The (Bowline?) Knot Has Been Tied!

We've done it! As of the Winter Solstice 2014 we are officially married and, as I keep reminding Jon, legally obligated to get along. As I've never been one to fantasize about or even want a wedding, it turned out perfectly. The cost was low, it was outside in a pretty park, minimal eyes were on me, and the whole thing was over in less than 30 minutes. I coordinated my wool coat to be part of my ensemble, and neither of us spent any money on our outfits. Actually, I did the math and all in all the entire wedding cost about $260 ($100 for the judge, $7 for flowers, $58 for the license, and about $95 for the celebratory dinner and drinks with our witnesses afterwards). OK, this doesn't include my ring but we were able to get it for 40% off =]. We wanted to minimize cost in order to have more money to throw at the boat and at moving expenditures later next year.

We were running late getting ready, mainly because we had a lazy morning since the wedding wasn't until 2:45 PM (I thought we may as well time it to the actual solstice, 3:03 PM PST). That was the only stressful part of the day. As soon as we got to the park and for the rest of the day, I was excited and giddy. I am not outwardly expressive with my emotions, and I am one of the last ones to cry in front of others, but I confess I started to tear up during the ceremony. I was nervous repeating such solemn vows, and I was relieved I didn't mess them up at all.

I'm still debating on whether/how much to change my name. I've spent 30 years with it and I guess you could say I've grown attached to it, as I'm sure we all do. Does a name not become part of a person's identity? It's also possible I'm attaching too much importance to it, a la "A rose by any other name..." The feminist/anti-conformist in me says not to do it, while another part says to just go ahead and hyphenate. We'll see which side wins out.

The whole thing was quite a surprise to family and friends, except for the few who were informed beforehand (mainly by Jon, who has a tough time keeping secrets :D). I figured I'd rather let people know afterwards in order to minimize awkwardness/hurt feelings about not being invited.We are planning on having dual receptions later next year, however; one on the West coast and one on the East coast. Plus, a honeymoon that will consist of a weekend in a cabin deep in the snow-covered woods will occur in the next month or two.

For now, after spending Christmas with my family, we are both back at work while I finish up my day job in order to pursue my private practice full time. My last day is New Year's Eve and we are hoping to take our MacGregor out for a sail and camping that night, but with dropping temperatures we'll see what happens. It's going to be a great year!

Here's the video of our ceremony:

Enjoy!

Will You Sail with Me?

          I have not written in a while, and seeing as this blog is all about our life adventure, I figured I should include you in some of the major stepping stones. For those of you who do not know us personally and have not heard the great news, I have asked Amanda to be my First Mate (lets be honest, she's the Captain). She affirmed with a hardy, "Aye Aye!" And so it is, I've snagged a siren of my own. If Drumbeat where here, there would be played a mighty percussion from the deck to announce my joy for all to hear. Maybe it is the luck of all who find their love, but I am still amazed and excited about the prospects of us taking on the world together.

          With that being said, we have also finalized our wedding plans and shall be wed before the week is through. So there shall be a wedding on the day of the winter solstice. We will be travelling away from the sun as individuals and as the earth returns back to its warm host, we shall return hand-in-hand as one. Some may say we are running this a bit quick, but we are not interested in a big wedding or a lot of attention, so this seems to be a good fit. We even get to have an outdoor wedding in December, and the guests (both of them) will be able to hide from the rain/snow with the rest of the party under the gazebo. With only a few days left, we are finalizing vows, finding some flowers, and waiting on Amanda's ring. Off the checklist already is the venue, arbiter, our two witnesses, marriage licence, date, invitations (or lack there of), and ordering of an official engagement ring. As far as a reception goes, I think we'll worry about that in the spring or summer. And for the ceremony, I'll try and record it so everyone interested can partake with us after I post it.

          So there we go, full speed into the next stage of life. My excitement is building and I just had to let you know! I'm not sure why people get so stressed over these wedding things, I think we were able to get everything taken care of in less than three days with no hiccups. It should be a fun day and I'll post the video so you can join with us too as soon as I can. In the mean time, here is the ring she'll be wearing from now on. But don't tell Amanda, she won't see it for a few more days.

