So those of you who've been scoring at home know that Kris and I are looking for a liveaboard to make step one (or two) toward our new life of cruising.
Love and Coconuts is the dinghy that we picked up this past fall to work on important skills, like sailing a sailboat with sails, so we will be ready when buy the big boat. And this blog here, the original, is meant to track our progress toward making that big move.
We have seen a few boats and even made one offer, just because it seemed like a good chance to pick up something that might meet our needs for a great price.
Today we looked at a couple of big cruisers up in Seattle. The first, a 1995 Island Packet 45 is fantastic shape and fully kitted out for offshore cruising.
The second, a 1991 Tayana 55, would cost about $50k less, but would require about that invested to get it ready to go offshore.
The Tayana is very attractive and incredible. With a 16' beam, the saloon could probably double as a ballroom dance studio. And the master stateroom has a true walkaround queen bed. I've seeen a lot of boats with advertised 'walk around' beds, that end up being the sort you can edge about midway up the bed and then you run out of room. This bed is truly walkable on three sides.
I won't go on about all of the appealing things in this boat, but, my god there are a lot. And, at once appealing and terrifying is the amount of sail this thing can put up. The yacht broker commented that it is probably viewable from a satellite in space with all of the sails up. I wouldn't doubt it.
We'd need the five+ years we have coming before we would have the confidence to sail this thing. I imagine we'd have to find some crew to really run it right. Although, ahem, electric winches ... giddyup!
The IP was a solid confidence-instilling cutter rigged bluewater boat. And, with two massive heads and fiddles and handholds everywhere it's truly a cruiser.
So, maybe we get one, maybe not, either way we are educated and have discovered that this process is going to require a lot more question asking before we start to get close to the point where we begin to answer some questions.
More broadening before the narrowing.
Much more broadening.
Our work is cut out for us.
Meanwhile, we drove out to Pier 90-91. The USS Wabash, oiler that I served in, moored there when we came town. There's a new marina right next door; well, maybe it's 20+ years old. We walked the shoreline, watched some folks sail, and had a Spanish coffee as the sun set on a beautiful springy day in Seattle.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Thursday, February 19, 2009
The Caged Lion, the Little Dog, the Old Lady, and the Thickheaded Sailing Wannabe
When I sailed a couple of weeks ago, I believe it was my season opener, I came back to the dock to adjust something on the boat and as I approached an older woman walking a small dog (the size and disposition of which my sister refers to as a punting dog), hurried down the rampway and waved at me.
I came alongside the dock as she came down to where I was slipping in and she asked if I was from the sailing club (Willamette Sailing Club is a couple hundred meters downriver from my regular boat launch). I said I wasn't.
She then asked if I was sailing in the snow last month, meaning January, because she had taken some pictures from up on the hill of somebody out in the snow and left them at the club. I said that couldn't have been me, as I was out of town.
She then said, "Oh, you must be the one who capsized," which sounds a lot friendlier here in print than it did when she delivered it.
In fact, it sounded so superior that I nearly laughed, reminded of a haughty stereotype of a country club wife.
I smiled and said, "Well, yes, I've tipped this thing over and I'll probably do it again, if you want to know the truth. I tend to find the limits of my abilities nearly every day of my life."
She wandered off after this, a bit crestfallen in my estimation.
That happens to me occasionally. Someone pokes a stick in the cage and tries to rattle the lion, and I'm getting more and more used to the poking and relatively comfortable in my cage, and I tend to shrug it off and move along.
That said, I've really enjoyed all of the ribbing I've taken from you all, as it seems to come from a more genuine place.
As for my own jabs, gybes, pokes, and blunders, I hope they are taken in the same spirit. If not, please send me a note. I'm a little thick, and, although fully capable of sensing when I'm getting the brushback, I'm a much better signal reader when the letters are in a serif-font delivered directly to my inbox.
I believe in community and have a strong desire to belong to a community of people I respect. That's not my original thought, but it is something I ascribe to. I also think that community shifts and changes and moves along. We are players, with our exits and entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts - wait! That's good. I gotta get that down. Maybe start if off with something like, All the world's a stage ...
After teasing everyone about their winter navel-gazing, I'm in the same boat thanks to some old lady and her dog. Thank dog the sun came out this week.
