The Liveaboard Sleep Center...

On the C-Brats, there was a thread about one of the participants living on his 16' boat for the summer to save commuting costs. That brought up suggestions of how best to comfortably stay on a small boat. It got me thinking...

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OK, it took a while, but my new design is ready, I just need some financial backing to bring it to market... introducing the Liveaboard Sleep Center! Designed for those moving from a boat to a land-based dwelling, or those who have always wanted to experience the romance of living on a boat.

The Liveaboard Sleep Center features the following:
* An irregular shaped bed! Designs available in V-shape, parallelogram, short (for those who like their feet to hang off the end of the berth), and extra narrow (for those who feel the need to grip the mattress in their sleep). Cushion foam is available in: thin, extra thin, firm, way too firm, saggy, feel-the-seams! (Memory foam in the exact sizes is not available, but can be purchased at Sam's Club or Costco and cut to nearly fit.)
* Custom designed sound soother! Features: clanging halyards, squeeky fenders, rolling dock carts, barking dogs, drunk partiers (including thumping bass music, "Everybody say 'Yeaaaaaaa-aaaaa!' ", and shouting obscenities), bilge pump sounds, fan motor, and dock neighbor practicing harmonica.
* Movement! Enjoy being "rocked" to sleep. Special hydraulic motors simulate movement at the dock (from no movement to sharp pulling of lines and rebounding off the fenders) to hanging on the hook (no movement adjustable to 6 foot chop simulation - yeehawwww!).
* Your Turn At Watch feature! Every two hours, lights will come on, a voice will say, "Damn, it's ugly out there! Get Up - it's your watch!" and spray you with a shot of cold water to simulate the shaking off of foulies. Fun and stimulating!
* Condensation! Each LSC comes with a plastic rain-fly type enclosure to hold in the condensation. Imagine the thrill of waking up to drips on your head!!

Order yours today! Operators are standing by!
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* Leecloths, ill-fitting sheets, and exhaust smells (diesel or gasoline) are extra cost options. Price does not include shipping and handling. To further simulate marina living, there will be a recurring monthly fee and you will be required to host at least one potluck meal each month.

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From the makers of Liveaboard Sleep Centers, we also proudly present: The MATE! Anatomically correct, non-moving "mate" to share your berth. The male MATE comes with razor stubble on the face and emits gas during the night. The female MATE comes with razor stubble on the legs and steals covers during the night. Both models snore and talk in their sleep. "The Change" female MATE can be programmed to raise temperature to 140º and simulate night sweats. "The Never Change" male MATE can be ordered with a hairy back and sharp toenails. Order yours today! The perfect companion to go with the Liveaboard Sleep Center!



Send financial offers to:

Jim B. Liveaboard Fund

They aren't all sunny...

With the annual meeting for the owners association on our island scheduled yesterday, I went out on the boat early... no sense letting politics mess up the whole day. Calm wind conditions and low clouds...


Out through the swingbridge and into the Laguna... calm and relaxing. When it was time to head back, the vis improved, but conditions remained calm. Here's a view coming back in our canal...


The water looks like a mirror.

The owners meeting wasn't so calm. Owners intentionally didn't register to vote for this meeting so there wouldn't be a quorum... no vote, no change in the board of directors. That should send a message to those running for the board who have an agenda that doesn't match up with the majority of the owners. Probably won't. Ain't politics fun?

But wait, there's more...

Sound like an infomercial? ;-)

I am participating with our on-line book distributor, Smashwords, in the 3rd annual Read An E-Book Week, March 6th through the 12th. During that time only, Cat On A Leash will be available for 50% off, to introduce more people to the eBook experience.

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/27714

Izzy, the dolphin cat...

One of the excursion boats here has "dolphin dogs" - cute little k-9s who bark when they see dolphins. They have nothing on little Izzy... well, except the barking. She keeps an eye out for dolphins.

Of course, cats also need their rest, even when onboard the boat...



You know she's content when the paws are tucked under. One has to keep an eye to the sky, too, for the pelicans and ospreys.

My Seat Is Skanky...

No, it’s not what you’re thinking - the upholstery in the boat on the helm seat and both dinette seats was looking a bit cruddy after 5 years of use. There is a hole worn in the upholstery on the front dinette seat. We started with that one: out of the boat and into the house, we removed all the staples holding the Sunbrella fabric in place. That looked relatively easy before we started... it never works out that way. Under the bazillion staples in the vinyl cover, there were a gazillion staples holding the Sunbrella on. Oh, and two wood pieces screwed to the bottom.


We rotated the cushion, Joan patched the hole and reinforced all the corners, then cleaned the fabric - it looks like new. Joan knelt on the cushion while I stapled - it took some compression of the cushion to make the fabric fit snug.

With that one done, I removed the aft dinette seat bottom... grubby, but no real wear. Joan cleaned that one and it looks just as good as the first. Then on to the helm seat; it gets more wear than anything else in the interior. The Sunbrella material is made for outdoor use; with some scrubbing, that, too, looks great. It made a real difference in how the whole interior looks.

Tropical...

The Tropical Tip earned that moniker yesterday, with one of the prettiest days we've experienced since we've been back. We started our day with a nice long walk on the beach... in nearly calm wind conditions (unusual here). Not a lot of spring breakers in sight, but it was early in the day... OK, and early in the spring break season. I feel bad for the kids whose schools' breaks don't coincide with Texas Week - they don't really get the whole spring break experience, with pounding music, thousands of kids dancing on the beach, and the never ending quest for the best "guess what I did on spring break" antic. ;-) At this time, the Winter Texans still outnumber the kids on the beach by at least 10:1... that will soon reverse. The huge pipes on the beach are mostly gone as the dredging operation wraps up that portion of their work... the beach is getting back to normal.

After some good BBQ, it was back to the boat. The murky water from all the wind we've had the past couple weeks cleared to the beautiful turquoise-blue that moves in from the Gulf. Here's a look at the greenery on the rocks in the jetties on the way out...


Out in the Gulf, a freighter on the horizon...


We had the beautiful waters to ourselves - amazing how the hustle and bustle of the island disappears when you clear the jetties. Great visibility in the water; we saw a big sea turtle and plenty of dolphins. The motion of the boat was relaxing, with swells of about a foot and a half and little wind ripples. Joan relaxed in the v-berth while I kept an eye on the helm. Coming back in, this was the view of the highrises on SPI...


At anchor, the dolphins played around the boat, fishing boats came anchored nearby, then left, and an occasional banner plane flew over.


A little sunburn, but feels good after some aloe... sure beats the frostbite memories from my last trip north. A toast at sunset. Nice.

Our favorite local anchorage...

Gorgeous day today - light breeze, sunny, high in the 70s. The water temp has risen 20º in the past couple weeks, now around 68º... another 15º or so and it will be warm enough to get in the water. ;-)

Here's a screen capture from the iPad with the Navionics chart app...


Look for the red arrow just below the center of the image - that's Wild Blue and crew, anchored in about 6 feet of water just out of the Brazos-Santiago Channel.