T-Minus Nine

The roadtrip behind us we are deep into finishing boat projects. Let me revise that, we're deep into finishing off our To Do List, projects like death and taxes are one of those things you can always count on being there with a boat. After a slight hiatus to visit Arizona where we took care of a lot of adult responsibilities, we are back aboard Boto and finalizing things. The new water tank is in, we now have 75 gallons of fresh water supply. The freezer went in yesterday, we now are able to produce ICECREAM, a staple and requirement onboard. We can also produce our own ice now, can you say Cold Beer!

Tomorrow we pick up the new outboard for the dinghy (aka, our car), then we dive into the water maker installation. Yes, we will be able to manufacture our own fresh water from the sea. Keep your fingers crossed. Anchors and ground tackle, second bilge pump, provisioning, stowing the stuff and good weather and we are off. That's it for now, hopefully we can stay current from here forward. I have to go the first batch of cookies is coming out of the oven and I am official taster,

Roadtrip Part DEUX

Where to start, we're back in Texas two weeks and we haven't slept a wink; ok that's a stretch, we were back on BOTO on 9/23 at roughly 0900 hrs at which time we proceeded to sleep on and off for four days. This quasi retirement thing is very tiring, anyway it is great to be home and while we have every intention of keeping our travels up to date it is amazing just how busy we can be, the days simply fade away, we hope to be better in the future and hope to hear from folks out there in the either as well.

Back to the roadtrip, for anyone looking for a fun, exciting and inexpensive holiday, take to the road. After leaving the family in Montana we headed east with a first stop at the Little Big Horn Battlefield. Contrary to the Hollywood version of things, the US Calvary encountered several tribes in the valley and although Custer's immediate command was killed not all of the Calvary was routed. The battlefield is interesting for its history, however the national cemetery which adjoins the historic landmark is much more solemn. How's that for a fart in church, huh.

After Custer's last stand, and Ed's appropriate facial hair off we go to South Dakota and Mount Rushmore and the Crazy Horse Monument. A tremendous artistic endeavor, however we have to wonder at the defacing of the mountains themselves. We pulled offroad and enjoyed lunch under the gaze of Washington, Jefferson, Lincoln, Teddy and Crazy Horse (some may say Crazy Teddy). Like the song says on the road again, Stergis SD (Harley Heaven), Wall Drug (Americana at its best) The Corn Palace (wait is this better?). If you have ever heard of the badlands of SD and wondered what they were, all we can tell you they are a must see. Although I (Ed) was somewhat hesitant as it was an extra stop, I am very grateful to Vicky for finding an off road route to the edge of the Badlands. A desolate and beautiful landscape. Finally back to MN where we bid farewell to Vicky's Mom and we are once again vagabonds.

As we sit here in Kemah, TX aboard Boto it seems somewhat surreal that we travelled a little more than 9,500 miles in 41 days with a number of stops in between. From MN we went through WI (with a stop at Rick and Cheryl, thanks much) then onto a night in South Bend, IN, yep Notre Dame. For those looking to add to the must do list, put South Bend on the list, given the history it is a must see for oneself. Onto Toledo OH in the morning, Ed had hopes of securing a Toledo Mudhens Jersey but none was found. Our final stop for a few days was North Canton OH with Ed's brothers family. We could drone on about our visits, however, I think the girls enjoyed OH more than any stop on the way.

NIAGRA FALLS. For an opening statement this is a good one, if you have not been, GO! We found a camp site on Lake Erie some 20 miles from the falls and were able to visit during the day and night, truly one of the worlds wonders.

The true joy of travelling and being able to take and unlimited time to do so is the ability to spend time with family and friends; after an impromptu visit to PA for a great BBQ with Chris and David we headed to New Jersey.

New Jersey, where we spend a week resting from the road. Great meals, warm bed and the puppies enjoy a yard in which they can run free (yes Jersey still has homes with some property to them). The tristate area is always fun to visit for the family, the history and the culture. A day spent at Princeton University and its surrounding areas including New Hope, PA just up river from where Washington crossed the Delaware; then a day in NYC complete with Ferry rides and a visit to the cities oldest tavern. A stop on the upper east side to visit family then back to NJ via the wonderful transit system, Rahway, Rahway next stop Rahway.

Should anyone find themselves in the Tristate area looking for something of historical interest there is truly no shortage, however if the beach is what you seek along with history take a drive to the end of the state to Cape May, the Victorian homes are wonderful and plentiful; from there you can take the ferry across to Delaware.

