NEW MACK PACK AND MAIN SAIL

 While Annie flew home to see kids and grand kids, Scott continued to make improvements to the boat.
 Starting with a new MAIN SAIL made for us by a company out of Stuart Florida...Mack Sails. It seems to be a little larger than our old sail and with a deeper pocket. We can't wait to get out and fly it!!

 Above is a video of the first time we raised it. They installed a new track up the mast so the sail raised like a dream. We still have to add the reefing lines and Scott is also running all the lines back to the cockpit. This is a project we have wanted to do since we bought the boat.

We quickly learned that a brand new sail is extremely stiff and a real pain to flake. Mack Sails also makes a lazy jack system called a Mack Pack. It really works slick. The sail just falls into it and no cover to put on.

They say it takes about a year for the sail to "relax" and flake into the Mack Pack on it's own. We will keep you posted on that. Hope it doesn't take that long. Scott also had them add new sacrificial sunbrella to our genoa.  So many little things that needed done.  It never ends.  It's a boat!

 After inspecting and tuning the rigging, they suggested we add a halyard guard on top of the roller furling to keep it from twisting. Can't wait to go out and try all this new stuff out.

Carpe Diem is looking better all the time. 

 

Christmas Aboard Carpe Diem

     Hope everyone's holidays were as blessed as ours were. This was our 3rd Christmas aboard our sailboat home. Each year we string lights up to the top of the mast and down the back, and then around the lifelines. This really helps us and our dock friends get in the spirit of things.  It is sometimes hard to get that Christmas spirit when it's 75 to 80 degrees. (I am really looking forward to our 2 weeks of winter in January.)       
 

     
      Our little tree just fit on the deck, and our stockings were hung from the winch handle.   All things considered, Christmas on a boat is not that different from in a house. It just rocks more.  If all 7 grand kids could be here,  it would actually be paradise.  No icy roads, no snow to shovel.

  

      Our flat screen was set up and ready for some Bear's football.
(well not everything can be perfect)  While Scott was enjoying the game, I was busy getting ready for our company. Anyone who lives on a sailboat knows what that means...EMPTY the V-BIRTH! (usually into the trunk of the car)



       On the left is our EMPTY V-berth. I just had to take a picture, to remind myself what it looked like! On the right is our couch, which can also sleep a 6 ft person. Then we can put 2 more in the cockpit, so all together we can sleep 7 very comfortable.  So come on down!!!

   On the left is a picture of our family wall. All the folks we love and miss dearly.


   On the right, Scott even cleaned off his Nav station. Ofcourse, now he can't find anything. LOL.


We have made a few nice renovations to the boat since my last post. Scott replaced all three of our faucets with new contemporary ones. This was no easy task, because nothing is ever easy on a boat!

We found these at a marine surplus store in Ft Pierce.






The faucet actually pulls out to become a shower
wand, thereby eliminating that awkward hose. 

    The galley faucet is a work of art. It really gives the galley a new updated look. We love the way it fits with the new teak backsplash that we added last spring. ( I was so excited that I even made new curtains for the galley portals.) We still have some carpenter work to do behind the stove to allow for more storage, yet, that will have to wait.

Another little tweak Scott did was to add small blue LED lights inside the liquor cabinet. This really looks cool and adds another safety feature to the galley during the night.

So, as we start the new year, I can actually say that my little sign is true.....

But, our best friends, Bert and Carlene got to see it clean!!

New Canvas Work 2011

As we installed new equipment, we decided to protect it with a new dodger and bimini.

Here is a view of the boat "naked", with all the old canvas removed.

 

Here she is with new clothes!

 

No more leaks. All nice and cozy inside.

It is like having a new room added to our home. This is where we spend most of our time.

Here's another shot of that new anchor Scott calls his "sleeping pill"  :)

Summer 2011 / INSTALLING Equipment

During the summer of 2011 we added a few new toys; a new anchor, an electric windless, a Garmin  radar, a Garmin GPS, and also Garmin auto pilot. Since this meant going up the mast, we also replaced our tri-color light and anchor light, and it came with an emergency strobe. The strobe is one light I personally hope we never have to use.

Scott wasn't able to do the mast work for the autopilot, radar and GPS due to his poor vision. Fortunately, our friend Jeff was around to help out. We could not have done it without him.

Another friend on a boat just like ours, another CSY, gave us some helpful ideas on how to mount the autopilot under the aft berth.

 

We chose a Garmin Autopilot rated for an 80,000 lb boat. Since our boat only weighs 40,000 lbs

(not counting all my shoes and scrapbooks) we felt that this autopilot would do the job.

What do you get when you add a 73 lb Rocna anchor to a 40,000 lb boat? A good nights sleep!

 

 A new pedestal guard holds everything and there is still room for more stuff.

SPRING 2011 OMG! TERMITES!

Can you believe we had termites?  On a boat?

Spring 2011 / More Upgrades

                                        NEW TOYS FOR BIG BOYS  

1. 4210 GARMIN GPS    2. GARMIN AUTOPILOT    3. GARMIN WIND-SENSOR.

THIS PHOTO MAKES IT LOOK SO SIMPLE...HAH HAH HAH!

The best thing we ever did (besides auto-pilot) was to add an electric windless to pull up that huge anchor!!

March, 2011 / The Big Project

SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 25, 2011

The Big Project

We bought our CSY in 2008.  She is a proud old girl (1977). Yet, like all old boats, she had issues. One of them was the refrigeration (or lack of). That is how "The big project" all began.

On the original 1977 CSY the refrigeration was a huge box in the starboard midsection that was neither useful nor cold.  This mate would almost need to climb inside the huge box to retrieve any item close to the bottom. 

For 2 years we just lived out of a cooler and used the refrigeration box as a counter. 

Then after much planning, the only option was to tear out the old and make room for the new. 

A saws-all and a sledge hammer were very helpful, yet created tons of dust and debris. 

With Scott in the hole you see how big it was.

We created a huge space to start from.

A good time to tear out the old instrument panels and add new breakers and wiring.

What a job this was!!

BEFORE                                                                                                                  AFTER

It really turned out nice; and still have room for future gadgets.

A new counter was added with shelves and a huge drawer. Storage! YES!!

Two new Engels were added. The top front-opening refrig was set stationary; and the lower freezer was mounted on slides. Scott designed this and it worked like a charm!

This was also a good time to replace the old invertor charger with a new MagnaSine 2800 watt invertor/120 amp charger.

While Scott was busy wiring, Annie began a project on the other side of the galley.

Notice how little counter space the original galley has?  Well believe it or not, behind that  small door directly behind the coffee pot is a huge wasted cabinet. 

Another wasted space behind the range. Could never reach anything stored there!

So while the old stove was out and before the new one (see below) arrived, Annie tore out the old wall and stupid sliding doors. Now, she can have a carpenter redo this area of the galley to be more user friendly.  This project is still not finished....more pictures to come....something is always in progress....

The microwave now fits perfectly into another wasted space between the stove and the ladder.

A new cabinet under the microwave is where a future ice maker will reside. 

A very useful pizza oven comes built in. It gets used during every Bears football game!!

BEFORE:                                                                                                  AFTER:  coming soon?

Started in January of 2011 and finished in July of 2011!

Finally a place to keep all canned goods and Tupperware below.

And above, a safe place for a liquor cabinet and wine bottles.

And here is our awesome carpenter, Tommy Avery,

an experienced shipwright and a true gentleman. 

We love you, Tommy!