Bryan and Allison Mann Visit – March 2006
On February 28, after much anticipation, Bryan and Allison arrived! They were brave souls to use their precious vacation time to come stay with us aboard Lucky Peek for 8 days and we were very excited to have them aboard. When they arrived right on schedule at 10:10am Bryan hailed “Lucky Peek” on VHF channel 68 from the taxi in route to the planned pick-up spot, The Jib Room at the Marsh Harbour Marina. We were anchored in Marsh Harbour so we dinghied over to the Jib Room to pick them up – a detail that we probably didn’t clarify well enough beforehand is that visitors, hosts, and all luggage would have to go for a short dinghy ride to reach vessel. Sizing up the luggage we thought we may have to make two trips, but we were able to fit in one snug trip. The amount of luggage was not due to heavy packing visitors – well, kinda, but most of what they brought was for us! After a quick tour of Lucky Peek for Allison (it really only takes about 10 seconds to tour a 37 foot boat) it was like Christmas for us as we unpacked their bags which contained more guide books and charts for the islands, a good stash of novels to add to our dwindling library, lots of beef jerky, and what Rod was most looking forward to – Ritz crackers!
After settling down just a bit from the rushed excitement of reuniting with friends, unpacking gifts, and having a celebratory glass of Rod’s special “RodRum” punch (said with a quick double bend of the index finger), we pulled up the hook and set sail for Treasure Cay. Under way we had a light lunch of cheese and crackers, with little squares of SPAM, of course. Another detail that may have slipped when describing what a sailor’s diet includes. They were courteous, or perhaps it was just food deprivation from traveling for two days to get here, and ate the SPAM and cheese crackers enthusiastically. With enough RodRum anything tastes pretty good. (Side note on safety: Captain and Co-Captain were not drinking while under way.)
The weather was still warming up from the most recent cold front that had just passed so our trip the following day to the Treasure Cay Beach wasn’t as tropical as we had hoped. We had a typical Bahamian lunch of Conch burgers at the beachfront bar and grill and then enjoyed a lazy afternoon of visiting in the chaise lounge chairs on the beach in the powdery soft sand. Temperatures in the low 70’s with water temps equal to that were not enticing enough to draw us into the sea this day but it didn’t stop us from taking in the beautiful view.
By this time, day two, Bryan and Allison had been well briefed on the Rules of Living Aboard Lucky Peek. There really aren’t that many rules, but Rod liked to reinforce the lesson by repeating the rules as he deemed necessary, which seemed quite frequently to this author and I believe also to the guests. By the end of their stay we were referring to Rod, with affection none the less, as the Energy Nazi for his fervent monitoring and enforcement of the Electricity Usage/Conservation Rule. That rule, along with the other Rules of Living Aboard Lucky Peek are below:
Head Usage (This means Toilet for you landlubbers)
Overview: Lucky Peek has a Raritan PH-II Manual Head. In simple terms Manual means than when you want to flush you pump a handle that on its upward stroke pulls sea water into the bowl and the downward stroke discharges the waste either into the holding tank or directly overboard.
Rule #1: No TP, or anything else that has not first been eaten goes down the head. TP is disposed of in a bag in a wastebasket that is removed from the room regularly. This is to help prevent the head from clogging and thus having to be unclogged by the Captain.
Rule #2: Flush, flush, flush, flush, flush. And then flush some more. Especially if Rule #2 is flushing a number two.
The Head Overview and Rules were the first set of rules discussed with our guests. Not only does everyone need to know how to use the head but nobody wants to be the possible cause of a clogged head. Also, it was very important to have a frank discussion about… well, um… poop. This is a relatively small boat and it’s hard to get away with anything without other crew members knowing about it. So we agreed that it would just be best if we fully disclosed our intent when entering the head – possibly making a suggestion that everyone move to the cockpit, if we weren’t already there. We also discovered that Bryan’s IPOD came with a great selection of marching music that became the most requested music for these “moments”. I’ll never be able to listen to a marching band again without thinking of… well, um… you know.
