. From there, an intensive soccer match, lunch, and then the surprise! The b-day giftÖ a flight in a glider airplane. We made the drive to the airport in Holmestead, and Eze got the flight of his life, aerobatics and all! From there we made our way back to West Palm Beach, back on the boat for me! We stopped and enjoyed an amazing dinner at a Japanese restaurant, and obviously had dessert! Cheesecake Factory proved to be more than sufficient! My famous words ìwhy did I do this to myself!î, I was SOOOO full!

Back on the boat
For the past three days we waited for hurricane Paloma to pass, which it did. And now, we have to wait for our ëweather windowí. My days have been filled, by visiting Starbucks, roaming the downtown of West Palm Beach, running on some amazing paths (by the ocean front, and weaving in and out of neighborhoods filled with castle like houses!), reading, writing, checking the weather forecast, and meeting locals. Hopefully a nice weather window comes and we can make our way over to the Bahamas.

Oh Ari, this is for you
Spain, Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico, Portugal, Tunisia, Italy, Germany, Check Republic, Holland, Switzerland, Austria, Argentina, Uruguay, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, and Brazil for 30 minutes. Cheers!