Slow Motion on the Space Coast

[Joris]

Good afternoon fellow yatchsmen, my name is Joris Hines, and I've lived aboard my 1985 Albin 27 aft cabin trawler for 2 years and 7 months now, with my Jack Russell, Dutch. I've been in and around boats all my life. Finally living the live aboard dream. I'm 64 years old, disabled veteran, used to work at Kennedy Space Center, been living in Brevard County, Florida since I was 6years old.

I just wanted to join an Albin group, in case there was something I could learn about the boat, and to read your posts and be a part of this fine community. It seems I might gain some valuable knowledge from folks like you, so I look forward to reading and learning from the old school pro's.

Thanks for being here, and best wishes for future adventures.

Joris Hines
Banana River Marina, Merritt Island, Florida

[Mark Deeser]

Welcome Joris, seems you may have some knowledge to share as well. Wife an I live on St John river, a bit North and East of your position. We have an 1986 27 FC, our boats are just right for one or two people. Hope to have our boat ready to travel a bit in the next couple of weeks, the post on this form helped us a lot. We are a bit older, and have come to really appreciat the slow motion. Do you do any traveling on your boat, what engine do you have? Hope to see you on the form, may haps on the water one day. Thanks Mark.

[Joris]

Good to meet you, Mark. Yes, I just posted (a long one) in "Cruising" forum in here about my adventure to Little Torch Key (here's a link to the post: viewtopic.php?f=12&t=8116). I went back looking for it and got lost reading other posts! I'm 64 and find it much easier getting lost online than expected. Yessir, these boats are great for one or two, maybe even two adults and a kid or two (if you have the aft cabin model), but long term live aboard I'd say depends on how well each person does in a minimalistic living condition. Even having an active dog requires some adjustment. But determination rules. It's a perfect size boat for a single person with a dog. I have a 6 cylinder Nissan diesel engine that was a truck engine at one time, but was marinized by the previous owners. Excellent engine for the boat. So I'm guessing you're up around Sanford (Correction: I just noticed that you're in Astor). I'd like to try staying on the St John's for a while. Some magnificent scenery, and I'm into photography, so it's high on the list of places to try.

So Mark, when you do go, if you happen to get close to Banana River Marina in Merritt Island (on the Banana River), I recommend this marina. It's old school Florida style and laid back, reasonable slip rent, and the dock neighbors are a bunch of really nice folks. It lacks a few things you'd find at a more wealth exclusive marina's, but I like the simplicity here. Plus it's a great hurricane hole. Good talking with you, and I hope to meet you one day.

Thanks a lot for posting the comment.

[whwells]

Welcome Abroad. What you will learn is there so many fine fellow members. Many will be your future friends.
whwells"Howard"
X 2006 35 Ablin Te Flybridge/Nibbles
2006 Sabre 42 Flybridge/Flattery
2004 Osprey 22 Pilothouse/Nest

[Joris]

Nice to meet you, Howard. Yes, I am sure I'll meet some good folks here. Anyone that knows Albin's enough to purchase one must have good taste! You're in Washington, that's where my grandson lives. I'm planning to go there in a couple of years, unless I can win my legal battle against the V.A. before then. I miss the little guy so much. Not sure whether to sell the boat here and try to find a replacement there, or pursue another dream, like a crazy idea I've had for years... buying a diesel dually and building a vardo on the flatbed. A vardo, in case anyone isn't familiar with them, is a gypsy wagon. I have always wanted to build and live in one and go touring the country. I see a lot of people building small houses in the hills there in WA and OR, and figure why not? You're never too old to touch on your dreams. I like working with my hands, and I love the classic vardo's of old. I think it would be a fun lifestyle for an old retired guy and his dog. I'm into photography, and it would really be fun seeing some of the places I never got to see. I've traveled a lot, been around the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, hitch hiked from Paris to Marseilles with my girlfriend in '71, and cruised around Europe while stationed in Frankfurt, Germany in '75-'77, so why stop now? If my health holds out I might as well take advantage of the time I have left and do something adventurous.

Nice list of boats you have there, Howard. How do you manage all three? Must be nice. Do you live aboard? Having lived on board Slow Motion (27 ft), I can say with some certainty that a larger boat would be much more in line with my needs, but I'm cozy here, and I'm easy to please. The transition from living in a home with a yard for my gardening to living aboard a 27 ft Albin was somewhat challenging, but I just kept positive about it, and adjusted better than my dog, I think. Just have to have the mindset of minimalistic living to succeed. I have a storage unit filled with my old things that I still need to let go of, but all in good time.

