Get Your Boat On

I could, and do, watch this video a lot. I'll never be able to afford a boat like this, and if by some miracle I ever were able to I'd be unable to afford to keep it running. Just the gasoline needed to run it for a weekend would probably cost me a year's salary. Maintenance and other costs wouldn't even come into the picture. But what I love about the video is the atmosphere and scenery. It's a beautiful boat to be sure, but the video is pure boating promotion in general.

Past, Present and Future Technology

My current computer is a Hewett-Packard. I like hp laptops, they're sleek, comfortable for my wrists, and have a lot of great features. What really gets me sometimes is how far we've come in the last 30 years with computers. I remember my first work computer 20 years ago. That was before anyone had home computers. The initials PC meant something other than personal computer, and at work, our desktop terminals were connected by vast networks of wiring to a huge mainframe, usually located deep in the bowels of the building. The computer room where I worked was a 200 by 80 room that was always super cold. There's a lot to that keeping computers cold, I still find my laptop heating up and shutting down on me occasionally if I am not careful, but I don't know of anyone who keeps their home computer at 60 degrees or whatever it always was in there. Then home computers hit the scene. They were basically glorified calculator/word processors that required a lot of complicated knowledge of DOS language. It was a foreign environment for most of us, and there wasn't any connection. Then the Internet... that changed everything. Not all at once, but slowly until now, technology got smaller and smaller until room sized computers can now be carried around in a briefcase, and the functions far surpass any massive CPU. In 30 more years, I can't even imagine what we'll have. Unless of course we have hit "the wall" as it pertains to technology and all we'll do now is continue with what we have, but keep making it smaller and smaller until computers fit in the palm of your hand. Oops, done that.

Worried Hostage

I hope I'm not too old to enjoy boating. I'm really not all that old, but I sure feel every year accumulated. My joints ache, I don't have the dexterity and agility I used to have. I know other older people enjoy boating so many I'm making too much out of it. Surely other boaters feel the same aches and pains. Surely others can't jump, climb, or crawl around like they used to. I guess we'll know soon enough. It is another of the unknowns that keeps me up at night. In a few weeks I'll probably laugh at how worried I was about all this, but for now, it holds my mind hostage.

A Glove For Every Purpose

I just realized I have accumulated many kinds of work gloves over the years. Many of them I use daily, or seasonally all the time, some I only use once in a while, and I even found a new type I need now. Living on a farm means needing work gloves to protect my hands from blisters doing heavy work like fencing. I also have garden gloves to protect my hands from handling the dirt, plants, and even weeds that may be poisonous. When I glue or do fiberglass work I use rubber gloves that give me maximum movement and feel while still shielding my skin, and now, I need some chain mail gloves to protect my hands from the sharp fillet knives I hope to be using to skin fish on the boat. I used to have a pair of that kind of glove when I worked in the slaughter house. We had to wear them to protect our hands from the sharp knives used to butcher cattle. I should have used them during butchering processes here at home, but never did. On a rocking and rolling boat though, I think they are a smart piece of protective gear.

Fear of the Unknown and Aggravating Rain

Okay, I handled winter okay. Not much you can do about it, you have to wait it out, but now... spring is killing me. This is the last month. We are planning on having the boat in the water at the beginning of May, so we just have to get through April, and that starts in just a few days. The days are moving so slow now though. And they are so aggravating because they are much warmer than any cold winter day, but the temperatures go up and down, one day 60s, even 70, the next mid-40s. Worse yet, the rain. Of course we know rain is normal, and April will be even more rainy. April showers bring May flowers... but it is still driving me crazy. I have things to do, but I can't do them in the rain, and a few of them I need dedicated temperatures at least 65. I also have a few things to do inside but its hard to concentrate when all I can think of is getting the boat ready, and how it will do. I think it would be a lot better if I was sure everything would work well, but being new to us, it is an unknown. You know you always fear the unknown.

