tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34051057656161472832012-01-10T03:21:49.309-06:00Follow our adventures as we sail from Texas to Florida along the Gulf Coast and then through the Caribbean Sea on our 1984 Hans Christian 33T sailboat.sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.comBlogger4531100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-20842120208483692872011-12-24T21:24:00.000-06:002011-12-24T21:25:07.956-06:00

Happy Holidays and Merry Chritmas to all.David is still on Bruadair in Bocas del Toro, he'll be attending the Christmas pot luck at the marina's restaurant and I'll be spending the day with a few relatives. It's been raining a lot in Panama but then it is that season. Hopefully it'll dry up for a day so the potluck is more comfortable.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-22478397724336598482011-12-14T02:34:00.001-06:002011-12-14T02:34:42.624-06:00

So I guess it's been a while since our last update. To be honest there hasn't been much to write about. I haven't been on the boat for a couple months but David is still on Bruadair which is still in the Bocas Yacht Club in Bocas del Toro, Panama. It is the rainy season so it's been raining some. David has become good friends with Charlie who is on a boat across the dock from Bruadair. David's

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-15768745303045501692011-11-07T13:20:00.001-06:002011-11-07T13:20:49.386-06:00

It's been raining a lot in Bocas recently but it hasn't been too bad. Our friends Richard and Pam on Tisha Baby left Bocas and just arrived in Colon, they're getting ready to transit the Panama Canal and will be in the Pacific soon. Mike and Barbara on Astarte will be heading to Colon soon too, for the same reason. Seems like a lot of our friends are headed that way. Not us though, still hanging

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-52278623577523847092011-11-04T02:30:00.001-05:002011-11-04T02:30:03.317-05:00

It was seven years ago today that we left Kemah on this wonderful adventure. No regrets and we're looking forward to many more years of adventures.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-10309307029592939292011-10-27T13:53:00.000-05:002011-10-27T13:54:13.216-05:00

Here's a panoramic photo I took a in September of the primary anchorage in Bocas del Toro, it's right off of the Bocas Yacht Club which is where I took the photo using my Nokia cell phone. Not a great picture but not bad for a cell phone.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-54189742296732086222011-10-24T21:03:00.000-05:002011-10-30T10:47:57.517-05:00

David sent me an email yesterday telling me about his day. He took a water taxi from Bocas town down to the Dark Lands where there's a property known as Rona Azul. Here's what he had to say; whew! 4 pm and just got back to the boat. been gone since 11 and am beat! today was Oktoberfest at Rona azule in the dark lands. i have been getting hounded to go, so finally decided why not. jampam (the

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-68188271165869621102011-10-18T17:10:00.002-05:002011-10-18T17:17:43.510-05:00

No, not the boat! We're not that crazy. Since I'm not using my Pentax K200D weather resistant digital camera I've decided to sell it. It takes great photos and is lightly used but for what we're doing it is more camera than I need. The Pentax K200D has a sealed weather resistant body. I'm selling it with Pentax K200D weather resistant DSLR camera Pentax DA 18-250mm f/3.5-6.3 ED AL IF Lens ***

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-46937756509852745282011-10-13T11:55:00.001-05:002011-10-13T11:55:55.198-05:00

Wow, has it really been a month since our last update? I guess we should tell you what's been happening. David is on Bruadair in Bocas del Toro at the Bocas Yacht Club. He's been enjoying lots of time with friends and doing a few boat things here and there. I on the other hand flew to Washington for my grandmother's 90th birthday party and had a chance to catch up with some relatives that I

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-24480101012155737332011-09-09T23:07:00.000-05:002011-09-09T23:08:03.849-05:00

I can't remember if I posted it or not but we're now in a marina, the first time in two years. Our plans at Red Frog Marina changed and we're now at Bocas Yacht Club. This past week has been full of tasks and now its winding down. I'm getting ready to fly back to the states in a week so I can go to my grandmother's 90th birthday party and to visit some of the relatives. I'm even hoping I can

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-84710234548024224352011-09-01T14:30:00.000-05:002011-09-01T14:31:05.487-05:00

From out of no where a really nasty storm blew in bringing winds up to 35 knots and rain so dense that we could hardly see the bow of the boat. The seas picked up causing us to bounce in our favorite anchorage. It quickly became apparent that we needed to find a safer place to be so we got the anchor up and moved half a mile into the mangroves, the same little spot we came to the last time a

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-16789462698738779582011-08-31T09:11:00.001-05:002011-08-31T09:11:30.982-05:00

Anchored in seven feet of water, drinking coffee in the cockpit and watching a crab walk around the sand below us. The dolphins are playing in the distance and a huge eagle ray jumped out of the water on our port side. Great way to start the day.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-89991701922765639802011-08-28T07:32:00.001-05:002011-08-28T07:32:21.254-05:00

It's Sunday morning and we're on the move. After we finish our morning coffee we'll raise anchor and go through the Short Cut and over to Twin Creek. The Short Cut (aka The Gap) is really a beautiful cut between Isla Solarte and Isla Bastimentos which will take us from Hospital Bight to Bahia Almirante. With the dense jungle like foliage on the islands I keep thinking we'll hear the roar of the

