Cruising - Take II

August 11, 2008

So last year cruising didn't work out too well. But, this year, we are so much more ready. The boat has been on the hard at Eastern Yacht Sales, in Hingham, MA. We got a couple of offers on it, and we even found an IP 40 that we loved. All deals fell through, so we are sticking with the John Ray for our travels. Steve has been working diligently all summer on the boat and she is ready for launching - tomorrow in fact.

Work that's been done: First the bottom was repaired. (Oh, that said rock, not dock!) Then the bottom was soda blasted, polygripped and painted. Steve also spent weeks, sanding and then buffing the hull. She looks new! He also sewed new hatch, winch and helm covers. He also installed a new solar panel (yeah) :-) and additional batter capability. We should be able to run the refridgerator all the time. In addition, we now have 12v charger outlets for all our electronic needs. There are many more little improvements too numerous to list. For example, we now have a working transducer.

Insulated back stays are being installed for the Ham radio which allows us sailmail and additional communication capabilities, including position reporting. Many more updates will be forthcoming so stay tuned.