Soon to be a liveaboard - advice?

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Was a teacher until I got sick and tired of the factory approach to schools here.

My deg was in Edukation , and I only lasted teaching till I got a good look at who I shared the lunch table with!

Mostly selfish ,lazy , unmotivated , with a totally unrealistic view of them selves.
 
4 weeks and counting!

Are we rready? Not yet - still many boxes of 'stuff' to be sorted which we've collected over the years. Mainly left now are books and more books, We have two book guys coming next week to assess them.

Then it's the list of items our four boys can choose, with the rest going to charity.

So exciting, so daunting.
 
Which school were you at? BSK, TES, NES - which?
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BSK and NES at different times (I've been here a long time!)

Now tell me what you do!
 
SaucySailoress said:
BSK and NES at different times (I've been here a long time!)

Now tell me what you do!
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We sell MIS software for British schools and have 33% of all BSME schools in the ME! TES uses our software plus some others there.
 
Oh wow, you mean they pay for it? Most stuff they just pirate. We had some very angry teachers at BSK who had to have their laptops reformatted to have them configured to system, and they actually wiped the original software and put pirated software on!!!

Me? At that time I was using pirated software, and their reformat was an upgrade for me, so I was happy!! But learnt a valuable, always keep a second laptop for school!!!
 
SaucySailoress said:
Oh wow, you mean they pay for it? Most stuff they just pirate. We had some very angry teachers at BSK who had to have their laptops reformatted to have them configured to system, and they actually wiped the original software and put pirated software on!!!

Me? At that time I was using pirated software, and their reformat was an upgrade for me, so I was happy!! But learnt a valuable, always keep a second laptop for school!!!
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A really starnge school, I admit. On the one hand, some lovely people who want to make things work but who are caught in the trap which makes them keep their mouths tightly shut. Then the others who are but for the glory of...'. Hammm.
 
greatpapabear said:
A really starnge school, I admit. On the one hand, some lovely people who want to make things work but who are caught in the trap which makes them keep their mouths tightly shut. Then the others who are but for the glory of...'. Hammm.
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Yeah, I never did get that keeping the mouth shut bit. That's probably why I only lasted two years there :)
 
Two weeks to go - yippee. Play d'eau is in her new berth in the same marina. This berth is far better and sat TV reception is now unobstructed.

House furniture is now sold, boxes of old papers and the books collected over the generations are nearly all sorted.

Not long....
 
PapaBear,

Just read through the posts here. Great boat you have and I believe from your posts the right mind set for this way of life. You have a great deal of advice here. Seems like the end result develops itself as time goes on being on board. What seem important today and what you finally end up with may actually be very different as you settle into your new way of life.

We moved on board literally by accident. We moved up to the Seattle area for a change of life. Just pulled the plug from our life in California. Moved our 32 foot Bayliner up to live in temporarily until we could get settled in with work and such. The plan was to eventually move back on land. Didn't plan on falling in love with living on the water. Spent a year and half finding the right boat. So far we have been living on the water for 3 years.

Had we planned the venture to begin with, we would have reduced the items in storage. But life has it way of providing us with interesting turns, and some, are truly a blessing.

First winter was the hardest due to the fact the 32 foot boat was not designed for live a board and an exceptionally cold winter. The boat was surrounded by ice almost a 1/2 inch thick. The second winter we had the new boat, but only by a couple of months so were getting settled in during the winter months. As time goes on you settle in and life gets easier.

Most people look at those who live a board and think we sit around and have the life of leisure. When in fact there is a lot to do and stay on top of. But we wouldn't trade it for land. We have beautiful views of the snow capped Olympic mountains, whales pass by outside the marina as they follow the schools, and sea life come to our swim step to visit. The Admiral was greeted by a baby harbor seal at our swim platform not long ago.

Here is wishing you and your lifes partner all the best on your new adventure. Fair winds and smooth sailing.
 
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Papa Charlie said:
PapaBear,

Just read through the posts here. Great boat you have and I believe from your posts the right mind set for this way of life. You have a great deal of advice here. Seems like the end result develops itself as time goes on being on board. What seem important today and what you finally end up with may actually be very different as you settle into your new way of life.

We moved on board literally by accident. We moved up to the Seattle area for a change of life. Just pulled the plug from our life in California. Moved our 32 foot Bayliner up to live in temporarily until we could get settled in with work and such. The plan was to eventually move back on land. Didn't plan on falling in love with living on the water. Spent a year and half finding the right boat. So far we have been living on the water for 3 years.

