Apr 1 - No April Fools joke this year. Sorry but just wait until next year! I was thinking about telling you one about waking up to go the the bathroom and finding the boat leaning to the port. Then, when I got to the port side there was water above the floors. But the thought of that just made me want to cry. Then I thought of doing a knock off of some friends joke last year where they said someone shot someone but after my friend Garry got kicked off of a list because he just did that well evidently some people just can't take a joke so I reconsidered. Then the real reason was I spent the day tracking down mundane details so we can get back to Kentucky for the boat show. I'll explain those later and believe me after "working" for a day, I just wasn't into an April Fools joke. No joke!

As an update on the water, you may remember the last forecast I showed you of the tailwater at Coffeeville dam. It is shown to the right. Now one thing I didn't go into detail about is that the forecast only takes in the rain forecast for 24 hours which explains why they don't get the long range forecast very accurately. However, neither do the weather forecasters so perhaps their method is the best. You, however, have to insert your judgment.

What you see it the graph above said it would top out on about March 30th and now it is forecast to top out on April 3rd. That of course doesn't include the rain we are supposed to get on Thursday. The other thing of note is the crest is at 39.7 feet and the water at the tailwater is supposed to be about 33 feet at the headwater less a maximum of a 34 foot drop in the lock. The normal water in the tailwater at Coffeeville is 3-5 feet. We are "only" 36 feet above the normal waters. Now you know why we are stuck in Fairhope.

With all of that said, you know we aren't leaving here on our boat anytime soon. You will see that we are leaving to get going up at Kentucky Lake. We have the transportation worked out and now we are going to work on where to stay. Do you know any cheap places up at Grand Rivers, KY?

However, as it goes sometimes I am ahead of myself. Let's get caught up with the last few days now that you know the boat isn't sinking.

I mentioned that when we arrived at Fairhope we docked our boat right in front of another Gemini. As we were pulling in, a guy came out of the boat and said "Hi Deb, how are your bruises?" Of course this always throws Deb for a bit of a loop. She always says, JIIIIM why do you put all that stuff on the internet? I feel like people know everything about us. Well, she's right, you do. Like I said before, many of you are friends I just haven't met yet and I want to learn your story too.

Bob and Terri, pictured to the right with us, took us out for dinner on Sunday evening. We had a wonderful conversation and a wonderful meal too. Thank you very much! We are looking forward to getting back to the boat so we can return the favor on our boat.

They took us to the causeway which is just before you get to Mobile and we overlooked the battleship at a restaurant called Felix's Fish Camp. For those in the mid-west and I think other places, you might see this looks like Baby Doe's. However, Baby Doe's is made to look old and this place really is old. Of course it has been through a bunch of hurricane's too.

Again, we had a wonderful evening.

For those die-hard Gemini people out there who just want to see if I can actually break and fix every part on the Gemini, this part of the update is for you. Remember, I have a 1996 Gemini so things are a little different on our boat. Our access port for the up and down rigging has to be accessed by removing some carpet and a panel. Fortunately, I was able to do this fairly easily on the port side. When the eight screws come out it revels the up/down mechanism that is used for raising and lowering the board. You can see in the picture to the left the drum and the rope which is attached to the board. NOW the real question! Since I have wooden boards and they are 13 years old, ARE THEY ROTTEN? Yes, it is a question I really was worried about since some people believe they are only good for 10 years. After talking to Will and from my own experience, I wasn't convinced 10 years was right.

After getting the panel off, the next step was to punch the board in multiple locations looking for soft wood. Especially near the attachment points. Below you can see those white marks where I used a screw driver and a small ball pen hammer to test the wood. ALL HARD. Great news. Now I don't have to drop the board out. All I have to do is put in the new pivot bolt. Of course I will be doing that on both boards since I have to have it hauled anyway. As for the leak update, I'm getting about a half a cup to three quarters of a cup of water in 24 hours.

Bottom line is we've been having a great time here in Fairhope but I'm ready to get on the court! I'm ready do either move the boat or see what kind of difference I can make on my next adventure at Green Turtle Bay at Kentucky Lake. I really am getting excited about getting up there and helping people achieve their new dreams of either selling their boat and moving up or on to something different or to help someone buy their first or a bigger boat. It just sounds like so much fun and I love to do something that makes a difference for the people I'm working with. So, let's get on with it! Oh yeah, I'm stuck in Fairhope.

Well we have to do something about that! Both Tom and Bob have volunteered to look after our boat so we can get out of here for about two weeks to drive up and get started. Now the only question is how to go north. We've checked out the bus, train, flying, and of course renting a car. In the end, it makes the most sense to rent the car but then there is that 30 buck a day insurance charge on top of the rental agreement. Remember, I don't have a car. But wait! I was in a conversation with Larry about the Gemini and he said, why not just get some insurance in Kentucky. Then I thought, I have to insure the Beetle anyway so why not now! I ended up getting full coverage for the Beetle we are borrowing back from Steve and Linda, and that will cover us on the rental car according to the agent I secured the insurance through. Very Cool. I'll tell you the story of the Beetle again and how wonderful it is that Steve and Linda are heading for Sun-n-Fun so Linda will be driving it down for us while we are working the boat show. Everything is working out great. It sure is nice to have good people to help you out when you need it.

Today, it is supposed to rain again along with Thursday. Thursday is the front that may mess up the rivers more so we will just have to watch everything. I think I'm going to spend my time cleaning the boat on the outside over the next few days and applying more Poly-Glow so it looks like new again.

