Bright Eyes For Sale

And now for the main item...

1985 Seidelmann 37

LOA 37’ (40 with davits)
Beam 12’
Draft 4’6’’
Displacement 13,900 lbs
Main Sail and 140 Genoa
Mainsail outfitted for the Dutchman Sail Flaking System
44lb Claw Anchor, Two 22lb Fortress Anchors
Two 30 gallon water tanks
18 gallon fuel tank
13 gallon holding tank
6’5’’ head room
9’x11’ V-berth, Starboard single settee, Port double settee, two pilot berths, port aft quarter berth (sleeps 6)

Engine: 1985 Yanmar 3GM30, 2600 hours, 24hp

Improvements (all made since May 2009)

44lb Claw Anchor with 75ft 5/16 HT G4 Chain and 225 ft 5/8 triple braid rope
Lofrans Royal Manual Windlass
Raymarine SPX5 Auto Pilot
Martek 250 Dinghy Davits
Garmin 441s with transducer and arm mount
Solas Parachute Flare, Flare Gun with flares, Four handheld flares, Air horn signal
Prop Guard Blade
Two Sunforce 80 watt Solar Panels, 30-Amp digital charge controller
New Starter Battery, purchased July 2011
Xanex Battery Monitor
1500 watt Cobra Inverter
New on board VHF, purchased January 2011
Four 12 volt fans, two in cabin and two in v-berth
Two LED Cabin Light fixtures
LED Masthead and Anchor Light fixture
LED Red/Greed Running Light Bulbs, LED stern light bulb, Two LED cabin light bulbs
New Main Haylard, purchased December 2010
Two cleats on sliding tracks
Lifeline Netting
Single Basin Galley Sink
New fiberglass exhaust muffler, Exhaust manifold cover, Cooling system hoses, purchased May 2010
Racor 500 Fuel Filter
New Secondary Fuel Filter Encasing, Fuel Lift Pump, Fuel Line Hoses, purchased August 2010
Fuel Gauge in Cockpit
New Lube Oil Pipe, purchased December 2010

Reductions
CNG Stove removed and replaced with Microwave and storage shelves
No House batteries since July 2011
Starboard Bow Fairlead needs replacing
Cockpit Cushions need replacing

Three Canvas Zippers need replacing

We are currently working on repairing the engine which will not start right now.  It is not getting compression and we believe it has a bad piston ring.

Once we get the engine fixed the boat will be put on the hard and listed with a broker in Ft Lauderdale, Florida.  We will list it for $34,000

If we decide not to fix the engine due to cost then we will list the boat for $29,000 because we found a replacement engine online for $4,000 that we can refer you to.

We are also offering a $3000 discount if you buy the boat before we leave Ft Lauderdale.  This will save us from putting the boat on land storage and selling through a broker. We plan to stay here about a week or two to prep the boat for sale so contact us asap to set something up.

So for this week only the list price is $26,000

We can be reached at 240-305-7177.

Thank You, Good Bye, and Stuff For Sale

So after a lot of thought and consideration we have decided to hang up our sailing caps for now.  We got to experience our dream and had the time of our life both good and bad.  Now that we are back in the States we really appreciate all the nicities that you take for granted; showers, toilets, electricity, fresh food, family. 

Also as we are about to turn 26 and 27 we want to get on with other aspects of life like starting our own family.  Maybe later in life we will return to the water with a lot more experience and luxury! We have learned so much from this whole experience and are grateful to have the chance to pull it off.

We want to thank all our family, friends and blog readers for their support.  And a big thanks to all the people who have helped us along the way, we would not have been able to do it without the wonderfully helpful sailing community.  And a special thanks to Eric our boating mentor for his wealth of advice.

We have decided leave Bright Eyes in Ft Lauderdale to sell and move back to Maryland to live.  We have dumped more money than we'd like to admit into this adventure (I'm an accountant and have it all in excel) so we want to get as much back as possible.  Therefor we are selling a lot of our equipment as separate items that will directly benefit someone looking for cruising stuff.

