The Nav Wench Chronicles

The Boat Life 8-11-07

Ahoy friends! We are here sitting on our new (old) sailboat; a 1982 Allmand Tri-Cabin. She is worn around the edges, has a distinct odor emanating from her bilge, and could use alot of TLC, that we plan to give, but she is finally ours after a month long breath holding game. We are enjoying our first celebratory bottle of wine on her at a beautiful marina right across from Portland, Maine. Portland is not only home to a famous lighthouse, but a fantastic skyline at night. Our survey and sea trial went exceptionally well and in fact the owner took us for a sail around Casco Bay and over to Peaks Island for a nice lunch overlooking the bay and our new boat! The boat sails like a charm. It turns out that our surveyor, Art Kelsey, knew the owner from many years ago. As kismet would have it, the owner bought this boat back in the eighties based on a recommendation Art had given him one drinking night at the famous bar Bill's Seafood in Westbrook, Connecticut. This boat's original home was actually two marina's down from the one we plan to sail her home to!

We slept on her last night and though she is showing twenty-five years of wear and stink, shefelt like home. A good thing since she will be our home by next Spring.

Today we are provisioning her with the essentials - you know, food, flares...wine...more wine... We have a plan to take her for a shakedown cruise around the bay and to Portland Light. Keep your fingers crossed!

On our way out to her sea trial yesterday, a harbor seal greeted us at the channel entrance. This was a perfect greeting and a positive sign for our new life aboard. The weather is looking spectacular for our trip home, so we set off tomorrow AM for Portsmouth , NH.

I'll be sending you notes each day, telling you of our adventures and so you know we are still alive. Her name is currently Twilight Zone which we plan to change eventually. There are many names on the list including Tir Nan Og, Serenity, Harmony, Kismet, Sol Mates.... Perhaps you can help out with a few. I figure the trip will help us decide. It will depend on how she sails and performs under pressure.

She comes with a nice little dnghy and a small Nissan outboard (that only goes forward, so make sure you know what you are doing)...should the boat start sinking, we will climb in there and light off all our flares for a good firework show and crack open one of those bottles of vino!

• 1
• 2
• 3
• ...
• 10
• next page >>

---

Add your voice

Know something about Travel experiences: Adventures into the unknown?
We want to hear your view. Write now!