Again, thank you, sir, and it's always a pleasure to meet a fellow boater.

[tbnolin]

A pleasure to meet you Joris. My wife and I came down the coast 3 1/2 years ago from just below Lake Champlain and decided that Stuart was the place to be. We lived on our 40 NSC for 6 months before deciding on buying a place on the St Lucie South Folk. Unfortunately...we sold our Albin last year as we were having a hard time finding time to use it. Still enjoy reading all the posts...especially ones that are out there traveling as we can relate to the time on the water!!! Sooooo relaxing!!!!

Enjoy your travels and hope to read more about where the currents will take you!!

Tom

[Joris]

Nice to meet you, Tom, and thanks for the welcome. I know most of you folks probably have the fluidity to travel more than I do, and that's okay. I just had the liveaboard dream for so long, when I got my retirement I figured it was now or never. When I win my case against the V.A. I plan to do more, and have considered the Great Loop, another trip south, to extend to Cuba, and other options. But for now I'm just a live aboard dreamer, wishing this case would be won. I just switched attorneys and went with Morgan & Morgan of central Florida, and hope they'll have better luck breaking through the wall the V.A. has built in my case. I have a world of faith in true justice, and look forward to winning and getting things done. It hasn't been easy.

I originally was looking at blue water sailboats, thinking one day I'd like to go to the Mediterranean Sea since I have Basque relatives in France, and they've been begging me to come there and live. I so want to, but if it happens it happens. That would open up a whole new playground for me. The canals through France have been something I've longed to see, and I recently thought, why not carry my Albin there by ship? So there's another, more adventurous option. I speak a little French, German, and Spanish, so I'm sure I'd pick it up quickly there. I was born about 30km northeast of Paris, and went back in 1971, then again while I was in the Air Force stationed in Frankfurt, Germany. I traveled around Europe then and never tired of it. So if and when I win my case I should receive back pay that would cover the cost of the whole deal, pretty much. I just hope my health holds on.

Sorry I ramble on so much. But it's a pleasure to meet you, and I hope you are okay with the Florida heat. I've been here since 1957 and I still can't get used to it in the dog days of summer. I don't remember it being quite this hot when I was a young lad. I always ran around barefoot through the boondocks in Cape Canaveral as a kid, catching snakes and wildlife, keeping them awhile, and releasing them where I found them. I was a dark skinned kid with white blond hair, bleached by the sun and salt of the beach. I think air conditioning spoiled me. I need to get back to where I can take the heat. Especially if I go south again and live on the hook. Here I go rambling again. Take care, and enjoy your life in the sunshine state.

[whwells]

Joris: Well the adventure sounds like fun. We have a few members traveling around the country towing the 25' Albin Classic. With a little thought you could live abroad as a towed boat and stop at any suitable waters. A bit tight for me.
There are a lot of the small towable trailers in parks out west. There was a school teacher who lived in one in Brookings, Or. where I fished a few years back. They are fine for short tows but not the old wagon train your are considering.

There are not 3 boats. I am an X Albin owner thus the X 35te. Still active in the group. It is a long story, but the short one is sold my 35te Flybridge expecting to find one of the few of the same models with the up galley and a second stateroom. There were none to be found. So I now an am a outsider with the Sabre. That may not last as bigger is more expensive in every way. The Osprey is my local fishing boat.

We live in No. Calif. but my favorite boating is the NW. It is a nutty two day drive each way. You pay for your fun!
Go ahead and do your living in your dream way while you can.

whwells "Howard'

[Joris]

Thanks for the clarification, Howard. Northern CA, huh? Nice. Anywhere near Weed? I don't know why but that town name interests me. The previous owners had a three axle trailer and would only trailer the boat to local waters. I only bought the boat, and they revamped the trailer to use with their new houseboat. They also had a big truck. I have a 2003 Chevy S-10 Xtreme. I look odd driving it since I'm an old fart now and it's a low rider. But I traded my Harley Electra Glide for a 2002 Xtreme for my son, and liked the way it handled, so I bought one for myself. It's a reliable and fuel efficient ride, with a great 6 cylinder engine. That's why I bought it. But to trailer the boat I'd need something like a diesel dually or something, I think. I'd like to do that, though. I'd like to have a dually, maybe a 4 wheeler to carry in the bed, and a trailer that can handle the 6,000+ pound boat, and head northwest. That way if I had a breakdown I could ride the 4 wheeler to a local repair shop and have them come out and do repairs. It would really be a bummer having to leave the entire rig along the roadside, unprotected, though. I'd feel very insecure about that. But if I could afford it, like when I win my case against the V.A., then it might be something I'd consider. But while I have a world of respect for the Albin name, there are many quality boats available, and it's a buyers market. So in that respect I think it would be more fun to sell her, enjoy the great memories with her, and head out intending to find my next boat once I arrive at whatever destination I aim for. I loved my Electra Glide, too, and it wasn't easy getting rid of her, but I also feel that you live only for a little while, so variety is the spice of life.

