By Kevin
It is mid-November and we’ve been on our sabbatical now for almost three months. That time has been spent getting our beachhouse ready for the rental market and and our boat ready to become our floating home.
Real Life is as ready as we’ll get her in the short term. It is time to go cruising.
Next Tuesday, November 13th, we’re planning to finally cut the dock lines and sail 35 miles south to anchor in the Florida Keys and Biscayne Bay. From that spot, when the next weather window arrives, we’ll make the 44 mile sail across to Bimini Island in the Bahamas.
We’ve enjoyed our stay in Fort Lauderdale. It is a beautiful oceanside city–a waterworld of boats and canals unlike anything else I’ve seen. The following are some pics showing a typical day during our stay here.
S/V Real Life 
Just found your website. We are one year behind you! Glad you managed with Sandy. We are leaving July 1st 2013 on a Whitby 42. Our kids are the same age, daughter born 2000 and son born 2002. Please keep posting!! our side, more about boat repairs, is http://www.mywhitby42.yolasite.comBryan
Hi Bryan,Thanks for the comment and the link to your blog. You have quite a project! Good luck!We’ll likely be heading home in June 2013. Maybe we’ll catch you in passing. Do you plan to ship your boat down to Miami or sail down the east coast?Kevin
<div>Kevin,??</div><div>Thanks for emailing back. ??It would be great to meet up on our trip, but you may be done by the time we get that far south. ??You might just have to come up and visit the chesepeake bay and extend your trip. ??Go to the whitby meeting in october.</div> <div><br></div>We are going to ship the boat out to the east cost. ??Spend some time north of the??Chesapeake??during July-october. ??Then, start south in october.<div>Get to the Bahamas by mid December and stay there through march. ??How far south we will go??. ??Depends on how we are doing, confidence, etc…</div> <div><br></div><div>We have friend and family all down the east cost. ??A water loving family, so everybody lives near salt water. ??Lot of fun places to stop.</div><div><br></div><div>We were showing your blog to our kids. ??So they could realize we were not the only crazy parents to drag their kids away on a sailboat for a year.</div> <div>My kids would like to send emails to your kids, have lots of questions to ask about how the trip is going. ??Our daughter is also born 2000, our son is 2002.</div><div>I think your kids were the same age….or close. ??My son loved the dolphin near the boat. ??Although we told him we would likely see dolphin, I don't think he realized how close they may actually get until he saw your video.</div> <div><br></div><div>How have you set up your sleeping arrangements on the boat? ??We are thinking of splitting the aft cabin down the middle, partially with a solid temporary wall, and partially with??curtains. ??Will be leaving 3 days after my daughter turns 13. (yah…a teenager.) ??And although she is pretty laid back, there is always that special place for her brother to bother her more than any other human on the planet possibly could. ??So personal space will be important for her.</div> <div><br></div><div>We have been spending 2-3 weeks every summer on the??Chesapeake??bay. ??Crabbing, fishing, playing. ??Kids love boats and exploring by??kayak, rowing, etc… ??So they are currently having mixed feelings about the trip. ??Some days??they are excited about the fun things they can do, and on other, worried about missing friends.</div> <div><br></div><div>The way they??Canadian??elementary school system works, they will miss grades 8 and 6. ??My daughter will be then returning to go to high school, so she will miss her last year with a few friends, not too happy about that. ??And we live in the country, in the middle of a bunch of high schools, so kids end up going to various high schools so she willn't see them in grade 9. ??But she will be going to my high school where I teach and gets an idea about how different things are and that she will meet so many new kids. (small elementary….big high school).</div> <div><br></div><div>Anyway, thanks for your postings. ??We will be reading them all, looking for ideas for our trip, and sharing in yours vie computer.</div><div><br></div><div>Bryan Haas</div><div>Wife Tara, Kids Sahara and Devon.</div>
Hi Bryan,Yes, we would love to have your kids talk with ours about what to expect on a trip like this. (We were looking for the same thing 6 months ago before we started our trip!)Shoot me an email at kevin683 at gmail.com and we can coordinate something.Cheers,–Kevin
