Hi Ed......
All I can say is that all things are not necessarily what they seem.....to wit: ---we live aboard because it's cheaper (and we both dearly love it); we rent out the house and it gives us some income. We made the decision to get away from the marina and the chase for $$$$$ when Donna got breast cancer. You know the drill, cut back on the "nut" as far as you can and get the boat ready. We were headed for Mexico & the Sea of Cortez when we stopped here for a few weeks........well, we fell in love with this place, the people, the small town, the total feeling of being in another world, and we're still only 25 miles (one hour on the express boat) from Long Beach, our son, the house, Donna's doctors, etc. Mexico will still be there should we change our minds. By the way, Donna is doing very well, for which we are deeply and profoundly grateful!! We are "on the hook" all the time, whether it's on a mooring here in the harbor, or at anchor outside. We use propane for refrigeration. We have a Dometic 2410 mounted on gimballs athwartships where the nav table is in the stock boat, and my nave table is mounted on top of the fridge. This decision, of course, dramatically reduces the load on the electrical system We have one 110-watt solar panel (Siemens) mounted on a SS rack on top of the dodger. It can be aimed in any direction and is totally out of the way. The boom shadow is very easily dealt with. If the weather is sunny, we only have to run the engine if we want to watch a lot of TV, and then ony once a week or so. Our internet connection is available only here in the harbor, and it is wireless through a PCMCA (??) transmitter/receiver card by Cisco Systems. The cost is $35/mo, but well worth it to talk to you guys!!!??!! Hope you had a great Summer, and now that the cooler weather is here, you'll have time for all those boat projects you've been dreaming up!! And Ron....... Didn't have much time for pix. I drive a tour bus over here and the summer is our "season", so everybody has the pedal to the metal trying to wring those bucks away from the tourists. It's a good thought though, I'll take some and share with you guys what a paradise Catalina Island really is! Best to all.....
