Hi all, Rhonda here from Marco Island!
A big thanks to all of you who are following along on our Great Loop adventure. Your comments are greatly appreciated and encourage us when we’re missing our friends and family back home.
When we first started planning for our trip, Rick let me know that my role would include more than supervising the galley and the laundry. Little did I know then how many hats I’d be wearing as First Mate.
So far, I’m the chief cook and bottle washer (and there are lots of dishes since we have no dishwasher aboard and try to use as few paper products as possible…I’ve probably done more dishes the old fashioned way in the past 4 months than I’ve done in the past 14 years!) I’m also the laundress. We have a W/D combo unit on the boat, but have found it quite inadequate…very slow and not very effective, so we use marina facilities (or the kindness of friend Marilyn who has given us use of her laundry room while we’re in Marco 😊).
I’m also the line looper, fender tender, cabin cleaner, grocery getter, errand runner, marina manager (I research and book all our marina stays along the way), and the on-board nurse. Rick seems to need assistance with cuts and scrapes every other day!
Rick wears even more hats and is rocking the Captain role! He does all the routine boat maintenance (see recent blog post on boating vs yachting…we’re boating most of the time!), handles all the navigation and is at the helm 95% of the time. Once in a while, he’ll turn over the driving to me, and that’s all I do…drive. I’m not checked off on maneuvering….and that’s fine by me!
Rick also arranges for and oversees any work we need to have done on the boat and keeps meticulous maintenance and travel logs. And, as if that’s not enough, he’s just started an online course to learn even more and get a U.S. Coast Guard Captain’s license.
And as always, he’s optimistic and sees the bright side of a situation. Ask him about running out of gas in the middle of the Marco River on one of our first rides on the new dinghy. 😊
Traveling together is almost always a pleasure…and I’m thankful!
Thought you might enjoy seeing some of the other hats that Rick wears.
Keeping a sense of humor on this journey is key!
Awesome post… looks like your having a great time. I know we really enjoyed the time we spent onboard. Keep us posted… (no pun intended!).
“Hats off to both of you!”
Don’t let Rhonda fool you… I caught her working in the fuse box and engine room while rick was away … she is trying out that maintenance hat!!! Safe travels to the Keys!❤️
So much fun to read your blogs!!! We are doing fine except that Tom fell on January 13th and broke his hip where the femeral neck attaches to the ball–Rhonda you probably know where this is. He just came home from 2 weeks of in house therapy at Blake hospital and today has his first outpatient therapy session. He is a real trooper and is getting around pretty well on a walker. His pain is more manageable now. So, we will be spending a lot of time in therapy and doctor visits. But isn’t that what seniors being in Florida is all about? Ha ha. .Cindy was here for a week and his daughter, Kim and her boyfriend are here now, so they have all been a big help.
You guys stay safe and happy cruising!
Love
Tom and Barb
PS Love Rick’s hats!!!