Had we planned the venture to begin with, we would have reduced the items in storage. But life has it way of providing us with interesting turns, and some, are truly a blessing.

First winter was the hardest due to the fact the 32 foot boat was not designed for live a board and an exceptionally cold winter. The boat was surrounded by ice almost a 1/2 inch thick. The second winter we had the new boat, but only by a couple of months so were getting settled in during the winter months. As time goes on you settle in and life gets easier.

Most people look at those who live a board and think we sit around and have the life of leisure. When in fact there is a lot to do and stay on top of. But we wouldn't trade it for land. We have beautiful views of the snow capped Olympic mountains, whales pass by outside the marina as they follow the schools, and sea life come to our swim step to visit. The Admiral was greeted by a baby harbor seal at our swim platform not long ago.

Here is wishing you and your lifes partner all the best on your new adventure. Fair winds and smooth sailing.
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Hi Papa Charlie,

Thanks so much for this encouraging post. Can't wait to show it to my wife.

What were you doing in Califormia that suddenly came to an end?

By the way, a UK mag (Motor Boats and Yachting) is publishing a 3 page article on the upgrade works we've done on Play d'eau in their April issue which hits the shelves on 7th March. You may be able to see this on line.

All the best.
 
PapaBear,
I was a partner in a business that had developed an alternative to traditional decorative chroming that was completely environmentally friendly. We were working with the automotive industry to get the process accepted for automotive wheels. We were at the pinnacle, ready to close a deal that would have enabled us to build the large automated facility when the economy crashed and took the automotive industry with it.

We had always wanted to move to the Pacific North West we decided to use the situation to make our move. While it would have been great for the venture to take off, I cannot complain. We now live in a beautiful area, some of the best boating in the world. Retirement has been moved farther into the future, but I am working for Boeing and enjoying what I do very much and the people I work with. So I can't complain too much.

One thing about working for someone else is that when I leave work, I am not taking it home with me. This leaves me more time to spend with my lovely wife, who had endured my absence building a business like a trooper and I can devote my recreational time to boating.

I would love to hear how your adventure progresses. All the best.
 
Papa Charlie said:
I am working for Boeing and enjoying what I do very much and the people I work with. So I can't complain too much.
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...and I used to fly the 707-446 and -336 for BOAc and British Airways when I was a pilot in the 70s and early 80s!
 
greatpapabear said:
...and I used to fly the 707-446 and -336 for BOAc and British Airways when I was a pilot in the 70s and early 80s!
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That is very cool. I am working on the 787 Dreamliner program. Very cool airplane with advancements that will change the Aerospace industry.

I heard a story from one of the test pilots from the 787 about the introduction of the 707 at the Seafarer celebration here in Seattle. The plane was still experimental, at the time was the first jet passenger airplane and they had yet to sell a single unit The test pilot, without authorization did a roll over the crowd in the 707. When he landed there was a slew of executives ready to hand him his papers. What saved him and set the future of the airplane was the immediate response from the airlines placing orders for the plane.

Now that is something that you don't here about and would probably not happen today. In my short time with Boeing I would say that spirit is what drives the Boeing people and makes for the type of airplanes that we produce. I am very proud of what I have seen working there.
 
Papa Charlie said:
I heard a story from one of the test pilots from the 787 about the introduction of the 707 at the Seafarer celebration here in Seattle. The plane was still experimental, at the time was the first jet passenger airplane and they had yet to sell a single unit The test pilot, without authorization did a roll over the crowd in the 707. When he landed there was a slew of executives ready to hand him his papers. What saved him and set the future of the airplane was the immediate response from the airlines placing orders for the plane.
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I know the story well. In fact, there are videos of it on youtube with Tex Johnson (test pilot) being interviewed.

Boeing 707 roll by Test Pilot Tex Johnson - YouTube

Brilliant!
 
Thank you for sharing that. I will share it among my friends at work. I have always said, "It is the people that makes a company, the product is merely a result of great people and the company name a way to identify a place they gather".
 
8 days to go....

Today the guys arrive to remove the last special pieces of furniture and take them to Guernsey into storage. Everything else has been auctioned off, e-bayed and given away. The house will them be virtually empty.

Tomorrow it will be 7 days until we leave. So, the remaining tasks are to take the rubbish (and our old mattress) to the dump, some items to the charity shop, and move into a small rental flat. We then finalise some final company matters before catching the ferry on 9th March when we start the first real long and interrupted holiday we've had in 44 years - and on Play d'eau - what a treat.

