We are finally living on the boat

Wow just realized its been 10 days since I last posted. We've been so unbelievably busy trying to get the boat ready so that we can head down to Key West.

Wild Rover was finally splashed on Thursday, November 12th. Unfortunately we didn't think she was going into the water until Friday and we missed it. We moved it from the yard to Bradenton Yacht Club Friday evening. We docked there along their wall for four nights while we began loading everything onto the boat. It was so nice to have all the conveniences of the club right there. Easy access to a cold beer after a long day of work and a quick dip in the pool were the perfect way to end long hard work days. Such a wonderful reciprocal benefit we get being club members. Many of their members stopped by to say hello and ask about our plans. We even bumped into a long lost sailing friend. Dean owned an Olson 30 and won Key West Race Week in 2002. 2002 was the first (of many) Key West Race Week's we ever attended. The original Wild Rover (Olson 30) finished third. It really is amazing the people you meet in sailing. Bumping into them 18 years later and sailing, racing and life stories just start to flow.

Sunday we completed our official name changing ceremony. There are many superstitions regarding changing the name of your boat, so it must be done properly to appease the gods of the seas and winds. Check out this link for the ceremony details https://www.boatsafe.com/renaming-boat/ I hope to post a video of our ceremony soon. The kids did a great job with their parts but were a bit confused that their parents willingly threw alcohol into the sea. Michael, Mike's dad, drove up for the day to bring some of the many boxes we've had shipped to him these last three weeks. He was an amazing videographer and a huge help with the ceremony.

Tuesday Mike and the kids moved the boat to Longboat Key. The waters here are very shallow. A huge norther hasn't helped. It was definitely a long day and the boat finally pulled into the slip at 10:30 pm but now we are settled for a few days. I got to spend the day moving the land yacht (aka the Excursion) with the dog. Bullet and I had a great day and got to visit the DeSoto National Memorial, a dog friendly park with a bit of history. It is the landing spot for DeSoto's expedition to the Americas.

So what is keeping us here? Boat projects of course. Unfortunately we found a soft spot on deck on Friday and will need to go back to the yard, They can't take us until Monday. In the mean time we also discovered a valve they installed on a sea cock isn't quite right so that will be fixed so we don't accidentally fill the boat with water.

Until then we are completing lots of little projects. Thanks to Kevin Hayes at Hayes Rigging in Kemah, Texas we now have brand new lifelines. Mike sent him all the measurements and they arrived quickly, everything fit perfectly and looks great. Excellent and professional job as always from Hayes Rigging.

We have spent a lot (and I mean A LOT) of time trying to get our anchor system right. If we want to be able to sleep at anchor and not worry about dragging and winding up on the rocks or hitting another boat we need just the right gear that we can trust. Luckily Mantus Marine, https://www.mantusmarine.com/ is located right in Kemah, Texas too. We first learned about Mantus from watching other cruiser YouTube channels. With so many great reviews and finding out they are in our own backyard, we knew we had to check them out. Mike headed over and ended up buying their anchor, bridle system, swivel, snubber, and even their dive kit. All that plus 300 feet of new 3/8 inch chain and we should be all set. Oh and then we found out our bow roller probably wouldn't work so we now also have their BR2 Bow Roller.

We will also unexpectedly soon have a new windlass. Boats always bring surprises and unexpected costs, but our system will soon be complete (I hope) and I believe we have upgraded to the best equipment that we can so that we can feel confident that our boat will be as secure as possible.

Ok, I know this is getting long, but there's one more thing I need to add. I was cleaning out my purse because who needs a purse when cruising, especially not that huge thing I used to carry. I found this stashed in a pocket. I don't remember getting it but how perfect for our upcoming adventure.