We will be in Ft Lauderdale for about a week then will take all this stuff to sell in MD.

Please us at call 240-305-7177 to inquire.

Chesapeake Bay Chart book - $40 ($60 value)
Atlantic ICW Chartbook - $40 ($70 Value)
Skippers Bob ICW Anchorages -- Free with purchase ($17 value)
Explorer Near Bahamas Chart book - $40 ($65 value)
Explorer Exumas Bahamas Chart book - $40 ($65 value)
Explorer Far Bahamas Chart book -$40 ($65 value)
Dosier's Cruising the Bahamas Guide book - $20 ($40 value)
All four Bahamas books for $120 ($235 value)

8ft Walker Bay Dinghy Inflatable - $400 ($630 value)
8ft Dinghy Cover, 600 denier - $30 ($55 value)
2010 3.5 hp Mercury 4 stroke outboard engine - $600 ($1050 value)

Two Green Zone Folding Bikes 20'' 6 speed with bags $250 ($400 value)
120v Ice Maker - $70 ($140 value) SOLD
100 amp alternator, brand new unused - $100 ($160 value)
Alcohol Stove, single burner 6800 btu - $80 ($155 Value)
Spot Locator - $80 ($120 Value)
Two Mustang Deluxe Inflatable Life Vests with Harnesses - $150 ($400 value) SOLD
Mast Top Climber with line - $100 ($350 Value) SOLD
Handheld Garmin - $100 ($200 value)
Handheld VHF HX 280S - $50 ($90 Value) SOLD
TV Antennae with mast mount - $80 -- ($200 value)


Portable red/green navigation light for dinghy - $20 ($35 value) SOLD
Two group 27 battery boxes $10 ($20 value)
Two Fishing Rod holders, rail mount - $30 ($70 value)
West Marine Air Dryer Dehumidifier - $30 ($60 value)
Rule Portable Hose with 12v/120v charger - $30 ($85 value)
West Marine Binoculars, Huahine 7x50 - $40 ($60 value)
20ft 5/16 HT G4 Chain, unused - $60 ($75 value) SOLD
Two 40 ft Safety Lines - $30 ($50 value) SOLD
Rail mount drink holder - $20 ($40 value)
Oil change drill attachment - $20 ($45 value)
Outboard engine bridle - $20 ($40 value) SOLD
Outboard engine rail mount, wooden - $20 ($30 value)
30amp to 15 amp adapter - $20 ($40 value)
Marriage Saver Two Way Headsets - $50 ($75 value) SOLD
Six 5 gallon yellow diesel jugs - $10 each or $50 for all six ($120 value) SOLD
Six 5 gallon collapsible water jugs - $20 ($35 value) SOLD

Bright Eyes is Back in America.....The End

We planned to leave Nassau asap Thursday morning but things didn't go so well.  

First we overslept till 7:45am.  Then when we went to turn on our Garmin we noticed it wouldn't stay on because our last lonely battery had gotten too low.  So we had to walk to the marine store and pay a whopping $190 for a starter battery then lug it back to the boat. ugh.  Then after installing the new battery a storm swooped in and kept us inside for a bit.  Then finally around 1pm we started pulling up the anchor only to find that the anchor chain had wrapped around another huge old anchor that had been left behind.  Our chain was covered in algae and wouldn't stay in the windlass so I had to pull up both anchors by hand without an engine, UGH!  We ended up tying off to a near by mooring ball while I pulled the old ruins anchor into the dinghy and untangled it.  

Around 2pm we were finally free. We untied from the mooring, raised the sails and left Nassau behind.

We sailed pretty slowly, about 3.5mph, all day and all night reaching the Great Bahama Banks around 5:30am.  We saw a few tankers coming through the north east channel that night but we kept our distance. We also saw a few storms brewing around us but managed to dodge them all.