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-4753913505654898792011-08-26T17:35:00.000-05:002011-08-26T17:36:04.806-05:00

Last week when I was in the water cleaning our prop and inspecting the bottom I took a few minutes and played with my Canon camera taking a few pictures here and there. Here are two. One is of our propeller before I cleaned it, covered in oysters and barnacles. The other was just a photo of Bruadair from under the bowsprit.We were going to raise anchor today and move but have decided for now to

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-37385310695785464522011-08-25T09:34:00.001-05:002011-08-25T09:34:12.385-05:00

Not too long ago Panama announced that tourists visiting Panama would receive a complimentary 30 day emergency medical and dental insurance card. We recently met some boaters that flew back into Panama after a visit back to the states and they shared what they learned about the program with us. The card is currently available only at the Tucomen International Airport in Panama City. After

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-88533264331332377692011-08-22T18:28:00.001-05:002011-08-22T18:28:15.686-05:00

David left early this morning and is in Costa Rica now. He went with two other couples as everyone was close to the end of their six month immigration stamp. Puerto Viejo is a small coastal tourist town just across the border from Panama and is a popular place for cruisers to go when they need to renew their immigration stamp. After three days out of Panama he'll return with a new stamp good for

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-13420548289993289832011-08-21T09:21:00.000-05:002011-08-21T09:21:14.542-05:00

A couple days ago I installed the 3.0 software update on our NSE-8 multifunction. I'm ecstatic to report that included in the new software is a course over ground (COG) vessel extension line making navigating much easier especially when in areas of strong currents where heading and course may be vastly different. The vessel extension line can be set to heading (HDG) or COG or both. Pretty

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-21496920719514977842011-08-20T16:54:00.001-05:002011-08-20T16:54:25.680-05:00

Judy is a very dear friend who has a boat in Red Frog Marina she sent us an email last night asking for us to take care of an issue on her boat (she's in the states right now) so we raised anchor this morning and moved closer to the marina where it would be convenient for me to dingy in help with Judy's request.We had fun coming over. Decided that since it was a nice day to do some exploring so

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-40237753205752075372011-08-19T10:56:00.001-05:002011-08-19T10:56:47.838-05:00

We've been moving around a little here and there and yesterday we returned to Twin Creek which is just a few miles SE of Bocas town. Instead of anchoring on our usual shoal we found another, we're still in only seven feet of water.David surprised me this morning with bagels and cream cheese. What a treat! He's good at finding surprises in town when he's grocery shopping. If the sunshine continues

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-16951846040049476742011-08-10T21:38:00.001-05:002011-08-10T21:38:42.885-05:00

Bocas del Toro and the surrounding area has a lot to offer not only to boaters but to surfers, tourists and to those looking for a place to retire and call home. If you would like to see more about the area we're in you should go to www.youtube.com and do a search for Bocas del Toro. You'll find an abundance of videos both long and short to keep you busy for a while.Not much new is happening

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-5736968241701304142011-08-06T15:24:00.001-05:002011-08-06T15:24:10.196-05:00

Yesterday for lunch we had some fresh lobster tails served with cocktail sauce for an appetizer followed by a bowl of macaroni and cheese. It was all pretty good. We're hoping that another fisherman comes by soon with more lobster to sell. The weather has been relatively cool here for a while. It's really comfortable and at night rather cool. Not much else is happening.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-65142276710772102602011-08-04T11:05:00.001-05:002011-08-04T11:05:19.607-05:00

We're now anchored in Hospital Bight, moved here yesterday. It was raining in the morning but around noon it stopped so we decided to move. Just as the anchor was up it started raining again, it was a light rain so we decided to just go. Two hours later we were anchored in Hospital bight. A young man and his wife came up alongside in their dugout and offered us two nice lobsters. After a quick

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-48643491396728645542011-07-28T17:27:00.001-05:002011-07-28T17:27:50.538-05:00

David made the best chicken curry last night. He's a great cook but last night was over the top. Needless to say I'm excited about leftovers tonight. It rained this morning but cleared up this afternoon. A young man paddled up not too long ago selling fresh bread. We bought two pieces to have with dinner tonight, should be good for soaking up the curry sauce!

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-10407441321770300712011-07-28T11:27:00.000-05:002011-07-28T11:27:37.232-05:00

 Here is a picture of our new Rolls batteries. Rolls has the reputation for making the best batteries so we have high expectations. They come with a two year replacement and additional five year prorated warranty. We have six of these six volt batteries giving us a total of 660 amp hours. The serial number of the battery is stamped into the case but someone decided not only to write it on the

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-65123680617620489752011-07-26T21:31:00.002-05:002011-07-28T11:28:45.603-05:00

A huge boat, Lattitude, pulled into Bocas and anchored not too far from us. He's actually too big for the anchorage so he's anchored further out in 70' of water. He has two big power boats on deck, the one further aft is larger than Bruadair.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-16316452527532688572011-07-25T18:20:00.001-05:002011-07-25T18:20:25.859-05:00

