Crazy idea due to high fuel costs

Tivo, is this the marina at NOB? I stopped there on my "carolina loop" in 2003 right after Hurricane ISABEL. It's very nice! Keep us posted.

Charlie
 
Charlie,

The marina is right off Hospital Point by Portsmouth Naval Hospital. NOB is just north east of there across the river. It is a nice marina, and best part is walking distance to work for me.
 
Well, today was the day. I set out to cross the bay at about 10am. Forecast called for 10-15 kt winds and 2-3 ft seas. I knew I would have following seas for most of the trip, so that was good. It was actually much calmer, big rollers coming in the mouth of the bay, but overall a smooth ride. That is, until I entered Hampton Roads where the waters of the Elizabeth, James and Nansemond Rivers empty to the bay. That was rough.

But I survived and we got all tied up, getting set up, and the people are flocking to talk to me about the boat! I need those brochures!

See my photo album, and here is Litl Tug's new home. Photo album shows some of the ride across the bay, my "galley" and my packing for the trip. I am pleased to have power, WiFi, and a ships store. I must admit I am not used to the noise of the city after being on the Eastern Shore.
Image0158.jpg
 
Yes, that is a toaster over/coffee pot/hot plate combo. So far today it has prepared, with little clean up, a hamburger, a chicken patty sandwich, and a can of veggies.

The refrigeration issue is being solved by keeping things at my office, putting them in a cooler at quitting time (4-4:30pm) and bringing them to the boat for the night. So far I have found that the beer is colder than in a regular fridge :lol: and since I have free ice at work, I can put as much as I need in the cooler. The cooler is a little one, just enough for a night, maybe a little more.

I passed the evening watching Ooopa, a great romantic comedy, on Netflix on demand. The WiFi is faster than the internet I have at home!

Met up with one of the other C-Brats, Osprey. He is another Hampton Roads brat who lives nearby.

So far the biggest pain is the running to the bathroom, but it isn't a long hike and with a floating dock, it is easy in easy out on the boat. They are clean! Over the next week the challenge is to find everything its place, and remembering where that is. I am amazed so far that in 16' x 5' it is actually possible to misplace something :shock:

While walking the dock and looking at the bigger boats I was talking to one fellow who watched me come in. He wistfully added that at least with my boat I can afford to get underway! He said he will stay tied to the dock or at least not stray far with the price of fuel being what it is. Lots of empty slips and "For Sale" signs on the bigger boats.
 
JamesTXSD":yln3pmym said:
This could help with your trips to the restroom...

http://www.tagpilotsupply.com/littlejoh ... rinal.aspx

Or, a Gatorade jar w/lid

I'm a Gatorade Man myself! :lol:

AND, if you have a woman aboard (your wife, of course!), you could add this female liberating device to your arsenal:

http://www.urinelle.biz/html/en/About.shtml

(Be sure to read the testimonials!)

Which incidentally, would be a lot cheaper than moving up to a CD-25 in order to get an enclosed head! Something to keep in mind to avoid feminine "two-foot-itis"!

Joe. :teeth :thup
 
$3.99/gallon for #2 diesel @ Safeway yesterday. It was just $3.69 a few days ago. :evil: I see $5 per on the horizon. This is gonna affect more than just boating.
 
Sea Wolf":itu05ze3 said:
JamesTXSD":itu05ze3 said:
This could help with your trips to the restroom...

http://www.tagpilotsupply.com/littlejoh ... rinal.aspx

Or, a Gatorade jar w/lid

I'm a Gatorade Man myself! :lol:

AND, if you have a woman aboard (your wife, of course!), you could add this female liberating device to your arsenal:

http://www.urinelle.biz/html/en/About.shtml

(Be sure to read the testimonials!)

Which incidentally, would be a lot cheaper than moving up to a CD-25 in order to get an enclosed head! Something to keep in mind to avoid feminine "two-foot-itis"!

Joe. :teeth :thup

You could even use one of those for a shower, if you washed it out first...:roll:
 
Tivo:
Are you moored in the marina directly across from Norfolk's Waterside (near the Portsmouth Visitors Info bldg & water taxi landing)? I used to work on USN/MSC Unrep ships in the area. It's really a great place! What is the monthly fee to tie-up there? Good luck on your new venture.
Paul K
 
localboy":13w1d28d said:
$3.99/gallon for #2 diesel @ Safeway yesterday. It was just $3.69 a few days ago. :evil: I see $5 per on the horizon. This is gonna affect more than just boating.
The fuel dock at my marina is always a dollar plus higher than the fuel dock I go to 18 miles away. I save more than $100 each fill up. I paid $3.80 last month when the local guy was charging $5.37
5490219087_826b5711c5_b.jpg
 
Ok, between the $5.37/gal gas and the "many" iterations of pee bottles, I am feeling like a wimp in my complaints. But then I realized that you all should have been complaining earlier, and didn't.

So $3.50 still sucks, and you missed your opportunity. As far as peeing, well, gatorade bottles work fine, so does a porta potti in a boat with "courtesy curtains" or privacy shades, which I purchased today. I got an automotive sun shade for the forward windshield and the "kid on board" type roller shade for the side windows, all for about $3 each at the Dollar General, my new favorite store. They also have awesome chocolate covered graham crackers for $1.50 and pancake mix for $1.

Tonight is the first "heavy weather" night. Tornado watch and gusts up to 60 mph. Luckily the marina is in the wind shadow of big buildings and the seawall, so far very calm water, just hearing the wind in the masts of the sailboats and their lines clanging for the slips further out.

Well off to sleep, work tomorrow.
 
If you're going to do the dollar store thing, I'd suggest Dollar Tree... unlike Dollar General, everything at Dollar Tree really is a dollar (or less). They also have good cookies. :wink:

The clanging halyards of the sailboats may seem like noise to you at first. By fall, you will probably need to make a tape of "halyard noise" that you can play at night so you will be able to sleep back in the sticks and bricks. :mrgreen:

Keep us posted with events as they progress.

Best wishes,
Jim B.
 
Between your new dock life and watching motocross on tv, I don't know what I want to do first this spring. Just got 2 inches of snow this morning. :sad
BTW, gas is $3.42 today, was $3.55 2 day ago. Normally 20 cents more on the water around here.
 
First post-work day today. Steve on Osprey stopped by in his 22 to say hi. I got to tour his boat and envy his Wallas heater. He will be joining us on the Carolina Loop.

I turned out a nice dinner of steak and green beans. Cooked on the grill and just popped the small can of green beans in the coffee pot and set to brew. Heated right in the can! (see pics) Topped it off with some Drifter pale ale and finished with chocolate covered graham crackers (my weakness as far as cookies go)

The evening seems to go fast. I still have some take home work to do, a little cleaning from dinner, and get ready for bed. I will be lucky to have 45 min to read!

I may have to move a few items around in storage to trim the boat out better, right now I seem to list about 2 degrees to the starboard. Not much, but noticable. It is Ok when I sleep since I am on the port side.

Dinner_on_a_CD16.jpg
 
DoryLvr":39rqf2b1 said:
I may have to move a few items around in storage to trim the boat out better, right now I seem to list about 2 degrees to the starboard. Not much, but noticable. It is Ok when I sleep since I am on the port side.

Dinner_on_a_CD16.jpg

Tivo, if you keep eating like that, it won't be long before the stbd list goes away. Keep at it... :lol:

Charlie
 
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