A Welcome To The New Year

2009 has arrived and we look forward to what will be a new year and new beginning for us in our boating adventures. With the change over from sail to trawler we are anxious to get the boat ready and get started on a new cruising agenda. 2008 was an interesting year for us and the presidential race that lasted a lifetime was based on change so it was only fitting we made as many changes as possible. We left Houston, Texas and cruised on our sailboat and home for 17 years along the Gulf coast and East coast to Beaufort, South Carolina. A not too small move but one we are glad we made. The trip was not without some excitement that we could have really done without. For anyone interested in that trip you can find all the details and a whole lot more at our other site, http://sea-trek.blogspot.com/ with info on several of our cruises. Almost as soon as we arrived in South Carolina a buyer for our sailboat presented himself. Almost immediately after we sold Sea Trek, we found our current boat also right here in South Carolina. During the selling and buying process we did a one week boat delivery that took over a month. These in and of themselves were some really big changes for us. Our plan was to head out for the Bahamas by early December on the new boat, but once again life had different plans for us. We don't get too upset about these kinds of things because they always prove to be the best for us in the long run.



We continue to complete projects on the boat. Everything we do is designed to make the boat safer, more comfortable for us and more suitable for the type of cruising we plan to do with her in the future. Just when that will begin we are not quite certain yet. We went through the same process with the last boat until we had her to the point that she was to us, the perfect cruiser. In the last week or so we have continued to refinish the exterior teak which will be a slow and ongoing process. The boats electrical systems are also going to be an ongoing process of upgrading and correcting things that are not quite right. We have just completed installing a ProMariner Galvanic Isolator. This unit is capable of handling two 30 amp services and is one of the only units I could find that is actually tested and approved by Underwriters Laboratories. A cable TV and phone inlet has been installed and cable run through the boat so phones and the cable TV service on the dock can be used. We are currently staying with cell phones instead of a land line.

The engine is getting a paint job with any rust areas treated with Ospho prior to painting. We have also installed a high water alarm for advance warning if we spring a large leak. A new battery box for the house banks is under construction and once completed a second bank will be added. The engine room is also getting a fresh coat of paint as things progress. The projects on the list that we already have the components for are, an oil changer for the engine, a fuel polishing system and completion of the anchor windlass installation. The shower floor still needs to be rebuilt and the shower drains and sump installed. We wish that was it but there are several more on top of that. we will continue to post here as things progress. Wish us luck