We spent all Friday sailing the Great Bahama Banks.  We did a little better this day, averaging about 5 mph. We put our third crew member, the auto pilot, to work.  Great Job!

Alone at the helm on the Great Bahama Banks and surrounded by water I decided to capture the moment on video. It went really great until the end when I couldn't figure out how to stop recording and stopped paying attention to steering. (You can hear the boom slam to the other side) haha

At first we were using 8 hour shifts to get plenty of sleep but the sleep underway wasn't any good so we switched to 2 hour shifts with naps in the cockpit.  We passed North Bimini around 8:30pm Friday night and entered the Atlantic Gulf Stream as the sky went dark.

We were sailing pretty well, around 8 mph, when all of a sudden the wind died.  We were kind of floating in circles trying to harvest a little wind when all of a sudden the wind kicked into overdrive and thunder started booming.  We reduced our head sail and stayed close to the wind to keep our speed around 6 mph.  The winds went crazy for about an hour as the sky constantly lit up with lightening and thunder, but oddly/luckily no rain.

Waves scare us more than heavy wind and the waves never got too big so we managed well and soon the storm had passed.  We sailed steadily toward Ft Lauderdale through the night and arrived about 5 miles outside the harbor at 7:30 am Saturday morning.  We called tow boat and they came and scooped us up.  Of course one last squall came and rained on us while we were waiting. We then called Cooleys Landing and reserved a slip.

The friendly tow boat guys took us on a scenic tour through downtown Ft Lauderdale to our marina.

And so after sailing 198 miles over 44 straight hours we had finally arrived back in the States!

Coincidently Joey's mom Tina is in Ft. Lauderdale with the family she nannies for. Cliff, the dad, was kind enough to let us spend a day recooperating in his condo, in the AC!!! relaxing, and even took us to the resort he belongs to Lago Mar, and out to a neat brazilian steakhouse - Chimas.

We will spend the next week repairing the engine and cleaning the boat out.  It feels good to be home and bittersweet to end our adventure.

Thank you for all the support and well wishes and to anyone who enjoyed reading :)

The Fate of Bright Eyes blog to come...

Bahama Mama

Last Wednesday the 13th my Mom flew down to visit us and spend a week on the boat.  Lesser travelers would not have fared as well but my mom is a trooper and lasted the whole week on the rocking, leaky Bright Eyes.

The first day we put her legs to work and walked the mile to the grocery store giving her a view of uptown Nassau and all our favorite spots.

Thursday we walked downtown and showed her all the cruise ship shops.  On the way we stopped and finally saw the Queens Stair Case.  It used to be a defensive fort and was hand built a long time ago.  We didn't make my mom climb it but we did and got pics from the top.

Most of our nights were spent playing board games with a cooler of beer.  We just found out that the Green Parrot sells a huge bag of ice for $3, gold!

 We played Monopoly, Backgammon, Thraxx, Parcheesy, Rummy, Gin Rummy, Rummicube, Sequence, and Dominoes.  We've seen Dominoes played by the locals at almost every island we visited. It must be the official national game.  So we finally got a set and learned how to play.

Nomy and Nala were glad to have a new friend.

Christine showed off her prowess in the kitchen and made many of our favorite dishes.

The Green Parrot was happy my mom was visiting because we actually spent a lot of money there ordering full meals.  We were glad to order the savory meals we had been skipping over the last month like the Works Burger and Blooming Onion.

My mom got to experience a cruisers sun-downer which is everyone's favorite.  The sunset is always amazing.

Friday we dinghied over to Atlantis in search of a beach.  We found a public one just outside the hotel.  It was swarmed with locals trying to sell you things but we still had a good time. After the 4th vendor tried to rent us an umbrella we finally agreed for $10.  The water felt great as it is our "shower".  We like the empty islands better though when we have the whole beach to ourselves.