Getting Insurance that Clicks with Your Choices

When we looked for boat insurance we looked at several different companies and got insurance quote from each of them. The one we picked we liked because they used "agreed value" (which is unusual) for replacement value on the boat, and they are a big company with a very good reputation. I think whenever you look for any kind of insurance that is what ends up making final decisions. A reputable company with a lot of business is a must so you know that they're track record is based on a lot of experience, but overall, in the end it will be that one thing that stands out and makes you happy. I'm sure other people would chose a boat insurance company for different reasons, but may still end up with the same one. Regardless of who they chose it is something about the policy that makes it right in their opinion. Now with the new health insurance laws, it remains to be seen how much of that will carry over into the new choices we have for health care, but it holds true for all other types of insurance.

Can You Tuna Fish?

Fishing is fun. There is a lot more to it than simply throwing in a line and waiting for a fish to bite, especially when you are going after "big game" like tuna. Before you can even start to think about how to catch them, you have to know what you can catch. The federal government regulates tuna, and all game fish, in order to keep numbers from dwindling, and species from extinction.

What is Regulated?

Rules that apply to recreational fishing do not necessarily apply to commercial fishing. You must know what regulations affect you. As a recreational angler, you cannot sell your catch, and bluefin tuna has a limit on the number you can catch. There is a regulation on the type of equipment recreational anglers can use also.

Tuna Fishing Equipment

Tuna are typically big fish, and usually live in big water. Bluefin, albacore, skipjack, bigeye, and yellowfin tuna are Atlantic species even though they inhabit other waters including the Pacific. They are cold-water fish and prefer areas where rivers exist to lead them upstream to spawn. The various types of outfitting for tuna are bandit gear, rod and reel, handline, speargun, and greenstick. Each type of allowable gear has a specific type of stamp added to a tuna license. All require an HMS Charter/Headboard license. Spearguns can have an HMS angling license instead of the Charter/Headboard license, but only allowed in bay fishing for tuna regardless of type of license. Rod and Reel, handline, or greenstick can substitute an HMS angling license for the Charter/Headboard license, or have an Atlantic Tunas General license if in competition. Regardless of the type of equipment, you cannot keep bluefin tuna on the Atlantic Tuna General vessels if they are not bigger than 73 inches.

Fish Size

Size is important when it comes to fish you catch. The regulations exist to keep anglers from pulling the young stock from an area before it has a chance to reproduce and improve the numbers of the species. Bluefin, Yellowfin, and Bigeye are the only tuna regulated in regards to size. Albacore and Skipjack are unlimited in number and size. Minimum size is 27 inches. You can measure size from the tip of the upper lip, across the side to the tip of the tail base at the center. If head is removed tuna is measured from where the pectoral fin would be. Regulation for removing the head depends on species as well. Anglers may not remove the head of any Bluefin tuna if the total length is less than 20 inches. Yellowfin and Bigeye may not have their head removed, nor be kept if their total length would be less than 27 inches without their head.

Allowed Numbers

The federal government regulates these species because of their extreme popularity as a food source. Bluefin have the most problem because they sushi makers use them almost exclusively. Yellowfin have a 3 per person daily limit. Bluefin limits change regularly depending on the numbers that exist. Recreational anglers must call before they go out to find out what number/size for the day is set. Up-to-date information for anglers at www.hmspermits.gov, or at 888-872-8862 or 978-281-9260 provides limit information.

Banned Tuna Fishing

It is illegal to target Bluefin Tuna in the Gulf of Mexico, except in an approved catch and release method. Those types of catches must only use hook and line, and the hook removed with the proper tool to prevent damage to the fish.

