Windarra has been sold

Rich and I are pleased to announce that Windarra has been sold. We enjoyed our 16 plus years aboard, from Seattle to Brisbane, Ketchikan to Cape Horn to Brazil. We wish the new owners the best of luck and hope they have wonderful adventures and that the boat will become their home.

My article is published

When Rich has his medical incident in March of last year I was vague in my posts for many reasons, least of all was that the blog was very low on the priority list.

Since then I have had a chance to organize my thoughts on the incident and write an article. It was submitted to the cruising magazine, Ocean Navigator and published in the Ocean Voyager 2017 edition.

It is our hope that others will read this article, learn from our experience and that another life will be saved.

More photos

I have been going through my photos of Windarra while at the yard in Trinidad. Here are a few that you might be interested in.

Along with Windarra is a 9 foot Caribe hard bottom dingy. We bought the dingy in 2008 and it will plane quite nicely with the Mercury 15 HP outboard. The crane on Windarra's aft quarter makes it easy to move the outboard from the stern pulpit to the stern of the dingy and vice versa. The compartment in the front of the dingy provides a place for foot pump, bailer, and a small anchor.

In addition to the new bow stem is a new anchor roller that you can see mount in this photo. The anchor roller pivots as well.

The Edson teak cockpit table opens to provide comfortable dining for 4.

The cockpit is large enough for an adult to stretch out while at anchor or on passage off watch. All sheets as well as the main halyard and reefing and furling lines are led back to the cockpit so there is no need to go on deck to change sail configurations or reef. The powered Lewmar primaries assist for raising the main as well as the Yankee sheets. The boom vang supports the boom eliminating the need for a topping lift. It permits sailing Windarra short handed if the need arises. The bimini is new 2017 and it mates perfectly with the canvas surrounds with windows or the sunshade surrounds. Windarra also has Bottomsider cushions for the cockpit.

Windarra on Yachtworld

windarra is now listed on Yachtworld. You may use this link, to take a look at more photos and specifications.

I just returned from over a month in Trinidad getting the boat ready for sale.

The new paint job on the sides and deck was well done. The traveler base, grab rails and entry have been sanded and Cetol applied. The stem and anchor roller are new as well as the backstay chainplate, very shiny. The Bimini canvas is new and the interface to the windows and sunshade surrounds was verified and modified as needed. Inside the teak around the hatches was sanded and varnished as well as the frames for the hatch screens. New headliner was installed in the fwd shower.

While I removed our personal items that we accumulated over 16 years of living aboard, a great deal of spares, tools and useful items were left on board. The galley is stocked with dish ware and cookware. Rich's hardware stores are on board including machine and self tapping screws of all sizes and electrical connectors. Spares of standing rigging and running rigging are also included. An array of engine spares including small items such as gaskets and hoses to start motor, fresh water pump, and alternators are also on board.

I plan to include more photos in the near future.

Repainted Windarra

This has been another big week on Windarra. On Monday, our stuff was packed onto a pallet for shipment to Seattle. I am not sure if I will beat it or not. The name is back on the transom and the decks have been painted. Looks pretty good if you ask me.

Preview to Carnival in Trinidad

I did take some time off while I was in Trinidad believe it or not. As I would not be there for Carnival itself, I took a tour with some other cruisers of places that made the costumes and watched a steel or pan drum group practice. The costumes are very elaborate with lots of jewels and feathers and very little costume. Some birds must be practically naked and the folks who wear the costumes are just about. Costume making is a full time effort and very commercial in Trinidad.

The steel drums or pans were very interesting. The drums are grouped like choirs, sopranos, altos, tenors, bass. The lower the octave the larger the drum and fewer notes on a drum. To play a 'bass' you may be playing on five or six drums while a soprano only play on one or two. There is no sheet music. Musicians learn the melody by repetition. Some musicians move like dancers. It was fun to watch.

Big week for Windarra

This has been a big week for Windarra.

First is the new paint job on the top sides. Keith, the painter, painted the boot stripe and the cove stripe Royal Blue. Then he masked this off, making sure the lines were straight, a challenge on a curved surface and then painted three coats of Oyster White. I think it looks great. Today I cleaned the stainless grab rails that will be mounted back on the stern.

In between the painting and the sanding, I have been removing our stuff from the boat. It is hard to believe we have accumulated so much over 16 years aboard. I am planning to ship this back on a pallet and a volume of 40 inches by 48 inches by 48 inches. So I marked the length and width on the tile floor of the apartment with tape and started arranging and rearranging the boxes and duffles and tool bags to fit inside the envelop. So far so good. When I am ready the shipper will come and pick up the stuff, it will be loaded on a pallet and weighed. I will have a chance to adjust based on the weight limit. The whole thing will be shrink wrapped and then shipped to Seattle.

Reynold, Selman and Richard are working on the deck. Sanding, filler, sanding, primer, filler, sanding, more primer, sanding and more. This week they took the air conditioner off so working inside the boat is a challenge in this climate. Still more work to be done.

First week in Trinidad

Well, I am learning the ropes here at Power Boats, the marina and boatyard where we have Windarra. Like any new place, you learn where to get the basics plus what makes the place special. Our friends, Ned and Carol of SV Frannie B are here and they have helped me a lot. Besides figuring where the office is, the showers, the laundry, the bank and the grocery store, they have introduced me to the 'roti stand'. It is like the foot trucks in other countries but without the trucks. The Indian food is great and spicy. Below is the meal I got for TT$52 or $7.72 USD.

This past week I have stayed in an apartment for 4 nights and on the boat for the remaining time. Today I moved back into an apartment and managed to beat the rain. This is my view out the apartment window this afternoon during the rain shower. I am starting to move the things I want to ship back to Seattle into the apartment so I can pack it for shipment. On the boat I am separating items into 3 categories: ship to Seattle, leave on the boat, sell or give away. Many of the items I have taken to the laundry room to give away disappear very quickly. In addition to sorting and packing, I am working with suppliers to have work done on the boat. I have not tuned my ear to the Trinidadian patois, but I hope to get there sometime. At least they are patient with me when I ask them to slow down when they speak.

In Trinidad

Wednesday, Jan 11, I boarded a red eye to Miami and then another flight to Port of Spain, Trinidad. After explaining to immigration that I did not have a return ticket but did have a boat just in case, then a quick stop for a Digicell SIM card for my iPhone, I grabbed my luggage and shuffled through customs. The fellow at the X-ray machine questioned what I had in the surf board bag. When I explained they were doors for my boat, he sent me to the customs office for paperwork and told me to stop by the other customs office near the marine before stopping at the boat. My pre-arranged ride was there to meet me holding a sign with 'Windarra written on it. He was a nice fellow, gave me a tour on the way. We even stopped at the only Starbucks in the Caribbean but they were all out of Trinidad cups. The official at the customs office verified that I did indeed have doors and sent me on.

Windarra is in the hard with a tent on top. Now I also have an air conditioner over one of the hatches in the salon to cool the boat down making it so much easier to work inside. She also has new bottom paint.

For the first few days I have an apartment here in the marina. It is basic but it includes a nice shower and a small kitchen and cable TV as a special bonus. Monday I will move onto the boat for a few days until another apartment opens up. Our friends from Frannie B, Ned and Carol, are here as well and they have been showing me around. This evening a watched the Seahawks game and joined in the cruiser BBQ.

I have been going through our food stores and cleaning. Some items went into the trash, others to the laundry room (by the book exchange) and a few items I will use while I am here such as the macaroni and cheese I found today.