Update June 2026 - Removing Big Ben

The time has finally come to begin the process of removing Big Ben and installing the electric Green Marine motor.  Carter removed everything off of the side shelving, cleaned them and refreshed them with bright white paint.  It looks SO GOOD!  Then the batteries were put into place.

Now for Big Ben...

But first Baby Blue had to be removed. 

Baby Blue will be taken to Tennessee and installed in the Buccaneer.

Then the creation of the sling to lift the engine out.

This is what we consider a milestone.

Time to go to Tennessee for the summer.

We will install the Green Marine Motor next fall.

Update March - May 2026

 We actually got busy and I did not post much with our limited internet ability.  So here is a catch up.

Started off by seeing family.  It was Ezri's birthday so we drove down to Merritt Island and shared birthday presents.  She actaully LOVED the things we got for her.  It's so much easier finding things for little girls than it EVER was for little boys.

Next up, I visited Mom and Dad while we were in Merritt Island.  Carter went to Jimmy so I went to take care of new flowers for the cemetery.

Back at the Pair of Docks Marina, we proceeding by giving Ellen a complete facelift.  We have documented the entire process by video.  Soon to be on our YouTube Channel that will be coming soon.

This picture pretty well sums up the constant rain we have been having this year.  It's been hard to get any substantial amount of work done with all the rain.

Carter wanted to talk to the metal shop folks up in Green Cove Springs ... in event he wants to haul out to get some of the motor installation done.  It was a fun cruise.

We really do miss being out on the water cruising.  SOON!

We participated in a No Kings Day Parade in Palatka.

Hanging out in Palatka for a couple of days before going back to the Marina.

We planted a bougainvillea out front of the property.  Eventually we want a wall out there.  Hope it is surviving down there without us.

Next project was moving the batteries to the engine room.  Once Big Ben (diesel motor) is removed, there will be room for a lot of weight back there.  Plus, the expense for new, larger wire from mid-ship to aft was far too much for our budget.

While Carter was working on the batteries, I went to Tennessee to work in the Elections.  It was nice to be in Tennessee for the Spring.

Carter installed new read out controls for the battery bank under the salon bench seat.

Carter stopped and snapped a pic of Rice Creek as he was driving back from Palatka.  I think the theme is the the pollution from the power plant.

Carter began work on the new support structure for the last solar panel array replacement.

With the election work complete, I checked out our new airline from Tri-Cities to Orlando.  It was adequate for an hour ride and super cheap.  It will work just fine for my travel needs.

And a beautiful sunrise welcome home to the Arch for me!

Update - February 23, 2026 It's Still COLD in Florida

 It's really hard for us to get much done in this cold weather.  But, there were a few warm days that Carter took advantage of and completed the final coat of paint on the whaler enabling us to launch it.  Now we are ready to head down to Palatka for the almost necessary potty dump / water tank fill up.  

We departed last Wednesday and anchored out at Tanglewood Park for the first night.  The next day we continued on to Crystal Cove Marina to take care of business.  That completed with no problem, we decided to go on down to Palatka before going home.  

We spent the first night at Veterans Park.   While Carter was raising anchor it was obvious he was having a hard time of it.  Once it was out of the water we saw why...the anchor picked up some tree bark/fiber off the bottom making it very heavy.

The 3rd day we went across the river and docked at Riverside Park and used their floating dock to pressure wash the freeboard that had dead bugs all over it.  

The last day, we headed back home slogging through some very blustery weather.  We saw 30 mph gusts but I was not fortunate enough to catch it on film.

As Captain Carter always says...Till Next Time.

2026 Season Begins - Storage Discussion - Spoiler "More Interest to Women Than Men"

 We finally have made it down to Florida to begin the 2026 season.  Hopefully, we can get back on our 6 month here and 6 month in Tennessee schedule now that I (Diane) have been declared cancer free!  Bladder cancer is different than most cancers as it can come back at any time it feels like rearing it's ugly head so I will have to go back incrementally for check ups.  No problem...that's a can do and WILL DO!

We departed Tennessee just as the snow and ice began to fall and we feel fortunate for that but, at the same time it is unusually COLD here in Florida  making it impossible for Carter to work outdoors.  So we have been focusing on indoor projects. 

For me, I always do a pretty thorough cleaning of the entire boat, top to bottom, upon our return and I thought it might be interesting to some folks to see all the STORAGE we have on the Archimedes.     

 I always start cleaning with the kitchen...oops...the galley.   When we left last time, we knew we wouldn't  be back for approximately a year so I took all our food supplies back to Tennessee, so now we are in the process of re-provisioning the boat for long term habitation.  I started the clean up with the all the pantry areas.

Carter was gifted an unusually large amount of can goods, rice and beans, fruit and vege's and I managed to find spaces for all of it.  I frequently use the cockpit table on top of the bed for extra work space.

I use these Sterlite file storage containers for extra groceries - can goods, and they are stored underneath the bed. 

This space behind where the cockpit table is stored houses juice, oils, and things that just don't fit anywhere else. My baking good (crisco, salt, vanilla, yeast, etc.) stay in these Tupperware bread storage containers you see here on the left.  The wood boxes on the top shelf house cock pit accessories.  The radio and Lowrance (navigation),  flare guns & flares, the bell, horns, etc., emergency candles, sun screen and bug spray.   

And this is what it looks like with the table in place.  The mirror folds down making a table with shelving behind holding all the Captains battery chargers.

