[JAN10]Pressing forward, we have addressed the Marine Sanitation Device challenges in the bitter cold. Even with the outside temperatures running at 18 degrees Fahrenheit, with snow and ice around, Val successfully swapped out our liquid based marine head with a dry composting one from Natures Head. The installation is absolutely beautiful. The master cabin continues its improvements as well. All the original fabric in the room (headliner and wall coverings) was taken out, and the entire room was painted a light tan. The space feels more modern and fresh. The list of "must haves" continues to shrink as our strategies evolve. For example, we know we want a wind generator, but we've gone from must installing it pre-sail to installing it sometime after we've begun the journey and our electrical needs demand it. Our progress towards our financial goals and a sufficient sailing kitty moves forward at a fine clip. If we can hold onto our pace, we will have the option of leaving for the trip in December. Having the option is everything.
Dates, Marinas, Under 300
[FEB10]It seems like each month, when we look back, we are stunned by how quickly it has gone by. February is no exception. 28 days later, and it is gone to never be resurrected. Good thing we did something each day to get ready otherwise it would have been a lost opportunity! The most profound outcome this month was realizing that with our marina lease expiring in March, we would be better off moving the boat to the ocean now instead of in October 2010. Our original plan was simply to go on a month to month lease on the lake until October and then moving it to the ocean. We never considered any other path. We are still unsure why we never considered the option of moving it out sooner. The month to month lake lease, price wise, is not much different than the year lease price at the marina we've selected on the Atlantic. We talked a lot about how much time we will spend on the boat, and what we did last summer. We spent many 3 and 4 day periods on the boat. Why not do that on the Ocean all summer? Our drive time will go from 1 hour each way to 4 hours each way. That is the only downside. We also picked our new home for Ariel. A wonderful, little, family run marina and boat yard. We did an unannounced visit and were very happy with what we found. In February, we also went under 300 days until we can set sail. That is a wonderful mental hurdle to pass. We continue to progress towards our next $100,000 goal. It looks like it will take only slightly less time than the previous push coming in at 12 months. WAHOOO! The spending behaviors of January and February 2010 didn't help as personal budgets were blown. Overall, another fantastic fast month. March is already marching. Let's see!
Hard, Boom, Sew, 100K
[MAR10]Step 1 of our 5 steps to relocating Ariel in the Atlantic ocean is done! She now rests on the hard in Aqualand Marina's boat yard drying out. The haul out event was quite exciting as it was the first time we had ever pulled any boat out via sling system. Ariel had some blisters, but nothing we didn't expect. We also took off the boom and mainsail. Val received her new sewing machine this month .... a Sailrite Ultrafeed LSZ-1. This machine is quite a beast, and Val named her Beulah. Beulah has already repaired a number of pieces of clothing for the family. And finally, as we close out March, we have again made our $100K target!! YES!! We put the pressure on ourselves and for 9 of the 12 months we did amazing following our strategies and approaches perfectly. Alas, towards the end the wagon wheels started to fall off. We may have over pressurized the system by pushing so hard to achieve the numbers. Be that as it may, we've put away another $100,000! From now until we set sail, we will not be pushing on the system so hard. This doesn't mean we wont still apply our approaches for financial freedom, it just means that we won't be as aggressive.
Shipping, Stripping, and Stepping
[APR10]April is over? Holy Smokes!! It has blown by, along with the first third of the year. Unbelievable. This months highlight was the relocating of the boat to the Atlantic. It was a giant adventure, picking out the transporter and picking our new marina. We also stepped our mast for the first time. That sucker is heavy!! Ariel is now safely in Sail Harbor Marina in Savannah, Georgia. The process of bottom painting has also begun. Ariel has been stripped to the fiberglass, and the coats of bottom paint will soon be applied. The solar fans we bought have also been installed, one for the composting head, one for the head, and one for the salon. We've also removed all the interior cushions and we will be recovering them with a family friendlier material.
Class, Bottoms, Batteries, Lifeline Netting, Names, no Salt
[MAY10]May blew by. This is becoming a reoccurring theme! Each month is going by so fast, yet within the moments it seems like our sail date is so far away. This month started off with Val taking a week long American Sailing Association class. She, and 3 other students, lived aboard a 39 foot sailboat the entire week. Her confidence grew tremendously, her knowledge of boating grew enormously, and the value of the course easily exceeded the tuition. The bottom of our Gemini 3200 has been painted: 4 layers of barrier coat (Interlux InterProtect 2000E) and 2 layers of anti-fouling (Pettit Ultima SR-60). 2 of the 6 saloon cushions have been completely redone and installed by Val. Yeah Val! They look fantastic. We've replaced the house batteries. Out went the four 5-year-old swollen SeaVolt 215s and in went the brand new Trojan T-145s! Heavy beasts these batteries are. The Lifeline netting has been worked out and looks good. Ariel's name finally made it to both sides of the boat. We went big on this front, really big. There will be no doubt as to our boats name when we enter port. Alas, with all this work done, Ariel still hasn't been put onto the water, and her mast is yet to be stepped. While she is on the hard, we will continue to take advantage of her non-bobbing condition!
Salt, Shots, Lights
[JUN10]Progressing forward, full steam ahead, we had an action packed month with the most exciting achievement being Ariel's return to the water! With our boat finally in the Atlantic, we spent 3 of 4 weekends in June on her doing tasks and enjoying the starry night only available to those on the water. We spent the 1 weekend not on Ariel doing something just as fun, we played at Disney in Orlando! Other trip preparation accomplishments included getting our yellow fever and typhoid vaccinations, getting the anchor light plus steaming light wired up, obtaining the Honda EU 2000i companion generator, and building up the dinghy engine mounting platform. Whew! What a month! With the conclusion of June, the boat is finally in “go” position. That is, if we made the decision to go right now, we could drive to Savannah, get on the boat and go. There are a few more things we want to get done first, but it is nice knowing Ariel is finally minimally outfitted to start the voyage.
Cushy Cruising
[JUL10]Ahhh, the boat is finally minimally configured and as a consequence we were able to take Ariel out! So July 4th weekend we spent 4 days on her, with sails out to Tybee Island. She felt really good. This months highlights including finishing off our ground tackle system and we now have 3 complete sets, each with a different anchor type; Val completed the last set of settee cushions and they look, and feel, great; the bimini was also put back up; and we morphed into our new mode of communication about the trip, a Facebook page. Our lives continue to transform and with each experience on Ariel, we are better able to judge when we as a family will be ready to set off on the adventure.
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