Getting Ready to Cruise

Ok, it is time to get this going again.

We have been doing alot of work on the boat to get ready to head to Florida.

We plan on leaving on Monday June 3rd. My mother and her beau John want to get married in June and want to have the marriage performed on the bow of Barefoot Babe. I will also officiate the wedding.

Some of the things we have done on the boat are new mattresses for the v-berth, new full enclosure, the dinghy lift, 360 gal a day watermaker (still needs to be installed), AIS system, installed HD3D TV in captains cabin, replaced all raw water impellers, renewed the refrigeration system, lifeline netting, bird cage that fits in the main saloon, rigging inspection,

Missy's Boat Cage

renewed the main sail and had it cut to be a loose footed main, new dutchman lines, and more stuff that I can't even remember. Will also be getting a bottom job done on the boat right before we leave. 

We will have two other boats that will be traveling with us. Our good friends Greg and Ann on Nauti-Gal and Patrick and his wife on Copy Cat will be with us. We plan on taking our time and having fun on this trip. That is what cruising is all about. We plan on going the ICW most of the way with a few Gulf of Mexico passages off the coast of Florida.

We will be running our SPOT http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0GdPevUzg8CkG0iT053sszA9T9GLAsaI5  so you will always be able to see where we are by clicking on the link above and saving it to your favorites.

Since there are three boats in this caravan, I made a float plan so if we get seperated we should be able to meet back up. I will try to post it.

We will also be updating this blog with pictures as we travel. At the end of each blog you are always welcome to leave comments.




Repairs to Barefoot Babe

I have not updated this in a while so I will let you know what has been happening.

We have been updating Barefoot Babe and doing some repairs that have been needed.
1. Replaced both A/C heating units with 16500 BTU reverse cycle units. This will make the boat nice and cool in the summer and toasty in the winter.
2. Custom build a new grill mount on the stern and installed a new Magma Grill.
3. Repaired a few water leaks in the lid seam and screws on the top of the large fresh water tank.
4. Replaced saloon teak and holly flooring on the starboard side.
5. Varnish new floor with 10 coats of varnish and one coat of varnish on existing flooring.
6. We placed the boat name on both the port and starboard bow of  Barefoot Babe.

Pending items in progress:
1. New hydraulic dinghy lift to be installed on stern,
2. New main sail cover.
3. New dodger and bimini with enclosure.
On these items I have to depend on other people in the marine industry and they seem to move at a snails pace. So what do you do...

I will update this posting with some pictures after I take some.

Parrot Head Party Offats Bayou

We pulled up anchor and headed back to Offats Bayou. We had heard that there was a Jimmy Buffett Parrot Head Party today. We got there close to the en, but did get to enjoy some cold beer and great music from a band called Southbound. Even got to dance a little.

Location: Offats Bayou, Galveston Island, TX.

Tea Cup Anchorage Galveston Island

Headed out Saturday evening for a Gulf Sail. The waves were still anywhere between 3feet and some up to eight feet. Sailed back in at night and anchored in Tea Cup Anchorage.

Got the video right this time (WELL ALMOST). How do you like the black and white....


Here is some pictures of the Gulf and a Mexican Navy ship that passed us in the anchorage.

Location: Galveston, Island

Hanging Out in Offats Bayou

OK so I know that this is side ways. A big wave knocked us down. I am experimenting with using the Android phone for small videos.

Apparently not very sucessful. So just turn your computer sideways to view.

Sailing Through Tropical Storm Don

Ok so we are not really sailing through it. We were headed out for a seven day cruise down the coast and was headed towards Corpus Christi. But since Tropical Storm Don is going there to, we are changing our heading. Not sure where we will end up this seven days. Only the tides and wind do.

Remember you can always keep up with where we are by clicking on the Spot Tracking Icon upper right corner of the blog or you can follow the following URL and keep it in your favorites them check back on us without going to the blog.

 http://share.findmespot.com/shared/faces/viewspots.jsp?glId=0GdPevUzg8CkG0iT053sszA9T9GLAsaI5

Location: Kemah, Tx

Marriage at Sea (well almost)

Well I haven't updated this in a while so I will let everyone know about a few things. First we have been doing a lot of sailing around Galveston Bay. Trying some new navigation software programs for backup. Both Polar Navy and Open CPN (open captain) work great. Polar Navy has a small cost but well worth it. Then Open CPN is free so you know that is worth it when you are are on a cruising budget. Both work well with all the free raster and enc charts you can download from NOAA.

In March I became an ordained Minister through the Universal Life Monastery so I can legally marry couples on Barefoot Babe. I performed my first wedding April 30th 2011 on the bow of Barefoot Babe. The couple requested "Nautical Vows" which I wrote and they approved. Elaine decorated the boat for the wedding. The wedding was performed at the dock so the couples friends and family could be there. A small reception was held on the pier and then we sailed off for an overnight sail.

Location: Kemah, Texas