September back to the boat

We had planned on taking a trip in September to make sure the boat had survived the summer and it also gave a good excuse to be at the boat.  We left Boise Friday around noon on the 4th and headed east, well south and then east.  The trip coincided with the start of Labor Day weekend and we saw the affect of that between Ogden Utah and Evanston Wyoming.  The amount of traffic and how slow everyone moved was a worry but after Evanston things thinned and we made good time.  It was a nice day/evening for a drive

Looking good

When Kris, Lee, and Norm went to bring What If from Charleston SC to Bridgeport CT it wasn't a vacation cruise.  There were several incidents with the septic system, finding the bottom of the waterway with the boat bottom, and seeing floating things in the middle of the night were just a few of the travel adventures.  So while they were traveling Dean and Derek created awesome looking shirts so when the boat arrived in New York the shirts were presented.  The crew looked good and from that moment on they and the boat did not any more issues.  Now that is one mighty fine looking captain and crew, you figure out who the captain is.

So thinking ahead the idea of a good looking shirt/logo only seems to make sense to avoid boat issues in the future.  Working on the site Custom Ink we have been trying out different designs and options.  So far we are thinking:

The front has Sailing Vessel Charm identified by name and it's marine number plus we have the nice manta ray cartoon the front and the back has the outline drawing of the manta catamaran.  So if having the shirts do not fix all the potential problems on Charm at least we should look good.  Dean is pushing that all overnight visitors would receive a complementary shirt but we haven't agreed on that.

Scotty I need more power

Well that is what Captain Kirk always said on Star Trek to his engineering chief Scotty Montgomery.  Some how it always seemed that Scotty could work miracles and give more power and make all the repairs in 1/2 the time it would take normal people.  Not sure how he did it but week after week he did.

Water, water everywhere nor any drop to drink

Lines from "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner," by Samuel Taylor Coleridge.  A sailor on a becalmed ship, is surrounded by salt water that he cannot drink.

We do not want to have that situation, after all this is suppose to be a pleasure/enjoyable time on the boat and to not worry about water is important.  To make water less of an issue we are looking at desalination water makers for the boat.  The process of taking salt water, pushing it through a membrane and having fresh water come out the other side is a great option to have.  We have all the salt water available around us so all we need is equipment to do the work.

Going down the list

When we mapped out the things that needed to be done prior to sailing we made a list, no surprise there.  It kind of went like this: 

1) decided we were going to go cruising

2) decided on the type of boat we wanted, shopped for the boat, buy it

3) sell the house

4) minimize the amount of stuff you have so it will fit on the boat

5) fix/repair anything that is needed on the boat

6) load the boat up and go sail

So far we have done 1 and 2.  As of today #3 is active and the house is listed on the MLS for sale.  We were thinking that in Jan/Feb 2021 would be the ideal time to do items 3 and 4 on our list,  but with  COVID 19 and the election coming up, we started thinking maybe it would be smarter to sell sooner.   Currently the housing market in Boise is hot and the houses in our neighborhood are selling with in a week.  Hopefully it goes fast for lots and lots of money to help fund the cruising kitty.

https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/2835-S-Slate-Creek-Way-Meridian-ID-83642/79682323_zpid/

Where are we, who has the chart?

On land the options of where to drive is really based upon roads that are available.  You might choose to go by interstate, two lane back roads or try for the dirt option but you are basely going where someone else has gone before you.  It makes decision making a little easier because you are following a path and your decisions are turn left/right or change roads.  Using a GPS in the car is nice because you are really never lost and the system will recalculate your route if you put in a final destination.

For boating there are not a lot of common points with land navigation.  You can use GPS to calculate your route but there are not defined roads so when it calculates sometimes it can take over areas you might want to avoid.  The maps/charts for marine navigation will show depth of the water, make sure you check if it is high tide or low time numbers.  The charts will also show items and other items you might want to avoid.

Anchors away

The internet is such a great tool.  It allows you to do research, find stories, watch videos, and even buy stuff.  So after our researching and talking we took the next step and bought the SARCA Excel anchor.  That is the Sand And Rock Combination Anchor by the way.  The anchor is made in Australia and not many marine stores carry it yet in the USA.  We purchased it from Ground Tackle Marine in Victoria Canada and they shipped it via UPS ground to us.  I am not sure UPS has delivered many 47 lb anchors to Boise.

I told Kris it was her Mother's Day present and placed a big bow on it.  The anchor was wrapped with carpeting and plastic wrap but I "wrapped" it in a black garbage bag as well.  Since Kris was the one that ordered the anchor, it wasn't a big surprise but she still acted happy.  Now we have a 47 lb galvanized anchor in our family room as a conversation piece, and people don't think we are sophisticated.  We are planning on taking a trip back to the boat in September so will take the anchor to its new home then.