We're Off

We managed to get it all put away and we're ready to go.

We pulled away from Ft. Walton Yacht Club at 7:30am with the group of Spring Fling boats. This is s great group of people who enjoy cruising and seeing new sights and spending time with friends. We'll be with them until we jump off to cross the gulf. We'll be in company with a few other boats at that time, too. We'll be the safety backup for each other and we'll have someone to toast a successful crossing at Tarpon Springs.

THANKS

We had a weather delay until Sunday the 29th. We've been loading gear in driving rain all week and it has been a challenge to keep things dry. Fortunately we've managed to fix the leaks in the boat so once we had the stuff on board it stayed dry. The extra day has given us a chance to tie up loose ends on the boat and at the house. We made it to Mass tonight to cover all the bases.

We have some truly great friends and neighbors helping to make this trip possible. They're taking care of the yard, plants, mail and generally keeping an eye on things. Our favorite youngest daughter, Martha, has taken Oreow the family cat into her home. He likes her way better than us anyway so it should be a happy time for them both.

The next post will hopefully be from somewhere out there, probably Panama City.

Where Will It All Go???

Provisioning for a 2 month long trip is a real challenge. I don't want to spend all my time at a harbor shopping for stuff so I'm trying to anticipate just how much food, shampoo, beer, wine and other essentials to take. The real trick is finding a place for it all to fit. So far, over 30 bags of groceries and several cases of beer and soda have been stowed along with toiletries, computer and other electronic gear and a portable solar panel. We'll see if she still floats once it's all aboard.

Back in the Water, Looking Lovely

She's still on the stands but all polished and painted with new name graphics.

Getting Sanctuary back in the water was a good feeling. She had needed a new coat of bottom paint and there was a leaky through-hull fitting that needed to be replaced. Dave had a hard time (engine died with a 30 knot wind blowing him up on a bridge, etc) but being a skilled and lucky sailor it all worked out. All the mechanical issues have been dealt with and we have spare parts and tools to deal with the ones that will inevitably pop up.

Not Ready For Prime Time Sailors

The transom is taped and prepped waiting for the new paint.

Heat exchanger is all nice and clean.

The engine is all apart, the cabin is all apart and the new storage bins are waiting to be installed. It will be done by the 28th!!!

Why You Clean Boat Bottoms

These are the spots left with hard growth from the slings that hauled the boat out. Before they pressure washed it, the entire hull and keel looked like this. Dave cleans the bottom on a regular basis so this is only about 6 weeks growth. Boats that aren't cleaned get a really thick "beard". The new bottom paint should retard the growth but it's only good for about 2-3 years. Sea critters love the warm water so it's always an issue on the gulf coast.

Sanctuary Comes Out of the Water

The last huge step in getting ready is a new bottom paint job on Sanctuary. We had her pulled out and the process has begun. First they scrape any hard growth, usually barnacles off the hull then pressure wash to get the slimy soft growth. Then they'll sand and roll on ablative paint. For non-boaters that is paint that comes off as the boat moves through the water. The idea being that growth comes off with the paint. A good job should last 2-3 years with regular underwater cleanings. David has been great about doing that with scuba gear. However, our last bottom job was in April of 05 so we are past due. While the boat is out we're replacing a below waterline though-hull fitting and petcock for flushing the head (toilet) with sea water. It has been a source of a bad leak for the past year but can only be repaired during a haul out. We're also having the transom (back of the boat) scraped and painted with poly and having a new name and hailing port made by some friends at the Yacht Club, Jenifer and Sam Grant. They are both very artistic and have the connections to have it made. The yard in Shalimar will let us work inside the boat while it's in the cradle so we'll be able to keep pressing on with other repairs and preparations.

New Additions to Sanctuary

One of the big purchases we've made for the boat has been a new mainsail and cruising spinnaker. Both were built by Hunter Riddle of Schurr Sails in Pensacola. We've been very pleased with the increased performance and better boat handling. We've never owned a spinnaker before and it's been a real learning adventure! We've also replaced the old dodger and bimini with new ones. This gives Dave standing head room at the wheel and keeps us warmer during winter sailing. All the glass (thick plastic really) zips out easily for summer sailing.