Apr 3 - I thought I would get some work done on the boat however that just didn't happen. Instead, we've had some rain with tornado warnings in our area.

On Wednesday, Deb and I went to our favorite luggage shop. Goodwill. As you might remember, we don't keep luggage on the boat. Every time we travel, which is only once a year, we head to a Goodwill or other such shop and pick up bags to pack for our trip. When we are finished, we either give it to people at the marina or give it back to a resale shop. Afterall, we don't want the extra stuff on our boat. This year we may be keeping the bags until we depart KY Lake in the late fall.

I put the picture in below of the Fairhope Yacht Club. Nice place isn't it! The people are wonderful and I really am impressed with the involvement in their sailing activities.

Wednesday night it rained and fortunately the rain was in the south so it won't hurt the Tenn-Tom with regards to the water levels coming back down. Right now the water level is at 40 feet for the tailwater of Coffeeville Dam so that puts it at 35 or so feet above normal water. However, we can travel when the water is at 15-20 feet and dropping with no rain forecast so we will just have to see what happens in two weeks.

Thursday was another bad rain day with tornado watches which turned into warnings. Fortunately, the tornados were north and east of us. We did take cover in the same place we always hang out in our boat. I added a couple more dock lines and also tied our sails down just in case.

We pick our rental car up today at about noon. We have a couple of errands to run including dropping Jimmy Buffett off at his vacation bird sitter for only 5 bucks a day. Then we pack the car and get ready for our trip tomorrow leaving at 7 am. I'm excited about this new opportunity so it will be great getting up there to get started.

April 10 - I'm sorry. I've been consumed. Once again, I'm ahead of myself.  

Before we left, I met another wonderful Gemini Owner on a 3400. I helped him figure out a leak in the boat and that is something I deal with many times a year. I think when you actually use your boat and the boat flex's, you simply will break seals. On top of that, you also get some repairs that just aren't right. Not that they didn't try but they just aren't right for a Gemini. Regardless, I think we have him fixed up once he gets the seal fixed.

By the way, we always loved the 3400 and that is why we bought a 105M. We are Gemini fans.

Well, we left on time after dropping off Jimmy Buffett and after driving 10 or so hours were in Green Turtle Bay in Grand Rivers Kentucky. We looked up our friend Bill Gary and he generously provided us a condo to stay in for the next 10 days while we get our feet on the ground in Yacht Sales. After moving in, we headed up for dinner and it was like a wonderful coming home reunion that has lasted the entire week.

I have spent the week trying to learn the people, the procedures, the computers, the boats, the owners, and of course just trying to get back into shape for working ten hour days. I've had a great time and it is wonderful to get back on the court.

Now it is interesting to actually learn the business of yacht sales. The reality is there are ton's of expenses that I never thought about when it comes to selling boats. If you aren't on certain website's, you aren't in the business. If you don't have long distance to everywhere USA, you aren't in the business. If you don't have contact with the owners to develop the equipment lists, you really don't have anything. And on and on and on. I always thought that all I had to do is say my boat was for sale and people would fall all over themselves trying to buy it. Wrong. So far half of my job is introducing owners to the fact that to sell their boats means they will need to get them in the shape that they have them in their minds eye. What is great is that people are receptive to the suggestions and some of the boats we have are wonderful. Below left you can see a Nimble that is a really cool 30 foot yawl. Then to the right is a Gozzard. What can you say, it is a Gozzard. Of course we have a Bristol and also a Catalina 270 on a trailer so you can move it at will. I just happened to get here at a very interesting time so there is much more that will come.

As of this afternoon, it looks like we will be heading back to Fairhope, AL on Wednesday. When we arrive it will be time to pick up the bird, fill up the boat with fluids, go shopping for food, and then on Thursday get the rental car back before heading back up the Tenn-Tom. Hopefully, this will be the charm trip which to me means we make it. I really don't want to leave our boat down there. By the way, I received the new bolt and washer pack from Performance Cruising so I'm ready to replace it as soon as we haul the boat when we arrive back up here. On top of that, we are looking forward to being back on the boat. We miss our home!

I will have to come to grips with my overwhelming need to learn and become productive with my new job while at the same time staying true to our cruising lifestyle. Stay tuned because you will find out how we are doing. We have friends coming in Sunday and Monday with the Beetle and a wonderful reunion. On top of that, they are planning on visiting the boat show we have and looking at the boats that range from about 20,000 to 849,000. What a range! Now I just need a 549,000 sailboat to show and sell..... Don't you want one? Then again, there is that Gozzard which is really cool!

 April 13 - I can't even tell you how busy I've been. Getting started in a new position that is entrusted to you by not only owners of a company but also owners of boats is a truly trusting situation and you really have to earn that kind of trust. I just hope I have! So the question is, what's up?

Yesterday our friends Steve and Linda delivered the Beetle to us. We had a WONDERFUL dinner together after they visited the boatshow and watched me return boats to their slips after the show. Pictures are forthcoming.

In addition, we are getting ready to drive back down to Fairhope to see our home, oops I mean boat again. Bob has emailed me several times to let me know that the leak is totally contained and there is just one rag of water a day coming into our boat. We did receive the parts from Performance Crusing, thank you very much Will! Bottom line is that we are going to watch those river forecasts to determine if we are leaving on Thursday which was our plan or on Friday because the water level forecast just changed dramatically in the last 12 hours.

I'll be giving a much better update when we get back to Fairhope. On top of that, you will get some great pictures as we move our way up the Tenn-Tom in what may be almost flood conditions.