Dieting Truths

If you need to lose a few pounds, or trim your waist for a big event, a body wrap may be the way to go. A slimming body wrap for weight loss is one of those things that you hope will work, sounds like it will work, but in reality you know deep down won't really work. That's why it is great that websites research these weight loss methods and let the truth shine through. Actually slimming body wraps have a place in a healthy lifestyle. They can help spot tone, shrink certain airs, albeit temporarily, by reducing water in the area. They should always be applied by professionals and under controlled situations to prevent too much water loss that could be detrimental to health. For long term weight loss investigate other methods of weight loss and diet aids to find out which will help you achieve long term goals.

Ugly Truth

I'm watching the "Ugly Truth" on Tivo. It's really good so far. I like Girard Butler is great in it, but there are a lot of fantastic actors and actresses in it. What's even better is the underlying truth of male/female relationships and how the main character, Girard butler, seems like such a cad but is really a pussycat underneath it all.

Hair Today

It seems some men are blessed with never having to worry about hair loss prevention. My husband is one of those guys. He has always had more hair than he knows what to do with. It's think and healthy. I used to think hair loss was primarily a guy thing, but apparently even women have to worry about hair loss. I have noticed that my hair is much thinner now than in my youth. It's still full enough, but it could easily get so thin I would have bald areas, especially at the very crown of my head. Usually it's a guy thing, though. There are even hair loss communities for men who need to talk to others experiencing the same problems. Advances in science make hair regeneration much more possible than ever before. Plus surgeries are better and look natural now compared to the methods of even 10 years ago. Medical science is taking a lot of the fear out of hair loss.

Even More Boat Prep

Normally I would have been satisfied with the work I did early today on the boat with the lettering. That was quite a bit, and my knees were killing me from the ladder stuff: but there are a limited number of days before we want to get in the water, and more of those are limited weather wise with what we can do. So along with the lettering I also painted the outdrive today. now I have to make it clear that the only reason I was able to get all this done is I did all the prep work for both the letting and the engine painting prior to today. So the outdrive was all sanded down, and we removed the zinc anodes from it over the weekend last weekend.

I applied the primer and then covered areas I didn't want to have painted, and used Mericruiser Phantom Black (the paint for this particular outdrive) to paint it. It is a spray on so it wasn't hard at all to apply. I let that dry and applied a second coat. It looks really good. Here are a couple pictures of the painted outdrive. I will remove the taping tomorrow.

Use It or Lose It

With all of the ladder climbing I did today I really feel it in my weakest area: my knees. Lately my shoulders give me a lot of trouble too. I need to look into some muscle supplements. Something that will give me more power and also help build the muscle I have. Being female, and getting older makes my problems even worse. Along with being overweight, my body isn't making the normal hormones it did when I was younger. I have to worry about osteoperoisis, and also muscle fatigue and problems. I refuse to let it stop me though. I push through. I know one thing is for sure: when you stop using it, you lose it, and it's a fast trip down to helplessness.

The Beginning of a Great Summer

I am so stoked! Today was the first time this year the temperatures outside hit 60, and the bright sunny day was perfect for going out and working on the boat. I got a LOT done. First I put all the new graphics on. That means I put the Illinois registration numbers on each side of the bow, and the new name on the transom (back wall). Because this boat is new to us, we will have to do an official 'renaming' ceremony when we launch it (or tempt the fates and Neptune, and sail without it... NOT). This was the very first time I ever did anything like this though, first taking off the old vinyl lettering a week ago when the weather was okay (not this warm, but passable) and today applying new vinyl letters and numbers. It was a nervous thing thinking about it all winter. Ended up not being all that hard after all.

I took a few pictures of the process. I couldn't get as many shots of the steps as I would have liked to show you, because I was alone, but here's what I could get. Keep in mind the old letters were taken off a few days ago. I used a heat gun to gently heat the old letters and peel them off. It worked really well. The hard part was getting the old registration stickers off. The previous owner has simply piled layer after layer of registration sticker on top of each other every time they had to re-do them. (It works sort of like an automobile's state license plate sticker). I couldn't follow suit and be lazy putting the new one over the old because this was a different state, and Illinois doesn't have the same size sticker, OR place them in the same place on the bow as Iowa does.

