Rehab Update

June 23, 2018

Saturday

Rehab update.

I have been here at Health South for almost a week and a half.  The therapist and most of the nurses are great. I’ve had a few Nurse Kratchet types. But most of them are great. If I had any other rehab or a family member that needed to be in a rehab facility, I would send them here.  My rehab (PT and OT) have been 3 hours a day, let’s just say my pain level is no longer zero and I take cat naps between sessions, it is intense. I have been able to keep my extension and now walk with the cane, unless it is for a long distance or in a crowd (like walking through publix).  The flexsion or bending is still a challenge and I know it will take a while since those muscles have not been used for the past year or so. The journey home will be one night on the boat and then down to WPB to stay in my brothers condo(thank you Bill). That is where I will continue my outpatient rehab.  

So long for now and as alway Fair winds and safe sailing my friends.

Knee Rehab update

June 17th, 2018

Surgery update

I had my full knee replacement on Monday the 11th, at Sebastian hospital.  Coming out of surgery my pain level was about a 2 on a scale of 0-10. Through the next few days in was usually a level of zero, except after rehab.  The next 4 days were spend in the hospital, waiting for an authorization from the insurance company to be moved to a rehab facility. Finally Thursday midday we got the authorization and I was on my way to Health South Rehab in Vero Beach.  The reason for the rehab facility, as you know I leave on a sailboat, this is to get me strong enough and have the mobility to be able to get on and off the boat, safely.

I arrived at Health South via Stellar Medical Transport.  This is a very nice, clean and professional company. My room is 105B if you care to visit, and I have a lovely view of the garden area.  The schedule for an average day here is rise at 6 am, breakfast at 8am and rehab (PT/OT) start around 9am. I have a total of 3 hours each day, some session an hour some a half hour with breaks in between. Lunch break is 12 until 1:30 or 2pm, then usually finish no later the 3:30pm.  So the best time to visit is in the late afternoon between 4-8pm or Sundays after 1pm. My pain level on average now with all this therapy ranges between 2-7/10. I usually have to take a half oxi after rehab and then the rest of the time its just Tylenol . The surgical bandage comes of on Weds. at my doctors appointment.

The facility and staff here at Health South Rehab is wonderful and clean. For those of you who use to work with me at TBC Dr. Kalman is one of the staff Doctors, I literally ran into him, on my early morning walk today. It’s nice to see a friendly face.  Well tata for now. Safe journey and fair winds my friends.

June 5th, 2018

June 5th, 2018

Well it has been a little over a month since returning home from the Bahamas. We have had a lot of changes and finished up a few projects plus more planned out in the near future.

Our new home for the next several months is a lovely, peaceful, and well protected marina in Ft. Pierce area on Hutchinson Island, Harbor Isle Marina. The main docks and finger piers are floating concrete docks with 60’ finger piers. This has been very easy getting on and of the boat with just one long step and the use of a stool. The area offers some nice restaurants and a great movie/dinner theater. Most shopping we do in Vero Beach. We have finally gotten used to the town without having to use google maps.

As for completed projects, we have; a new washer/dryer, all the canvas cover for the sails are new, the dinghy chaps have been patched, the main refrigeration heat exchange is replaced, all engine maintenance is done and over 10 boxes of personal items moved off the boat into storage (for putting her on the market next month).

My surgery to redo the right knee replacement is scheduled for the 11th of June. Once I have surgery, I will be staying at a rehab facility for probably 6 weeks. This will allow me to get daily therapy treatments and not have to deal with maneuvering around the boat with the many sets of stairs and steps. Once I’ve had surgery and started rehab, I will post on my recovery status.

Sorry this is not as exciting as some of the other post but not much happening at this time. Until next time, fair winds and happy sailing my friends.

April 7th

April 7th, 2018

We have been in GTC for the last two days.  Our friend Tom on board Happy Healer is back and now we are going to head north to island hop.  If the weather holds we will be snorkeling and exploring; Powell Cay, Crab Cay, Cash Cay, Double Breasted and also Grand Cay, before heading home.  

This past week we were able to go snorkeling several times in and around Man Jack.  Unfortunately the weather didn't cooperate for us to go on the reef at the ocean side. We did found several conch, but only one big enough to keep, and lost of small kings and and queens.  This is a good sign of an increase of wildlife.  With all our snorkeling we have seen several; Eagle Rays, Sting Rays, Nurse Sharks, conch, small hermit crabs, lots of different corals, fan, brain, etc.  The small reef areas in the Sea of Abacos has a lot to offer, but nothing like the reefs just off shore on the Atlantic side.  We are hoping for much calmer winds in the next few weeks or atleast west winds so we can venture out into the Atlantic.  This will probably be my last blog post before leaving, as we may not have good coverage as we go farther NW.  The last main cell tower in this area is off Cooper Town.  So fair winds and safe sailing my friends.

It comes in threes

March 30th, 2018.

It comes in threes.

