Spring Fever Hitting Hard...

Less than a week till Spring and the temps are getting warmer and the fever is hitting harder. The rudder has been repaired and the engine work is starting. Something called engine stringers are being checked. I think it has to do with supporting the engine. Something else I need to learn. At least i know what a tachometer is! That and the engine mounts are being replaced as well. The marina had Soteria in the water and the Yanmar performed great. Replacing the cutlass bearing helped take away a lot of the shaking. Elden wants to put a three blade prop on. That should help with propwalk. That's when the boat is in reverse and wants to go in a direction other than straight.

Plans to go in May are progressing as well. We are discussing whether or not to stay in NC or put our home base in FL. No state income tax! We'll see what we decide when we get there.

Hopefully we can get some photos to post in the future. Next post will be the reason and definition of Soteria's name...

Getting closer!

It's now 29 days til Spring and 130 till we move aboard. We are still sorting, packing and giving away stuff we didn't know we had. The house will be put on the market in March with the firm belief it will sell for what we want. Now if only the snow would melt and we can fix up the yard a bit. We will be putting our other boats up for sale shortly, too. Three is really too many for now.

"Soteria" is having her rudder repaired and engine checked, so the insurance was upgraded from hard storage to minimal sailing. The weather out East hasn't been the greatest with it even snowing in Washington. A new prop, tachometer and a little more moisture repairs should be finished by April The marina has been great to deal with and is one of the main reasons we love it there. The plan as of today is to go out in late May for two weeks to start moving our stuff on board and to get in as much sailing as we can before taking our next ASA classes. We want to be able to handle her with confidence when we do. We also want to see about outfitting solar panels and led lights aboard, too.

It is still a little bit unreal, realizing that at this time next year we will be out there, on the water, who knows where: Florida, Georgia or South Carolina. But at least not in Iowa! We will miss the people we work with and the friends we have made, but are looking forward to meeting new friends during this new adventure.

47 Days and Counting....

Spring is 47 days (ok, I can't count today) away and it only took one day at the Strictly Sail show in Chicago to really get spring fever. It was good but smaller, both in exhibitors and visitors. This made it easier to talk to the vendors and find out exactly what we needed. A "green" vendor has the solar panels we are interested in and they will ship anywhere. That's good news as I really didn't want to take them on the train or ship from Iowa to NC. The book guys were missing, so the ICW guide we wanted will have to wait till April or May when we take the preliminary trip to set up the boat.
More later as the updates on the boat continue!

Think Spring!

Ok, so it's still January and the temperature hasn't gone above 10 degrees for the past two weeks, BUT the Strictly Sail Chicago show is coming up and then it's only 2 months till Spring! The engine work has started with the fuel filter being replaced by a Yanmar spin-on 60gph fuel separator. The tune up won't happen until we get her in the water, either April or May. That depends on vacation approval at work. Either way, most of the upgrades should be done by then.
And the fun begins with putting the house up for sale and packing away the keepers, getting rid of everything else and starting to unpack the boat stuff.
Its amazing what you can fit into a smaller space! Living in a sailboat is going to be an adventure, if not at the least interesting.

Electrical update

Another fix has been completed since the last posting. The shore power electrical panel has been replaced and upgraded to a marine safe panel from a Menard's special. It also was relocated for easy access. The next step is the Raycor fuel filter replacement. This cuts the list to more than half done. The blocks that the engine sit on will likely be replaced this coming month as they are at least 30+ years old.
Spring can't come soon enough for us. Cabin fever, so to speak, has set in with a vengeance as we have less to fix and the daylight is starting to get longer. As photos become available, we will post them for all to see.

Spring is coming!

Winter Blues

As of this posting, Soteria has been winterized and put away for the winter. Upgrades will continue as the weather allows. It's sad that we'll never sail on the Mississippi River in our old boat again, but the anticipation of starting a new sailing experience is starting to get a hold of us. Boxes of "stuff" are piling up as we started packing up the house. Boxes that go and those that stay. The go pile is taking up most of the living room! Hopefully, the kids will take some of it and the rest goes to The Salvation Army. It never ceases to be amazing what you can collect over the years.
More later as we progress towards retirement.

Upgrades galore!

Getting prepared for next year involves upgrades to Soteria. Resetting portlights and hatches were small time, but the bigger problem of moisture in the cockpit area has been addressed to no small expense, but worth it. Next will be the engine mounts, cutlass bearing, new fuel filter, tachometer, replacing the shaft seal and new prop. The saying "A boat is a hole in the water you pour water into", is sooo true.
It may seem that we are are spending way too much on this stuff, but this is going to be our home for at least the next two years. So it's sort of like investing in your home.
Sorting through all the stuff from our old boat has been enlightening as well. It is amazing just how much stuff you can fit in a 26' sailboat! I only hope we don't cram in too much on this one!
More to come as the time comes closer to moving on board.

The beginning...

As of June 2009, an Endeavour 32 sailboat named Rajah, became our future cruising home. The almost uncanny events of how she became Soteria are as unique as her new name. When we left Iowa to check out yacht brokers along the East coast of North Carolina and south, little did we realize that our "dream boat" was waiting in Washington, NC. We had checked the web the day before we left and really didn't see anything in our price range or wish list, but we still went expecting a relaxing vacation.

We stopped by McCotters Marina, (our chosen future home port and frequent stop for the past 4 years), and started looking around. Henry Mallard just happened to have a new listing of an Endeavour 32 (first coincidence). It hadn't even been fully updated on their site yet. The price was right and she was basically all we were wanting, but wanted to be sure. So enter the surveyor. 7 hours, 1 great sail on the Pamlico River and $620.00 later(second coincidence), we were fairly sure she was "it". After checking the survey report, we made an offer. Now, the original price was $19,900.00(and the third coincidence). The offer was $1,225.00 less due to a few things that needed fixing. The owners accepted and $$ changed hands and she was ours!

Now to explain the coincidences:
1. McCotters is to be our home port. Rajah's owners lived across the inlet and McCotters were their work marina.
2.The surveyor's fee of $620.00 was exactly one of my paychecks, to the penny.
and finally
3. The list price of Rajah was $19,900.00 the exact Bible chapter and verse (Luke 19:9), where we found her new name two years before. (You'll have to wait for a later post to find out what it means!)

We never stood a chance! Most would say "just coincidences", but we both agree that God has had His hands on this since the beginning. We firmly believe that this is His plan for us both, and that He will continue to guide us as we go on.

So, now the real work begins. The items that needed fixing are being worked on in Washington, NC. We have renamed her Soteria with the christening to occur next spring right before Elden retires and I pre-retire in late June 2010.

Photos and a more detailed description will follow in the months to come as we prepare to become full-time liveaboards!