We are jumping for joy this week! Making progress on voyage preparations (Georgia to Texas) and having success with some of last week’s failures. Thank you to our subscribers and viewers who offered helpful suggestions and thoughts regarding the issues on the Lofrans Falkon windlass that was featured in Hard & Wet EP232. Using a more sensitive caliper, Steve took several chain measurements and continued to confer with Lofrans. It was determined that the gypsy on the windlass should be replaced with one that is compatible with our existing 1/2" G4 chain. Just to be sure we don’t need any additional parts, we took the current gypsy off and lubed all the parts before it was reinstalled. In frustration of all the attempts to have our Garmin gWind instrument working, we ordered a completely new system. After testing out the new transducer, cable and Garmin GND 10 Black Box and using the old components with the new Black Box, we realized all original components except the Black Box had been working. The old Black Box has been replaced, and the gWind wind instrument now displays on all chartplotters. We spent a lot of time and resources on that DIY project. The good news is that all’s working, we have brand new spare parts, and we also gained a Garmin GNX 21 display unit capable of showing wind, depth and speed information. While in Savannah gathering video for our Patreon channel we caught a tugboat doing a 360 and the Georgia Queen; she’s the largest US riverboat in operation. There’re dolphins, dancing and jumping jacks in this episode, so take a look. Subscribers, thank you for always keeping the wind in our sails. Viewers, if you like what you see subscribe and come on aboard. We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has an excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246-foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon! Musical Attributes: Velvethead – My Last Line of Defense Master One- Santo Domingo #sailingintermission #caliper #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #jumpingjacks #gwind #riggers #lofrans #dolphins #windlass #gypsy #georgia #texas #dancing #salsa #gnx21instrument #garmingnd10 #georgiaqueen #savannah

Gremlins on board???? We’re starting to think so as two main DIY projects have yet to be completed. This week has been a bit trying to say the least. The gypsy on the Lofrans windlass has always skipped a little when bringing up the anchor. Over time it has gotten much worse. We think it is a mismatch between the size of the anchor chain, which is 1/2 inch, and the 12mm/13mm gypsy, the notched wheel on the windlass that engages with the anchor chain. Steve has been communicating with Lofrans to verify the correct size gypsy and chain. It is less expensive to replace the gypsy than to replace the chain. Once the skipping is resolved, anchoring will be more fluid and more enjoyable. Our riggers came back and installed a new cable to the gWind wind transducer atop the main mast. And...the gWind still doesn’t show up on our chartplotters (Garmin 8610xsv and Garmin 1242xsv). Why didn’t we have the rigger bring the wind instrument down with him after the new cable had been pulled through the mast. It would be easier to diagnose the issue with all components easily accessible on the boat. We have ordered a new gWind system which will also come with a new Garmin GND 10 Black Box Bridge. The GND 10 converts data between the Nexus Network and NMEA 2000 to provide compatibility between Nexus and Garmin products. Hopefully we will be able to successfully diagnose and solve the issue. Still having fun, still enjoying the boat life, still looking forward to our journey from Georgia to Texas. Thank you all for being here with us, especially our subscribers. Your support truly helps to keep our channel going and puts smiles on our faces. If you haven’t already, please become a subscriber and help Sailing Intermission continue to grow. We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has an excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon. Musical Attributes: Happy Republics – Break Your Chain Alcones – El Chamizal

Ever have trouble getting it up? Well, yeah we did. In preparation for our move to Texas, we are checking out all essential systems. One of those being our Lofrans Falcon 1700 watt windlass and maneuvering the anchor. The anchor deployed nicely but the windlass couldn’t get it up easily. More to diagnose, more to fix and to be continued. We’ve mounted our new Garmin 8610xsv chartplotter turning our cockpit into a starship helm. Just kidding, but it will be really nice having two chartplotters for obtaining cruising and weather information. Unfortunately, at first there was a bit of an issue with the NMEA 2000 network. Not all the devices were showing up on the chartplotters. After several lengthy diagnostic sessions, Steve figured out there appeared to have a ground loop. It’s all been corrected, all devices appearing on the chartplotters and they look great. The NMEA 2000 network also got a new look. Using two Garmin NMEA 2000 4-Port T-connectors several single T-connectors were replaced. Steve attached the network backbone to a custom made wooden mounting board and secured it in place. It is a much cleaner installation and will still provide easy access for maintenance and future additions. Still working on our Salsa steps. Hopefully, we’re getting better and of course we’ll continue to dance. A big howdy and hugs to our subscribers! We truly appreciate your support. Viewers, we love that you came aboard and hope that you will also subscribe becoming a part of the Sailing Intermission community and helping our channel to grow. Have a fantastic week, y’all and we’ll be back here next week. We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has an excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon. Musical Attributes: Jay Cano - Back in Rio OTE – Under the Surface #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #Garminchartplotter #Garmin8610xsz #Garmin1242xsv #Lofrans #falcon #windlass #dancing #NMEA2000 #Life-Calk

