What are our plans?

It's been a long time since I've posted since our return.  I've been very busy working at Hospice of the Western Reserve, boat projects, knitting and just living.  Every once in a while, I have been returning to my blog and checking on the blogs I have been following living vicariously through them for our next trip.  YES we will have a next trip!    Our plans are to leave June 2013 and cruise for up to 2 years.  You know how plans are - subject to change - but there you have it.  Why are we leaving in June instead of September you may ask?  We want to go to The Thousand Islands for a few weeks, somehow get to the Hudson river and visit friends that we met along the way, cruise in Long Island Sound, around the Chesapeake Bay and make it down south to beat the cold.  Even though we have our handy dandy propane 2 mantle camp lantern to keep us warm, we hope not to have to use it too much.

So between last winter and this past summer Phil and I have been doing many boat projects:

New foam and recover the cushions in the salon.  We had the plastic on to protect from dirty while Phil was working on the boat.  The new foam on the seat is firm but soft enough so my bottoms doesn't get sore from sitting too long and I can even sleep on the port settee when on a passage and not wake up too sore.

Phil made hard dodger top and replaced our canvas bimini with a hard dodger also this spring.  It took until September/October until we could get the chance to sew up the canvas and windows.  I still need to add zippers so we can row up the middle window when it's warm.  We sure are going to like this update and already had a chance to try it out on Lake Erie for sailing on a cool day.  Works great!

This shows the completed Dodger, Bimini and Go Between on a beautiful fall day.


Phil Only Projects: 
replaced the motor mounts;  had the the starter and alternater rebuilt, sent out to  rebuilt the hydraulic
backstay adjuster (sent out); for the bottom, he sanded all the paint off the bottom. (down to the lead on keel) 4 barrier coats of Pettit Protect, 2 coats of Trinidad SR bottom paint. Sent the Max prop out to be reconditioned.  Phil replaced the blocks under the propane locker that had dry rotted with Black Walnut blocks.  New cheeks on the bow roller so that the chain does roll over the sides when raising the anchor. 
He worked on the V-berth smell I was complaining on the whole trip - removed the holding tank, sent out to have the new inlet and outlet nipples welded into the tank. Then he re-routed the vent hose so there no dips in it.  It's better but at timse still there is a smell.  Guess I'll just have to get use to it.

Another new piece of equipment that Phil put in early this spring was a VHF radio with AIS.  Boy do I love this!!!  Worked well on a passage over to Canada at night - saw a light in the distance indicating a freighter - now with the AIS connected to our GPS, I was able to tell immediately that the freighter would pass behind us.  Immediate relief on any anxiety that I had and Phil could continue to sleep. 


A good improvement was Phil replaced the life lines on both sides of the stern with SS rails and new lifelines.  That will make it nice to hang all the stuff that cruisers hang off the stern.

Before Spring I want to make side panels that attach to the go-between canvas between the Dodger and Bimini - made the pattern already.  Phil is planning on buying 2 solar panels, new forward Hatch and an automatic tuner for the SSB.

I'll try to post a little more.  Thanks to the 69 people who checked out my blog this past week even though I been so long in updating it.  I do plan on posting on a much more regular basis once we have left.

God Bless to everyone.  To our cruising friends - Fair wind and following seas!

Lorraine