Norfolk, VA
To see as much of the world as we can,
Using the smallest carbon footprint we can,
Spending the least amount of money we can,
Making as many friends we can.
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me a Ford Lehman engine.
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, 2 full berths.
On the third day of Christmas, my true love gave to me 3 little anchors.
On the fourth day …
The interesting part of an older boat is older parts.
That's my knotmeter paddlewheel. Normally, this is the kind of thing that hangs just below the hull, not readily visible.
It's out of the boat because some of the little paddles are bent.
The company that made this has a …
Life is full of little anchors that tie us down and hold us in one place.
Some anchors are good -- friends, family, church, school, work. These are part of our social context. They give us a foundation for who we are and the things we do.
Some anchors are not …
Dana posted this on Facebook.
"Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what makes you come alive, and go do that, because what the world needs is people who have come alive." Howard Thurman
I think that describes what this "boat thing" is all about.
Appropriate for this …
Let's talk some more about Team Red names. Response to Pick a Name was good -- lots of ideas.
Too cute: Redmund Fitzgerald, Red Zeppelin.
While some names are aspirational, some names are historical -- they show what the owner does when off the water or what the owner did to get …
There are lots of lists. Some lists are obvious. Some lists no one told you about. We'll get to the "other" lists in a bit.
You start with a candidate boat list, and you cross some off, circle others, write little notes and pictures and do a lot of ruminating …
The final dance is over.
The wire transfers are finished. We've had the keys since last weekend, but the job's not over until the paperwork is done.
We'll pick the paperwork up Saturday. The original Coast Guard vessel documentation was surrendered. For $180 we can document this vessel under new …
A Marine Surveyor is a necessary CYA step. It appears that you can't buy a boat from a reputable broker without a survey. I suppose that's because you shouldn't buy a boat without a professional survey.
Unlike cars, boats appear to have a longer life and more complex set of …
It seems so sudden. We moved to Norfolk at the end of September. We're closing a deal on a boat in December. We're doing wire transfers of large piles of money.
First, this took us several years. We'll look at that first. Also, this will involve an alarming amount of …
In The Karmic Bond, we noted three connections.
Months ago, Wayne L. told us to look at Whitby's.
There was this peculiar moment of Jonathan calling me while I was standing outside his office.
Jonathan showed us the Whitby before we knew to ask about it.
We noted another. The …
Useful Links for charts and cruising guides
www.earthnc.com. Specifically -- my prospective home base: Jackson Creek.
www.charts.noaa.gov. Specifically chart 12235.
When did this start? Let's leave out the distant past -- Family Learn to Sail on Lake George in 1997 and events like that. That's too long ago and too shrouded in the mists of recollection to be very interesting.
Let's look at the immediate past. The packing-up and moving-out past …
It's hard to know what the "perfect" boat might be. And it's hard to know what price to put on that boat. Pricing is almost impossible unless you buy and sell boats on a regular basis. For mere civilians like us, how can we know what to offer?
Who do …
Nancy adds to the general level of hand-wringing with this: "Its not like buying a house because you don't have that added dimension of the location making the decision. I can't imagine the buyers remorse on a boat and --- what if you see the best one ever the week after …
Looked at a Whitby 42 today.
A lot to think about. The BoatUS Review. The Cruising World Review. The Whitby-Brewer Owner's Association. Sailboat Owners Review.
Other Whitby 42 cruiser logs: Summerthor. Pilgrim. Maggie Drum. Maya. Corus. Osteoflyte. Caribbean Soul.
There are plenty of boats with extensive, sophisticated cruising logs. That's …
New Furniture arrived at the Team Red offices this afternoon. No more $45 folding tables from Staples (which aren't available anymore). We're moving up to real AnthroCart tables.
The instructions have "helpful assembly tips" I wish the tips included these.
Stop drinking at least an hour before trying to assemble …
Our short list was based on OPO -- Other People's Opinions. We don't know enough to have an informed opinion on various boats.
After a few hours with a professional, however, a few things became clear. We have specific needs and preferences. Even though we don't know much about the wide …
The Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal connects Chesapeake Bay and Albemarle Sound. This is part of the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway ("The Ditch"), which connects Norfolk, Virginia, to Brownsville, Texas.
The ditch starts near buoy #36 in the Elizabeth River, about a half-hour walk from our place.
Above is the Atlantic Yacht …
Found the Trouser Rollers blog. This lead us to their Cruising Handbook and the Desirable Attributes list that describes their dream boat.
This is in addition to resources like The Voyager's Handbook by Beth Leonard and Evans Starzinger. And the Mahina Expeditions Cruising pages.
Did I mention discussion forums?
Of …
Saw this advertisement for a Morgan 38. If the pictures are accurate, it's in fabulous shape, with a number of important features. A bit rich, price-wise.
There's no reason to go all ga-ga over what is -- essentially -- just a boat that caught my eye.
The problem is that it's really …
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