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(Continued from page 2)
- With the help of good friends, and lots of money, I re-did the entire boat to make it ready for blue water sailing.
- We re-wired the entire boat for 12 V; up-dated the water systems; sanded and scraped ad infinitum; re-built the engine; repaired the steering; added solar panels and batteries; patched and repaired everything; repaired the mast where it had 3 feet of dry rot; added a thousand pounds of nuts and bolts!; repaired the bottom, keels and bulkhead; replaced the transom that had dry rot; added new fittings, cables, lines, sails .......and on and on!
- I learned more about fixing boats than I ever wanted to know!! I helped with most of the work and painted the whole boat by myself.
- I had a lady who was going to cruise with me; she came to Texas and we thought we could be friends and do this by ourselves. As things turned out, it was not a really good pairing and she went back home after a couple of weeks on the water.
- We left Rockport, TX on Nov. 15 - before the boat was really ready. Along the way, we had problems with the engine - hoses popping off, oil and diesel fuel all over the place, as well as with steering. When we got to Galveston, we stopped and replaced the steering mechanism with cables. After we left, our propeller shaft didn't work! The engine was running fine, but the prop didn't turn! PLUS we started taking on water. That's when the USCG came out to rescue us and hauled us to Galveston! I had the boat hauled out and lost my partner all on the same day!
So there you know more than you wanted to know!!
Right now, I'm in Kemah, Texas - doing a bit of freelance work with my computer: web pages, clerical work...that type of thing.
The dream of sailing is as much alive today as it was that glorious day in November when we left Rockport headed for grand adventures. It has just changed a little bit.
Next page for Info on the boat.
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