Heads or tails it's a dirty job!

I was amazed at how heavy the Skipper II was when I lifted it out of the head.  Looks like it's 80lbs of bronze and porcelain.  Ours leaks, so it's getting rebuilt. Here's the before picture.

Skilled or Unskilled Labor

We all know, whether it’s a house, a car or a boat, day-to-day cleaning and maintenance are as important as bigger maintenance issues and upgrades.  If I had any doubt about my abilities in this area before, it became quite clear to me after I reviewed the to-do list that Jason so diligently put together.  While he is skilled labor, I am decidedly unskilled and have been assigned such tasks as cleaning the rigging, scraping the teak on deck and cleaning the barbeque. 

It is now that I am grateful that he adamantly objected to some of my early dream boats, all of which were externally covered in extensive amounts of teak.  With a huge smile and a gleam in my eye, I would say, “Honey, look at this one! It’s perfect.”  He would say, “No, it has teak decks, too much work.”  He’s a great woodworker, so I just thought he was being lazy.  After all, when you’re cruising, I’m sure there’s plenty of time to do a little woodwork.  But, now that I know I’m the one assigned to woodwork, I’m more than a little thankful.  And whether or not it was his intention, he has given me more time for tanning and reading!  After the current round of teak scraping and cleaning are done, of course.

Don't be condescending to unskilled labor. Try it for a half a day first.
Brooks Atkinson

Nameless for the time being

Vicki and her dad worked long and hard to get the name off the boat.  She's a blank canvas now. Awaiting her new name...Volaré!

Shakedown Sail

Had the boat out for a shakedown sail.  Untied the 3rd reef in the main, which helped with our oversized line friction problems.

OMG…We bought a BAB!

When we knew for sure we wanted to make the jump from our weekend cruiser, a Catalina 34, to a full-fledged cruiser, we had a list of wants, needs and must haves and set a limit of finding it all in a 42-46’ boat.  But when we saw our boat, all 50’ of her, we knew she was the one. 

As the day came closer and closer when she would actually be ours, I started telling friends and doing my best to describe her.  With a glazed deer in the headlight look, they would stammer, “50 feet?…That’s a big boat.”  My reply…yes, it’s a big boat…it’s a big ass boat (BAB).  There isn’t much more to say to those that aren’t familiar with boats.  Some even suggested this would be an appropriate name…more so than the hurricane she previously shared a name with.  But alas, we settled on Volaré, inspired by the Gypsy Kings’ version of the classic Italian song.

We have an extensive “to do” list  that includes both repairs and upgrades.  We will share with you our progress as we work our way through it; and hopefully, there will be those of you that will share your insights and lessons as we share our successes and trials.

And so, the journey begins. 

The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.
Eleanor Roosevelt