Like this:

(sorry there aren’t any pics in this one, i will upload them soon)

I had a HUGE nerd moment this week.  Ever since we got dropped back in the water, we have been taking turns staying on the boat all night to make sure everything is okay.  And the other night I was there alone waiting for some of the crew to get back from the house after cleaning up and getting their stuff, just listening to the radio.  But let me really set the picture.  Before I left to NYC I bought a pair of suspenders which I happen to like (shun all you naysayers out there!), so I was sitting there at night, around 8 or 9pm, in my suspenders, a knit cap, in front of the SSB/HAM radio, in our dimly lit editing suite (where our radio is mounted), scanning the frequencies to see how far away I could hear.  I am sure it was a sight to see.  But I did hear from as far as Germany (for those of you who know what this means, our antenna is over 60ft. long [along our back stay], our SWR is 1.1 with our automatic tuner, and it was just past dusk so the ionosphere was at the ideal condition), which got me really excited!! Tomorrow I am installing our last battery, a small car battery, next to the radio so we can assure ourselves the necessary power in order to transmit.  If anyone out there has an FCC call sign let me know and we can try to find each other on the airwaves.  My call sign is KJ6EXJ. Not the coolest one in the world, but it’s mine! If you let me know, we can arrange some times to call and check in and I can tell you about what the crew and I are up to at the time!

On a personal note with the radio: I wanted to thank our friend Bob Matson who has helped us out every step of the way.  He has helped us set all of them up and tutored our crew so we could take the test and pass to get our FCC licenses to operate our HAM radio.  He has truly been an angel on our shoulders.  He has also taught me a lot about radio electronics so someone can fix some of the problems that can happen while we are gone.  He is one of the people I will truly miss when we leave. 

So speaking of leaving, it looks like our time in Florida is finally coming to an end.  These past 10 months have flown back in retrospect (although sometimes it dragged on), and the last few weeks have been even faster.  So far…engines-check, hydraulics-done today, navigations-check, water maker-check (THANKS AGAIN SEA RECOVERY!!!), generator-check, long distance radio-check, haul integrity-check, general electric-check, and the list goes on.  Now most of it is just trouble shooting a few kinks in the systems and we are gone!

Now we are just finalizing our 2m radios, life rafts, and maybe upgrading the membranes on our water maker (Sea Recovery was awesome and gave us a 450 gallons/day unit, but we are trying to figure out if we will be able to upgrade to larger membranes so we will be able to make 1400 gallons/day giving us plenty to give people where ever we go).  I have also been talking to a company RFD Beaufort, who is one of the best life raft companies in the country/world from what I have heard and read.  To tell you the truth, so far they are living up to their reputation.  They have been incredibly helpful in terms of information and what we will need with safety equipment. They have really given us invaluable advice on how to prepare for the worst case scenario.   

There was also a serendipitous thing that happened while I was in New York.  Someone I knew back in high school, Cristi, lives there now and works for Nautica.  We met one morning for coffee during a break she had from work and I was telling her about everything we are doing and how close we are to leaving, and an hour later calls me back and, because they are a company who is heavily involved in with anything on the water (did their name give it away?), asked me if I could sit down with her boss and tell them about the project.  They have already given us 4 brand new heavy duty duffle bags/suitcases for us to use as “go bags” on board and for our clinics.  These things are perfect! They have wheels for easy transport, a heavy canvas to deal with the harsh conditions we are going into and have all the space we need to load up our medical gear in each one (internal medical, minor ops, general, and dental).  I loaded them up a few days ago, and like I said…they are perfect! Thanks Nautica!

Well it’s time to get back to doing laundry.  I have to start packing up my personal gear so I can move permanently on the boat soon.

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