Wanna get down and dirty; maybe get lucky? Well, that’s what Karen asked Steve as she tried to get him to take a break from working in the owner's cabin. The reverse cycle unit there has often needed a slight boost provided by a gentle breeze from a Ryobi battery operated fan directed at the thermostat to keep the unit running efficiently cool and cycling properly. Steve installed a Caframo Bora fan strategically aimed which solved the issue. Surprise, surprise, surprise! We now have a second chartplotter. The Garmin 8610xsv will be an awesome addition to the existing Garmin 1242xsv in the cockpit. It has a 10 inch touch screen and the latest U.S. South - Lakes, Rivers and Coastal Marine Charts. It was a huge undertaking to route all the required cables through the salon ceiling, into the engine room where they would be accessible in both the den/navigation area and cockpit. Whew, glad that activity is over and that once connected everything worked. Next, final installation in the cockpit and enjoyment of looking at two chartplotters. A request from a viewer, lightning, dolphins, dancing and more finish out this episode. We hope you join us and come back next time. Subscribers, you know we love you and love to hear from you, so please continue to be onboard Isabella with us. We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has an excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon. Musical Attributes: Addie Horner – We Said We Would Megan Woffard – Echoes of Illumination #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #Garminchartplotter #Garmin8610xsz #Garmin1242xsv #georgia #texas #lightning #distraction #dolphins #dancing #getlucky

Oh no, holes in the boat! It always makes us very nervous to cut holes into Isabella even if they are above the waterline. Yet, that's what it takes to install the Atwood 238 helm chair. A big ol’ 3-1/4” hole in the cockpit floor right over the engine. To add extra support, Steve made a backing board that we attached to the ceiling in the engine room under where the hole will be cut. Using lots of 3M™ 4200 Marine Adhesive Sealant he secured the base of the chair to the cockpit floor. Additionally six 3” 1/4-20 bolts help to keep the base in place. That sealant squeezed out around the base making a super nice and tight seal. No leaks over the engine! Helm chair installed, but wait...the seat is a little low. Karen sat on a variety of pillows to find just the right height. We’ve ordered an adjustable 19-1/2” to 23” pole that should solve the issue. Now when sailing we can sit, swivel, see out and enjoy the comfort of the new helm chair. Dolphins play nearby teasing us to join them while we continue working in the cockpit. Removed the Dri-Dek that covered the floor revealing a dirty cockpit. The existing drain is a bit too high and water has difficulty draining. Karen cleans around the drain while Steve sings (yes, that’s a warning). He then carefully removes the drain with a special tool...an old putty knife and installs a flush mounted drain. Hopefully the cockpit will drain more efficiently in the future. Karen used boat soap and brushed away the dirt on the Dri-Dek. We’ll store it for another use; perhaps in the sail lockers. Let us know in the comments if you have any suggestions. Subscribers and viewers we love that y’all are onboard with us and we love to hear from you. Sending many thanks, hugs and kisses your way. We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has an excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon. Musical Attributes: First Timer – I’m on Your Side Alcones – El Chamizal August Bust – Areal Arena #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #drain #helmchair #Atwood238 #thegulf #dri-dek #backingboard #boatinsurance #dolphins #salsadancing #squirting #42003M