Here in the first picture I have wiped the transom down to clean it of any dust, residual glue or water with rubbing alcohol, and then washed that off with a soapy water spray and dried it well.

Then I taped the two sections of lettering on the back to place it. and lifted one side and peeled off the sticky paper. I used a plastic squeegee to smooth it back down in place and repeated with the other section. Here is the end result.

Then I did the registration letters the same way. Here is a picture of the blank area without any lettering:

And here I got a picture of the placement of the letter strip before I applied them.

In the above picture I already had the state sticker in place. Here is the final picture of each side of the bow with registration set applied.

What Works For Me

Being someone constantly on the lookout for a way to beat the weight problem that has plagued me all my life, I always feel a bit overwhelmed by the many weight loss products out there. They all, or at least most of them, proclaim fast, easy loss of pound after pound. I think the only way to know what works is to investigate each of the quick weight loss diets and then follow the regime for your self. It doesn't matter if a product works for someone else. That can be a good indication of a products validity, but what really matters if it will work on your body, in your situation, and with your personality. With all three of those things being so unique to each person, no matter what a drug can, or cannot do, what it does for that person will be somewhat unique. It's nice that there are places you can go do research on the many different types of products available though. Because there are so many, it would be very easy to miss something that might do the trick for you without the Internet and sites that review them all.

On inboard engines, the propeller sits on a shaft that connects it to the engine inside.

On stern drive engines, the propellers sit at the base of a "lower unit" which is the half of the engine with the shift gears and rudder. On a stern drive, this part is outside the boat with the propeller directly attached to it.

On outboard engines, the propellers are at the bottom of the engine and lower unit combined that hang off the back of the boat on the transom (rear wall of the boat).

Success from Giving is the Philosophy that Guides Banir Ganatra

Banir Ganatra has an extremely mature attitude and philosophy for one so young. He is very successful in his business but he doesn't rest on that, nor does he consider that what is most important in his life. He prefers to use his free time to improve the lives of others through various charity functions. He even instigates his own methods of charity when he finds something is needed, such as dental services in India. When a member of his family related the need for such services there, he made it his business to use connections he had to get a charitable clinic started.

The personal way Banir Ganatra handles his own life reflect his attitudes as well. When his mother became seriously ill, he didn't get mired in self-pity, he made a large contribution for medical research that would help with the problem. That's a great outlook to have in any facet of life.

Banir Ganatra gets his philosophy from the teachings of Tony Robbins who proposes basically, that success comes to those who first give of themselves. Banir is a graduate of the Tony Robbins Mastery University, and it is a philosophy and way of life that is proving quite true in the case of Mr. Ganatra.

Spring is Almost Here!

I had to take a few requisite pre-insurance pictures of the boat for the insurance company so I thought I'd share a couple. Some were just engine and fuel system shots, those weren't all that interesting, but I love the pictures of the boat itself. I am so excited about the summer fun we're going to have on this thing. It is so comfortable. That's really weird how Blogger situated this, and I'm not going to mess with trying to change it. They even rearranged the order of the pictures, LOL.

Summer is on its Way, and so am I

I'm going to be getting a lot more use out of the Samsung luggage I bought last year. I'm going up to Lake Geneva again in April, plus I am going to be using the roll-on duffel bag when I go out on the boat. It will make it easier to get to the boat with my stuff. I can roll it along the dock instead of carrying it all. I like that my set came with 3 types of suitcases that roll, not just the one big one like some sets. I have the really big suitcase that rolls, a small case that rolls, and the really large duffel bag that rolls too, which I thought was really unique. The set allows me to make far fewer trips, even on dry land, to get to my room with all my stuff.

Boat Prep for Spring

I have to remove the cylinders on my outdrive in order to repaint it and replace the zincs. I looked up this video, although it goes further into removing the outdrive, it is a big help in figuring out how to do the job I need to do.