We got our new batteries on the boat today. It took two hours to get the old ones out and the six new Rolls EHW220 batteries in. We have the generator running so we can get the new batteries fully charged, might take all evening. We're so glad to have that behind us now. Never again will we use the person that sold us the batteries for anything else. It was a horrific nightmare. We sent emails

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-54706698656027252402011-07-25T14:10:00.001-05:002011-07-25T14:10:21.267-05:00

We went in to Bocas Marina today and were happy to see our new Rolls EHW220 batteries sitting there. Its raining right now so we can't get them out to the boat quite yet but will do so when it stops raining. More on our buying experience of these batteries later.Just after lunch we heard a man yelling from outside. A man had come up along side our boat in a large launcha with some of the best

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-52179674669701347872011-07-24T14:55:00.001-05:002011-07-24T14:55:30.488-05:00

We just wanted to thank Julia A. from New Hampshire for making a donation to our beverage fund. We always appreciate someone buying us a drink or dinner!!Thank you Julia!!!!

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-37229557255731542752011-07-24T14:14:00.001-05:002011-07-24T14:14:05.284-05:00

This morning we had a treat, veggie omelet and bacon. It was excellent. After breakfast we left our well protected bay and made the trip to Bocas town. We're now anchored off of Bocas Marina so that we can go in at 10am tomorrow and pick up our new batteries!----------radio email processed by SailMailfor information see: http://www.sailmail.com

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-78352615268817942232011-07-23T11:22:00.001-05:002011-07-23T11:22:51.815-05:00

We were at a nice and secluded anchorage for the past couple days enjoying some peace and quiet, even getting a few things done around the boat. Early this morning thunderstorms began rolling in and with it 30 knots of wind, contrary to our forecast of 5 knots. Because the forecast was for settled weather we anchored in an exposed area to get as much breeze over the boat as we could. Because of

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-78540195136573802552011-07-15T16:41:00.001-05:002011-07-15T16:41:55.376-05:00

I got back to Bocas last night, an hour and a half late. The plane decided to stop first at Changoinola. David waited patiently to pick me up and fortunately we got back to the boat just before dark. Light rain last night, the forecast is calling for some severe weather through the weekend. This morning we raised anchor and left the anchorage off of Bocas town and found a nice quiet spot to call

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-8669014354429401162011-07-13T19:33:00.000-05:002011-07-13T19:33:26.401-05:00

Going well in Panama City. Still liking it here at Torres de Alba. I'm in the first tower, the older and shortest of the three. The second floor has a huge almost wrap around patio and pool, they serve the breakfast here in the mornings. Gotta say I'm impressed. Fresh fruit choices include bananas, pineapple, watermelon and papaya.  There's a selection of cold cereal, variety of breads next to

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-38567783017874670332011-07-11T21:11:00.000-05:002011-07-13T19:37:13.809-05:00

After I got into Panama City I took a taxi to Hotel Las Vegas. The lady at the front desk told me I would have to wait at least six hours before a room would be available, what the heck am I supposed to do with luggage and my computer? She gave me two options, take the more expensive suite or take what I call the coffin room (small like a closet with a twin bed). I told her to change my

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-39000842666614943862011-07-11T20:07:00.001-05:002011-07-11T20:07:51.946-05:00

I flew to Panama City yesterday and will be here for a few days taking care of some business. The airport at Bocas is under a lot of re-construction. I would say remodeling but I think re-construction is more appropriate. There are two carriers carriers servicing this airport, Air Panama and Aero Perlas. I have usually flow Air Panama in the past but opted to go with Aero Perlas this time despite

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-36743986930947532452011-07-10T20:04:00.000-05:002011-07-10T20:04:12.895-05:00

Here's a video that I've wanted to upload to our blog for a long time. But as its a huge file I had to wait until I had fast enough internet speed to do so. I was holding the camera at the wrong orientation but you get the idea. These are the dolphins we saw during our San Blas-Cartagena crossing. Enjoy.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-79108500320150001162011-07-10T16:59:00.002-05:002011-07-10T18:18:54.700-05:00

In Latin America many restaurants including all tourist oriented restaurants have private tables just as they do back in the states. But the working man's restaurant or local eatery has limited space so sitting among strangers while you eat is very common, and a fun way to get to know locals. In Cartagena one of my favorite local restaurants was GCB. It was a small with about four tables for four

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-16485767901137309832011-07-07T10:10:00.000-05:002011-07-07T10:11:11.098-05:00

We woke up to a beautiful sunny morning today. Last night all around us we heard fish of various sizes splashing, some probably chasing their dinner while other running to avoid being dinner. Here are a couple snapshots of us in about 6.5 to 7 feet of water. The photos don't do justice, the view beneath us is really spectacular.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-69578027228943381382011-07-06T16:18:00.001-05:002011-07-06T16:18:27.624-05:00

Having completed a handful of projects (maintenance stuff) and after picking up our laundry from Red Frog Marina this morning we raised anchor and leisurely motored five miles to Twin Creek. Where we were anchored off of Red Frog Marina we had Isla Bastiementos to the north of us and Cayo Nancy to the south of us. To get to Twin Creek we had to go around Cayo Nancy and anchor on it's south side.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-36327105528289402302011-06-30T09:14:00.001-05:002011-06-30T09:14:36.649-05:00

A big happy birthday to David's nephew Mason!!