Real nasty...yep, that was Isabella’s deck before washing. Now it’s sparkling clean after a good scrubbing. Burmese teak is getting harder and harder to find these days and luckily we happen to have a piece onboard. Steve uses a hole saw bit to cut a base for our new Garmin weather antenna. The wood is so tough that it broke the drill bit. Karen keeps her fingers crossed as the drill continues to kick and cut; hoping that it doesn’t slice any part of Steve as it bores through the wood. The drilling made a nice base and some teak dust that we collected for later use. After applying polyurethane and connecting the antenna base with silicone we attached it in the cockpit where the antenna has a clear view of the sky. It’s now ready for action. Hooray!!!! We are putting in a helm chair. The Tempress ProBax will make our cruise from Georgia to Texas so much more comfortable. It’s orthopedic, it swivels, it’s attractive, it has a removable support pole and we are really looking forward to this addition to Isabella. The cockpit floor will also have some upgrades. Stay tuned for some fun DIY in the very near future. Many thanks to those of you who gave us the secret to solving the jigsaw puzzle. The letters printed on the back of the pieces will be a huge help when we start to put together all those blue pieces for the sky. We’ve made some progress and the hope is to have the puzzle finished by next week. New Salsa steps have been added to our repertoire of, dare I say, dance moves? Hopefully, we’re getting better and yes, we know there’s always room for improvement. Subscribers, you all have danced your way into our hearts, thank you for your continued support. 😘❤️Viewers, we hope you shake a leg and join our community by subscribing. We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has an excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon. Musical Attributes: The Best Ofs – There She Goes Again El Equipo Del Norte – Juega con el Tumbao #salsadancing #salsa #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #garminantenna #helmchair #cockpit #georgia #texas #holesaw #jigsawpuzzle #burmeseteak #teak #nasty

What is more sexy than a beautiful woman and friends of the sea? Dolphins swim close by while Steve reads poetry and Karen exercises. Life on Isabella is full of wonderful experiences and we love sharing them with our subscribers and viewers. Your support really helps to keep us going; especially when you are a subscriber. Last time after subscribing to SiriusXM weather, it was discovered that our weather antenna wasn’t working. Happy to report now that with our new weather antenna we can access many SiriusXM weather charts on the Garmin 1242xsv chartplotter. Some of the data reported is wave height and period, wind direction and speed, current, weather forecast including location of lightning strikes and storm tracking. Lightning strikes on boats; especially sailboats, is always a concern. With two tall lightning rods better known as masts, thunderstorms produce a feeling of uneasiness. Since lightning typically takes a path of least resistance, we try to suggest a route that would cause the least amount of damage to Isabella and the various electronic instruments on board. When there is a chance of lightning, we hook jumper cables to two of the stainless steel shrouds on the sides of the masts and drop them into the water. Assuming lightning strikes a mast, it could travel down the mast to the shroud and into the water, thus avoiding major damage. You know what people say about assuming and we are always keeping our fingers crossed during an electrical storm. West Marine is closing about 59 of their stores across the United States. They have been marking down their inventory 30% to 70% of the original costs. So….we went shopping and found some fabulous deals we couldn’t resist. Sorry to see those stores close but happy to enjoy the discounts. Watch this weeks video to see what loot we brought home. We love dancing; at least that’s what we call our rhythmic moves to music, and have done Salsa moves in the past. Now we’ve decided to refine those Salsa steps and are practicing them with more purpose. Hopefully you all will be able to see our progress in upcoming episodes. We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has a excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon and OnlyFans! Musical Attributes: Son Habana – Cha Cha Cha #lightning #dolphins #poetry #salsadancing #salsa #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #garmin #SiriusXM #propane #radar #weather #weatherantenna #chartplotter #exercise #westmarine #shorepower

A nostalgic look back at the last several years living on Isabella from the Florida Keys up through Georgia. A similar version was posted in Patreon some time ago. Join us there for behind the scenes content, early release of many YouTube videos, and more. We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 ketch sailboat manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has an excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon! Musical Attributes: John Ahlin - I Tremble (Sting) Ebo Krdum - Nedaal Nathan Welch - Midnight Cafe Hugo Correia - Festa De Jardim Hallmore - Believe in Us

