New transom paint & lettering

Getting ready to head out late next week. I repainted the transom and added new lettering.
Watch for more updates as we start our long trek north.

Motor mounts

After much weeping and gnashing of teeth, and the teaching of a few choice words to Morgan, the brand new motor mounts are in at the front of the engine. The back ones will have to last a while longer. At $150 each, we just can't afford 4 at a time. The front 2 actually had broken studs.
Yanmar mounts are specific to each engine, with different mounts front & rear. Not wise to use cheaper after-market knock-offs.
Now comes the pain in the neck task of re-alignment of the engine & prop shaft. Ugh!
A test run in neutral shows a much quieter, smoother running engine.
Last week we put in two new thermostats. Now the motor runs at the right temp & we have hot water! The new heat exchanger works!
Little by little we're becoming a boat. May 1 is fast approaching.
Jane - didn't mean to leave you out, just not up to speed on this update thing. We'll be there.
Tim & Julie - if red boat won't get to the Keys by May, how about a visit @ Titusville like last time?
Chandra - after school, how about a stop in the outer banks?

Mattress closes

Last evening was bittersweet. "Once Upon a Mattress" finished its scheduled run. After last night's performance we dismantled the set to clear the stage for the next production "Forever Plaid."
It was sad to see the show come to an end. It has been so much fun and we got to spend time with some wonderful people. We will miss them. On the other hand, our evenings are now free and we can turn our attention to getting the boat read for our planned cruise this summer.
As of right now the big projects that need doing are 1) replace the broken motor mounts and 2) get the standing rigging checked. We would have liked to haul out and do a few things on the bottom, but time and finances aren't in alignment for that yet. We may do a haulout somewhere along the route to get those things done. (Bottom paint, a couple of seacocks, etc.)
Our plan, as it stands now, is to leave Boot Key Harbor somewhere around the first week of May. We'll stop at Driftwood for a few days to retrieve a few things we left on Walkure, give Walkure a good cleaning so she looks presentable for her as yet undiscovered new owners. (If you know anyone in the market for a great boat to "do the Loop." let us know.) Once that is done we plan to race north as quickly as we can to the Chesapeake, see a few things we missed last time, like maybe the Outer Banks, and then finish the Loop in Kingston, NY. It's only been 6 years!
Once we cross our wake we will spend some time with Mike and Kari in Albany, then sail back down the Hudson, work our way through Long Island Sound to Cape Cod, the Vinyard and Nantucket. We'll spend some time with family in MA, then start back south. We expect Jack Frost will be chasing us back down to the Keys.
It's an ambitious trip, but a good part of it is familiar territory since we did it in Walkure. It's only the Chesapeake to Hudson and Hudson to MA sections that we haven't done. With a bigger, heavier, faster boat, we should be OK.
Start watching for updates on a more regular basis now that the show is closed and we are really gearing up for a long cruise. I already canned 9 pounds of chicken for our larder, this week I'll do the same with some ground turkey. The beer and wine are piling up and we are gradually adding to our stock of non-perishables. The less often we have to stop for provisions, the faster the trip will be.

Here's a shot of me as the Wizard, quizzing "Princess #12" in Once Upon a Mattress.

Just testing

Just trying out the Blogger app for our smartphone. If it works it will make updates easier under way. Just over a month until we start our trek north for the summer.

A visit from my son.

My son Mike flew down with his significant other, Kari, last week to spend some time and to see "Once Upon a Mattress" (featuring his Dad as the Wizard.) Although their visit was way too short, we had a great time and they got to see some of the Keys sights.
Here are a couple of shots of their visit.

Mike at the Hemingway House

Mike and Kari watching sunset at Mallory Square

At the famous "Mile 0"

 

 

 

 

Yep, they saw the Southernmost Point

Although neither of them is really a "boat person," they adapted quite well to the dinghy rides to and from shore and even managed to sleep well on board. Of course, being able to give them their own stateroom, small as it is, helped a lot to make them comfortable. One of the joys of a larger boat.
I think they had a good time. I know we all ate well including a breakfast at the Stuffed Pig!
On a somewhat less happy note, this week I discovered that two of the four motor mounts on the engine are broken. So now it's a trip to the Yanmar dealer to order a new set. I plan on replacing all four. If two went bad, can the other two be far behind? Then I'll have to figure out how to support the engine while I change out the mounts. At least it's "only" 350 pounds! And we now know the source of that vibration we were getting under power.

New salon floor

Well...I know it's been a while since we updated here on our progress with the refit. There just hasn't been much in the way of new pictures. But today we finally have something to share. While Bev was in California visiting her grandson, I tore out the old salon floor (a umpteen layers) and built a whole new floor. I built a whole grid over and alongside to original floor joists, topped that with 3/4" play and some wood-grain vinyl. I still have to run new moldings around the edge, but I think it's starting to look quite good.

Walkure for sale!

It is with deeply mixed emotions that Bev and I have come to the decision that Walkure must find a new home. We have tried for a year to get someone in the family to take over our beloved AS-29 but alas, no one is able to do it.
We love this boat, and she has been good to us. She has seen us safely through over 7,000 miles of cruising from the Great Lakes to the Florida Keys and just about everywhere in between. She is the perfect boat for the Great Loop and has served us well in that capacity, but the time has come to move on.
Our "new" boat, Queequeg, is larger and faster and a bit more ocean capable. We have nearly completed the refit of Queequeg and will be cruising her this summer. Meanwhile, Walkure sits on the hard and will soon be in need of some attention. A loving owner will have no trouble bringing her into cruising trim quite quickly. As of now, she needs some cleaning, some new batteries, perhaps a new line or two, some fresh varnish on her brightwork and she'll be ready to go.
We will be away from Marathon for about 6 months starting in late April or early May and we dread the thought of her lying here without us to care for her for so long. Also, it is just too expensive for us to continue to maintain and store two boats.
If you are interested in taking possession of a truly unique and remarkable boat, please leave a comment on this blog. Reasonable offers will be entertained, but we are not giving her away, she means too much to us.