A Walk About

          Obviously I should be doing something else, which is why I’m on here writing, and preparing a video. As anyone who has seen any one of my videos knows, they are utter rubbish, but I do what I can without the benefit of artistic talents, lacking command of the English language, and using a six year old point and shoot Kodak camera. Someday I hope to acquire a nice video camera, video editing know-how, and on-camera composure, but for now I’ll work with what I have. Enjoy!

Here is Amanda's interior video, I can't seem to get mine to upload.

Life Goes On

          It’s been almost 2 months since we met and purchased Drumbeat. It seems like a lot more time than that has gone by. We’ve been busy working, harvesting, canning, apple-picking, and enjoying the last few days of summer.

          It’s kind of surprising when I think of how there is a 37 foot wooden sailboat sitting on the other side of the country, waiting for us. Winterport seems a far ways away, like a distant dream both from the past and the future. I find it difficult to manage both current-day life and planning for a year from now. I’ve been wrapped up in my own day-to-day activities, and between working full-time, opening a part-time business, and applying for graduate schools, it doesn’t leave me much time left over to think about Drumbeat. I guess I’m just putting the whole thing on hold for now, and with it, the excitement that came with the purchase. In my opinion, if you spend too much time living in either the future or the past, you forget to live your life, and one day you'll realize it’s gone before you know it. I can’t get wrapped up in our plans and still maintain focus on the present.

          It’s still unknown exactly where we’ll end up next year. We won’t be staying in Winterport for long, just long enough to fix her up, then we’ll head out for somewhere. For me it depends a lot on if/where I end up going to school, and for Jon it depends on job opportunities. The tentative plan is to find a marina in a place that works for both of us and live there, on the water, and taking public transportation to get to school/work.

          That’s about it for now. I’m ready for winter and hopefully for things to slow down a bit. Until next time.

Tribune Cup 2014

          This past weekend was a annual race sponsored by the Lewiston Tribune, which drew a small collective of San Juan 21 sailors from all reaches of Eastern Washington. Many of the fellow sailors I knew, but there were plenty of new faces as well, and the competition was steep! Well, at least as far as all the San Juan’s were concerned. I was fortunate enough to be crewing with Mike Bradley, a jack-of-all-trades and master story teller, upon his Macgregor 26. We weren't much competition, with the low to non-existing breeze, we struggled to move on the race course for most of the event, but that didn't stop us from sailing! With wind ripples just around the next bend we high-tailed it down river after / during race one of each day’s sail. Lucky for us, the wind was livelier just down river. Though I can’t say that we ever completed a course, we did have a splendid weekend on the river. Mike’s 26 was equipped with a spinnaker and pole, which made the light wind runs pleasant, and was a new experience for me. We cruised and chatted up and down the river, returning in time for some good eats with the rest of the sailors, friends, and families. As Mike said, “We might not win a race, but we are the prettiest boat out here.” Any day you get to sail is a good day in my book, and last weekend was no exception!

All the San Juan 21's rounding the first mark.

Mike working the sails on deck.

Nowhere to Ask Directions

          All I have to say is that we are lucky that we're not out at sea. My first sighting with my sextant put me about 150 miles south of where I am currently pretending to live the sailing life. I'm out sitting on my hammock rocking to simulate the movement of the boat and trying to take sights to the moon with my sweet Astra IIIB. I'm using a bubble horizon, which is no piece of cake, and I am still not sure if I'm supposed to align the middle of the bubble to the bottom of the moon or if it's the top or bottom. Well, I measured from the bottom of the moon to the top of the bubble, and my best clock doesn't give seconds... so I'll blame this first shot on a faulty time piece. I really have no clue what I'm doing either though, so that could be it too.

