Florida

Lagoon 380 S2: Air Conditioning

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

How to keep happy on a Lagoon 380 in the heat of the south, you ask.

Air conditioning is certainly a personal choice and depends on where you plan to sail your boat. For us, we have two units on Mattina. One for the main salon and one for our cabin.

Every year, Matt checks the units to make sure they are functioning properly and does any maintenance required. Wouldn’t want to have to overheat.

Airconditioner

No surprise to anyone, but Florida is hot and the three of us love to turn on the air. Our dog has figured out the coolest spot on the boat is close the vent. The unit is our cabin is situated perfectly to blow air across the bed. I can’t imagine being in the tropics without this luxury.

There’s nothing like a cool boat to give a person a good night sleep.

Thanks for reading . . .

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Farley’s Friday: How does a dog beat the heat?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Farley here.

Well I’m in Florida, and it’s hot.

Early this morning I hear my humans talk about going for a run. They don’t think I’ve been getting enough exercise lately. Well, whose fault is that I ask you? And who wants to exercise in  this heat?

I’m not the kind of dog who likes to get up early, but oh, oh! I see Kristina putting on her running gear. It’s not even seven yet. Is she crazy?

Farley by the air

She crawls under the salon table and pulls my legs. I make my body go all floppy so she can’t get ahold of me.

“Let me sleep,” I whine.

“Come on, lazy bones,” she says.

“Lazy,” I bark quietly. “I’m not lazy. Do you see where I am?” I wag my tail making it thump the air conditioning vent. I’m trying to give her the hint I want to stay near the cold air, but she’s having none of it. She takes hold of my two front paws and slides me across the floor. Now she thinks I’m a mop.

I may want to stay in the comfort of my air-conditioned salon, but it’s not going to happen. I give in and follow her out the door.

Now, I know you’re all feeling sorry for me and my tough life, but don’t worry.

We run along a road and at the end of the road we find a beach on the Atlantic ocean.

There’s a sign, which usually means no dogs allowed, but I pull Kristina to it, and bark, “Dogs allowed. Must be leashed. Do you see? Do you see? Let’s go.” Flagler county is dog friendly. This place is great.

I want to hit the surf. I spring forward, dragging Kristina, and get my paws in the ocean for the first time this season.

If I wasn’t a dog, I would be laughing out loud. That lol for you humans. It feels unbelievably good to run in the surf.

Woof woof.

Farley’s Friday: A Dog Dreams Of Sailing in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Farley here.

I had a dream last night, and I thought you’d like to see what I look like in my dream.

Farley Dreaming

I dreamt about the Bahamas and sailing on my Lagoon 380 catamaran (with my humans of course).

Why am I dreaming? My papers arrived. Here’s how it works. Kristina sends $10 to the Bahamas with a form telling the lovely Bahamian people all about me. Then they decide whether I can enter the country, and I’m so wonderful I don’t see how they could refuse.

They mail back my visa along with a receipt for the $10, that’s US dollars by they way.

Right before we sail to the Bahamas from Florida I have to go to a vet. I don’t really like this part, but I have to have a health certificate. That doesn’t seem fair because my humans don’t need one.

Then we set sail across the Gulf Stream. I don’t like sailing overnight. I just can’t go to bed until Kristina does and she likes the midnight to 4 am shift. I try to convince my humans to only sail to Bimini. We can get there before dark and I get a good night sleep.

Once we arrive, my humans visit customs with my papers and then I’m set for the season. It’s a great deal – $10  for an entire year.

Now all I have to do is wait until November and we can get going.

Woof Woof.

 

Farley’s Friday: A Dog’s Reflections on Travel

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 10 Comments

Farley here.

I’m in Florida. The land of leashes, poop bags, thunderstorms and dark water.

My reflections . . .

I don’t mind the leash, but Kristina thinks I don’t get enough free running time.

Poop bags? Well, that’s Kristina’s duty. I barked, “duty.” Ha Ha 🙂

Thunderstorms scare me. They’re too loud and shake the boat. I pant at Kristina to make them stop, but she just smiles at me and says, “You’re fine.” Easy for her to say when she understands what’s going on and to me, well I’m a dog so how could I know?

The dark water . . . That’s where my reflection comes in.

Reflections in Flat Water
Reflections in Flat Water

I look in the water.

“Come here,” I bark and wag my tail.

“Hang on,” Kristina says, but she’s obedient as usual and is at my side in seconds.

I look at her, back at the water and at her again. She does well with visual signals and gets my meaning.

“There’s a dog in there,” I bark like a crazy dog from the Canadian wilderness. “Get it out! How can it breath underwater?”

Kristina laughs.

I’m getting a little scared now. “Don’t laugh,” I bark. “That dog needs help.”

“That’s you, silly.”

“Me? Me?” I bark. “Am I really that handsome?”

“Of course,” Kristina says.

So now I’m obsessed. I stare at my handsome reflection every chance I get. Who knew I was sooooo good looking?

Me handsome!
Me handsome!

Okay, I’ll admit it was fun watching fish and dolphins in the clear Bahamian water, but now I have a new hobby to entertain myself.

As we motor north on the Intracoastal Waterway, I sit on the bow and check myself out!

Woof Woof.

Travelling the Exumas, Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 7 Comments

Sailing on the Exumas banks in fifteen knots from the east, flat water and clear skies is our favourite. Our plan had been to sail north each day and make our way to Florida within five days.

We didn’t quite stick to the plan, or as we call it, Plan No Plan.

Mattina Sailing Exumas

Highbourne Cay marina has a new restaurant that we had to try out.

HIghbourne Cay Marina

The spotted eagle ray gave us a lovely show at Cambridge Cay.

Cambridge Cay Spotted Eagle Ray

After that it was off to Rose Island, Chubb Cay, South Bimini and then – and I feel like I should play music here – Florida.

Time to work on the Mattina, go through our decommissioning checklist and put her on the hard for the summer. Boo Hoo.

 

Mattina Underway – so what happens to my writing?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 9 Comments

It’s travel time again. Matt, Farley and I are heading south along the Florida east coast and hoping for a weather window to cross the Gulf Stream and enter the Bahamas. We are traveling with one buddy boat and trying to hook up with 2 or 3 more. It’s fun to arrive in a pack, with your friends already imported with you.

While we are traveling, I have no idea if I’ll have internet access along the way. My next shot at blogging will probably be once we are in the Bahamas. So if I’m quiet on this end, that’s why.

I always think I’m going to have time to write while we are underway, but it never turns out that way. Somehow, when the sailboat is in motion, I can’t concentrate on writing. Writing while sailing is a romantic idea to me. It’s a dream, really. The reality is I get busy.

I need to be in a quiet anchorage in calm weather to produce a good word count.

See you on the flip side.

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: Dogs in Restaurants

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 10 Comments

Farley here.

I really like Florida. It so warm that most restaurants have outdoor patios AND they let me join the party. It’s all so civilized. Finally a place that understands I belong with my humans all the time.

I mind my manners. I don’t beg. I don’t pester other diners. And I don’t play with other dogs that happen to be there. Kristina always orders a bowl of ice cubes for me, which keeps me entertained as I try not to let them slide out from under the table.

I do my best to look refined and dignified and so far, I haven’t been kicked out of anywhere.

The best is I hint to Kristina that she should order something with good leftovers for me. I don’t get to eat it until we get back to the boat and it’s in my bowl, but that’s okay with me.

Did I mention, “I love Florida.”

Woof Woof.

Thanks for reading . . .