Improvements

solar array new cockpit storage

new dodger arrangement

stove top

oven view with storage container underneath

cockpit shower

convoluted plumbing

Main SailJib

For the past two years we've been making upgrades to the boat to make it more comfortable, more energy efficient and the ever important to all males, faster. Through lots of compromise (stifle your laughs at this one please) we now have a much nicer boat. She was nice before but what women doesn't like to feel all dressed up and cared for! Some of the things we've done are new mainsail and jib. Both our old ones were 20 years old and pretty much blown out. The main didn't make such as difference as the jib. On Sancturary, the jib is the driver. The new sail makes the boat much more stable under load. We sailed her the 50 miles from the boatyard in Pensacola to Destin with 10 knots of wind and it was one of the best sails ever. We took the gulf route to avoid all the chainlink netting under the Brooks bridge. We came under the Destin bridge at dusk with a beautiful afterglow of sunset and the super moon rising just above the horizon. Truly breathtaking. Other changes include a new stove/oven combo that operates off of propane. Compressed Natural Gas is a much better and safer choice, but impossible to buy in small quantities as a private buyer outside of Milton, FL. The old stove had been repaired several times so it was an easy decision to change over. David did a masterful job of replacing our old cockpit shower with one that works all the time and you can adjust to hot or cold or somewhere in between. These type of showers are unknown on newer boats so we're lucky ours was plumbed for one. It was an engineering feat involving some very skeptical plumbing supply houses but works well now. On the opposite side of the cockpit he added a bit of much needed storage with a bin. Since most boats are white the cubby had to be painted to match our hull and then he added a nice bit of teak trim to hold whatever we put in there inside. Very classy and useful. A huge investment came in our dodger and bimini arrangement. After a not-so-great arrangement at first, we redesigned after one season and think we have a winner. In the old design, the isenglass was rolled up when not in use. This quickly causes wrinkles which then create spots you can't see through clearly. Not safe. On a trip back from Panama City, I had trouble in determining whether I was looking at a boat in the distance, a navigational mark or just a wrinkle. We bit the bullet and it reworked. At the same time we made the commitment to going solar in a big way. The best place on Sanctuary is over the bimini aft of the boom. We had our bimini structure beefed up to hold the panels. We have one long panel running longways over the bimini between the backstays with two smaller panels on either side. With the wind generator, we should be energy self sufficient on most days. That will allow us to stay at anchor for more days and save some money on slip fees. Plus, when it's hot out, anchoring allows for more efficient use of the breezes. The same shop that built our dodger and bimini did the work on the brackets for the panels. They do an awesome job of making everything look right. Better yet they put up with owner input with grace and fortitude. Right now they are constructing a cockpit surround that will make us warmer in the gulf crossing and dry in a storm. Other major improvements include a new autohelm with a remote controller and a new wind/speed indicator. People laugh when I say I work for boat parts, but it is very true! David make more money but I get us better discounts.