Sahara's email is <a href="mailto:saharahaas@gmail.com">saharahaas@gmail.com</a>. ??She is born 2000, currently in grade 7.<div><br></div><div>Devon's email is <a href="mailto:devonhaas1@gmail.com">devonhaas1@gmail.com</a>. ??He is born 2002. ??Very excited about fishing on the trip.</div> <div><br></div><div>Great job on the cross over.</div><div><br></div><div>Bryan</div>
Taylor Family,<div><br></div><div>The kids were very excited about getting the emails. ??Both are little new in the email world and may send some strange messages. ??We were looking at your blog and websites and there are a lot ??of??similarities??between our families. ??Devon is currently playing on??Badminton??and basketball. ??And loves Mine craft. ?? Sahara liked the Warrior cat video, she has read all the books….4 times each I think? ??(she is a book warm). ??Also likes sports, plays soccer and does well in Track and field.</div> <div><br></div><div>I explained to the kids that you wouldn't be able to email all the time, but to send messages and they will eventually get them. ??We have a a few inches of snow already, makes the thought of being in the Bahamas all the more appealing.??</div> <div><br></div><div>I have started putting all the wires and pipes back on our boat. ??I am starting from scratch with the electrical and plumbing. ??Not really sure how to do everything. Sometimes it takes 2 hours of thinking, reading, etc… to put in one wire. ?? But it is progressing.</div> <div><br></div><div>The pictures of the blue water are great inspiration!.</div><div><br></div><div>Haas Family</div>
Hi Bryan,It looks like the kids are emailing together. Glad that worked out.Good luck with the projects. I am still in the same mode of "think for 2 hours" before doing anything. Someday I’ll know the boat inside and out. I imagine by the time this trip is over.–Kevin
What ever you do, don't fall in to the trap of??<div>"Now that I know everything about the boat…..if I got another….it would be easy to fix up"</div><div><br></div><div>That type of thinking is when my wife starts thinking about dynamite (For the boat)</div> <div>I coudn't afford a boat that was all put together and working. ??So my deal was pretty good. ??The boat had about 15,000 $ worth of new parts still in boxes.</div><div>But the boat was stripped of everything. ??No wire, pipes, etc… ??It took a large U_haul to get it all home, engine on a seperate trailer.</div> <div>However, knowing my self, I probably would have ripped apart what ever I bought anyhow so I could understand how it works. ??At least I will know EVERYTHING</div><div>about my boat…..and have nobody to blame <u><b>when</b></u> things go wrong (Except the kids…..that is always still an option. ??But they are getting old enough to fight back on that).</div> <div><br></div><div><br></div><div>Bryan</div>
Kevin,<div><br></div><div>Would love to know what you are using for communications on the trip. ??Something we have been looking into. ??You mentioned you are using WIFI signals.</div><div>Most of our trip will be as we travel down and back along the coast, but 2-3 months in the Bahamas. ??Not sure what will be the best system to set up.</div> <div>Any??recommendations??would be great.<br><br></div><div>Bryan</div>
Hi Bryan,Great idea. I just wrote up a post on our communications tools: http://sv-reallife.posterous.com/communications-aboardCheers,–Kevin
<br>Hi there,<div><br></div><div>Jealous??of your trip at the moment. ??We have 8 inches of snow!</div><div><br></div><div>we have put a giant map on the wall of the east coast and the Bahamas. ??We have been plotting your trip on it to help us get ideas of where you are going.</div> <div>My family wants to meet us down there for Christmas next year. ??Rent a house somewhere (Be about 13 of us all together).</div><div>Might look at Great Harbour Cay. ??(have a small airport their)</div><div><br></div><div> You have the same anchor we are looking into getting. ??I was noticing your bow roller and was wondering if that was an add on or came with the boat.</div><div><br></div><div>I think I will need one to go with the anchor, or else I will be banging the anchor against the hull.</div> <div><br></div><div>Is there a way you could send a close up picture of your bow roller? ??I can use it to design mine. ??And, if there is anything you would change on it, let me know.</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks,</div> <div><br></div><div>Bryan Haas</div><div><br></div><div>p.s. ??Devon says ??Nice Fish!</div>