[whwells]

Joris: Weed is in Northern Calif. It is too the far north up the Central portion of the state. Unless you are a dry lands farmer is has little to offer at least for me. Do have one friend that lives nearby on a small farm/ranch. He thinks it is heaven on earth. Happy he feels that way. We can't all live in the same area. We are on the far north coast where ocean fishing is good and among the redwood trees. Mild temps and in that small area of the state where water is not a serious issue.
Weed is rocky and small dry hills - go west or north!
whwells "Howard"

[Joris]

Thanks Howard. I was looking for properties for sale in northern CA at one time, and I think there is a view of Mt Shasta from Weed. I have a vague memory of a large lake there, unless I'm mistaken. But really I need water around me, so it would probably be best for me to look along the coast, but if it's anything like it is here, the closer you are to the water, the higher the prices. I'm actually in a perfect and very peace filled area where I am now. Before getting my Albin I was very much into organic gardening, and miss the heck out of it. I had established a tropical paradise at the last place I lived. When I moved in it had 2 or 3 plants and a large oak in the front yard. When I left there was a yard filled with food bearing plants, and I usually had so much I'd give a lot to my neighbors. I walked away from a peach tree, two large fig trees, a double trunk mango tree (it had been broken early on, and split into two trunks), papaya trees all over the yard, pomegranate bushes, sweet potatoes and watermelons, and all were bearing fruit. I miss gardening very much. I live as healthy a lifestyle as I can, and only eat organic, so I'm missing out on the production of home grown foods for the life aboard my boat. I guess sometimes sacrifices are necessary if you aim to realize some of your dreams.

I hear so much about the water shortage in California. Lakes drying up and so on. Makes me suspect it's a man made disaster. I hope that gets rectified soon. Now I'm rambling again... sorry about that. I went to San Francisco once on a business trip, had an expense account and rental car, and cruised the coastal area south and north of SF. Muir Woods was just magnificent. And Sausalito looked rather exclusive, but man, there's a place I'd love to live aboard. Oregon is another place I'd be interested in, and I have old friends there.

All in good time. Thanks Howard.

[whwells]

We live in Trinidad, Ca. on the ocean. It is rare area in which there are Redwood Trees right along the coast. Kind of the best of all worlds. Accept in a few limited area's in this far northern Cal. there is no water or at least serious water shortage. We are just 100 miles from the Oregon border and a fine place to live. Trinidad has its own small boat harbor with a small commercial crab fleet and the last privately owned pier in the state. Actually the local Indian tribe purchased the harbor and maintains it. We appreciate what they do for our small community of 400 people. You can goggle Trinidad to see what northern living is like. My wife maintains a huge garden and we have lots of fruits trees and berries of all types.
whwells "Howard"

[Joris]

Sounds like a little piece of heaven. I feel that way about this place. Lots of wildlife and the marina is a hurricane hole, so my boat is well protected, and this is hurricane alley. I've been through some hurricanes. Lived in this county since '57. You get used to them. There's a guy I knew in the Air Force living in Coo's Bay, Oregon, and he described the place similarly, protected cove and I imagine a similar climate. Nice up there in the northwest. I went to Poulsbo, WA to meet a lady, and I drove her car around the Olympic Peninsula. Saw the Hoh Rainforest and the snow capped mountains in the distance, the beaches (totally different than the beaches here), just the entire experience was kind of magical. A photographers dream. Lot's of boating activities around there.

I'll have a look online and check out Trinidad. Sounds really nice.

[Mark Deeser]

You gotta love this country, we've about got it all. I have found as I age I want it to be warm, I like the ground to be flatish and the water close by, oh yea and plenty of tropical fruit. Pick your likes, go there and enjoy.

[Joris]

We even have deception from government, but I won't take it any deeper. Except to say that our political system has been hijacked, and it separates the people, rather than drawing them together to work in positive, restorative ways to boost us, rather than what's been happening.

