Watching the View of Downtown Miami

Sitting on the "Poop Deck" of the Achievement Alpha and watching the Miami River traffic. Getting to spend a lot more time with Dad (Captain Bob to the rest of you) and loving every minute of it!

Dad's all moved in -- which is to say that the clutter that has pervaded his life has followed him, post-voyage, to this vessel. But we have begun to cull the necessary from the meerly coveted! Came down two weeks ago and threw out a bunch of sh-- as Dad likes to say -- i say they were moldy old throw pillows!

We are enjoying sitting here on the Poop Deck watching the Miami River traffic and Dad tells me stories of the tugs who frequent these waters. We talk about family, the contributions made to this saga and to this boat. And we smile.

Scott & Mark just spent two days doing a yoeman's job painting. The Achievement Alpha has never looked better. I am pressing Dad to get them to give a more thorough accounting of their time here. They signed the newly painted "apple red" beam that graces the ceiling of the "Poop Deck" and Dad's looking to add the names of others who have contributed so graciously to this adventure.

Hoping to post some new pics for all to see. And to keep this blog more readily updated. We'll see.

To all who joined in the initial adventure, and who continue to ponder on the fate of this miraculous vessel: we are billeted at a commercial marina on the Miami River, directly opposite Garcia's and Casablanca's Restaurant & Market. Loving life, and enjoying the rythms of the River.

Stay tuned, I hope....

Cathy, aka "the blog master!"

New Adventure Looms -- You In?

Good morning everyone.

Well a new adventure looms on the horizon. It seems I can get a pretty good deal on hauling the boat in the Bahamas. Most yards here in the states don't seem to have the time to do the work. And they want a fortune to do it.

We have contacted a yard on Grand Bahama Island that a friend of mine helped build a few years back. They will be sending me a quote for hauling and painting.

So be prepared to travel. It should take about a week. and you must have a passport. The old days of just needing a driver’s license are over. The US government requires everyone to have a passport. Let me know who's interested in making the trip.

Capt. Bob

Hello all!

It's been a while since I posted a blog. I have been very busy. I am close to getting the boat hauled and some much needed bottom paint. Our open house was a great success. The turnout was tremendous. Everyone showed up. All our marina family, all my own family, most of the Moose family and some people I didn't even know who had seen the boat or followed the blog showed up.

We had so much food I didn't think it would ever get eaten. But I was wrong. We ate, drank, and chewed the fat until the wee hours of the morning. I was very surprised that no one fell getting on or off the boat. (With the exception of the blog master who took a tumble early Sunday morning getting George to his comfort station)

The girls from the Moose did a fantastic job cleaning up after the party. Vicky, Buzz, and Toni Marie, Thank you. As well as Cathy (blog master) and Renee our resident wenches. Debbie my girl Friday did a super job organizing and coordinating everyone e with what to bring and where to put it. Not to mention shopping for most of it. Gerry was at the grill all day cooking and opening wine bottles Rhonda was so busy serving and hauling trash to she never got a chance to eat. Even the Max man chipped in with hauling chairs around and other chores.

I know there are others too numerous to mention who played a big part in making it a great day. I thank you all. My fridge is filled with all kinds of desserts that I'm not supposed to eat. And today as I was contemplating the daunting task of hosing down the decks to get rid of all the sticky stuff the skies opened up and gave the boat a thorough wash down. Thank you God.

I have found out that a few people who couldn't come on the original date because of prior commitments never got the word that we moved the date. I apologize to them and will make it up to you. I received the tape that Channel10 did on our arrival. It will be on the blog soon as well as party pictures and possibly some video. A wonderful time was had by all. Again, thanks to all who participated. I love you all.

Capt. Bob

Wed. 2/something/07 late evening

I'm glad Mair got to splaine exactly what I was trying to say. She has a way with those things. The blog Master will be here. And so will George. I hope you all will attend. It should be a great day. We have a beautiful pool as well as a hot tub. Bring suit's. I hope the weather is moderate. We also have showers. Don't be shy.

Capt Bob

Well again I have misspoken

I got a lot of flack about the open house being next sunday. The Daytona 500 and the boat show had already booked that weekend. Sooooo I was forced to move it back a week. the official date is now 2/25/07. Location is 3000 NE 190 st. Aventura Fl. 33180 Slip 32 afternoon-till ?

pot luck.

I'll supply beer Wine and soda. I have a BBQ. and will be doing wings and things.

See you then.

Capt. Bob

Aventura Florida

Achievement performed its first salvage job Friday night. After our early appointment with the Channel 10 news crew, and a few meetings at M.I.A. I was dog tired. I left the office early afternoon and went home to bed. About 10 PM I got a call from Taresa, asking for a pump. There was a boat on the dock sinking. I went to Achievement and got a submersible sump pump and lugged it down the dock. Mission accomplished!

I think we are going to have an open house (or should I say open boat) next Sunday 2/18/07 in the afternoon. Give me some feedback as to what to have. I'm not too hip on that stuff. Looking to meet all the people who were following the blog.

See you all Sunday.

Captain Bob

Well we are home at last.

Well we are home at last.

Thu. 10:30 PM

We arrived home at about 3 pm today. It was really cool to have a helicopter escort us in from the ocean. Ch. 10 sent out the helicopter to film us approaching the Haulover Cut, and on up the ICW to port. They are sending a film crew out in the morning for interviews and a boat tour.

I think my last blog was from Ft. Myers. We had a dilemma in Fort Myers: the lake which was too shallow or around thru the yacht channel and the Keys. We found out that the Sanibel Island Bridge was closed to boat traffic for the next 3 days. That meant we had to back track to Boca Grande pass to get out into the Gulf, then pull another over night run to get us to Cape Sable and across Florida Bay during the day. Or try the lake route.

We had a scout in the form of a Capt. on a boat heading to the Miami Boat Show. He left the day before us and called me on the cell to let me know there was plenty of water to get across. So off we went.

We traveled to Clewiston Marina located on the rim canal and spent the night there. The next morning we set out onto the lake. It was a super day, sunny, warm, light winds. All in all a great day.

Lionel was transferring fuel to the forward tank and forgot to check the levels. Just before the east side lock the starboard engine slowly shut down. We raced to the engine room just in time for the port engine to shut down. We checked and found we only had 3 inches of fuel in the rear tank. We thought we had sucked up some junk from the bottom of the tank and were going to have to change some filters. But as we opened them one at a time we realized we had just run the tank too low. We filled each filter with fresh fuel and cranked them up. Another crisis averted.

We have really been stretching out these last few hundred miles. I remember trying to get in a hundred miles a day. Now it's 40 or 50 and let’s drop the hook.

Our run on the St. Lucia River was pleasant. We anchored in a little fork in the river. The next morning we found we had swung the stern onto a mud bank. No problem, we pulled the hook and she pushed herself off with ease. A slow motor down the ICW to Palm Beach, and a visit from Mike and Brenda, some friends of ours who live in Riviera Beach Marina. The crew went swimming for the first time. We got boarded by the coast guard. Everything was cool. We went out Ft. Worth Inlet into the Atlantic and headed for home.

We had a welcoming committee waiting for us. Flowers, Champagne, The works. We spent the rest of the afternoon showing off the boat and toasting the trip and crew.

Thanks to all who shared in this with us. Your support and comments were warmly received. We will be getting footage of the news clips and Helicopter shots. All that will be sent to the blog master for your enjoyment.

Capt. Bob