Scott and Annie... Off 2 Sea the World: Christmas Aboard Carpe Diem

Carpe Diem

Whenever, I get the chance, I love to ask other sailors about their boat name. Our name, Carpe Diem, may seem self evident. However, it really goes much deeper than just “good advice”. A few years back, Scott was told he had less than 6 months to live. Colon cancer had gone undetected for too many years. After 6 months of intense chemo... he finally made it. Then a few years later, complications from a double-by-pass almost killed him again. Today he doesn't let his BP and severe diabetes slow him down. Two years ago he lost most of his vision in one eye and partially in the other...and the list goes on and on and on.

Having a boat to work on (along with a regiment of insulin and dozens of medications) keeps him sailing and out of the ER. This boat probably saved his life! I often think “SURVIVOR” would be a good name for our boat. But that would be a constant reminder of the past struggles. So, for now we try to live one day at a time, and carpe diem, “seize the day”.

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January 2, 2012

Christmas Aboard Carpe Diem

Hope everyone's holidays were as blessed as ours were. This was our 3rd Christmas aboard our sailboat home. Each year we string lights up to the top of the mast and down the back, and then around the lifelines. This really helps us and our dock friends get in the spirit of things. It is sometimes hard to get that Christmas spirit when it's 75 to 80 degrees. (I am really looking forward to our 2 weeks of winter in January.)

Our little tree just fit on the deck, and our stockings were hung from the winch handle. All things considered, Christmas on a boat is not that different from in a house. It just rocks more. If all 7 grand kids could be here, it would actually be paradise. No icy roads, no snow to shovel.

Our flat screen was set up and ready for some Bear's football.
(well not everything can be perfect)

While Scott was enjoying the game, I was busy getting ready for our company. Anyone who lives on a sailboat knows what that means...EMPTY the V-BIRTH! (usually into the trunk of the car)

On the left is our EMPTY V-berth. I just had to take a picture, to remind myself what it looked like! On the right is our couch, which can also sleep a 6 ft person. Then we can put 2 more in the cockpit, so all together we can sleep 7 very comfortable. So come on down!!!

On the left is a picture of our family wall. All the folks we love and miss dearly.

On the right, Scott even cleaned off his Nav station. Ofcourse, now he can't find anything. LOL.

We have made a few nice renovations to the boat since my last post. Scott replaced all three of our faucets with new contemporary ones. This was no easy task, because nothing is ever easy on a boat!

We found these at a marine surplus store in Ft Pierce.

The faucet actually pulls out to become a shower
wand, thereby eliminating that awkward hose.

The galley faucet is a work of art. It really gives the galley a new updated look. We love the way it fits with the new teak backsplash that we added last spring. ( I was so excited that I even made new curtains for the galley portals.) We still have some carpenter work to do behind the stove to allow for more storage, yet, that will have to wait.

Another little tweak Scott did was to add small blue LED lights inside the liquor cabinet. This really looks cool and adds another safety feature to the galley during the night.