Saturday we went back to Atlantis for some more fun.  We took mom to the aquarium now that we know you can just walk in for free sometimes. We saw the huge manta rays and sharks again.

Atlantis also has a free movie theater so we went and saw Rango.  At night we went to a comedy club.  The comics spent most of the time making fun of the audience and the headliner Mutsy was really funny.  We got off pretty easy with just a Marylanders have crabs joke.  

Sunday we relaxed around the boat and let mom have a small rest from her vacation.   Then we made a short walk to the straw markets again and had a final dinner at the Green Parrot.  We all sat around on the internet till the Parrot closed to show mom how we usually chill.

And more family game night! 

Monday, moms last day, we went to Atlantis in hopes to hang out at there beach.  We walked to their beach on Saturday so we thought we could spend the day there but they had staff guarding the beach this time so we got denied.  So instead we went to the Casino and hit the penny slots.  

Our goal was to get free drinks while making $15 last but we only got one round of drinks and then the waitress was nowhere to be found.  But it was our lucky day as we turned $15 into $55 in about 2 hours!  Most of it was my mom who turned her $5 into $45 at one point, that's one lucky mama.

On the way back to the boat across the harbor we got caught in a squall.  We have been watching Tropical Storm Brett hover above the Bahamas so we must we getting pieces of it as it was squally all week.

My mom finally got caught up in one of our mishaps and we arrived to the main ship soaking wet as lightening lit up the sky.

On Tuesday morning my mom caught a cab back to the airport.  She had a great time seeing us and experiencing the boat but we are sure she is glad to be back in the comforts of a real home.  

We are right behind her though as we plan to leave here asap.  There are a few storms brewing around the Caribbean and one potential hurricane that just left Africa.  So we are saying goodbye to Nassau and all of the Bahamas and will be taking off tomorrow, Thursday the 21st of July.

We will be sailing to Ft Lauderdale, without an engine, over the next two days, maybe straight through.  When we get close to Florida we will call Tow Boat to bring us into the harbor and put us in a slip.

Wish us luck for our final adventure!

Celebrating Bahamas Independence

Like we said before, Nassau isn't the worst place in the world to be stuck.  It is pretty expensive and the beaches are distant and crowded but there is still plenty to enjoy.

July 10th was Bahamas Independence Day so we have been enjoying the celebrations.

Here is that scary dredging barge that we had to sail and anchor next to at night.  It looks like it wants to eat sailboats.   We threw out a second anchor to keep from swinging into it and then it moved to harass other boats.

For $30 we can get 15 Kaliks and a bag of ice. This is how we reward our selves after a few days of blistering heat.

Our friend Francois has been anchored next to us and has been a big help with our engine.  We have been enjoying the city with him.

We went to Atlantis again, this time with Francois showing us how to do it cheaper.  They have complimentary movies in Theater!  So we saw Gnomeo and Juliet, and Just Go With It.  

We also found that you can just walk through the aquarium for free! (Nobody checks for wristbands)  Why did we pay $80 last time, ugh.

Then we enjoyed the gypsy/pirate show.  There were fire dancers, stilt dancers, and a mermaid.  It was a huge carnival party.

The rest of our time here has been hunting down free internet signals.  The Green Parrot, Starbucks, McDonalds, and the side of buildings are our favorite spots.  

Here is Christine being a rebel.

As for our departure plans we have decided to just sail to Florida just the two of us and fix the engine there. Here is the thread we posted on Cruiser Forum which has a lot of advice. We think it is a bad piston ring.

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/f54/cruiser-stranded-in-need-of-advice-63643.html

 Thank you for all the help and offers to crew but we want to get out of here asap before the weather gets worse. My mom is coming to visit this week and then we will get going.

We hope to sail into Fort Lauderdale, fix the engine and put the boat on dry storage while we are in MD.  So if anyone has any recommendations for a good mechanic or good marina let us know.