You know the old saying that it comes in threes, well that definitely holds true for us.  We have been hanging out at Man Jack doing a lot of deep spring cleaning. Not much else to do with the high winds and cool weather, keeping the water temps to rough and cold for snorkeling.  We started in the V-berth and made our way to the back over about a seven day period.  We are even starting to get rid of old unwanted stuff, like stained old pillows, clothes that don’t fit, etc. Things have been going along just wonderful in our little world here, until today.  Friday morning, we started the generator, got the refrigerator and laundry going, had breakfast and then BAHM. NO WATER.  We already changed out our fresh water pump back in January and now the spare stopped working.  So we shut everything down and after about two hours of repairing the first pump, Kevin finally got a working pump.  Let’s pray it keeps working until we get home.  Then once he finished and the water was working, he turned on the generator, started the wash load again and the refrigerator and the BAHM NO GENERATOR.  So he goes back into the engine room and starts the usual check list.  The first item was possibly the fuel pump, change that.  Nope not that, the pump just keep sucking air through the line. Ok lets change the Raycor filter. Nope not that, still sucking air and no fuel.  So then he came out had a beer and we discussed all the possibilities.  He goes back in, puts the old fuel pump on. Nope. So maybe we are low in the tanks.  Go put 10 gallons in the tank, and some fuel to the pump. She starts up, then dies as soon as the fuel in the pump runs out.  WELL, he then traced the hoses and found one of the welded elbow in the main assembly system to allow us to switch from one tank to the other was lose.  Kevin then bye passed the valve and hooked the fuel pump up directly to the line running to the tank. After five hours in the engine room, everything is working. The following day my washing machine bit the dust.  The inner drum has completely come lose from the machine, so I have a load washed, not rinsed or spinned. This is definitely the worse week every.   Welcome to the life of boating, there is never a dull moment.

On the up side, we should have some warmer weather and calmer seas over the next few day and maybe get some snorkeling in.  Our friend Tom will be back next week and then we are going exploring to some of the islands we have never been to.  Until next time, happy sailing and fair winds my friends

Happy St. Patricks Day

March 17th, 2018

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Life goes on here in our little world of sailing the Abacos. We did cross back through the Whale pass with no issues, and we have been in Man Jack since then except for three trips to GTC (Green Turtle Cay).  Our first sail down was to renew our visa’s on the 6th, for another 90 day.  We are good until June 6th, then they will kick us out.  Just kidding, we will be back state side by then.  The weather that day was very calm, we anchored outside New Plymouth settlement and took the ferry to Treasure Cay and then a taxi to the immigration office and back again.  We were tempted to just dinghy over, but didn’t know if the winds would hold till we returned.  So this was my first ferry ride, very uneventful.  After immigration we did some shopping and then headed back to Man Jack, after checking on Tom’s boat.  While in Man Jack this past two week we have seen many beautiful and odd sights.  I have to say the oddest was a large catamaran (Place to Be) coming back from GTC towing two very large black drums.  Then once anchored two dinghy’s came out and retrieved the drums and towed them to the beach.  One of the dinghy companions, decided it would be fun to ride on top of the drums.  Both drums were black plastic for water storage, one was 1,000 gallons and the other was 500 gallons. It was quite entertaining for about an hour.  No one fell in.  Since then we have been snorkeling and finding new reefs that are just starting to develop.  The first trip out the water was to murky for photos. We hope this afternoon or tomorrow we can go back and get some photos.  On Man Jack there are six homes and two new ones being build.  We have met most of the owners and what a bunch of characters they are.  Several from Canada, one from Africa, England and two are natives.  Life here is much simpler and basically off the grid.  There is WiFi but all power and water is self made.  Lots of solar power and solar hot water sources, water is collected from the rains. So this time of year is very dry, and we have been trading water (that we make) for things like using a table saw to cut wood.  Everyone helps everyone. No backstabbing, complaining or negative gossip.  We even have movie night.  We load into Bill and Leslie’s center console and go to GTC, where one of the locals has a big projector screen outside and everyone comes by dinghy with chairs to sit on or golf carts.  We all bring our own drinks and popcorn and watch a movie.  

The down side is the high pressure systems that blow through about once a week and everyone scatters to there little holes and marina’s , then they all come back when its calm.  One of the locals here is taking Kevin diving/snorkeling after this next front passes and they are going out on the reef to show him how to spear fish and lobster.

Life is grand here and we will hate to leave at the end of April.  But we have definitely made this our second home.  Until next time.  Fair winds and happy sailing my friends

Hope Town

February 28th, 2018

Hope Town, Abacos

We left Guana Cay anchorage on Friday the 2nd and headed south to Hope Town.  For us to get anywhere near Hope Town, we have to coming on a rising  tide.  Most of the area waters just outside of the cove is between 5-6’ and inside the cove is about the same with a few 4’ areas on the approach.  So with that in mind we have to anchor on the outside.  Just south about a mile from the entrance to the cove is a nice 10’ deep area which has good holding.  The draw back of anchoring on the outside of the cove is you are subject to a lot of wave action from all the small rental boat flying by all hours of the day and night.  This is one anchorage that we definitely keep a few cabin lights on, as well our outside stern blue lights.  Besides the anchorage, we had a great time this past week.  The first night there we met up with our friends Kim and Les on board Willamena (which we have not seen for 3 years).  It was so nice to see them.  Saturday we went into town and spend the day with Claude and Margaret on board Compass Rose.  We had a wicked game of dominoes in the afternoon and the boys went on a hike to climb the lighthouse.  The Elbow Reef lighthouse is the only lighthouse still running on oil in the world.  Sunday and Monday we worked on the boat. Sunday was so calm that we could see all around us and found a sunken small sailboat under our keel.  It was a nice little heaven for some beautiful fish.  I was there wasn’t as much boat traffic bussing by us or we would have gone snorkeling.   Well today we are making our way back to Guana Cay and then cross the Whale tomorrow.  We need to be at the airport in Marsh Harbor on the 6th to renew our Visa. So on we go. Until next time fairwinds, calm seas and happy sailing my friends.