Much aloha!
I came alongside the dock as she came down to where I was slipping in and she asked if I was from the sailing club (Willamette Sailing Club is a couple hundred meters downriver from my regular boat launch). I said I wasn't.
She then asked if I was sailing in the snow last month, meaning January, because she had taken some pictures from up on the hill of somebody out in the snow and left them at the club. I said that couldn't have been me, as I was out of town.
She then said, "Oh, you must be the one who capsized," which sounds a lot friendlier here in print than it did when she delivered it.
In fact, it sounded so superior that I nearly laughed, reminded of a haughty stereotype of a country club wife.
I smiled and said, "Well, yes, I've tipped this thing over and I'll probably do it again, if you want to know the truth. I tend to find the limits of my abilities nearly every day of my life."
She wandered off after this, a bit crestfallen in my estimation.
That happens to me occasionally. Someone pokes a stick in the cage and tries to rattle the lion, and I'm getting more and more used to the poking and relatively comfortable in my cage, and I tend to shrug it off and move along.
That said, I've really enjoyed all of the ribbing I've taken from you all, as it seems to come from a more genuine place.
As for my own jabs, gybes, pokes, and blunders, I hope they are taken in the same spirit. If not, please send me a note. I'm a little thick, and, although fully capable of sensing when I'm getting the brushback, I'm a much better signal reader when the letters are in a serif-font delivered directly to my inbox.
I believe in community and have a strong desire to belong to a community of people I respect. That's not my original thought, but it is something I ascribe to. I also think that community shifts and changes and moves along. We are players, with our exits and entrances, and one man in his time plays many parts - wait! That's good. I gotta get that down. Maybe start if off with something like, All the world's a stage ...
After teasing everyone about their winter navel-gazing, I'm in the same boat thanks to some old lady and her dog. Thank dog the sun came out this week.
Much aloha!
Yaghan's RTW
Been following this Swedish couple on their circumnav. They are a couple hundred nm from Brazil and will cross their departure path there, thereby completing a round trip.
They will celebrate with a ten-day stop in Brazil during Carnival!
They have some links in their blog to good video of their adventures on Swedish TV, also.
They will celebrate with a ten-day stop in Brazil during Carnival!
They have some links in their blog to good video of their adventures on Swedish TV, also.
Junior Returns to Seattle! And so do we.
Kris and I are off to Seattle for the weekend. We are going for fun, but also planning on looking at boats while we are up there. Our strongest desire was to check out catamarans, but apparently any catamarans that get purchased in Seattle end up sailing off for warmer latitudes in short order. So, not many to see.
There are, however, some pretty great deals on some sweet cruising monohulls, including a Tayana 55 and an IP 45.
Meanwhile the sailing (and drifting) skills continue to build over here.
Aloha!
There are, however, some pretty great deals on some sweet cruising monohulls, including a Tayana 55 and an IP 45.
Meanwhile the sailing (and drifting) skills continue to build over here.
Aloha!
Friday, February 13, 2009
I'm Such a Child
I'm so happy that our 44th President read his autobiography for the books on tape version. 'Cause now I get to keep these mp3s until the secret service invades my MacBook and snatches'em along with my fries...
Monday, February 9, 2009
Stomping the Koala
Which one of you blogger people turned me on to this blog: F%c& You Penguin?
C'mon, 'fess up. I suspect the GPW.
Why do I love this blog so much? Is there something wrong with me? Has this blogger tapped into a deep, dark spot in my soul that resents the eff out of cute little animals? Is this blogger drinking my milkshake?
Or is it something less nefarious? Something that I should just let flow and enjoy, a natural contraction occurring after the expansion of the past year?
Sigh.
C'mon, 'fess up. I suspect the GPW.
Why do I love this blog so much? Is there something wrong with me? Has this blogger tapped into a deep, dark spot in my soul that resents the eff out of cute little animals? Is this blogger drinking my milkshake?
Or is it something less nefarious? Something that I should just let flow and enjoy, a natural contraction occurring after the expansion of the past year?
Sigh.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Three Sails Under my Boom
And two others under clipper/schooner booms in Key West.
Been posting like a demon over here. It's a good year, so far.
Been posting like a demon over here. It's a good year, so far.
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