Adjustments

Adjusting to life anchored to land isn't too much of an adjustment. We've been cleaning and fixing up our new little house here and there and it's been good. We have a lot ahead of us in demolishing the upstairs (which is unliveable - yikes!) but its all pretty good.

Many have asked how Will is adjusting and he is doing great! He loves his little places to hide and more places he can have all to himself. I think most of all he likes to be able to run around without hitting an obstacle or low clearance.

More adjustments - We have increased our product line for CoolCorC - we have an etsy shop and are selling handmade cork leather journals, headbands, refillable cork leather journals, envelopes (yep, made of cork paper) and wallets and more to come! Check us out: www.etsy.com/shop/coolcorc

Plus, most of our items are on our website as well: http://www.coolcorc.com/

All feedback is welcome - suggestions, critiques, you name it!

Plus, we were just accepted to participate in the Farmers Market on Market Square in Knoxville. Its very exciting and we'll keep you posted.

Josh accepted a part-time job as the Childrens Education Coordinator at our local church. We are all really excited since Josh has been looking to work with the church in some capacity for the last few years. Now that we are living in a house and not moving around as much he can!

Will is talking more and more - he can say: no! Cookie, Please, Cheese, More, Bacon, Pop (popsicle), bubba (bubbles), quack, duck, fish. Luckily he isn't saying "no" too often . . .

Thats a quick update on what we are doing. I'll try to do much better at posting on our blog!!

Heres a photo of our new-to-us house when we bought it

The Wrights Wild Ride

The Nineveh is no longer our primetime home. We packed all of our belongings up (raising her about a foot or more out of the water) and went to Memphis. Josh has some projects in Memphis so its logical to stay there while we looked for a home in Knoxville, TN. We decided to look over the holidays since we were driving to Baltimore for Thanksgiving.

After looking at 6 houses or so (and plenty more on the internet for weeks prior) we decided to look at one that we weren't too excited about but we hadn't been too excited anything yet and we couldn't loose anything, right? Well, turns out we really liked the house and decided to get a signed contract! Now, it needs renovation - which we are not a stranger to - but it's in the neighborhood we like, in a good school district, and we can afford it. If the inspection goes great then we will be in our new (to us) home in early January!! I'll post photos as soon as we get some!

The Nineveh Mutiny - to Demopolis

So after Bates Lake everything went fairly smooth. We adjusted to having to use the generator in the morning to start the engine and using our kerosene lamps at night for light. In the meantime we were able to meet up with Last Paradise (whom we first met in Memphis. They have been our inspiration to continue sailing with Will since they have their own little one!) and have a nice dinner. Thank you Abby, Jeff and John for a fabulous night!

The day after was when Hurricane Ida hit land and brought tons and tons of rain our way. The river ran so fast that we could only make 4 knots by hugging the bank (thank you Josh! Such a fabulous Captain!). We didn't mind having to deal with rain or only being able to go 30 miles a day - what we did mind was the change in river height and the lack of information on the bridges straddling the Tenn-Tom.

I am not lying when I say we may have had to grease up the masts to get under the bridge at mm 174. Not only did we just barely make it (we maybe had 3 inches of clearance), there was a new bridge (new bridge!!) downstream of the bridge on the map. Had we have waited to pass these bridges we would have been stuck on the river until the river height went down 5 or more feet.

What should have taken us 4 days took us 6 days. Without all the mutiny and weather the Tenn-Tom is quite pleasant and I would travel it again, but maybe not in a sailboat with her masts up!

We were so happy to make it to the Demopolis Yacht Basin - they are so nice and friendly. Great staff and a nice marina with good facilities.

The Nineveh Mutiny - Mobile to Bates Lake

We leave Grand Mariner Marina in Mobile on Saturday November 7, 2009. Everything is going great - we get through the Mobile Bay and into the Mobile river (which is much calmer than the bay). Soon we realize that our batteries are not charging and Josh checks the alternator - which is obviously not working. We turn off everything except our depth finder to try and conserve as much of our batteries as possible. I am convinced, as is Josh, that The Nineveh is rebeling from being dry docked at Demopolis. She knows what is coming and is screaming and kicking. We push as far as we can and hand anchor on the Tensas River at mile marker 45.

Josh checks the alternator and the engine and finds a series of unfortunate events has unfolded - the water pipe (which has been just fine for as long as we have lived aboard) burst immediately next to the alternator. It shorted out and therefore couldn't charge the batteries. It also meant that our water pump had been pumping water into the bilge for however long and we now didn't know how much water we had left. We turn on only the anchor light and Josh raised a portable anchor light as well just in case.

