Dear Family and Friends,
We look
forward to traveling with you while we are on our Great Loop Adventure! To make
life easier and more relaxed while traveling with us, we have some advice.
Reading this ahead of time will make our travel together more comfortable.
❖ Safety. We have life jackets for
everyone. We don’t require that you wear them all the time. You can if you
want. We might. We have most sizes. If you require a special size, let us know.
You are welcome to bring your own if you want but it is not necessary. Bob will
evaluate the weather and water conditions each day to determine if we can
travel and which route is the safest. We always opt for safety over schedule.
❖ Helping Out. We know you are
excited. We are excited to have you. You might even be an experienced boater.
But we have developed a way of doing things that works for us. We ask that you
respect a few rules and temper your enthusiasm a tiny bit for the sake of order
so we can all have a great time.
o Bob is always the Captain. What he says goes. For everyone.
Even Asea. You may ask questions for clarification but be prepared to follow
orders. Quickly. He is watching the water, the surrounding environment, and the
boat mechanics. He might sound brusque but he is focused on our safety. So,
follow orders quickly and ask Asea questions. We will say it now in advance, no
offense intended. This is about safety.
o Asea is First Mate. She usually knows what Bob wants. She
will give you instructions and clarification. She handles the lines and the
anchor, always following instructions from Bob. We (Bob and I) communicate via our headsets during arrival and departure. She may or may not ask you to
help. Don’t be offended if you are asked to remain seated.
o Your role. You may be asked to help with lines or some
other tasks while we are in a lock, docking, or setting anchor. We may show you
some special trick that works well on our boat. We ask that you listen and
respond patiently and cooperatively. If you are not asked to help, just have a
drink and relax!! We will get you next time.
o Our fur babies, Charlie and Gordy are travelling with us. They have a designated area on the front of
the boat (bow) to do their “business”, but occasionally they miss! But don’t worry, we clean up their solid
waste and wash up the deck regularly!
❖ Neat and clean. We are not neat
freaks, but a boat can get awfully messy awfully quickly. A messy boat causes
anxiety and irritation. We usually wash dishes right away or before going to
bed for sure.
❖ Trash. We care about our environment and do not throw trash in the water. There are “garbage” and “recycle” cans on the aft deck and we dispose of them once we land.
❖ Your space. You will probably be
sleeping (and storing your gear!) in the VIP cabin. You will have access to your own bathroom
(called a head) for showering and cleaning up. Plan to keep your shaving kits
and medicine in that head so you don’t have to dig through everything to find
what you need.
❖ Keep your gear in the VIP cabin. Our
boat looks large (to us) on the outside but inside we have limited space. We
need to have everything organized. Please put your clothes and gear in the VIP cabin. We can give you a drawer and a hanging closet, but most likely your stuff will
stay in your luggage. Soft luggage that takes up a small amount of room is
best. You need so little that a duffle bag should work fine.
❖ What to pack? You don’t need to bring a lot. We
have laundry, cooking and cleaning supplies, food, liquor, and boating gear.
You will need clothes, camera and/or computer gear, reading materials in
whatever form is most convenient for you, and your medicine and personal
supplies. You might want to bring special liquor or other beverages you like to
drink but we have a full liquor cabinet.
o In terms of clothes, we spend most of our time in shorts
and t-shirts … nothing fancy. If we get somewhere we might want to go to a
restaurant so bring a nice casual outfit you can change into. That means a
clean t-shirt and shorts or jeans. We have things like hats if you forget or
lose something overboard. We also have plenty of jackets and sweatshirts if it
gets cold so don’t worry about that either.
o We supply sheets, pillows, blankets, and towels. You are
welcome to bring a special pillow or blanket if it will make your trip more
enjoyable. At the end of the trip, please remove the sheets and pillowcases
and leave them in a pile on the bed so we can do laundry after you leave. We do
laundry regularly so a few extra linens are not going to be a problem.
❖ Charging stuff. We have electric
outlets for your chargers as well as charging cables (Android and
iPhone). If your device uses an uncommon
charging cable, you will need to bring yours.
