Blog – Page 3

2 and a half months in Boot Key Harbor Part 1

March 29th, 2018zdunc2 Comments

After realizing from our Keys cruising last year that the Boot Key Harbor mooring field in Marathon was by far the most protected, comfortable place in the Keys that also had the most fun stuff to do, we decided that this year we would just keep Holiday there through the winter and take side trips from time to time. Last year, we left the mooring field and took a tour of the lower Keys and Key West before returning to Boot Key and having to be on the waiting list for a while to get a ball back. It was …

Want a Fun on Holiday T-shirt!?

February 27th, 2018zdunc2 Comments

Hello all! We kept seeing people on other boats with shirts with their boat and boat name on them. We’ve been thinking, “We need some Fun on Holiday T-shirts too!” So, we designed some T-shirts for ourselves to wear and are putting together an order. The website we used allows for others to order some as well. There are some choices for regular, V-neck, and also a pullover hoodie. The group order goes in at midnight March 6th, 2018. If you are reading this past then, comment below, and when enough people want more, we’ll do another order. So, if …

The Galley Faucet Caper (boat work in paradise)

February 12th, 2018zdunc3 Comments

So, we’ve been down in the Keys at the Boot Key Harbor mooring field in Marathon for quite a few weeks now, and we’ve settled into our regular routine of living on the boat again. The repairs to the keel are proving to have worked, and we aren’t seeing any water in the bilge now. Such a relief! (check out our videos of the trip down the west coast of Florida here) Life in Marathon for us is composed mostly of relaxed and lazy times enjoying the wonderful winter weather of the Keys. But, there is always boat maintenance to …

Simple Bottom Paint Job….ha! (aka: how a few weeks can turn into a 3 plus month boat surgeryapalooza)

January 2nd, 2018zdunc5 Comments

With the peak of hurricane season approaching and our condo not rented at the time, we decided to head north for Cortez to hide from storms, make some trips to visit family and friends, and have Holiday hauled out for a routine bottom job. This made sense for a lot of reasons especially because while the boat is hauled, we would need a place to stay for a minimum of a few weeks, and not to mention that our condo dock is free and very well protected for the time when the boat isn’t hauled. We arrived to Cortez, visited …

A Guide to a Leisurely Trip across the Okeechobee Waterway

June 30th, 2017zdunc22 Comments

So, you’ve thought about crossing the state of Florida through the Okeechobee Waterway (or maybe you just want to read about our experience doing so and see some cool pictures). You’ve done a little research and read about locks, short bridges, shallow depths in Lake Okeechobee, or rough conditions in Lake Okeechobee. You’re wondering how narrow the canal is. Where do you stop? Is there room for anchoring? How many days should you allow for the crossing? Are there convenient, easy stops at regular intervals for the passage? Never seen a lock? Are they difficult? What about pirates? Ok, that …

10 Hours, and 20 Drawbridges, and the Presidential Exclusion Zone….Oh my!

June 16th, 2017zdunc3 Comments

After almost 2 weeks in Ft Lauderdale on the mooring ball, we were ready to get moving again. We had ordered parts and repaired quite a few things that had broken in the Bahamas: new anchor windlass motor ordered and installed, new propane solenoid control panel, repaired primary winch, etc. We had also spent a lot of time at the beach, seeing friends, eating out, shopping, and going to a couple of movies. Definitely a great intro back to the States. The plan was to head north in the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway, go as far as we felt like during …

Exumas: The Long Way Back

June 9th, 2017zdunc1 Comment

The day after fixing the diesel, we readied Holiday to start moving north again. After nearly two months in the Bahamas and hurricane season looming, we were ready to start making our way back toward the US. But first, we decided to head to a Cay in the Exumas we hadn’t been to yet for a little R&R before getting into passage mode. The diesel ordeal had us pretty frazzled, and the way back would be a total of around 250 miles with some big water passages of the Tongue of the Ocean, the Great Bahama Banks, and of course, …

And then…the diesel broke

June 8th, 2017zdunc1 Comment

After a ton of fun at George Town, we decided it was time to start making our way back north through the Exumas. There was a nice long weather forecast of settled weather blowing the best direction (from behind), and we left Elizabeth Harbour early in the morning heading for the Exuma Sound. We were excited to spend a couple of weeks or so exploring the area from Lee Stocking Island (where we had anchored for one night on the way down) to Black Point Settlement since we had sailed straight through these areas on the way down. From our …