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I have to brag on Tupperware.  They are excellent at keeping their contents moisture free, which is imperative living on a boat. When I first moved onto the boat several years ago, I went on the hunt for all the Tupperware I could find. Ebay, and local thrift stores are where to find them.  I love all the colors too.  

I do not store anything in their original boxes.  Cockroaches love cardboard so ... boxes are not allowed on the boat and also, goods such as sugar, flour, rice and beans stay moisture free inside Tupperware... forever!  I have a label maker to help me find things.

The little bamboo corner cabinet is where I store package things like rice packs, crackers, tortilla wraps, cereal, etc. in Tupperware and Sterlite containers.  A shelf on the bottom keeps can goods easy to get to.

Then, I have wire shelving that stores vinegar and oils, honey, coffee, tea, etc.

And spices on opposite wall.

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I guess since I bragged on Tupperware, I should also brag on Sterlite.  I have a couple more drawer units in other parts of the boat from Sterlite that are very useful.  First, I have a small 3 drawer unit that holds all my hair accessories.

Then I just purchased this one, three sets of 3 drawers that stack.  I use this one for all my sewing and embroidery projects.  It makes good use of an unused corner of the settees.  It works.

Next, I found this rolling 12 drawer storage unit on Amazon.  We use it to store cameras and all the gear.  I created a charging center on the top but I do need to organize it better.  We took the wheels off the back side because the floor rises there and that also keeps the unit from rolling around while underway.

The last major storage unit besides 3 hanging lockers, is this entire wall of drawers for clothing, shoes, hats, etc.  These drawers are very deep and can hold 2 seasons (hot and cold) worth of clothing which I think is fantastic for a boat.  The last full length cabinet at the end holds laundry and cleaning supplies. There is a mirror on the wall at the end which at first glance makes it look like the drawers go a really long way.  LOL 

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The drawers under the TV are for office type stuff.

The TV swings out for more space behind.  Right now I am storing my cricut, sewing machine with tool box for accessories, and of course, the printer.  Then the TV swings back to hide them.  

There is also quite a bit of storage area under the settees, but I'll spare myself the trouble it takes to under those!

And that is it for general storage on the Archimedes.

Storage for tools and boat parts is another entire post of it's own.  

Captain Carter can take care of those.

The Archimedes is a large boat at 45' but is really only comfortable for 2 people the way we have it configured.

 

November 15, 2025 - Down to Check on the Arc

 A week ago today, Saturday, we departed for Florida for a boat check.  It's been several months and it's always good to make sure everything is ok with the Arc.  We had plans to bring the Flair RV down to use as a guest house but someone had other plans.

 

It seems everyone was ready to go except for the Flair itself!  Ha!  As we were driving to Elizabethton, we noticed a clicking sound and as we went further along it got worse and we began to smell something burning.  We immediately pulled over in the Auto Zone parking lot and called AAA and back to Stoney Acres we went.  Carter worked all afternoon on this situation and decided that even though the caliper situation was fixed, there was likely something else that he wanted to check out before we took the RV for a long trip.  We unloaded all the cargo going to Florida and loaded it into the Venza and departed the next morning. 

Radar is such a good sport about traveling. He slept on top of that tote for the entire 12 hour trip.

We arrived at Our Little Marina pretty early, way before sunset.  Carter, seeing the boat had turned green, decided that the first order of business was to take the Arc out into the river to give it a good pressure washing.  Yea, it was pretty bad, but looks much better now.

We departed on Sunday and anchored at Masons Creek.  

Florida still has beautiful sunsets.

Our first sunset on this trip.

Monday:  Our first sunrise looking out the kitchen window.  Anchored at Masons Creek.

Both Carter and I are getting anxious to get back into our cruising lifestyle and wake up to this every morning to a gorgeous sunrise and end each day with dinner on the deck with a beautiful sunset.

Monday we cruised down to just past Rice Creek and spent the day pressure washing the boat. 

On Tuesday, we went to Crystal Cove Marina for a potty dump and fill the tanks back up with water.  My bad...I used the marina hose which evidently was not drinking water certified and now we can't drink the water from our water tanks. It has a strong smell of rubber. Then we cruised back to Palmetto Bluff just in time to enter back into the canal to Our Little Marina at high tide.

Next up, Wednesday was to clean up the property.  After months of neglect, it was in need of weed eating.  Unfortunately, the weed eater decided to act up and Carter was not able to do a very good job but he was able to go ahead and cut down a few trees to enlarge the parking space in preparation for the Flair's arrival next trip down.  

Thursday:  After clearing the parking area, we loaded the whaler back onto the trailer so Carter could prepare it for another coat of paint.  

On Friday, we drove over to Silver Springs to check out a small trailer for sell that Carter felt would be good for a flip but nope...had too much rust on the underside.

On Saturday, while Carter sanded on the whaler, I had decided to give our mini washer a work out and wash up dirty clothes before returning to Tennessee.  I decided "The Juice Is Not Worth The Squeeze."  LOL

It wasn't as fun as I remember it.

And where was Radar?  

Sleeping like a baby in the back seat of the Venza.

He's a sweet boy.

We finished off this trip with a run to the dump and hauled off all the stuff I pointed out in the video.  

Feels good to have that done.

Tomorrow, Sunday, we plan to pack the Venza back up and finish any little odd jobs we missed.

We will depart for Tennessee very early Monday morning.  I have another appointment with the Urologist on Wednesday.

All missions accomplished.  Good Trip.