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-32127156570661507112011-06-24T22:27:00.003-05:002011-06-25T14:37:31.274-05:00

Four and a half years ago when we were in Roatan, Honduras David and bought new Trojan T105 batteries. These batteries are the source of our electricity on Bruadair. It provides the electricity to run the water pump, the refrigerator, lights, fans, electronics and so much more. With out the batteries we would, well, be reading by candles and eating out of cans. Our battery bank consists of six

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-48966943525058751212011-06-22T21:00:00.001-05:002011-06-22T21:00:18.613-05:00

The area here commonly known as Bocas del Toro actually is a huge area consisting of numerous large bays and inlets. The town of Bocas del Toro is actually a small town on the island of Isla Colon. Yesterday we left Hospital Bight and came over to the anchorage just off Bocas town. We needed to get a few groceries and some fresh fruits and veggies. It's been at least three months since David had

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-48433539295506160532011-06-14T14:00:00.001-05:002011-06-14T14:00:35.284-05:00

We woke up yesterday morning to a beautiful surprise.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-4736003312441009892011-06-10T21:26:00.001-05:002011-06-10T21:26:38.330-05:00

The photos in this update are of some dolphins we saw last year on our trip from the San Blas Islands to Cartagena. I had forgotten about these until I was going through some files recently. I also have a really cool video of these dolphins but will have to wait until I can find some fast internet service. Until then these photos will have to do.We raised anchor today and went through the small

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-57094874015535083772011-06-07T21:59:00.001-05:002011-06-07T22:17:01.228-05:00

Ashley loves to inspect anything that is out of place, here she decided to befriend the drill and take a nap with it.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-31243994948907813542011-06-07T16:48:00.001-05:002011-06-07T16:48:50.953-05:00

Since arriving at Bocas and having made a couple trips to the well stocked grocery stores here I think we've been eating pretty well. Actually, we always eat well but its nice to have a wider selection of things to stock up with. Last night we had thick cut smoked pork chops with gravy served over rice. The night before we had spaghetti with ground beef. The last time we had ground beef on the

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-2648952533707164362011-06-05T23:07:00.001-05:002011-06-05T23:07:52.440-05:00

Yesterday evening David and I went to Mary and Carl's house. We had met them many years ago in the Rio Dulce of Guatemala, the last time we saw them was a bit over three years ago after they bought some property here in Dolphin Bay. Now their house is done and it really is something special, I especially like the 12' deep wrap around porch with views overlooking the bay from atop a hill. While we

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-6785230077454759962011-06-04T14:41:00.001-05:002011-06-04T14:41:41.380-05:00

We left the anchorage off of Red Frog Marina this morning and ended up here in Dolphin Bay about 12 miles away. Not a bad trip but again we motored as there wasn't a bit of wind. We're at the south end of Dolphin Bay and there isn't even a hint of any breeze down here so we'll probably move up to the north end of the bay tomorrow where we should have about 5 knots of wind. It'll be a bit cooler

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-9489401249470173152011-05-29T14:31:00.000-05:002011-05-29T14:31:28.923-05:00

 Our trip started in Nargana in Eastern Panama (San Blas Islands). The first three days took us from Nargana to Esnesdup to the West Lemon Cayes and to Porvineer (Click on map for larger view and see burgandy line). On day four we went from Porvineer to Portobello (burgandy line) and on day five we left Portobello and arrived in Bocas on day 6 (see red line).   These are screen shots taken

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-61676240356037464602011-05-27T18:04:00.000-05:002011-05-27T18:05:41.575-05:00

We left our anchorage this morning at Gallego Caye and went to Red Frog Marina located on Isla Bastiementos. To get there we had two choices, Go north an hour and round the tip of the large island of Cayo Nancy and then head back south into Hospital Bight, or we could take the short cut through a narrow and winding cut through the south end of Cayo Nancy, known simply as Short Cut (sometimes

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-49681022068596722192011-05-26T17:37:00.001-05:002011-05-26T17:37:47.924-05:00

Happy Birthday to David's niece Emma!!!----------radio email processed by SailMailfor information see: http://www.sailmail.com

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-33876878585615645272011-05-26T15:18:00.000-05:002011-05-26T15:19:02.024-05:00

We took a leisurely stroll in Bruadair from Dolphin Bay to the town of Bocas so that we could clear in and get some groceries (almost all the cupboards are empty). Our visit with the port captain in Bocas was, well, easier than our trip here. It took 5 seconds for him to say hi, take our zarpe from Porvineer and welcome us to Bocas del Toro. Impressive. Our next stop was the Gourmet Super Store

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-27781252774590012302011-05-26T09:24:00.000-05:002011-05-26T09:25:11.461-05:00

We're supposed to be on our way to the town of Bocas right now to clear in with the port captain but as we were raising anchor I noticed that our one year old Simrad AP28 autopilot just crapped out. Not working. For the first nine months it worked flawlessly but for the past three we've had intermittent issues. After emailing back and forth with Simrad's support team their last email said they

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-86686352311574444482011-05-25T12:59:00.001-05:002011-05-25T12:59:46.607-05:00