As we learn the intricacies and customs of blogging I'm sure we'll become better bloggers, we truly wish to share our adventure with Family and Friends. However, as we headed south from NJ we made a few more stops to visit family as well as some truly beautiful locales; Charleston, SC; Savannah, GA. Once we made it to Jacksonville, Fl we had decided it was time to head home, so off we went with a 24 hour dash from FL to TX, just as we had started.

As we sit here preparing for our ocean voyage we look back on THE roadtrip and smile, what a fun trip and what great people we met along the way (we haven't mentioned clothing optional nights at the LoLo hotsprings), if only for the duration of a beer.

Roadtrip Part One

Two centuries ago people headed west in covered wagons, sometimes referred to as "prairie schooners", there's an old cartoon showing a family heading west in their covered wagon and they raise the canvas cover of the wagon like a sail and skim across the plains (ala Tom Hanks in Castaway). Having put 4,000M under the Durango across the Midwest Prairies, Northern Plains and Rockies, on blacktop and gravel, over dirt and rock we can say for certain that anyone making this trip on horseback was a hearty soul to be sure. Having begun our roadtrip with a 24 hour dash from Kemah, TX to Benson, MN we have since visited eleven states and counting.

It's hurricane season and every sailor in their right mind (that's a bit of an oxymoron) looks for a safe and dry hole. While Ana and Bill were stirring up things in the islands Vicky and Ed were watching the waves on Lake Scandi Minnesota. With three months to go in the official 2009 hurricane season we've traded Boto and the seas for the Dodge and the highway. Looking ahead to a roadtrip, where we will most definitely travel about in an unhurried fashion, we set off on 8/12 from Kemah, TX heading North to MN; 1,300M and seven states later we arrived in Benson, MN, Vicky's home town. For those not familiar with the state of MN, it is the land of 10,000 lakes, and we were off for a weekend on Lake Scandinavian; to Gretchan, Harvey and Jake we thank you for the hospitality by the lake.

Our next leg takes us from MN to MT, a total of 1,130M. Benson, MN to Mile City, MT 600M with stops to see the worlds largest Buffalo, Cow and Sand Piper. Beautiful scenery along the way and lots of fun in the car. As we ended our first day on the road Vicky and her Mom headed off to the casino to recapture some of the road dollars, Jean was successful, Vicky donated $20 to the states economy. A good nights rest and we're off for Hamilton, MT in the morning. With a little more than 500M in front of us we hit the road a bit late, but with a 75MPH speed limit we made up time. After refueling the truck and the body at Neptune's Brewery(if you find yourself in Livingston, MT stop in for some good Thai and a great beer) we cruised into Hamilton in time for dinner. Now the fun part of this leg will really begin.

Thursday the 2oth of August, finds us up and running heading into the Bitter Root Mountains for a day of four wheeling
and sight seeing. As the girls followed behind as we navigated the twists and turns enjoying the sights. Time for a rest before we are off on the road again heading to Helena, MT. Helena for the nuptials which have brought us to this piece of the planet. Standing by a babbling brook in the middle of a ranch we watch as Vicky's cousin makes her vows in the late afternoon sun. Following is a fun and rowdy barn dance well into the wee hours. Whether its the light air or our advancing ages we all sleep in a bit following the festivities. With the truck once again packed and the air mattress ready to go we are off to Glacier Park for some car camping and hiking. Three days on the road has taken us through Glacier National Park, into the Flathead Park and on into LoLo Park where we will spend a few days with the extended family camping and hiking.

Taking a break from the rigours of camping Vicky and Ed are off for a night on the town in Missoula, MT. For those Texans wishing to keep Austin weird, we suggest a visit to Missoula for some lessons. As all good things must end we find ourselves saying goodbye to Hamilton, MT and heading back to MN where we shall drop off Vicky's Mom before heading onto the east coast, but first, we have some stops to make along the way; Little Bighorn, Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse Monument,Wall Drug (a mainstay of the SD roadtrip), Corn Palace, and who knows what else.

July 2009 Corpus ChristiSail Part Deux

With a more civilized start to the day (7/20), we tossed off the lines at 1000 and once again ventured onto the Corpus Christi Bay. With 20kt winds gusting to 30 out of the south we were in for a great day of sailing. Making 5 to 6 kts (that's about 6mph) we were able to shut down the engine and sail the 20nm to Port Aransas (PA). Making an early day of it there was plenty of time to clean up, even the girls had showers (albeit somewhat reluctantly).