          Even though I might be sextant illiterate, I took some cool photos through the sextant scope using different filters. I also found a sweet website with a sight reduction program, almanac program, and other helpful links. If you're into this sort of thing, you should check it out, A Short Guide to Celestial Navigation. I think I should really read my "Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen" book before I take my skills on the road.

EDIT September 10, 2014;

          I grabbed some batteries for my Celesticom V navigation computer (came along with the sextant I bought) and after an embarrassing 45 min button pushing fiasco I finally got it working. Here is the link for anyone looking for the user manual, though it is sadly missing the "troubleshooting" section. Anyway, it seems to be working well, now all I have to do is finish reading the manual, my book, and learning my stars so I can figure out where I am right now (take it as existentially as you will).

What a Ketch!

          Mission accomplished! We are the proud new owners of Drumbeat! She is quite the sight, and as solid as can be.  I’m still in awe of her, and I’m sure that will keep up until we start working on her. We need to contact the USCG to transfer ownership, but that will have to wait until later this week, at least all the papers are in order and notarized. This was the longest short trip of my life, but it was quite fun if you remove the more than 24 hours of driving over three days. I’m now ready to go home and finish my school work so I can get back out to play (work) on the boat. To this as well, I’m not sure what my title is now, having five vessels under my command (counting the dingy), but commodore sounds pretty sweet!

          I found two quarter sized soft spots in the cabin roof; one above the electrical panels and one over the kitchen sink, but the exterior has been rebuilt and looked solid, so I may leave them for now. The rest of the wood was extremely solid. Some of the cabinet drawers stick, but wetted and with the masts in, that should solve those issues. The biggest issue is oil in the bilge, which in turn means the engine is in need of a decent amount of help as well (I assume). The smell is too much to bear for long, so for moving aboard this will be the first thing to take care of. The toilet too looks like it needs some help, but we intend to replace it with a composting head to eliminate extra through hulls and old crummy holding tanks. The plumbing will probably need looking into, just because it is so old, and I don’t know if the two 50 gallon holding tanks are dry or not, moldy, or what other issues may be present. The electrical system looked good, though I’d put in LED bulbs to reduce heat and energy use. The v-berth light was shot, but I hear it’s wiring not the bulb, but that can be dealt with.

          My excitement level has calmed down a bit by now, mostly because it’s now turned into a waiting game. It’s time to get back to saving and finishing my graduate degree. I am very excited to get Drumbeat in the water, to move aboard, and to learn her quirks. I added a slide show to the side bar and will see what I can do below on this post. Stay tuned for projects, skill discovery, and more as we get ready for moving to Drumbeat!

Hooked, Lined, and Sinkered

          Well...we’ve done it. We travelled something like 3,000+ miles (6,000+ round-trip) to a little coastal town in Maine called Winterport and there we met Drumbeat. Let this be the first place I admit that although I had already seen a million pictures of her, I initially mistook a similar-looking boat a couple slips down for her. I knew Jon had jumped out of the car while I was still getting my camera out, and I came out of the van and was confused because I didn’t see him anywhere near the boat. HOWEVER I then looked a couple boats to the right and recognized the eagle emblem and it all clicked.

          She’s dusty. Dusty, dirty, oily, and moldy in places. She’s also solid as hell and one fine-looking vessel. From the ground, she’s taller than I expected and I can only imagine how much bigger she is with the masts (it’s stored indoors so both masts are currently detached). Once on the boat, I was a little surprised by the size of the deck - it wasn’t as long as I expected and it gets a bit cramped as you walk aft. The cockpit is gorgeous - covered with dust, but very nice underneath. Inside, it’s much roomier - taller and wider - than I’d anticipated. The galley gets plenty of light (a must-have for me for living aboard). There is a giant (for a boat) ice-box in the galley. The propane stove’s been removed but we have an alcohol stove we want to convert to kerosene. I’d expected the inside to be beaten up since the owner said he’d mainly done work on the outside, but I was very impressed with the woodwork inside. We think they must’ve varnished before storing the boat in indoor storage for the past 2 years because all the woodwork inside is still shiny and smooth. The owners also left behind a ton of dishes, silverware, tools, clothing, books, maps, charts, pots, etc.