We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 ketch sailboat manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has an excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. It’s super hot! We like to cook but we don’t want to heat up the boat. Solution...a one burner 20,000 BTU propane stove. Going a little overboard made a noodle, sausage dish covered in Alfredo sauce and baked some delicious salmon. We were tracing the antenna cable from the mast to one of our network areas that contains the Garmin network. Found the cable and hooked it all up. Subscribed to SiriusXM offshore weather. It didn’t work and now we suspect it’s the antenna. A new one is ordered and will arrive soon. Our Garmin GMR 41 radar is probably about 13 years old and still works well...for now. It has a range of 36 nautical miles, uses a 4kw magnetron, spins at 24 rpm and has a horizontal beamwidth of around 3.6 degrees giving us the ability to see small objects better. Should our radar cease to function we would only be able to safely sail/cruise during the day. Much of our upcoming travels will involve being out at night and we are considering buying a second radar unit. The newer unit would use solid state technology and have a 48 nautical mile range with 50 watts, spins at 60rpm and has a horizontal beamwidth of 3.7 degrees. We’re not sure where to install it and have looked at a couple of placement options. The other electronics onboard Isabella ****. These include a Garmin inReach Satellite phone, an Iridium+, ICOM VHF Radio, Em-Trak AIS, ICOM SSB shortwave, and three ACR PLBs. We may have made a mistake. It sounded like a fun idea, a 500 piece jigsaw of Isabella at anchor. Yeah, well, it is mostly sky. All blue sky. Please keep your fingers crossed that we complete the puzzle and keep our cool while doing that. Thanks for joining us here. Our bling is: DIY on a sailboat, dancing (if you can call it that), not taking ourselves too seriously, adult innuendo, being on the water and music. After all; Older sailors don't have a clew when to quit, they just keep lubing their winches. We love hearing your comments. As always, hugs and kisses of gratitude to our subscribers. We love for viewers to join our Sailing Intermission community by becoming subscribers. Hope to see you back with us next week. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon! Musical Attributes: Sight of Wonders – African Treasure #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #garmin #SiriusXM #propane #radar #windgenerator #texas #galveston #georgia #chartplotter #magnetron #dopplerradar

savannah, galveston, dance, bikini, garmin, seductive, chartplotter, crab, elissa, tallship We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has a excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. This week’s adventures on Sailing Intermission takes us to the river to see the Elissa dock. She is the official Tall Ship of Texas and while sailing from Boston to Galveston, Texas the crew stopped in Georgia. What a beautiful 205 foot boat with a main mast height of 99 feet 9 inches. Speaking of sailing to Texas. We ordered some new U.S. South charts, which will help guide us on our move. Unfortunately our GPSMAP®12X42 chartplotter’s software was a little out of date and unable to read the new information. Garmin has sent us a free update chip which is scheduled to arrive sometime next week. In the meantime we checked out a couple of features on our existing charts. Updating y’all on some other projects, we did receive a new cable for our wind transducer. We are in the queue for the rigger to climb up the mast and perform the installation; keeping our fingers crossed that will fix that system. Our Northern Lights Generator will only continue to run if the glow plug switch is continually depressed. Hoping to have a professional help us out on that as soon as possible. It’s a good thing the preparation for the move to Texas is starting several months early. We absolutely love that our subscribers and viewers watch the channel and we truly enjoy hearing from you all in the comments of each episode. There are a couple of comments in this video and of course a little bit of dancing. Karen has a new bikini. A big hug and thank you to our subscribers. Viewers, please subscribe and help our channel to continue to grow. Have a wonderful week and hopefully join Karen and Steve for another episode of Sailing Intermission. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon! Musical Attributes: Lama House – From the Ashes of a Previous Life Boogie Wheel – Hot Stuff

bikini dallas texas toilet paper shower We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has a excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. We are still dealing with our wind instrument. After $600 (to our riggers) we discover it was the cable all the time. Garmin sent us a new one and once we spend another $300 it will be installed. Filled our 280 gallon water tank. Every so often we add a little bleach to assure our holding tank stays disinfected. This time 2 cups was added. Still planning for our move to Texas. Coordinating marina stays is important. We're also looking at our safety equipment including the life raft. We travelled to Dallas. Subscribers we are always thrilled to have you aboard and appreciate your support more than you know. 😘Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Sailing Intermission. Viewers, just a reminder it only takes a couple of seconds to click on that subscribe button and become part of our community. We hope you all have a wonderful week. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon! Musical Attributes: Magnus Ringblom - Sightseeing waykap - Best Thing #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #garmin #windtransducer #dallas #galveston