Given the harshness of the sailing life, what with A/C, cold beer, warm food and beautiful weather; we opted to spend a few days in PA and fix a few things that had broken. With the new windlass (the mechanical thingy that lifts the anchor so Ed doesn't have to) controls installed and the generator running (for the time being) as well as a few more good meals in us we were ready to head out again on the 23rd.

Rise and shine, 0600 comes quickly. The weather man got the wind direction right today, however he was a little off when it came to the force. Instead of the 10-15kts SSE we were promised we had 0-5kts. Oh well, motor sailing isn't all that bad. After a choppy start to the day the GOM (Gulf of Mexico) flattened out, the proverbial piece of glass. Ten hours and 60nm later we find ourselves anchored in 15ft of water 100yds from a very pretty stretch of beach in Matagorda Bay (28'25.923N, 96'20.847W). A great meal aboard Indulgence was followed by a beautiful night sky of a million stars. Oh yeah, the genset crapped out so no AC this night. Thankfully we had some breeze.

The 24th finds us once again at the Bridge Harbor Marina in Freeport after another 60nm day on the GOM. With the new windlass controls the anchor came up this morning without the accompaniment of grunts and groans. As with most of the trip we are escorted by dolphins. On this leg we get to watch them play in the waves and at one point watch as they dine on the smaller folks in the sea. As we approach Freeport the temp begins to drop as a thunderstorm rolls through sprinkling us with some rain but not much else. We tied up alongside at 1730, with a cocktail in hand, waiting our turns for the showers, then steaks and bed. Tomorrow we head home.

Saturday the 25th brought us a great sunrise as well as more of the same winds. We finally made the Galveston Channel at 1330 and were greeted by a pod of dolphins therein. After a nice sail up the Bay, managing to avoid a number of the larger ships, we are tied up at our home dock. Lesson learned on this leg is to always be alert, even after the boat is docked and the lines are made fast, because you can still find yourself "going in"... just ask Ed as he treads water next to Boto waiting for a hand out.

July 2009 Corpus Christi Sail

On the afternoon of July 13th SV Boto (Ed, Vicky, Mija and Chula) set sail, with our sailing buddies (Bruce, Susan, Shaina and Jib) on SV Indulgence, for a 2 week adventure to Corpus Christi and back to Kemah Texas.

We anchored off Texas City the first night to get an early start in the Gulf of Mexico the next day. We were invited over to Indulgence for dinner. With dogs in tow we launched the dingy (essentially our car!) for good food and wine with friends.

With fair weather and wind we sailed to the Bridgeport Harbor Marina in Freeport Texas (about a 12 hour day). We decided to spend the next day in Freeport so we could go to Surfside beach with Chula and Mija. We took out the Dahon folding bikes and the Croozer doggy 'chariot' that we attach to one of the bikes (essentially the second family car). It's a dog's life! They get to sit in shade with a breeze while Ed peddled an extra 50 pounds of dog up the Freeport bridge!

On July 16th we left Bridgeport Harbor at the crack of dawn for the longest leg of our trip (80 or so miles) to the Matagorda area. With the wind directly on our nose we decided to take the ICW (Intercoastal Waterway). We made good time and in 13 hours we were anchored at a nice little inlet near an abandoned military base in time to watch one of those incredible, large orange sunsets. Shortly after we enjoyed brilliant stars enhanced by the pitch black of being in the middle of nowhere!

The next day we decided a short-leg was in order so we headed off to Rockport, Texas for an easy 30 mile jaunt. We stayed at Key Allegro Marina that we discovered a few years back. It is one of those diamonds in the rough. It is a darling little marina with a ships store, pool and restaurant/bar. It was Friday so they had Jesse James' band on the outdoor patio. After dinner we went back to the boats and enjoyed the music from the cockpit.

We slept in...another short leg ahead of us! At noon we set off for Corpus Christi. It is now Saturday so there were a lot of other sailors out as we headed into the Port Aransas Pass. As we entered Corpus Christi Bay the winds really stepped it up. The marina told us the average winds are around 22 mph. We had up to 28 mile an hour gust so pulled in some sails and got a workout the last hour as auto-pilot couldn't hold a course in the high winds.

More sleeping in (8am VS 5am!) and then off to see the Corpus Christi sights after pancakes, sausage and bacon was had on SV Boto. We started with two art museums and ended at the aquarium. A nice touristy-kind of day.

Tomorrow off to Port Aransas....more to follow

Welcome to SV Boto's blog. We are preparing to set sail to the Caribbean the fall of 2009. We hope you will check in on us as we report on our latest adventures. This blog and email will become our main means of communication with you so please keep in touch.

Ed and Vicky...and our chaperons...Mija and Chula.