m/v SCRIMSHAW: BOATS ARE PURE ROMANCE. RIGHT?

Boats and Romance. They go together, yes?

YES!

Boats conjure up a variety of romantic images, shared sunsets, lovers starring up at a galaxy of stars in the night sky, two souls drifting upon calm blue waters off to see the world. What they don't tell you is that those eye-turning-drop-dead-beautiful boats require blood sweat and tears, just like any relationship. Scraping off bottom paint, sanding the rails, polishing yards of stainless, wearing rubber gloves scrubbing mildew and mold on canvas and headliners are all a part of the whole package. They are a big hole in the water in which you pour money into, over and over and over again. Regardless of their size or depth of your pocketbook, they are expensive. I know, I've owned 17 of them. And yet, I remain a hopeless romantic.
Boats have carried me to distant ports around the globe. They have opened my eyes to different realities. They have enriched my marriage. They have taught me the value of teamwork and strengthened my self-reliance. When I see the fine shear of a well-designed yacht lying at anchorage my heart skips a beat. Whether remembering islands with white sand beaches, palm trees, and balmy breezes, or dreaming of new horizons, I am wedded to those Big Holes in the Water.

Romance, Pure and Simple
El Tiburon at anchor in the Sea of Cortez

Much of the romance associated with boats is the dreaming of distant anchorages. It has been too long between passages and new ports for us. We are long overdue, and Scrimshaw is tugging on her dock lines. That is about to change, we are embarking upon a new adventure. We have about 8 weeks before Scrimshaw is shipped from Ensenada, Mexico to Victoria, B.C. Canada. Hundreds of islands dot the Salish Sea from Puget Sound to Alaska, each one promising the thrill of unexplored territory. That's romance. The rush is on to finish a FEW projects before we are ready to attend the Grand Banks Rendezvous at Roche Harbor on Orcas Island in the San Juans, and officially begin our cruising season on the Salish Sea.

There are a ton of preparations to get our girl ready to go. Darrell took Scrimshaw's rails all the way down to bare wood, and is applying several coats of fresh varnish so they will sparkle.

Seems like he's always at it.

Decks have been chaulked and re-plugged where needed, and after deliberation we decided they needed sanding. We followed our favorite yard in San Francisco Bay, KKMI's, advice and first cleaned the decks with TSP and boat soap, and then we applied a light dousing of Oxalic Acid to brighten the teak. Romance! You betcha.

Stern and sideboard name plates have also gotten several coats of fresh varnish.

More Romance.

Scrimshaw's 300 gallon water tanks have been

cleaned and a new filtration system is almost in place.

Our brass Grand Banks placards have been polished.

Romantic indeed.

I have claimed the dining table as my jewelry workstation,

leaving almost no clear counter space.
My favorite muse is in the background.
www.sarahericksonjewelry.com

The galley is off limits to projects.

The galley counter remains the only free space left in our cozy cabin. I have been thinking that if I fill this space with one more project, we'll have no choice but to dine out! A Romantic dinner for two with someone else washing the dishes.

Sparky remains calm throughout this entire process,

comfortable lounging in the sun on his favorite perch.

Where in the World is Darrell?

Despite the hectic process of getting our little ship ready for transit, Darrell remains busy selling yachts. This picture was taken at the Cruising Yachts Exhibit at the Sunroad Boat Show on Harbor Island in San Diego. They specialize in Jeanneau Yachts, and you can see how lovely they are, and how very different the engineering is from our from our GB 42 trawler.

The Cruising Yachts Crew

Celebrating a successful San Diego Sunroad Boat Show

Selling yachts is easy for Darrell. He loves all things boats, sail or power. After all, variety is the spice of our life. We both miss sailing, it's true that, once a sailor, always a sailor. We have recently acquired my father's Catalina 22 sailboat, allowing us to enjoy water activities aboard a powerboat and a sailboat. Double the romance (and work).

My favorite yacht consultant.

Keeping Our Eyes on the Prize, we remind ourselves daily of how good our lives are in the HERE and NOW living aboard our little floating home. The preparations for our journey have prevented us from spending much time in the Sierra. I have bouts of missing our mountain home, but given the choice of the two, I always go with the Water Life. We originally bought our home as respite from HOT Mexico summers while we were cruising aboard El Tiburon, our Tayana 47/48 sailboat. Now it seems our Sierra Life will be the respite from wet Pacific Northwest winters. Our lifestyle is designed around boats and their destinations, the house is always secondary.

The Sierra may not offer the romance of yachting,

but it is richly satisfying for short durations,
and offers grounding to our flights of fancy.

Winter will be darn cozy snuggled up in front of a

warm fire but, our hearts are always aboard our boat.

The view out our Grand Banks bedroom.

The view out our aft master stateroom, and the fresh breeze it funnels in while we sleep, is the main reason we stay with our Grand Banks Classic. I admit, I do lust after other trawlers that do not require the varnish and teak deck maintenance, but I have not been able to forfeit the GB charm or my double door companionway for lower maintenance fiberglass decks or a pilothouse. I dream of waking in the morning at anchorage in the Salish Sea and looking out towards waterfalls, and birds, and orcas, while still in my nightie. How romantic is that?

Our remaining time in San Diego is jammed-packed-busy with "To Do Lists". Yet, it's sometimes difficult not to daydream about future adventures. The time is flying by, but San Diego sunsets from our flybridge keep me grounded and focused in the present.