We just set anchor a few minutes ago in Dolphin Bay, a beautiful bay about an hour and a half south of Bocas del Toro. We chose to stay here for the rest of the day and will head up to Bocas del Toro to clear in with the port captain during office hours so as to avoid any overtime charges. After that we'll head over to Bastiementos Bay to visit Red Frog Marina where we have a reservation to stay

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-22508240161211886152011-05-25T11:09:00.000-05:002011-05-25T11:10:04.822-05:00

We just finished passing through Crawl Caye Channel south of Bocas del Toro and are winding our way through the mangroves, islands and shoals up towards Bocas. We'll probably find a place to anchor for the night tonight out of sight of the port captain in Bocas, tomorrow we'll make our way into town during business hours and turn in our zarpe.It was a great trip, once we're anchored we'll post

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-34528565202317195102011-05-23T16:57:00.000-05:002011-05-23T16:58:07.090-05:00

Our trip from the San Blas today took us 9.5 hours with an average speed of about 5.5 knots. It really was a great motor sail today, and a comfortable trip at that. The anchor was dropped less than five minutes ago, David is already starting to boil a dozen eggs and make a big dinner so that we'll have leftovers and eggs to snack on for our trip tomorrow to Bocas.Today we saw dolphins, though not

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-22508466158965155582011-05-23T13:42:00.000-05:002011-05-23T13:43:21.498-05:00

We left Porvineer at 720am this morning and are still underway. We're about four miles west of Isla Grande and have about another four hours before we reach Portobello. We have a slight current against us and about 8 knots of wind so we are motor sailing, making about an average of 5.7 knots. Our trip today is an estimated 50 nautical miles. The seas, when we started this morning, were absolutely

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-78443084464676638692011-05-22T12:33:00.001-05:002011-05-22T12:33:49.755-05:00

We made the very short 1 hour trip today to Porvineer in the hopes that the port captain would be available so we could get our zarpe a day early, but he's no on the island so we'll have to get it tomorrow morning. We did though find diesel today and were able to fill up our tank with the 15 gallons we bought. Actually, we had to pay for 20 gallons at $5/gallon in order to get 15 gallons. Most

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-11812416872996992332011-05-21T17:14:00.000-05:002011-05-21T17:15:29.399-05:00

We left our unusual anchorage this morning after our coffee pot was drained empty and motored 22 miles to the West Lemon Cayes. Because there is absolutely no wind we probably could have anchored just about anywhere but there is something to be said about being in a secured anchorage, though secure from the seas seems silly to be saying right now. The seas are flat, absolutely flat. Not sure if

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-80119079541412530942011-05-20T15:27:00.000-05:002011-05-21T07:55:25.480-05:00

I had a good couple days in Panama City and picked up some provisions. Also had the chance to enjoy some delicious Chinese food the first night and a pizza the second. I flew back to Naragana this morning. The flight was scheduled to leave at 6am but finally left at 8am for the forty minute flight. The plane today felt more like a cargo plane than a passenger plane. Its a small eight seater (that

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-18790548309563432872011-05-19T15:55:00.001-05:002011-05-19T15:55:32.550-05:00

I arrived in Panama City yesterday for a couple days. I'm getting some provisions from the grocery stores and will be headed back to Bruadair tomorrow morning on the little 8 seat airplane. That is half the capacity of the larger plane that they usually fly, not sure why Air Panama downsized.Provisioning so far has gone well. The tiendas in Nargana where David is still anchored with the boat has

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-16325989508631271002011-05-08T22:48:00.000-05:002011-05-08T22:48:43.441-05:00

Wow, I can't believe that its been so long since we last posted, where does the time go? David has been working on a few boat projects, more on that when he's done, maybe in a couple more weeks. We're in Nargana right now doing a little provisioning and waiting for some diesel. Our plan is to leave here in a few weeks and start making our way west along the coast to Bocas del Toro where we'll

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-82004612068824369482011-04-15T13:55:00.001-05:002011-04-15T13:55:33.096-05:00

After spending so much time in the East Lemmon Cayes we decided to move today. Our plan was to head over to Esnesdup (one of our favorite anchorages) in the hopes of seeing the large salt water crocodile that lives there. But as we approached Esnesdup from the south the water was so settled and winds very light that we decided to try a new spot. Just south of Esnesdup along the reef there are two

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-26039941201666879982011-04-15T08:05:00.001-05:002011-04-15T08:05:36.290-05:00

Happy birthday wishes to David's uncle Melvin.----------radio email processed by SailMailfor information see: http://www.sailmail.com

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-8531546346798669902011-04-09T15:54:00.001-05:002011-04-09T15:54:43.518-05:00

The veggie boat came by today and it was a welcome visit. It is about a 20' boat that comes out of Linton about 40 miles down the coast and is loaded with all sorts of fresh fruits and veggies. Today we bought onions, tomatoes, pineapples, a watermelon and some cabbage. Unfortunately he didn't have any oranges or grapefruits or even potatoes, hopefully he'll have it the next time. Last year he

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-13824508814926469612011-04-01T19:16:00.001-05:002011-04-01T19:16:38.268-05:00