          The living room has two settees, a couple of bookcases, electronics, and lots of storage. It’s much wider than I’d expected. The cushions on the settees and dining table bench are made of the type of material you use for cheap outdoor furniture. We both hate it so we want to upholster them. One of the settees folds out into a double bed and it’s a decent length - a little short for Jon but not too bad.

          The bathroom needs work. We want to take out the toilet and holding tank and put in a composting toilet. That’ll also give us extra space where the holding tank is now. It’d be nice to also put in a shower; it does not have one currently. The floor was pretty grungy too. I was impressed with the overall size of the bathroom, however.

          All of the sails and various other things are stored on the v-berth currently so it was hard to get a good idea of that space; it looks doable though. There is a shelf on the starboard side that we’ll use as another bookcase. There is also a large hatch with a step leading up to it that can be used as an emergency exit, which I appreciate.

          It was hard to stay in the boat for a long time because apparently the engine has been leaking oil for possibly 2 years, and the fumes are strong. That’ll be the first thing we’ll need to clean up next year, when we’re able to see her again.

          In case you couldn’t tell, we bit the bullet and are now the proud new owners of Drumbeat, our future home. She’ll stay in Winterport for the next year. It’s exciting and scary. Before we gave the go-ahead, I really had no misgivings about it and afterwards it just seemed like something we did, like just a thing that happens in life. I’m not sure at which moment Jon was sold but I’m sure he’ll talk about it in his post. I think we both pretty much knew it was unlikely that we WOULDN’T end up buying. Now that it’s all said and done and we’re back home in Washington state recovering from jet lag, I kind of wish we were back in Winterport actually =].

          AND NOW a few tidbits about our trip! We took off for Maine from Pennsylvania on Sunday night shortly after 11 PM and drove as far as we could between 3 of us. We had to wait until the laundry finished, hence the late start. We hit Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Connecticut all that night and finally stopped at a truck stop in Connecticut. At night the roads of Connecticut looked pristine with lots of deer; daylight revealed all the flaws in the roads but the area was still very pretty. We got some coffee and Dunkin Donuts and took off north again early Monday morning, going against all the rush hour traffic heading to NYC (I think we skirted the city but didn’t actually get to see it). We continued through Connecticut, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, finally stopping in Portsmouth, NH to meet with the (former) owner of Drumbeat. First we stopped downtown for an overpriced lunch and walked around a bit. We found a Celtic gift store with all things Irish and an awesome record store called Bull Moose. The record store had construction going on and a sign out front which read “I Assure You We Are Open” which of course drew me in. I was tempted by some NIN and Nirvana vinyl but didn’t give in, and was disheartened by some Katy Perry vinyl (Why?). I liked the town and we got to explore more on the way home.

          We followed Drumbeat’s owner up to Winterport. It’s a tiny town on a river which leads to the Atlantic. We explored the boat for a few hours and after the big purchase we found a cool pizza place called Winterport House of Pizza. The place also had board games, and dirty and dusty as we were, we celebrated with pizza, Maine Root soda, and board games. The pizza was pretty much the best thing ever at that point. We then spent the night in the van at the town’s only gas station. In the morning we got up early and had time to kill so we ended up back at the boat, then explored Tea Maineia, a nice little tea shop. On the way out of the area we stopped by a discount marine store that Drumbeat’s owner told us about, which gave me anxiety from looking at all the brand new boat accessories and how expensive they were, even at a discount shop!

          After the store we drove to Portland, ME, which was exciting to me because now I can say I’ve been to Portland on both coasts =]. It was a cool city and we had some of the best clam chowder ever at a place called Gilbert’s Chowder House. We tried to walk around the docks but all we found were private marinas closed to the public. We went to some shops and found a very fancy designer yarn store, and a nice little pet store. I wouldn’t mind going to Portland again and exploring more. We only had 2 hours there and then we headed back to Portsmouth, NH to take care of more boat business. This time we also found a bay with waterfront access. There were lots of boats, snails, and a friendly dog that loves to play fetch. After that we found the beach proper but first headed back to town, led by a friendly shirtless male lifeguard, for a bathroom. Ice cream cravings hit (at least for me) and were satisfied, and then we spent some time at the real beach watching a sailboat race, exploring the beach and adding on to a community of rock statues. We drove to the outskirts of Boston that night (only about 1 hr away) and spent the night again in the van at a sketchy and dirty Stop ‘N Shop. I made sure the doors were locked.