Update: The head clogged 7 days after the Manns left. It was nothing they did or didn’t do. It was inevitable given the condition of the hoses when we removed them and we were soooooooo glad that it didn’t happen while they were here. As you can imagine this was a nasty job. We had read that it is a common problem on boats and that you can expect to have to remove the septic hoses every few years a clean them of the salt and ureatic (pee) crystals that build up in the lines over time and eventually plug the hose. The state our hoses were an indication that they had never been cleaned, but we’re not sure of their maintenance history. The unsavory highlights of solving this problem include removing about a 7 foot section of septic hose (while working in a space approximately the size of a dorm refrigerator), draining the waste from the plugged hose into ziplock baggies (extra sturdy freezer kind, of course), then beating the hose against the piling (of the marina that we had coincidentally check into that morning to begin work on another project) to break lose the clogs of salt and ureatic crystals. We were trying to nonchalantly do this (however nonchalantly you can beat a septic hose against a piling) since we were in a nice marina. This job took us two full days to complete, interspersed with about 10 showers each. It’s all put back together, functional, and the stench has abated. Doesn’t cruising sound fun!
Water Usage/Conservation
Overview: Lucky Peek has an 80 gallon water tank with no modern way, such as a gauge, to monitor its level. We know we’re low when we run out. Lashed to the side deck are two 6 gallon jerry jugs of emergency back-up water. Water is precious – conserve.
Rule: Never leave the water freely running as you are using it. And when in use turn it on to the minimum flow required for the task at hand. Brushing teeth? Turn on trickle of water, wet toothbrush, turn off water. Use water sparingly to rinse. Similar routine for washing hands, dishes, etc. Showering? Hmmmm…. Do you really need to shower? If so, then same routine. Sometimes a sponge bath is just as refreshing! We introduced the Manns to pre-sudsed disposable wash cloths which allow for a nice soapy sponge bath. Again, they were courteous in their response to them.
When we were in Treasure Cay we topped of the water tank expecting it to last about another week with four of us on board. Three days later we ran out of water. No, it wasn’t due to willful abandonment of The Rules, it was due to a serious leak in the water heater. At the time the exact location of the leak couldn’t be determined but we could see in the back of the engine compartment water pumping out from somewhere at a furious rate. A new rule was added… The Water Pressure Pump breaker must be kept off at all times until the use of water was needed. Now when someone went into the head someone else would keep an ear ready for the “Water!” request for hand washing. Breaker on – wash hands – breaker off. Marching music volume had to be turned down a few notches.
Update: After the Manns left Rod removed the water heater but attempts to repair the leak in the stainless steel tank were futile. It was cost prohibitive to have a replacement unit sent to the Bahamas so we elected to reroute the plumbing around the water heater and live without it for now. The sunshowers get plenty hot so we use those for showering (the hose reaches from the sunshower’s outside location through the head port so we can shower in the normal shower location) and we heat water on the stove for doing dishes. We can leave the Water Pressure Pump breaker on again!
Electricity Usage/Conservation
Overview: At the time of the Manns visit, our battery bank consisted of the following: Four 100 amp batteries configured into two battery banks of two batteries each, which with a switch could be combined to “Both” banks. This battery bank was used for the house power as well as for the power needed to start the engine. It had a crude monitoring device that didn’t tell the whole story of how much power was being used and how much remained (important to know so you can be confident there is enough juice to start the engine when you need it). These batteries are kept charged by both the running of the engine and by the two 125 watt solar panels that have similar limitations in their monitoring abilities. The biggest consumer of amps on Lucky Peek is the refrigerator, which runs four times a day for 45 minutes consuming about 15 amps during each run. That alone depletes the batteries enough that every few days whether we like it or not, we need to run the engine to recharge the batteries.
Rule: Other electrical items are used sparingly or not at all. No blowdryers, no coffee makers, no toasters, etc. We use very few electrical lights in the evening with oil candles supplementing as necessary. Some nights the Energy Nazi would nervously try to decipher what the crude battery monitors were telling as he muttered something about amps and volts. With a Lights Out order we would then strain our eyes through the remaining candlelight to see each other as we visited.
Update: We (Royal We) have since reconfigured and vastly improved our battery/power situation. Rod installed a separate starter battery, combined the existing four batteries into one house bank, and installed a Link 2000-R monitoring system which actually tells the whole story of how much power we’re using and what is remaining. He still looks at the amps/volts/whatever meter an obsessive number of times a day, still muttering numbers, but he is overall much more relaxed and happy with the new system. Ahhhh….