I washed Ashley's water glass this morning and filled it with fresh water. Put it on the salon table where it always goes. I filled my water glass and put it on the table too. Ashley goes over to her water glass, sniffs, walks to mine, and drinks. Not sure what that was about.We skipped lunch today but I grabbed a package of lemon cookies. As soon as I opened it I had a gray ball of fur on my lap

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-22845664520327418242011-03-29T13:46:00.001-05:002011-03-29T13:46:38.833-05:00

We left the East Lemmon Cays this morning and made the short tip over to Porvineer so that we could clear into Panama. As is the norm with clearing in at Porvineer the process was quick, friendly and inexpensive. The Port Captain took our departure papers from Cartagena Colombia and issued us a one year cruising permit, in about 10 minutes. After five minutes with the Immigration official we had

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-58289932612115754062011-03-29T07:15:00.002-05:002011-03-29T07:34:35.003-05:00

My mother has been making quilts as long as I can remember, and she's good at it too. When we bought our boat she gave us two quilts, one for each cabin. For the past six and a half years cruising in warm climates we have only used them as decorative coverings for the berths but we'll keep holding on to them for whenever we decide to get back into cooler climates. Or who knows, maybe we'll go

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-1332932065487268552011-03-27T16:25:00.001-05:002011-03-27T16:25:20.002-05:00

We left Nabadup this morning and motored 11 nautical miles this windless day to the East Lemmon Cayes. The most wind we've had in the past 48 hours is about 5 knots of wind, not a lot. And without a fresh sea breeze it gets pretty hot here. Good thing we have fans and lots of water around us to jump into.The East Lemmon Cayes is one of our favorite places as it provides beautiful islands and

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-46539964769780629452011-03-23T18:31:00.000-05:002011-03-23T18:32:07.240-05:00

We all get cravings for something once in a while, for me its a piece of chocolate or maybe a scoop of ice cream. Sometimes I'll crave a pizza or a really nice medium rare steak. Ashley just turned 18 years old and for 16 years she has eaten nothing but her dry cat food. We've always offered her fresh fish or canned tuna fish and she would always turn her nose up at it. A couple years ago we

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-40890731010415882632011-03-21T17:17:00.001-05:002011-03-21T17:17:48.195-05:00

The container that washed up on the beach yesterday is no more. Kuna men and women spent the a good part of the day dismantling the container, every part to be recycled in one form or another. The sheet metal sides were taken to be used as roofing material, nuts bolts and screws salvaged to be used somewhere, the aluminum framing and copper piping from the container's refrigeration system neatly

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-84705061712915381562011-03-20T14:36:00.000-05:002011-03-20T14:38:30.636-05:00

While David was just starting to make lunch I stepped out into the cockpit and saw something that I had never seen before. We have always hear stories of large containers falling off of large ships, the kind that you see being hauled around by semi-trucks. We've heard of boats hitting them and sinking too as usually they are just barely submerged and hard to see. This one though was about a half

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-82034638647459242752011-03-18T08:39:00.001-05:002011-03-18T08:39:00.853-05:00

Happy Birthday to my brother today and my mother tomorrow. And happy birthdays to David and Ashley as well as my aunt Lora, cousins Ryan and Christine and nephew Dillan. Also happy birthday and David's aunt Janice, all who have a birthday this month.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-32336037823544634982011-03-14T13:28:00.001-05:002011-03-14T13:28:41.069-05:00

Yesterday I spent the day over on Diva helping Carl and Debbie fix their water maker. I got back to Bruadair with an hour to rest before we went over to Tisha Baby for happy hour and to watch the sunset. During my hour rest Pam and Judy came over from Tisha Baby and collected our trash, they then went to the island behind us and did a trash burn. On their way to the island they spotted the

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-1016580339075666532011-03-13T08:30:00.001-05:002011-03-13T08:30:38.661-05:00

We moved again yesterday morning and this time only three miles to another favorite anchorage, Esnesdup. The area consists of three large islands and a few smaller islands. At the northern most part of this island group there are two large islands separated by a narrow cut. We went through this cut and up into a small lagoon surrounded by a large reef. Behind us are the islands and in front of us

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-63641775244459917532011-03-11T15:25:00.000-06:002011-03-11T15:26:17.054-06:00

We had planned on leaving Snug Harbor tomorrow for Nabadup but looking out past the reefs this morning the ocean swell looked like it had settled quite a bit so with short notice we decided to raise anchor and leave today. And it was a great decision. We had a beautiful sail with 12 knots of wind and two foot seas the entire trip. Actually, the seas settled to one foot about 2/3 of the way to

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-22399986123908683632011-03-09T16:32:00.000-06:002011-03-09T16:33:08.169-06:00

I was just sitting in the cockpit enjoying the peaceful surroundings when I saw a large vibrant purple thing float by. It had an inflated bulb on the top sticking out of the water and below the water surface it looked like a rough head of cauliflower. A few fish of about three or four inches were swimming around it and staying very close. The intensity of the purple was just amazing. I suspected

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-76400146801719229312011-03-09T14:26:00.000-06:002011-03-09T14:27:34.323-06:00

