Author Archives: Kevin Taylor

Sea Trials–Woot!

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By Kevin

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Last Monday we took Real Life outside the safety of the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway), into the Atlantic Ocean proper and put some wind in her sails. She looked like a beautiful girl gussied up for prom.

This was the first time we’ve put up the sails since our pre-purchase sea trail back in April. And, the first time she’s been out of the ICW since that pre-purchase sail way back when.

It felt good.

The cheerful gentleman you’ll see in a few of the pics above is Captain Gerry. Captain Gerry is a Miami-area delivery captain and former Irish Navy Commander who happens to owns a Whitby 42 (a boat nearly identical to ours). He’s been very helpful mentoring us on handling this 42′ boat.

Summary of 2012 Refit

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By Kevin

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When we purchased Fantasy Island, based on the surveyor’s report, we expected our refit would take 3-4 months and $30,000. As of today, it stands at 6 1/2 months and $50,000.

Believe those experienced boat owners who tell you to take whatever estimate you have and double it.

Here is the list of significant changes:

Renamed vessel to Real Life
Replaced shaft, cutlass bearing, stuffing box (dripless)
Replaced all chainplates with 3/8″
Replaced fore and backstay backing plates
Re-insulated engine room
Repaired damaged keel bottom
Ground out cracks and repainted transom
Painted areas of the topsides
Repainted lockers and bilges
Replaced engine room passageway and aft cabin soles with new teak and holly
Replaced various compromised wood
Replaced galley formica counter, sink, faucets
Re-bedded all stanchions and cleats
Replaced spare halyard
Replaced all aft and v-berth cushions
Installed new bow roller platform
Replaced 2 10# propane tanks
Replaced and redesigned bimini and full-enclosure canvas (reusing frame)
Repaired sails and replaced UV canvas covers (all three sails are roller furled)
Replaced all 5 Bomar hatches with new
Reconstructed teak trim around 3 Bomar hatches
Replaced 3 Beckson gaskets and portlight lens
Built custom screened plexiglass hatchboards for ventilation and security
Replaced liferaft with near shore version
Replaced 1993 Johnson 15hp outboard with 2007 Tohatsu 5hp
Refurbished 10 1/2 foot A/B tender
Replaced all navigation lights and spreader lights with LEDs
Replaced all interior lights with Sensibulbs
Added GPS Garmin 441s chartplotter
Watermaker membrane inspected
Replaced on worn cockpit cushion
Replaced 55# delta working anchor and chain with 250′ 3/8th inch HT chain and 60# Manson Supreme
Replaced 38# danforth secondary anchor and rode with 50′ 3/8th inch HT chain, 150′ 3/4 inch rode and Fortress
Replaced spring lines and bow lines
Replaced numerous hose clamps, valves and hoses in freshwater system
Replaced corroded wiring and wires in various places
Purchased numerous spare parts and necessary equipment that was sold off by the previous owner
Replaced saltwater washdown pump
Replaced bilge pump
Rebuilt both Raritan heads

Life in Waterworld

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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.

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South Florida Jaunt III — Florida Keys to Key West

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By Jennifer

The third leg of our South Florida road trip was the Florida Keys and Key West. You’ll see a bit of the landscape from the bridges connecting the Keys, a stop at Ernest Hemingway’s Key West home and writing studio above the garage (look for Hemingway’s famed six-toed cat known as a polydactl and a Portillo’s connection), dowtown Key West, Fort Zachary Taylor, and the southernmost tip of the United States.

South Florida Jaunt II — Everglades National Park

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By Jennifer

This was absolutely one of the places I have been wanting to visit while here in Florida. My mission was to spot an alligator in the wild. Everglades National Park is HUGE– it takes up most of south Florida. After a bit of research I learned that one of the best trails to view alligators was about 45 minutes away from Fort Lauderdale. So after our overnight in South Beach we drove inland to an entrance to the everglades. The trail we followed is called Anhinga, named after a swimming bird that populates the area. In the slideshow, keep a watchful eye for the gator pics. I can tell you that they were so close to the trail we could have reached out and pet them. At one point, I was crouching down on the trail taking a photo of an alligator from behind when another tourist came up to me and told me that there was another alligator right behind me. As I slowly turned around I realized he was inches from my behind! In the slideshow, that particular alligator is the one with only his eyes and head peeking out. Nevertheless, I got my behind out of there! Also, enjoy the video footage of an Anhinga in action. This Anhinga was delightful spearing fish with it’s beak and then tossing the fish in the air and swallowing them whole. We tried to get the whole action on video, but what you’ll mostly see is the Anhinga swallowing his meal. Enjoy!

Hurricane Sandy

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By Kevin

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We had a brief photo op at the beach today with Hurricane Sandy 150 miles off the coast of Fort Lauderdale.

Then, we tied up the boat really well, which is docked in a protected canal only a quarter mile from the ocean, and high tailed it about 10 miles inland to stay the night at a Holiday Inn Express. One of the six computer models I looked at for Sandy’s trajectory showed her making a sharp turn straight west and slamming into Fort Lauderdale.

Better safe than sorry.

Random thoughts…

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By Zach

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Things to do when you are on the sailboat

When you are on a sailboat you can do lots of fun things. You can sail so you save the fuel. Fishing is a fun thing to do on a sailboat. TV is not needed on a sailboat because you can just use a computer. Have you lived on a sailboat?

South Florida Jaunt — South Beach, Miami

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By Jennifer


We took three days to travel around South Florida last week because we were all starting to get a little antsy around the boat. We’ve never been to Miami, so we spent one night in South Beach, which is about a 25-minute drive from Fort Lauderdale. We stayed in the historic Art Deco District (boasting a high concentration of 1920s-1930s architecture) and stayed in the historic National Hotel that was built in 1936. In the slideshow you’ll see the breathe-taking pool area. Just beyond the pool area is private access to the beach. Pay attention to the slide that shows you a snapshot of the back of the hotel — all boarded up and broken down looking. The hotel is undergoing a major renovation and that’s how we got such a great rate! The stench in the room was distinctly moldy smelling. We could not have spent more than one night there! We also ate at a restaurant in the historic Spanish Village where Latin restaurants line a bustling alleyway. Hostesses stand in the alleyway in front of the eateries greeting passersby and waving menus in attempts to get your dinner business. We enjoyed some authentic Cuban cuisine at Havana 1957, a full-service restaurant open 24 hours a day — like many of the businesses in South Beach.

Watching the debates

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By Jennifer

Here we are watching the second presidential debate from the salon of our boat. We decided not to have a tv on the boat, but we did bring two computers. We watched the debate last night on Yahoo!/ABC News live stream. It was seamless quality. We also have indulged in watching Shark Tank with an ATT U-verse account and that worked well too. I won’t go into who I believe won the debate…

Construction zone

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By Jennifer

We’ve been talking a lot about the work we’ve had done on the boat before moving aboard. Here’s what it looked like the day before we moved aboard.

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You’ll see new floors installed in what is called the “engine room passageway.” The old floors were crumbling because of water damage. Also you’ll see Kevin overseeing some work done by a contractor, David. This poor ol’ chap first started working on our boat days after we closed on it. On his first day, he was standing on some scaffolding around the boat while it was in the shipyard and he fell and broke his leg — he needed surgery to have a steel rod embedded. That happened back in June. He’s doing well now and walking with a bit of a limp.