Days 3-8 of the Mann visit were spent sailing about, snorkeling, beachcombing, and just generally enjoying each others company. We went from Treasure Cay to Bakers Bay on Guana Cay, then to Hope Town on Elbow Cay and back to Guana Cay (Fishers Bay this time) for the Barefoot Man concert at Nippers. Bryan and Rod were joined by six barracuda and a five foot black tip reef shark as they spear fished the outer reef of Guana Cay with James while Allison, Virginia, and I perused nearby Shell Island. Allison snorkeled and found an interesting (and later very smelly) shell. Hope Town provided it’s candy-striped kerosene lighthouse, quaint streets, and beautiful beach for strolling and relaxing. Then to Nippers for the free Barefoot Man concert. This highly anticipated concert is a once a year event here and is attended by approximately 2500 island fans. By far this was the most people we’ve seen in one place since arriving in the Bahamas. The weather was cooperating for this beachside concert and we enjoyed the warm sun and perhaps a couple Nippers, the trademark beverage of Nippers. Check out The Barefoot Man at www.barefootman.com and listen to a sample of a couple of our favorites: “She’s Got Freckles on Her Butt She’s Nice” and “If You See Kay”.
The eight days that Bryan and Allison were aboard went too quickly. I think we all wondered before they arrived if we would still speak to each other after spending a week together in a small space. Quite the opposite happened and we became closer friends. They occupied the forward cabin/V berth (at our insistence) and Rod and I slept on the two settees in the main cabin. This worked out great because Rod and I are typically up making water for tea/coffee in preparation for the 6:30am and 8:15am weather reports and we didn’t want our vacationing guests to have to get up before they were ready. Besides our daily activities together, the days and evenings were filled with enjoyable conversation and much laughter. We talked about things, like poop, that we’d never had an opportunity to discuss before. You can see how we laughed a lot. Poop can be a pretty funny topic.
One unplanned activity that was entertaining to watch and in the end turned out great was Bryan giving Rod and much needed haircut. I had agreed to cut his hair (and end the nagging) but since Bryan had just received a haircut we determined that he was better qualified for this task. Never mind that he had never actually given a haircut before. Bryan didn’t hesitate when I offered the hair clippers and so we set up shop in the cockpit. Bryan had to stop the clippers a few times as he couldn’t see straight from laughter but Rod wasn’t unnerved at all. He was just tickled to be rid of all his extra hair – that was now everywhere in the cockpit. I admit there were times during the session that I was skeptical on what the end result would look like, but when the clippers turned off the final time Rod looked like a new, younger man. If not a little bit like a new Marine recruit. He looked great!
We returned to Marsh Harbour for the last day of Bryan and Allison’s stay. We went ashore for a nice dinner and the evening was definitely more subdued than usual as their departure the following morning was on our minds. It had been such a wonderful 8 days and we all hated to see it come to an end. They had adjusted fantastically to life on a boat – even with all the rules – and they were willing crew, ready to help with any task while under way or at anchor. The weather had warmed up nicely during their stay which allowed us to enjoy the beaches and the amazing water. We had made it the entire 8 days without inclement weather which meant we always had relatively dry dinghy excursions. However, the morning of their departure another cold front was on approach and the wind and seas had kicked up as a result. Rod and I exchanged knowing glances as we looked out at the choppy water between us and the dock that we were to take them to meet their cab. We tried to gently warn them that there was a 100% chance that they and their luggage were going to get wet on their last dinghy ride ashore. It was worse than even Rod and I expected. We gave them our foul weather jackets to wear (which initially they shrugged off, but then quickly realized what a good idea that was), but that wasn’t enough. We needed full foul weather gear for this ride. Our destination required us to go directly into the wind and waves, and those waves were crashing and splashing into the dinghy after first hitting Bryan and Allison square on as they occupied the front part of the dinghy. We had traveled less that 100 feet and we were all drenched. Allison, unprepared, took a wave right in the face which soaked her head – salt water in the eyes and dripping from the end of her nose. She had what we refer to as “pirate eye”, when the stinging of salt water in the eye causes you to scrunch your eye closed. Allison, being the good sport, let out a mighty “Arghhhh!”. This sent me into a fit of hysterical laughter. I was apologizing for the situation, for laughing, but I could not stop laughing. In fact I laughed so hard (and with all that water splashing about) that yes, I peed my pants. We made it to the dock, apologized again for this very memorable ending to hopefully a memorable trip, stopped laughing long enough to hug goodbye with tears in our eyes. Or was it salt water?
Thanks, Bryan and Allison, for making the long trip to see us and using your valued vacation time to do so. Thanks for being our pack mules on your journey here and bringing all the goodies, and then leaving your Crocs behind that we coveted when you arrived. They continue to leave your footprints on many beaches.