After doing a final weather check we raised anchor at 0750 and headed out of the Bay of Cholon for the San Blas Islands along the Panama coast. The sun was shining and outside the bay the seas were only one to two feet but the wind was only a couple of knots. We motored between the mainland of Colombia and the Rosario Islands winding our way through the shallow reefs. Once past the protection of

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-33442816309158092662011-03-08T16:14:00.000-06:002011-03-08T16:15:32.621-06:00

32 hours after leaving Bahia de Cholon in Colombia we set our anchor in Snug Harbor in the San Blas Islands. It was a good trip to start but a rough trip about half way through. We're beat so our priorities are a shower, dinner and some sleep. More on our trip in a day or two but for now we just wanted to let everyone know we arrived safely.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-32180495087978445992011-03-07T05:38:00.001-06:002011-03-07T05:38:25.921-06:00

The weather report we got this morning looks good so we're raising anchor and heading to Panama. We should be there sometime tomorrow afternoon. Our destination is San Ignacio de Tupile in the San Blas Islands and our alternate is Isla Pinos also in the San Blas Islands.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-68015781102946813822011-03-06T10:16:00.001-06:002011-03-06T10:16:56.811-06:00

Last night in the bay of Cholon at half past midnight I heard the scream of an air horn pierce the stillness of the night. I immediately jumped out of bed and into the cockpit as that sound in the middle of the night only meant one thing. After checking to make sure our outboard was still on the boat I scanned the horizon trying to look for unwanted traffic in the bay but it was difficult to see

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-7103689461488319082011-03-05T18:17:00.001-06:002011-03-05T18:17:27.699-06:00

I know, its been a while since our last post. We've been sitting here in Cholon waiting for weather to settle so we can sail to the San Blas Islands and while waiting there really hasn't been a whole to report. David is reading a lot on his Kindle, I'm playing video games and that's about it.The weather is looking good for departing early Monday morning and we expect the 160 miles trip to take us

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-8963873532911382452011-02-23T16:11:00.000-06:002011-02-23T16:11:56.958-06:00

We've made good timing with our pre-departure checklist and everything is done so we're ready now to head offshore to the San Blas Islands in Panama. The dingy has been patched (six times), the engine inspection is done, the water maker is working, all the rigging has been inspected three times, gear secured, the abandon ship bag has been double checked for its contents and made accessible,

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-21100360155793972442011-02-21T16:59:00.000-06:002011-02-21T16:59:49.147-06:00

Yesterday morning after topping off the fuel tank we left Manzanillo Marina Club boat yard in Cartagena and motored 20 miles south along the coast to one of our favorite bays, Bahia de Cholon. We're safely anchored here with about a dozen other boats and we've already started our prep list before we head offshore for the short trip to the San Blas Islands. We are also getting some well needed

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-42907261776821791522011-02-19T18:21:00.000-06:002011-02-19T18:21:03.082-06:00

Bruadair was launched back into the water just a couple hours ago and its truly nice to see her floating again. We had a lot to do to get her ready for tomorrow's sail to Cholon and we're still not done yet but it is dark now so we plan on getting up early with the roosters and back to work. We have some lines for the head sails that need to be run, inflate the dingy and secure it on the davits

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-17283327571173674982011-02-18T10:05:00.000-06:002011-02-18T10:05:07.589-06:00

We are now at the end of our haul out and will splash tomorrow afternoon. The gel coat job looks good on the hull but now the decks sure look really bad in comparison, the varnish looks good, the bottom looks sweet and only one item remains before can be lowered back into the water. Our exhaust fitting that goes through the hull was supposed to be here three weeks ago but is still not here.

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-2481709405487328832011-02-15T17:00:00.000-06:002011-02-15T17:00:25.683-06:00

It's finally the end of a long work day. We got some tidying done on the boat, Alberto completed the waxing of the deck and cabin top area and it looks really good compared to what it looked like when we arrived but no where near as good as our hull now. We'll have to consider refinishing the deck area another year. Rafael worked diligently to get two coats of epoxy barrier on the bottom, we

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-2433031598910982922011-02-15T08:51:00.000-06:002011-02-15T08:51:39.978-06:00

Its 9:30am on day 23 of our haul out and Bruadair now has her name back on the stern of the boat. Because the sign maker didn't have any greens available like what we had before we opted to go with black. Its really nice to see the boat with her name back on. Rafael is applying the two part epoxy barrier coat right now and Alberto is waxing the deck area. Its really coming together. More to be

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-22658909179212468812011-02-14T18:49:00.000-06:002011-02-14T18:49:00.222-06:00

I think we're happy with the gel coat job now, the only remaining tasks involved with that job are to put new vinyl lettering on the boat for the boat name and hailing port and then we need to get all the gel coat dust wiped off of the newly varnished wood. The boat washing on the deck looks good and the varnish now looks good. The batteries have been equalized and topped with water, all the

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-58209329787410070022011-02-14T15:50:00.000-06:002011-02-14T15:50:07.037-06:00

Bruadair has been hauled out now for three weeks, today as we start our fourth week the boat is finally coming together and looking good. We have a few more things to do and we're still waiting for an express delivery package from Miami which is our engine's exhaust fitting that goes through the hull. We can't launch without it and it was supposed to be here a week ago but due to delays in