New bikinis, new fender, what else is new this week on Isabella? We are on S/V Isabella a Super Mikado 56 manufactured in France by C.N.S.O. (Constructions Nautiques du Sud-Ouest). Isabella is a sailing ketch and is considered a 1990/2010 model. It has four private cabins, an engine room, salon, galley, and three heads with two separate shower stalls. The hull is fiberglass and is considered a bluewater cruiser. Isabella has a excellent capsize ratio of 1.68 and a very good comfort ratio of 42.19. She is equipped with Garmin / Raymarine electronics and has hydraulic steering. The naval architect was Michel Bigoin who also designed the largest sailboat in the world which was manufactured in 1976 and called Phocea. It was a 246 foot four masted steel schooner and was considered the largest private sailing yacht in the world until 2004. A big blow the other night with reported gusts of up to 60 mph pushed Isabella against the dock causing one of the fenders to be ripped away leaving only remnants of the top portion. We have never experienced that before, so weird. Luckily we found a replacement fender and it was on sale, yea! Karen has two new bikinis that she modeled for Steve. Let us know in the comments which one you like best. We spruced up the galley by adding a fan to keep things cooler. Wires from an existing light had to be snaked through the ceiling to connect the fan. Unfortunately, while removing the existing light it self disintegrated. Guess what we did? Yep, continued sprucing up the galley by adding new lights. DIY always brings its own set of surprises. Weekly maintenance includes cleaning out the strainers for the reverse cycle units. What’s not included is what different objects can be found in the strainers. This time, our front AC unit strainer contained a lively crab, a fish and a couple of baby oysters. All visitors from the sea were alive and well and promptly returned to water. Being somewhat near Savannah we have started preparation for moving to Texas in a few months and discussed cruising considerations in the comfort of the cockpit. Wind is a large portion of planning, the speed and direction all impact the sailing experience and progress. The Gulf Stream is another factor. We will be going against the current flow which can slow down our travel considerably. Waves can make the journey comfortable or miserable depending on their height and period (the time it takes for a wave to complete a cycle and indicates how far apart waves are spaced). There is a lot more that goes into the planning process and that’s for future episodes. Subscribers we are always thrilled to have you aboard and appreciate your support more than you know. 😘Thank you all for joining us on this episode of Sailing Intermission. Viewers, just a reminder it only takes a couple of seconds to click on that subscribe button and become part of our community. We hope you all have a wonderful week. You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon! Musical Attributes Hallmore – Believe in Us #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #lights #fan #fender #dancing #cruisingpreparation #Texas #crab #bikinis

Are we swingers?...the truth comes out in this episode. No spoiler alert here, you’ll just have to watch the video to find out if we swing. Lots of action, the Hayabusa takes a spin, dolphins swim by, fireworks explode and more. If you like what you see and you haven’t already, hit that subscribe button and help support us in our adventure. Steve takes the Hayabusa out for a ride. It’s been a while and the bike started up immediately. It was ready to get out of storage and get on the road again. Two boat projects this week. The wind transducer, a Garmin gWind1, on the main mast quit working. Although Karen does occasionally go up the mast, we hired a rigger this time to travel to the top of the mast and grab the instrument. Hopefully, it is still under warranty and can be repaired or replaced quickly. A few episodes earlier, we fixed a leak on deck that was caused by a cable clam. The ceiling in the crew cabin had to be partially cut out in order for the leak to be diagnosed. Steve custom made an access panel to close the hole in the ceiling. A few dolphins swam by while we were working on deck. They are so graceful and it’s always a thrill to see them and hear air escaping from their blowholes. Also thrilling was the firework display we experienced off Isabella's bow while in dock. Several boats cruised by slowly which added to the picturesque view. We did a little sightseeing by visiting a National Monument that was instrumental in the early 1860’s by successfully testing the newest technology of that time, rifled cannons. Can you guess which fort we visited?* Talking on deck we answered a couple of questions from viewers and talked about our future plans. Our lease is over in October. We will probably cruise south all the way to Texas. Wait and see… Naturally, we did some dancing as we love moving to music. Thank you for viewing this video. Subscribers, you know we love and appreciate y’all; you truly keep us going. Viewers thank you for watching and remember it only takes a second to subscribe. Hoping to see everyone next time. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon Musical Attributes Johan Glossner – Hyperactivity Basixx – Keep Your Focus on Me Howard Harper-Barnes – Aforementioned Love Cuba Quartet – Cienfuegos John Utah – A Train to Catch *Fort Pulaski National Monument #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #garmin #windtransducer #hayabusa #fireworks #dancing #dolphins #Texas #gwind #fortpulaski

