Jay's head is spinning with projects

Getting the "to-do" list checked off

Well, Priority was put back in the water this morning.  New waterline is above water at least until we get her loaded with gear, food, fuel, and water.  So everyone asks,"what is left to do?" Lots of little things. We put the new anchor hatches back on after making a hat top or higher bow opening for the anchor chain to pass through. Jay mounted the remote on the inside of the anchor hatch lid so it can be easily reached after opening the lid. Every inch of this anchor well is used with no space wasted. Captain is happy!

Boat bottom is ready, now back into the water

Although the week was rainy, we found a few dry moments to get the bottom work done to protect it in the salty southern waters. You can see the new bow sprit that allows our two anchors to be held nicely up there. The newer designed round shaped anchor is called a rocna attached to 90 feet of chain and spliced to 160 feet of line using the windlass. We like the way it digs in quickly and firmly to hold the boat at anchor. The brown two-pointed one is a Danforth style anchor attached to 180 feet of line that we have used for years on the Bay. It has held us well,too. Now we have a choice depending on the type of bottom we are anchoring in and how the captain is feeling at anchoring time. At times we may need to use both to hold us in a narrow area or in high winds. We'll carry a third Fortress style anchor in the bilge as an emergency back up. We are pleased with the new higher waterline. This is the second time we have moved the waterline up in the past 28 years and it will be the last. The connector canvas piece between the bimini and dodger has been very helpful to stay dry in the cockpit with all the rainy weather this week. We'll put the newly painted prop and new zincs on so we'll be ready to go back in the water on Monday.

Raising the waterline and one more coat of fresh bottom paint

After trying to clean the boat bottom, Jay decided the waterline needed to be raised about two inches to allow for all the added weight of gear and equipment we have added. The marina lifted us out of the water on Monday. We guesstimated and moved the waterline up. Jay painted the new brown boot stripe today as the gray clouds loomed. We will sand and paint a fresh coat of brown on the bottom as soon as the rainy weather permits. Hopefully, Priority will be back in the water early next week. We have lots of other projects to keep us busy while not working on the boat bottom.

Getting bow sprit, windlass and anchors ready

We're inching closer to departing. Are renovations done? Never! However, we have decided what must be done and what can wait. Definitely need the anchors so fitting the windlass in our anchor well and getting the rocna and Danforth anchors mounted on the bow are a must. Before we had to lift the anchors over the bow pulpit and store them inside the anchor well. Storing them on the new bow sprit will be better for both us and the anchors. Jay is excited to see his CAD drawing come to life and have the bow sprit and anchor roller fit so well on our boat

Beginning the journey...

The dream of sailing away at retirement really started years before we retired in 2008. We always loved the traditional lines of Priority and knew she was a strong cruising boat. Instead of finding a larger boat, we decided to use the smaller space on our 33 foot boat and make it into our "cruiser". It all started with thinking we needed refrigeration. We tore out the icebox and Jay designed a well insulated refrigeration unit.  Then followed three more years of renovations.  Refrigeration called for more batteries, batteries required more space so out came the wet locker and a water tank.  That also meant a larger engine area to add an extra alternator...... you begin to see how three years just passed right by. Maybe Jay will write a book or build a website of all the renovations; he is a master and we have recorded each step.