The next morning - a Sunday - Josh calls the Coast Guard (who couldn't get enough of us on the Gulf) who recommended calling our insurance. Our insurance was as helpful as could be - finding someone in Mobile who might help. Only that company would charge us 6 hours (at $150/hour!!) just to come out and charge our batteries. This is on the offchance that our alternator would work after this charging. Boo. We decide this isn't an option and Josh figures he will take the dinghy to shore and try to find someone to help.

Let me tell you right now that the hunters and bass boaters of the river are the volunteer Coast Guard and should be respected and upheld for being good people. We flag down a bass boater who offers to take Josh to shore to get the starter battery charged. Josh and I accept and this wonderful hunter/bass boater not only helps us charge our starter battery but also takes Josh to AutoZone to get a generator!! Too sweet. They return, Josh gets the generator aboard and realizes he left the oil onshore. But we have enough onboard and are fine. We get the batteries charged and set off to try and get even 10 miles up river (the alternator is now working - hmm). Only one mile or less up the river another bass boater flags us down and pulls up beside us to give us the oil we left ashore! They found us on the river to give us our oil for the generator. Too awesome!

We anchor at Bates Lake (mm 54) - we use our oil lamps during the evening and have only the anchor light on. We are now on "conserve battery" mode even with a generator. I write very little down in our log hoping to not upset The Nineveh. I have quickly become quite supersticious.

New Orleans to Mobile

Our trip from New Orleans to Mobile went smoothly - thanks to our crew! Plus the weather was very nice - maybe a little chilly with the wind.

We didn't sail our first day because there was not enough wind. However we did have plenty of action. We were boarded twice (twice!) by federal agents. First by Customs (en route) and then by the Coast Guard (once anchored). We saw dolphins and jellyfish! Very cool - the jellyfish were very numerous. It was like a school of jellyfish going around our boat. Better than any aquarium!

Our first night we anchored behind Ship Island and had a beautiful sunset. Unfortunately, our anchorage was great for the wind (coming NNE) but bad for the waves (coming east) - so we rocked and rolled all night.

The next day we decided to push through to Mobile. We were able to sail for about 2 hours and then the wind died. Boo.

Close to Mobile we were approached by Marine Enforcement (why are we getting picked on?) but they just asked us to be careful and didn't board. We approached Mobile during sunset - which was very pretty except that the wind had picked up blowing perpindicular to us and huge huge ships were entering the channel as well. They didn't bother us too much (they look out for the little guy unlike on the Mississippi river). However, we had to find an unlit channel to Fort Morgan Marina. A fabulous little marina that has new facilities and great people working there. But try to get there in the daytime - the channel is clearly marked but not lit.

Our awesome sailor enjoying the wind and not minding his Magic Jacket.

Under way sailing!

The Nineveh at anchor south of Ship Island.


Daddy and Will enjoying the sunset in the cockpit.

Entering the Mobile channel.

A huge THANK YOU to Lil and Katherine for their help during the leg of this trip!

The Last Great Adventure

I will have to post photos later as technology is not cooperating this morning - Boo!

Josh and I have been thinking about moving back to Knoxville, TN for a little while now. With that comes the hard decision as to where we should live. Should we get a house? Should we move The Nineveh?

Moving The Nineveh to Knoxville would take about a month of non-stop sailing and motoring. We've done two weeks before and didn't feel like four weeks would be a wise nor comfortable choice. Plus this time we would be fighting the current the whole time. Another factor is that Will is curious, full of energy, adventurous and almost a year and a half. Our 275sf living space is getting a little cramped. Plus, there is no space for Josh's Architecture firm and CoolCorC on the boat. So, we have decided that The Nineveh will have to have other keepers to make her happy.

But, we have to move the boat out of New Orleans (out of the hurricane zone - insurance is cheaper as is slip fees). Hence our Last Great Adventure!

Josh's mom and sister became our crew and we sailed The Nineveh from New Orleans to Mobile, AL. From there our crew left and Josh, Will and I headed up the Tennesee TomBigBee waterway to Demopolis, AL (the first marina north of Mobile). During this time Hurricane Ida hit land. We have quite a story and some nice photos which will be posted soon.

The short of it is everyone and The Nineveh arrived safe in Demopolis. The long of it will be in the next post!

Barnacles Galore!

Being in salt water has pros and cons. Currently the main con is the sea life that grows on any surface touching the water. These pictures sum it up.

Though not technically barnacles, these mussels found a little home in our raw water intake cylinder for our air conditioner.

The Barnacle Cluster on our dinghy: my enemy for the day.

My tools to fight off said enemy (Goggles are not pictures as I am wearing them). I would advise anyone to use GoofOff on barnacles - they lose their footing much easier.

Close up of the horrors.


Half-way there!

Once the dinghy's hull was free of barnacles Josh and I had to laugh - there were bits of barnacles (shell, oozy things, and little crawly things) all over me. I was even wet from the rain that had passed through. I looked like a crazy lady who just hacked her way through four months worth of barnacles.