Yea! In the last episode we left a stubborn pin and bolt on the Meissner winch soaking. The pin prevented the removal of a bolt which held in some of the gears. After three days of soaking in PB Blaster, using needle nose pliers and a lot of patience, it finally came loose. Steve used some Super Lube on the gears and now that winch grinds much easier and smoother. Time to celebrate by taking Isabella out for a little spin. It always takes a bit of preparation, checking to make sure instruments are working and securing items down below before heading out on the water. Although it was a short trip, we still had time to do cockpit dancing. Fun time was extended by a walk on the beach. Wonderfully warm water and maybe next time Karen will go swimming. The day ended with a wonderful Zesty Italian shrimp salad. Fresh ingredients included thinly sliced red and green bell peppers, sweet onion, parsley, canned mushrooms, capers and of course cooked and chilled shrimp. All this was mixed with Zesty Italian salad dressing and refrigerated for about three hours. It makes a great meal on a hot summer day. Give it a try, we think you’ll enjoy all the flavors. We hope all our subscribers are doing well and thank them for their continued support. Love that you have had a glimpse into our lives on Isabella. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to Sailing Intermission. Hoping you’ll be back watching next week and that you have a fabulous week. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon Musical Attributes Steffan Curlen – Crooked Lines Chalalatas - Round Trip #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #beach #shrimp #meissner #winch #dancing

Karen’s grinding on a winch, or at least trying to as it is stiff and hard. Our 32ST-58 Meissner winch on the port side of the boat is way too stiff. Steve starts to remove the pieces so that it can be properly cleaned and runs into a bit of a sticky situation. One of the pins holding in a bolt refuses to budge bringing the action to a full stop. For now, we’ll just keep soaking it with PB Blaster in an attempt to work it loose. That project will be continued later... You all know we love dancing! This time we shake a leg not only on Isabella’s bow but also go night clubbing and dance the night away. One thing not so fun are embarrassing moments. We share a couple with y’all during the comments portion of the video. Eeek, a leak in the crew cabin. Using the crew cabin as a garage to store various items and spare parts, we discover the ceiling has been warped due to a leak. To determine the source, Steve cuts a hole in the ceiling and finds that a cable clam on deck is the culprit. Find out how we fix it by watching that segment of DIY. To complete the front reverse cycle improvement from our last episode, we install, bypassing the small Groco strainer, a hose from the thru hull to a cut off valve in the new accessible area and then to the large Groco strainer. When cleaning the strainer, we have to shut off the water from the thru hull which is located under our bedding and some support boards in our main cabin. Now with the new valve, we can do it all from the see through panel; soooo much easier. Sending love and appreciation to our subscribers; we couldn’t do this without you. Thank you for watching and please become a subscriber if you haven’t already. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon Musical Attributes Zorro – Afterglow Daniel Ridell – Chartreuse Cerdes Nouvelles – Vast as the Ocean Beautiful Minds – Aqualogico #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #grocostrainer #opal #meissner #winch #leaks #comments #emabarrassingmoments

Karen is jumping rope again much to Steve's delight. We decided to dance to some Blues and discussed other reasons to live or not to live on a sailboat. We addressed a few viewer comments. Thank you so much subscribers! ❤️ If you haven't already please hit the subscribe button. Isabella has two reverse cycle units that provide us with air conditioning in the summer and heat in the winter. Water flows through from the outside into a strainer which is pumped into the unit and then discharged back to the environment. Summer heat has arrived bringing hot weather and warm seas. It means it’s growing season and lots of stuff collects in the reverse cycle units’ strainers causing the water flow to the unit to decrease. Cleaning the strainer of our front air conditioner is a bit of a hassle since it is located under the bed in the main cabin. Ahhh, another DIY project...let's make it easier to clean the strainer by moving from under the cabin bed. We opened up an access door so the Groco strainer could be reached for cleaning without moving the bedding, cushions, and support boards. Steve drilled a pilot hole first so that the jigsaw could be used to cut through the wainscoting wall under the bed. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission Musical Attributes Roots and Recognition – Late Night Blues #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #grocostrainer #jumprope #dancing