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-34889559760205164822011-02-13T14:06:00.002-06:002011-02-13T20:47:53.217-06:00

Yesterday we found out that Flavit's crew took some short cuts on our gel coat job causing the results we were not happy with. We were told before the job began that they would sand with 400 and 800 grit sand paper and then wet sand with 1000 and 1500 sand paper. The workers did not wet sand like they should have and went right to waxing so the finish wasn't what we were expecting. After some

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-8731325310449790632011-02-12T08:15:00.000-06:002011-02-12T08:15:09.060-06:00

Last night David and I worked until about 7pm and got a lot accomplished in regards to putting the boat back together, something we need to do before we launch the boat. This morning at 6am David was busy taping the water line which is the line where our antifouling paint will come up to. I got started a half hour later and finished putting the head back in and securing all the plumbing

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-52479597315404407462011-02-11T18:18:00.003-06:002011-02-11T18:18:40.922-06:00

The varnishing was completed today with five coats on all the exterior teak, it looks quite good. David will finish up with about 10 more coats once we're back in the water. Flavit's crew was supposed to finish this past Monday, then it was Wednesday, then Thursday and finally today, Friday. They took rubbing compound to the gel coat which did start to bring out the shine but I'm not happy with

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-34662980851148340582011-02-10T17:36:00.002-06:002011-02-10T17:41:03.776-06:00

Two days ago the boom was painted, bright white. It looks really good now, a contrast from its previously worn and peeling paint job. We put all the hardware back on the boom and hoisted it up to the boat and installed it this morning. The bowsprit was also painted bright white and looks like new. It is odd though seeing the bowsprit look so clean and bright but we know that the first time

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-64876730569029470482011-02-08T19:39:00.000-06:002011-02-08T19:39:22.898-06:00

There really wasn't much to report yesterday nor will there be much to report today. Once the gel coat was sprayed and allowed to dry the process of sanding it to a smooth finish and then polishing it to bring out the shine will involve a lot of sanding and should take about three days, maybe four days. We're already into our third week here and the time has gone by very fast. It is important to

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-29930067020095081822011-02-08T09:38:00.000-06:002011-02-08T21:17:16.236-06:00

There really wasn't much to report yesterday nor will there be much to report today. Once the gel coat was sprayed and allowed to dry the process of sanding it to a smooth finish and then polishing it to bring out the shine will involve a lot of sanding and should take about three days, maybe four days. We're already into our third week here and the time has gone by very fast. It is important to

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-61346485729814791432011-02-05T17:41:00.001-06:002011-02-05T17:43:30.452-06:00

For the past two weeks Bruadair has had a lot of sanding done to her. Her bottom paint was removed, her hull was sanded repeatedly and the varnish removed and wood sanded. So much has been done to get her ready for her extreme makeover. And it began today. Flavit and his crew showed up at 8am sharp bringing with them a large compressor, air hose and sprayer among a few other items. Scaffolding

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-5781938271103622412011-02-04T21:16:00.001-06:002011-02-04T21:16:56.192-06:00

David and I got to looking at the color of the gel coat that was mixed yesterday and we decided that it wasn't quite the yellowish cream color that we thought it was, which is what the original color of the boat was. So we spent four hours mixing colors and we finally got it. We put a few dabs here and there and let it dry in the sun and it is really close. So we're happy to get that out of the

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-37101198129225744012011-02-03T20:27:00.002-06:002011-02-05T10:50:43.297-06:00

Flavit's crew did a little more sanding on the hull and then started taping off what doesn't need to be sprayed with gel coat. There is still a lot more to tape off before the spraying can begin. David and I thought we were happy with the color of the gel coat last night but this morning in the bright sunlight the sample color appeared to be too light. The gel coat was delivered in white

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-62397057594521148722011-02-02T19:29:00.001-06:002011-02-02T19:29:31.856-06:00

There really isn't much to report today. More sanding, blister grinding and filling and more sanding is really all that took place today. Flavit showed up at 3pm with five gallons of gel coat and it took us 3.5 hours of color matching to get to a shade of cream that we were happy with, its very close to the original cream color. I think tomorrow is some final sanding and cleaning and then

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-47779377224577486322011-02-01T15:46:00.000-06:002011-02-01T15:46:59.996-06:00

Yesterday, Monday, was another full work day but due to a persistent migraine I remained in the apartment all day and neglected to take any photos or write up anything about the work. In a nut shell David stayed with the boat all day supervising all the workers. The exterior teak is almost completely void of old varnish, the gel coat on the hull got more sanding and a lot of imperfections that we

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3405105765616147283.post-77779925810131197432011-01-30T15:35:00.001-06:002011-01-30T15:35:35.737-06:00

David and I had a great dinner last night with Susan and her friend. We went to Getsemeni Cocktail Bar which really isn't a bar but is a small local restaurant with great meals. After dinner we walked to the Old Town with in the walls of the old fort and had dessert at Meli's, a wonderful French dessert and pastry shop. After walking the ladies back to their hotel we returned to the boat yard and

sv Bruadairhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05297683017091780874noreply@blogger.com1