❖ Shoes and shoe storage.
o Gym shoes or sandals for walking and maybe flip flops or
boat shoes for moving around on the boat. Slip-ons are the best. No high heels
or dress shoes required, even if we go to a nice restaurant. We are on vacation
after all!
❖ Eating and drinking: We might eat at
a restaurant if we are exploring a new place. We might cook on board or on the
hard (land) with a grill. You can help out any way you want. Asea and Bob know
where all the equipment is located. The boat is not large enough for several
cooks so sometimes you might not be able to help. Just have a drink and relax!
Maybe you can clean up! Let us know in advance if you have any special dietary
requirements so we can accommodate. We might or might not go to the grocery
store while you are with us.
❖ Mechanical issues:
o The head (bathroom) has a limited holding tank. We have to
pump out every few days. Please put all paper and feminine products in the waste bin. There is a saying in the boating community: "If it's yellow, let it mellow, if it's brown, push it down!" You can flush the toilet by
pressing the pedal on toilet, then use your foot to pull it up for a few seconds. This provides
enough pressure to push the contents into the holding tank.
o Water from the sinks is clean and safe to drink. We have
clean hoses and water filters to ensure the water is good. We also have a water filtration system for the
ice maker and coffee maker. We do have a limited amount of water onboard while traveling, so don’t waste it. Make sure all taps are turned off after
using. Please turn off the tap while
brushing your teeth.
o Showering: This is how we shower on board when not attached to shore water: wet, turn off
water, soap up, turn on water to rinse, then turn off water right away. If connected to the shore power, there are no restrictions. You can hang your towel on the fly bridge to dry out. You're also welcome to use the marina's bath house, if available
o Pit stops. There are specific round openings (called fittings) on the cockpit floor (under the carpet) for diesel fuel! Waste fittings is on the bow and water fitting is off the swim platform. You may be asked to help when we stop for fuel or a pump out. We will give you instructions on how you can help. Just be sure to use the correct fitting for the correct purpose!
❖ Transportation.
o Some marinas have cars available for our use. We have a
dinghy on the back of the boat we can use if we anchor out or if we want to
tour around a new neighborhood.
o Joining us: We try but cannot always keep to a specific schedule.
Please call us a week before your planned arrival to get more information on
exactly where we plan to be, weather permitting, on the date you plan to join
us. Same is true about departure. We might not be at the exact spot you want to
be at when it is time for you to leave. We will help you figure out how to get
to the place you need to be but we can’t push the boat any faster than weather
and traffic will allow. Just saying.
❖ Entertainment: We have cable tv but
we won’t always have cable. In the evenings on the boat, we can watch movies,
play with our computers (we have a mobile hot spot), or read. We have books on
the boat if you forget to bring any. We also have dominos, back gammon, cards, and
cribbage for our entertainment pleasure. If you have something special you
would like to do, please feel free to bring it along or suggest it. FYI, part
of our entertainment in the evenings is looking up information about the next
place we want to travel to.
❖ Looper midnight: For some reason no
one can explain, we go to bed about 9pm, called loopers’ midnight. We will try
to stay up later but expect to be tired around 8 or 9pm. You will want to go to
bed too! Charlie and Gordy wake up around 5:30 to 6 am to do their business and eat
their breakfast. We will try to keep the
commotion to the minimum!
❖ Gifts and Paying for things:
Everyone always wants to help pay for something. While we would be glad to have
you pay for fuel, keep in mind our boat holds 300+ gallons of diesel. So if you
offer to pay for gas, we will accept! Just be warned. Seriously, you are our
guest. If you wish, you may buy a meal if you want or bring liquor to replace
what you use. It is not about money to us, it is about friendship. We are just
glad you can share this adventure with us.
We hope
these instructions help us all have a great trip while you travel with us. We
are thrilled to share this trip of a lifetime with you!!
Contact Information:
❖ Boat name: Imzadi
❖ email: TheImzadiCrew@gmail.com
Nautical Vocabulary (just for the fun of it!)
· Front of the boat = Bow or Forward
· Back of the boat = Aft or Stern
· Right side of the boat = Starboard
· Left side of the boat = Port
· Toilet = Head
· Kitchen = Galley
· Ropes = Lines
· Below = Inside the cabin
· Helm station = Bridge
· Floor = Deck