          Day 3 had us driving into Boston proper at rush hour, not a good idea and not a good first impression. We jumped into the first parking lot we found, which was $18 for the day, but we wanted to get off the roads. We mainly walked around downtown because it is an expensive city. We went to a Boston Tea Party attraction but only made use of their bathrooms due to the high cost for an actual tour on their boats. We then walked to the Boston Public Library and later to the Boston Commons and Boston Public Garden. The library was a bit disappointing - a giant impressive-looking building that’s closed off in a lot of areas inside with not a lot of books. The Boston Commons garden was from the 1600’s but looked like any other garden, except for the statues. It had lots of homeless people. We eventually took the subway to the Samuel Adams brewery and got a free tour, free beer, and free beer sampler glasses. That tour was the best! I highly recommend it. They gave samples of Boston Lager, Oktoberfest, and Rebel IPA. Oktoberfest was my favorite by far.

          We’d initially planned for a 4th day but by then we were done, desperately in need of showers and personal space. We drove another 7 hours before getting back around midnight and then collapsing.

          And that’s the story of how we purchased Drumbeat.

Flying to the East Side

          Well, we're here waiting at the airport on our way east. Less than a week now until we'll be introduced to Drumbeat. In the mean time, we've disassembled an old pressurized alcohol stove and brought along all the jet heads and tubing to clean while we have access to my grandfather's sand blaster. We'll make a little how to for converting an alcohol stove to a paraffin / kerosene stove. If we're lucky, we'll be able to reassemble the stove upon our return and give her a test!

          The excitement is really building now, the time is almost upon us. Fingers crossed!

Meeting Drumbeat in 10 Days

          I'd like to say that I am very excited and have no reservations at this point, but now that the day is so close, the butterflies won't settle. My experience is limited when it comes to sailing, though the hunger is insatiable, and wooden boats are even more a mystery to me. Why I can't be satisfied with the fiberglass beasts I see everywhere puzzles me to no end. There is something just so magical about wood, sailing, and the idea of learning the subtle whispered secrets that each ship has imparted to her crew over the millennia. My experience with wooden boats is limited to walking the piers in Seattle earlier this year, but I was so drawn to them, I just couldn't get the idea of owning one out of my head. As I'm sure it's obvious to see, my experience is endless where dreaming's concerned. "Walking the Piers," yes, sanity may not be my strongest suit. Call me crazy again in five years and we'll see upon which side of the balance the evidence leans. That will give me time to learn, to grow, to swab the decks a half-million times. Let us do just that, revisit this question in half a decade and we'll see if I'm guilty then.

          Not only am I mystified by the sailing crafts of days long since forgotten, but also of the arts of sailors that are being lost to the modern electronics, convenience, and ignorance. I have been told the boat has GPS, a chart plotter, VHF, and the other basics, and I would not be inclined to remove these devices. But I do not intend to upgrade them, add to them, or improve the electrical system beyond putting in some power generation onto the boat. The first technique I hope to conquer is celestial navigation. I've acquired a sextant (though technically not until my birthday/Christmas) and how-to books, so we'll see where that leads. Other arts, such as food preservation, are also high on my list of how-to. The boat won't have any refrigeration, so preservation techniques will be important for storing fresh food for long voyages; salting, pickling, drying, canning, fermenting... we currently practice some of these techniques, but there is still so much to learn. Another skill that should obviously not be overlooked is woodworking. I've played with wood, made toys as a boy, but never finish-work quality workmanship, and never for any project of significant size. And let me say that a 37ft sail boat seems pretty darn significant right now. My sewing skills have come a long way since I first began making cushions for my MacGregor, but my sail repair skills are minimal, though I'll have tons of practice with the MacGregor's mainsail. So much to learn, but right now these do not seem daunting in the wake of the initial commitment to Drumbeat.