For your info, Guernsey is small 24 sq miles island with a population of 67,000. It's part of the Channel Islands, and is a Crown dependency.

That's because the Channel Islands are technically owned by the Duke of Normandy and the British Queen holds the title, so she 'owns' the island. They aren't part of the UK, nor the EU, they don't come under the governance of the UK. Instead, they have their own parliament called the House of Deliberation where they set their own laws and taxes etc etc etc.

What better fun could life be?

We'll be updating out website (it's well out of date at the moment) and starting a blog for those who might interested.

www.playdeau.com

Happy days.
 
Congrats on your new lease on life. Here is wishing you both all the best and look forward to reading about your adventure.

Your new island home sound intriguing.
 
greatpapabear said:
Tomorrow it will be 7 days until we leave. So, the remaining tasks are to take the rubbish (and our old mattress) to the dump, some items to the charity shop, and move into a small rental flat. We then finalise some final company matters before catching the ferry on 9th March when we start the first real long and interrupted holiday we've had in 44 years - and on Play d'eau - what a treat.
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With seven weeks to go, I feel your vibes!!!

We just extended our rent of the house here by another month, we too were gonna move ito a small flat for that last stretch, but we can't find anywhere cheap enough that'll let us take the dogs!
 
Oh, and I don't know what you ut in there, but here's what I see when I try to visit your blog site from behind the Kuwait filters:
Access Denied ​
Your request was denied because of its content categorization: "Gambling"
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Great life ahead for you and your wife! I have been an on and off liveaboard for the last 25 years, only stopping to continue in my work for the same company for 36 years. I try to take assignments where I can live on either our 41' Ketch or our Ocean 42 Trawler. My wife and I are presently enjoying living aboard Last Tango in Oak Harbor, Louisiana. Living aboard is always fun for us and is way better than having to manage the house. I am envious! You get to live aboard and not have to go to work every day! Good for you! We hope to shred the last bonds to staying in the same port soon!

Keep safe and enjoy your new lifestyle!
 
So how is Oak Harbor marina doing? I bought my boat there in 2001 and brought her back to the Houston area. After Katrina, I saw pix from that marina..what a mess. Glad to hear it's repaired and up and running.
 
5 days, and counting....

We have to get three cars over to Guernsey, so today, my wife takes one of them, laden with boaty bits, to Poole to catch the fast ferry (Sea Cat - cruises at 37 knots) accross the English Channel to Guernsey.

Having driven to the marina and left the car there (and checked on Play d'eau), she catches a lift back to main harbour (St Peter Port) to catch the return ferry. I then pick her up from Poole late this evening.

The last bits of our furniture are picked up today by a local charity shop, and the telephone guy is in to decommission all the cabling.

It's still 5 days and counting....
 
It's doing fine. Mark White is the Harbor Master..

We looked at Bay St Louis, Pass Christian.. They have not recovered so well.

Oak has power, water, laundry, gym, pool, none of the others are all up yet.
 
4 days and counting...

Lin successfully delivered the car to Guernsey yesterday by Condor Sea Cat Ferry (long, long day), and we were back home by 10pm.

The charity lorry turned up at the house and took much of the items we throught they'd like, so I took the rest to the dump for re-cycling.

Today, Lin should be able to complete the packing up whislst I have to drive to the Miduilands (4 hours) to deliver a 30 minuite address to a group of Headmasters at their AGM.

Two of our sons will be with Lin to help, and will also take the items they wanted. At the same time, the removals men turn up again to take the last of the boxes, leaving the house almost empty.

We're getting there - can't wait for some peace and the sound of water lapping the hull.
 
Papa Charlie said:
The test pilot, without authorization did a roll over the crowd in the 707. When he landed there was a slew of executives ready to hand him his papers. What saved him and set the future of the airplane was the immediate response from the airlines placing orders for the plane.
Click to expand...

Tex Johnston became a good friend of mine in the years before he died. He told me the "true" story of that barrel roll and it differs considerably from the legend that has sprung up since. All in all, a remarkable man (I helped him some with his autobiography). I've worked at Boeing for some 33 years now and while the company itself has had its ups and downs the products continue to be amazing machines, particulalry when you get to see them, as I and my crew do, hard at work for our customers all around the world.
 
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Marin said:
Tex Johnston became a good friend of mine in the years before he died. He told me the "true" story of that barrel roll and it differs considerably from the legend that has sprung up since. All in all, a remarkable man (I helped him some with his autobiography).
Click to expand...

Really interesting. Are you able tyo tell us what the "true" story is?
 
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