Yesterday we returned Dubhe to the water after a week on the hill for a bottom job and minor repairs. We are planning to depart on another cruise shortly after New Years, but it may be mid January before we get away. We are not in a hurry and we are not sure where we are going. Nancy has a better idea where she wants to go and I guess she will let me know in time to make the turn. In general, we are headed down the ICW, then across the Okeechobee Waterway to the Florida west coast. I just want to gunkhole from about Fort Meyers Beach to Tampa, but Nancy really wants to make Tarpon Springs. Our favorite part of cruising is just the daily riding on Dubhe, seeing new places and people, and anchoring in remote areas.
For this trip, we don't seem to be making the preparations we did last year as we are taking a much more laissez-faire attitude. We are fired up about the trip but the effort to get everything ready does not seem to be as much fun...it's more like work! But we will get it done and get away. One major addition I would like to make is some kind of on-board power generation such as solar panels. We expect to spend more time at anchor and at moorings on this trip and need to be able to quietly generate power. We have a 2000w "Honda" generator, and the engine, but neither is good for daily use. Our greatest power consumer is the refrigerator and I am looking at more efficient options there as well. Solar power is the obvious choice but to get a system installed in a matter of a couple of weeks around Christmas is not likely. We may stay here for a couple of weeks or look at buying and installing a system somewhere else "down the river" where there is more availability. Of course, weather will also be a factor in when we leave and how fast we go at first. The El Nino is supposed to make winter a little cooler in the south, but so far that hasn't happened. I hope to return to more regular blogging once we cast off.