          Ten days to wait, ten days to reconsider, ten days to find out. I have so many questions about the boat that can not be answered until I'm there. What is the real condition of the hull and deck work? How is the engine? What is the extent of the interior woodwork that needs to be done? Will I be able to stand up in her? Will she have the storage capacity to live aboard and cruise (How much space do we really need?)? Is this the right boat? I've scoured the photos I have, analyzed all the videos a dozen times, delved through the diagrams in Garden's design book, but the answers still allude me. Ten days to find out, ten days to reconsider, ten days to wait.

Some Good Reads

I’m no expert by any means, but I have been reading about sailing and voyaging like it’s my job. My favorite book so far is Voyaging on a Small Income, by Annie Hill, which covers everything you could want to know about just that. I also like the fact that she covers how to store food, which I haven’t read about elsewhere, and she also cruises on a low-tech boat. The Complete Sailor by David Seidman was also fantastic, and was also the book that got everything started. If you want to learn the ropes (literally) on how to sail, this is the book for you. Chapman Piloting and Seamanship has also been a good reference book for a more in-depth coverage of topics like rope work, navigation, weather, and pretty much everything else. As for World Cruising Routes and the Celestial Navigation for Yachtsmen, I’ll have to let you know. 

          All this reading is just a gear up for the boat visit, which is less than a month away now. I’m very hopeful that this boat is everything that I’m hoping, but if not, I am well aware of the endless supply of sailing vessels out there (as I look at them daily). My fingers are crossed! Here are a few pictures to whet your appetite,  with many more to come before the month is out!

Stuff

          I'm further along on this whole tiny house / downsizing venture than I had realized. Right now, we don't have a/c, a washer or dryer, a dishwasher, cable, car payments (paid my car off 2 months ago!), or a mortgage and I don't plan on having these things again any time soon if not ever. We do have free internet where we live but if we did not then we wouldn't pay for it. Before I moved in I spent 6 months living without internet and I got so much other stuff done. Jon talked me out of renting a storage unit when I moved in (I thought, 'Where am I going to put all my stuff?!?!') and I'm so glad he did. My shopping trips for new clothes, which I justified by telling myself they were work clothes so they were OK, have decreased in frequency significantly, and my closet is still overflowing! These are all things that would take a huge chunk of cash out of our income if we had them. For us, renting a small apartment for the moment works while we work towards our goals. Now I just need to cut down on all the lattes!

          Yesterday I went through my books and DVD's and was able to pull out a few more to give away or sell. The eventual goal is to be rid of 90% of them in a year. Jon asked me to think about what books I want to have on the boat with me and I immediately said, "Harry Potter 1 through 7." This is pretty much non-negotiable. I also have some great comic collections, i.e. the entire Fables and Sandman series, and some of these are signed. For these, as well as other valuable items, we may have to splurge a bit and store them somewhere. I love movies and will watch my favorites over and over, as well as The Office, so I think I'll have to back them up on an external hard drive to take with us.

          I think clothes will be next on my purging list. I have lots I don't even wear, but every time I go to throw them out I think to myself, "But they still fit!" and talk myself into keeping them. I do hate wasting money so maybe that's part of it. Yesterday while at the gym they had a show on about extreme couponing, and one woman just about lost it over spending $2,000+ at a K-Mart but miscalculating her purchase so that it was not a zero balance. The store actually owed $1.58 to her but to her this was unacceptable, and she cried, "Oh God oh God my life is over!" while she frantically searched the store for an item of the exact value. I think a large part of this type of behavior is driven by our culture's obsessions with consumerism and "always getting a good deal." I'm sure hoarding is on the rise too. There is a very healthy and fast-growing storage unit industry that is taking off because we all are so driven to consume consume consume mass amounts of crap that 1) we can't afford, 2) we don't need, 3) makes us unhappy, and 4) keeps us locked into jobs where we work long hours. We have so much that we don't even have the room to store it all. Apparently a lot of stores did a "Black Friday in July" type deal last week. It's really not surprising; what's surprising is that they haven't done it sooner. Maybe eventually the department stores will degrade into monthly Black Fridays, or every day will be Black Friday, and then we'll never have to miss another deal again. Perhaps that is my cynical side talking but I do know that getting rid of extra items and cutting down my spending has made me feel freer and more in control of the stuff that surrounds me.