We've left Isabella and are becoming dirt dwellers, swallowed the anchor, and moved to the hard. Well...not really. You know living on Isabella is a joy for us and we have left her only temporarily for a visit with family and friends in Southern California. Join us to learn about our preparations to secure our boat before going ashore. Isabella is secured to the dock with 3/4 inch dock lines at her stern, bow and spring lines which come out from midship to cleats on the dock. When we leave, all those are checked and often doubled up for extra support. She weighs 50,000 pounds so in a big blow Isabella can really tug on the dock cleats and we don't want her cruising away without us. Beyond that, plants have to be moved around, some thru hulls will be closed and the water pump will be turned off. We definitely don't want to come back to a flooded home. Making sure the reverse cycle air conditioners' strainers are clean and which unit to leave on. You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon Thank you to our subscribers who help keep us afloat. Viewers we appreciate y’all and hope you too will become a subscriber. We treasure that you all watch the videos and love hearing from you. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c Musical Attributes Cuba Quartet - Congalito #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #dancing #hummnigbirds #california #surfing #docklines

Why would you not want to live on a sailboat? Watch this episode of Sailing Intermission and find out the top 10 reasons Karen and Steve find problematic about living on Isabella. We’ve been doing this for about six years now and we’re still enjoying the heck out of sailboat life. You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission We are now on Patreon Our stainless needs polishing ever so often. We use Bar Keepers Friend or Bon Ami with a little water. It seems to polish the metal very well. Who doesn't like tacos. Maybe not exactly health food but oh so good. We were dancing at a club. As a tradition we always drink a vodka pineapple when out like that. Had to repair a leaky port with butyl rubber. Thank you to our subscribers who help keep us afloat. Viewers we appreciate y’all and hope you too will become a subscriber. We treasure that you all watch the videos and love hearing from you. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c Musical Attributes Lashi – Thing for You Isola James - Wrap Up Courses - All Time Low #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #taco #port #bedding #dancing #butylrubber #polishing #toptenreasons

Why would you live on a sailboat? Watch this episode of Sailing Intermission and find out the top 10 reasons Karen and Steve live on Isabella. We’ve been doing this for about six years now and we’re still enjoying the heck out of sailboat life. Looking out at the water from the cockpit is one of the many pleasures of boat life. Making sure that’s a crystal clear view, Karen cleans the Strataglass. She carefully removed any dirt with a wet cloth and then applied some IMAR protective cleaner. The effect is dazzling. As Karen does yoga Steve feels the impulse to recite poetry. After a few stretching exercises, she does some jumping jacks and windmills. It’s always more fun to exercise on the deck than at the gym; although, sometimes it can be more of a challenge as the boats moves in the water. We highlight a few of the comments and questions from our subscribers and viewers. This time, one has stumped us and we don’t have an answer. See if you can help us out; if you have an idea leave us a suggestion in the comments. Of course, there’s dancing. Thank you to our subscribers who help keep us afloat. Viewers we appreciate y’all and hope you too will become a subscriber. We treasure that you all watch the videos and love hearing from you. Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission Musical Attributes J.F. Gloss – Everyday Love bomull – snofall Mukryan Molod – Desert Bloom #sailingintermission #liveaboardlife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #strataglass #jumpingjacks #yoga #dancing #poetry #toptenreasons

We're still doing some painting. Boring! It does look nice when finished though. Karen's painter outfit makes Steve's putter flutter. Some great friends stopped by to visit on their way north. Always a fun time. They sail and anchor a lot while enjoying great views and very scenic locations. We looked at some of our Garmin 1242xsv chart plotter features. More to come on that. Our new Garmin GC100 bow camera works well but because it is wifi instead of hard wired sometimes the it blinks out for a few seconds. We talked about our tumblehome hull shape. Some describe it as very sexy and may possess a few advantages when sailing. Watch out when docking though as it sticks out and is prone to getting a scratch here and there. We also addressed some nautical terms with provocative & intimate undertones. Hey, of course we danced! Huge hugs and kisses to our subscribers and viewers. We love your comments and questions. Please keep them coming; we really enjoy hearing from y’all. Thank you for joining us and keeping our journey going. 🤗&😚 Additional Links: Hey y’all, our Sony video camera broke and you can help us replace it. We will certainly give a "Shout Out" to those who do. Find out more at: https://gofund.me/231be506c You can also follow us at: https://linktr.ee/sailingintermission Musical Attributes Poindexters - Be Natural Nathan Welch - Midnight Cafe Ebo Krdum - Nedaal Roy Edwin Williams - Melinda Hugo Correia - Festa De Jardim #sailingintermission #liveaboardLife #sailingcouple #boatlife #mikado56 #painting #tumblehome #nauticalterms #generator #docking