But our lands and rivers and coastal areas are vast and various in what they give to us. That's why we have to all work together to maintain and protect them from any harm. Sadly they're continuously under threat of pollution by the recklessness of corporations, and their unchecked practices. Okay, there I go again.

When I was in the 7th grade, a friend of mine was going to go to the New York World's Fair with his dad on a camping trip. His parents were divorcing, and he asked his dad if I could come. They asked me if I wanted to, and spoke with my folks about it. They gave the green light, and off we went. It turned out to be much, much more than just the World's Fair. After the Fair, I got permission again to continue on a much longer trip. We went to Montreal, and Quebec, Canada, then down into Detroit,Michigan,where we met up with an old German couple my friend's father knew. They were about to head west, to go camping in Yellowstone. So we followed along. We went across the upper states, then backup to Canada along the Rockies into British Columbia. We came back down after visiting Vancouver, and entered Washington, following an inland and coastal zig zag route through Oregon and California.

From there we went into Mexico and visited Tijuana, then back up and headed back east for Florida, but first stopped in New Orleans, and then finally came home. It took a little over a month. It was the most eye opening road trip I've ever experienced, and it gave me the traveling bug bigtime. I think it was the reason that made me just take off at different times in my teens and 20's, to hitch hike across country. I made three journey's by thumb to Canada, one to San Francisco, two to North Carolina, and my favorite adventure of all, hitch hiking with my girlfriend from Paris, France, to Marseilles. We had a room on the 6th floor of a very old hotel with a balcony overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. For that short time we were in heaven.

Going to France was great. I went first, to try to get things set up, and try to get a job. My sister lived in Paris, so I was blessed to already have a place for me to stay when I got there. I took Air Bahama from Nassau to Luxembourg, but didn't. That is to say that I left in November, and their only jet was stranded in Luxembourg due to snow, so when I got to Nassau by Eastern Airlines, the Air Bahama folks told us the problem, and that they'd be putting all passengers up in a classy hotel until they could charter a jet from another airlines. They chartered a Dutch jet from Martinaire, but not before spending 3 glorious days in Nassau. I had a corner room with 2 huge balconies overlooking the green waters of the Caribbean. I got to rent a little Honda scooter and tour the island myself, and see things not on the tourist route. We flew in a very cramped Martinaire jet to Banf, Canada to refuel, and were airborn again at night time, and I got to see the Northern Lights! We went to Shannon, Ireland for another refueling, so I saw a bit o' the glory of the Emerald Isle. From there we made the final hop to Luxembourg. On the train from Luxembourg to Paris, I met a beauty from South Africa, a white girl with a British accent and long, thick black mane, and struck up a fun conversation. In Paris we shared a hotel room and parted ways in the morning. I was in Paris for 3 months before my girlfriend flew out to join me. I saw it all. Well, you never see all of Paris, but I saw more than your average tourist see's.

On New Years eve I was walking down a sidewalk in St Michel with a couple my parents knew well, and had already had a wonderful dinner and drinks at a jazz club, and as we walked they were talking, but the words suddenly faded away as my mind locked onto a face in the crowd. There was a young couple walking toward us, and I knew I'd seen the girl somewhere before. Her eyes met mine and she, too locked on. Her fiancee was talking to her and she just blanked him out, as I had done to the friends I was with. When we were face to face I knew who she was, and she knew me, too. We had been friends in Cocoa Beach High School, in Florida! In fact, we were both Born in France, both lived in Florida and went to the same high school, and now we both were in Paris on New Years eve in 1972! We leaped on each other in an explosion of laughter, and fell to the sidewalk rolling around laughing. Her fiancee wanted to fight me, but she calmed him and explained. I apologized to my hosts and also explained. In the end, they invited me to come stay at their very old, dilapidated hotel, and the next day I moved in. It was up in Montmarte, an artists district, and ancient, well known part of Paris. When Dominick, her fiancee, was working, she and I were cruising around Paris together by Metro (subway). When my girlfriend came I left them and she and I began our own plans together. I never got a job, and the only two prospects were translator and gigolo. I passed on both.

I wish I could afford to always be moving, to see all the wonders in all countries, but until I'm blessed with wealth, it'll have to remain a dream. I was stationed in Germany while in the Air Force, and I traveled as much as my free time would permit. That's what I like about boats. Some are big enough to go almost anywhere. Mine is more for U.S. waterways for now, but Cuba just opened their gates, so I'm starting to get that traveling Jones again. Just need a mate to spell me at the helm. One day...

The world is your bathtub.