Teaser Trailer

          I received a DVD from the current owner (2005-Present) of a previous owner. The video at one point states that it was summer 1987 (which means I'm still months off being born). Here is a little teaser of what the boat looked like +26 years ago... I cut out a lot, but in general there is some sailing footage, exterior walk around, and some interior shots. Enjoy!

No Longer a Rich Man's Game

I am still in graduate school, which means I live by many standards as a pauper. I've never noticed; especially with the ability to sail. I used to assume that owning a boat was super expensive, and when I bought new kayaks five years ago, I confirmed my suspicion. Cost is relative I guess, but for me this was a major purchase at 10% of my yearly income for the pair of them. Why go new though? It never occurred to me to check Craigslist for some kayaks, or to see if there were any in the local classifieds. I was lucky enough to grab last season kayaks, but I could have saved a few hundred a pop if I had grabbed them used.

          Sailboats work just the same, and I had learned my lesson. My first dingy cost me a quarter of the cost of my kayaks, which included the trailer. I did look for a while, but to be honest, even with it being a little run-down, as long as it floats and has sails you can have fun sailing it. I've noticed since looking at other used boats, lots of folks don’t use their boats as much as I would have suspected. Sails, even those with rust stains and mold can be cleaned by hand and can have a ton of life left in them. I sailed for 8 months paying only for gas to get to the river. It was fantastic! When I upgraded to a bigger boat the costs were still reasonable (and less than the kayaks), but I've had to put money into the boat. Worth it? Only if you use it! So I can say I am very happy with the results. The only real issue with the boat was having almost new, mouse ravaged sails. I've fixed one of the three and will fix the other two before I sell the boat, but I found a very nice local with a matching set of sails (he has a Mac 25 that he no longer sails her, having switched to a one design), and am borrowing them until he sells his boat. All the other work and money I put into the boat is so that it looks nice and is nice to “live” in.

          If the hull is solid, the deck and rigging in good condition, and the sails will work; you've found yourself a fantastic opportunity to learn the art of sailing. A “how to” book is also useful… but a little guts and a soft breeze can be just as educational. Take a chance! Find a boat! I’ll see you on the water!

Being Open

          When I first met Jon and for maybe the first half a year we were together he would talk about dreams of sailing the world, non-stop travelling, living anywhere and everywhere. I thought he was crazy, a dreamer, and I chalked it up to his Sagittarius-ness showing through. I would ask, "But how would you afford all that? It'd be expensive. It's not realistic." I knew that someday he would be beaten into submission like the rest of us and give up his dreams for a desk. I tried to be gentle and refrain from stomping all over his dreams, but at the same time wanted him to think about the logistics of it. In my head I would think, "I could never do that; it would never work" and would worry about the implications: would I be able to fit into his future or would our lifestyles just be too different and we'd have to go our separate ways?

          Slowly, over the course of the past year or so, without even realizing it my mind has been opened to new possibilities. Over the past 6 months I've started reading about these "tiny houses" all over the Internet. I fell in love with the idea. I've been inspired by people who live in their tiny space (house or boat) and make their living through working at home, writing, blogging, taking odd jobs, reducing bills and debt. Simplifying your life, streamlining, reducing stress and anxiety by reducing clutter....it makes perfect sense to me. Along with that, I liked the idea of going against the mainstream (something I've always been good at) and refusing to participate in the 9-5 Monday through Friday full-time daily grind, expensive clothes, expensive car, big house, slaving away at a job that drains you just so you can afford all the shit you don't need that is slowly taking over your house. Over the past 5 years working full-time as a counselor in various community mental health clinics and feeling my life energy drain away, the notion that there must be a different way to do things has taken root and grown. Now, it's unstoppable. The idea of spending more time at home (I've always been a home-body), maybe even working from home, but just working less and not being a slave to a higher authority and instead answering to myself sounds...fantastic.

