Christmas Letter

Doug and Cindy Monroe, s/v Spartan

Avalon Harbor, Catalina Island, California.

December 2014

1500 nautical miles under the keel since we left Portland in April. When we're anchored out or sailing, there is no shortage of marine wildlife to amaze us. There is nothing quite like having a Humpback whale scratch itself on your boat's bottom. We have had a marvelous and entertaining year.

One of our goals on our way south down the coast was to visit with family and friends that we haven't been able to spend time with, or enough time with, these last many years. We believe we've achieved that goal. We've also made new friends, and had the opportunity to join in worship at some great churches along the way. God has given us many opportunities to be a blessing to others, and has given us “a good measure, pressed down and shaken together and running over, poured into your lap” Luke 6:38. We feel truly blessed.

Among the many questions we have received is “What do you do all day?” Well, we're not retired yet, so pretty much everything we did on land except mow the lawn. Everything is now slower, and a bit more complicated than before. We do get to change the scenery now and again. Currently we are swinging from a mooring ball at Avalon off of Catalina Island. Water is about 20’ deep and a very clear blue! Too bad it's December, it looks so inviting for a swim except for the temperature.

We both still have our jobs to do. Self employed means flexibility, and yet we are still always on call. The rental properties are a challenge, can't quite jump in the car to fix a leaky faucet. We are actively looking to simplify. When one of the properties changes tenants, Cindy puts it in property management. Doug has 3 clients that have announce they are migrating off of platforms that he supports. All are still hanging on and we are continuing to pare back living expenses. Good thing boat life is cheaper than land.

On land we each had desks, with everything set up to just sit down and “take care of business”. On board, everything gets stowed when not is use. So in the mooring while the coffee is brewing, out come the laptops, the portable printer if we need it, and other accoutrements of business. Internet access is over our cell phones, thank goodness we have an unlimited data plan. It's slower than on shore, but adequate. There's nothing quite like drinking your coffee and reading the morning email from the cockpit while watching the sea otters play. The otters don't help with productivity though. They are so darn cute! But hard to photograph.

The galley (kitchen) is small, with minimal counter space, and half of that is actually hatches that need to be cleared off to access the refrigerator and food storage. All dishes are washed by hand, and when not in a marina water needs to be boiled for sterilization. Provisioning can be interesting. For some reason, they built the ports some distance away from the stores. In St. Helens, it's a two mile walk to the Safeway store. In Astoria, there is a trolly that runs on weekends. In Newport, there is a bus that runs from the marina/RV park to the north end of town. In Charleston, our niece Keisha drove Doug in to Coos Bay. In Bandon, it was a mile hike up the hill. In Brookings, brother Jim and family got us to the last Fred Meyer's we've seen. In Eureka, a two mile walk after motoring to the other side of the bay. In Bodega Bay, our friends Scott and Susan got us to the store (the salmon tacos across from the marina were fantastic though). Alameda wasn't too bad, just across two parking lots. Moro Bay was a dinghy ride across the bay and a mile walk after that. San Pedro we were going to be there long enough that we bought a bicycle. Store is 2 miles away, but a great Farmer's market on Fridays, year 'round. Doug had to temper his purchases to the size of the day pack. Avalon is pretty good, it's a short row to the dingy dock, then a half mile walk to a scaled down Von's. And there's an Ace Hardware!

We enjoyed some really fresh seafood while on the Oregon coast. Crab in Newport and Bandon, and rock fish. Well, one rock fish. Doug's not the dedicated fisherman he was back in the Boy Scouts. We've been too busy in California to justify a license for the last part of the year. Doug's allergy to sodium phosphates, now more frequently used to treat frozen meats and seafoods (check the label on that turkey you just ate, first year we've seen it there), has gotten quite severe. Catching our own has a whole new importance.

Music is an MP3 player and a couple of 12v computer speakers. Doug hasn't done much on the guitar recently. TV is a phone or tablet and FoxNow. Except for World Cup, Doug found his way to a sports bar to watch the games he cared about in Charleston and Bandon.

The cats are doing fine. Squishy seems to be showing her age, she sleeps, eats, and taunts Maui. Maui had to have surgery for a blocked ureter in San Francisco, and has recovered fully. He finally fell in to the water last week, but was able to get himself out, a few torn claws but otherwise none the worse for wear. Time will tell if he's learned anything. He's a bit of a knot-head.

Cindy got herself a sail grade sewing machine which has already paid for itself. New cushions in progress! The upholstery didn't look too bad but the old foam was awful. Now much lighter, brighter and more comfortable on these old bones than what came with the boat. Maui will vouch for that. She has several other projects planned, but will have to wait until the end of year finances are done. 

Plans for the future? Find a moorage in Newport Bay over Christmas, rent a car, and spend Christmas day with our daughter Sally's family. We're replacing the engine in our boat in Newport Beach with something newer, quieter, with more available parts, and that doesn't hemorrhage oil. That will likely happen first week in the New Year. Then, we'd like to get down to San Diego, and then south to Ensenada, Mexico. After that, we'll decide what to do next.

 

We wish everybody a very Merry Christmas, and Peace and Joy in the New Year.

God Bless,

Doug, Cindy, Squishy, and Maui.

'Jesus said to the disciples ”Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.' Mark 6:31-32.