          The idea of living simply in a tiny space has unknowingly appealed to me for years. While living in a suburb of Portland, OR, I started out with a small 1-bedroom apartment for 3 years then moved to a much bigger 2-bedroom for one year. I came to hate my extra bedroom and avoided it for the most part. Unfortunately, that's where all my books were! Cluttered around my many bookcases was all the extra "stuff" or "creep" that would get thrown in there. I didn't want to see it, so I kept the door closed most of the time. It was actually a relief to downsize and go for another 1-bedroom for my next venture - I was forced to not bring lots of stuff home because there was nowhere to put it! My spending decreased.

          Now, it's similar with Jon and I sharing a 1-bedroom. We had to downsize a lot when we moved in together and it is ever a work-in-progress. With all this practice, I think we'll do just fine in a boat (or maybe a tiny house someday as well). For the past year we've been sailing our Macgregor 25 and have been getting used to camping overnight in the boat, and I love it! It's so nice and cozy; there's plenty of space for us. Waking up early in the wilderness surrounded by gorgeous scenery (the Snake River or Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho - check them out!), bundled up out in the cockpit, listening to the chatter of strange birds, sipping coffee, reading a novel and gazing out on the water...what could be better than that? Maybe now I'm the dreamer but having that every morning sounds like perfection.

It Begins with a Dream

About two weeks ago I jokingly sent my father an email titled, “Graduation Gift,” which contained a link to a sailboat that I thought looked awesome! Two days ago I sent a down payment to the current owner. This is where the journey begins, but the roots for the tale have long been brewing.

          I wish I could say I was an expert sailor, even a good sailor, but I’m just a kid bred for adventure with a “learn to sail” book and a kayak. This was a little over a year and a half ago. Never had I stepped foot on a sailboat, or even seen one up close for that matter, but the fires were being stoked with fresh paper. Amanda’s big gift to me for Christmas that year was, “The Complete Sailor,” by David Seidman, and I soon had read through the book a few times. It wasn't until late the following spring that I would get my first taste of sailing. In May, after watching Craigslist religiously for a month, I saw a Lido 14 show up for $500. I was interested in other boats too, but they were quite a bit more expensive, and I figured I should at least see it. I looked, it needed some work to be perfect, but I figured it would do the trick. A few weeks later, after figuring out how to rig it in my driveway, I took it down to the Snake River for my first sail… but that fiasco is a story for another time.

          Eight or so months ago I traded up for a Macgregor 25, getting lucky enough to pick it up after a few folks got lost trying to find the owners house, and one backed out after seeing the sails. It was a great find for me and I've been working on the boat on and off since. Then, last Christmas Amanda grabbed us a membership to the local sailing club, which has surrounded us with a wealth of experience, opportunities, and know-how. My sailing skills have been improving greatly, though I feel like a child at the helm still, and I've been lucky enough to place 3^rd in a local day race, the Alex Bell, due in majority to a great crew. A few weeks ago I had my first taste of lake cruising, taking a two day trip to Coeur d'Alene with the sailing club. That trip brought me back to dreaming about bigger boats and ocean sailing, which returns us to this week.

          I look for boats, draw sailboats, and dream of sailing far more than is healthy. So while perusing the internet for my dream cruiser, as happens far too often, I came across Drumbeat. The possibility hooked me; all wood boat, ketch rigged, exterior work all done, and affordable. Every day I came back to it to just stare, to dream of what it would be like to sail and live on this boat. Then I made the grave mistake of emailing the owner with some questions… and so begins our little journey.