CRAIGERS AND SHELLEYS SAILBOAT DREAM
TODAY WE ARE THE OWNERS OF "SARAH MARIE" A ISLANDER FREEPORT 41
SATURDAY 11/21/99
SHELLEY AND I, PLUS SHAWN AND LYNN SPENT THE NIGHT ON SARAH MARIE AT THE BROKER DOCK IN THE ST. PETE CITY MARINA. WE WENT OVER THE BOAT TO GET IT READY TO MOVE THE NEXT DAY TO ITS NEW HOME AT ISLA DEL-SOL YACHT AND COUNTRY CLUB MARINA. WE ARE VERY HAPPPY
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AND SOME WHAT SCARED. ITS A VERY BIG BOAT. BUT WE CAN DO THIS AND THIS IS WHAT WE WANTED TO DO FOR SO LONG. SHAWN WANTED TO TAKE US OUT FOR DINNER TO CELEBRATE THE NEW BOAT (WHAT A GOOD KID WE HAVE) WE WENT TO THE PIER AND ATE AT CHI-CHI COCONUTS. AFTER WE ALL WENT FOR A WALK TO LET OUR FOOD SETTLE. WE WALKED TO THE OFFSHORE POWER BOAT RACE CELEBRATION AND WATCHED THE BAND PLAY FOR A WHILE. WE THEN WENT BACK TO THE BOAT AND WENT TO SLEEP FOR THE NIGHT AS THE NEXT DAY WAS TO BE THE BIG MOVE TO HER NEW HOME.
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SATURDAY 11/27/99
WE WAITED THROUGH MONDAY, THEN TUESDAY, THEN WEDNESDAY, THEN THURSDAY, THEN FRIDAY, THEN IT WAS FINALLY SATURDAY. I WORKED SATURDAY MORNING WHILE CRAIG GOT THINGS READY TO LEAVE AS SOON AS I GOT HOME. WE WERE ON THE ROAD BY 12:45 AND ARRIVED AT THE MARINA BY 3:00 TO FIND SARAH MARIE WAITING PATIENTLY FOR US. CRAIG WENT TO WORK DIRECTLY ON THE ENGINE.(OOPS I MEAN THE BILGE PUMP) I WENT TO THE OFFICE AND RAN INTO JERRY, THE DOCKMASTER, AND BROUGHT HIM BACK TO THE BOAT TO MEET CRAIG. THEY TALKED ABOUT THE 30 AMP ELECTRICAL CORD AND HOW SHE WAS TIED UP. HE IS GOING TO ORDER 5/8" DOUBLE BRAIDED DOCK LINES. THE EXISTING BILGE PUMPS DID NOT WORK EVEN WITH CRAIGS COAXING SO HE HAD TO BUY AND PUT IN A NEW ONE. ( A 1500 GPH GUSHER ELECTRIC PUMP) I BUSIED MYSELF WITH CLEANING AND BY 7:00 IT WAS TIME TO MAKE DINNER AND RELAX...........OUR FIRST DINNER ON THE BOAT BY CANDLE LIGHT !!!! PERFECT. CRAIG THINKS ITS IMPORTANT TO LOG WHAT WE ATE. JUST SO WE CAN REMEMBER WHEN WE ARE TOO OLD TO RECALL - WE HAD CHICKEN WINGS, BAKED POTATOES, AND A SALAD. WE SAT, LISTENED TO MUSIC, READ AND THEN WENT TO BED. WHAT A GOOD NIGHTS SLEEP. HOW WONDERFUL TO WAKE UP AND BE IN OUR NEW HOME. CRAIG WORKED ON THE "HOLDING" TANK - UGK#@*#@, HE SMELLED LIKE S---! WE WILL GET IT SET UP SO WE CAN ACTUALLY PUMP IT OUT AND START "FRESH". I CLEANED AND PAINTED HALF OF THE LOCKERS IN THE V BERTH AND WE STRAIGHTENED UP THE ANCHOR LINE LOCKER. ITS FUN TO HAVE MORNING TEA UNDER THE CANAPY ON THE DOCK! BY NOON WE STARTED TO CLEAN UP AND LEFT BY QUARTER TO THREE - SOONER THAN LAST WEEK. CAN'T COME BACK FOR TWO WEEKS TAKE CARE SARAH MARIE.
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FRIDAY 12/10/99
SHELLEY AND I WENT TO THE BOAT ON FRIDAY NIGHT AFTER SHE GOT OFF WORK. WE LEFT AROUND SEVEN AND DROVE THE TWO HOURS IT TAKES TO GET THERE. I ALWAYS GET THAT FEELING IN MY STOMACH WHEN I GET CLOSE TO THE MARINA -- I THINK ITS HARD TO BELEAVE THAT SHE'S FINALLY OURS. SARAH MARIE WAS WAITING FOR US AS WE LEFT HER. WHAT A NICE SITE. AFTER OPENING HER UP WE JUST SAT FOR A FEW BEFORE STARTING TO DO THE SMALL JOBS I HAD TO DO THAT NIGHT. I REPLACED THE BILGE PUMP WITH THE ONE I TOOK HOME AND REBUILT. TESTED IT AND IT PUMPED HARD AND FAST.
I ALSO ADDED A SWITCH TO THE FORWARD HEAD ELECTRIC TOILET, SO WE CAN TURN IT OFF AS IT WANTED TO RUN TO LONG. SHELLEY AN I HAD SOME TEA, SAT AND ENJOYED THE WATER AND THE MARINA AND WENT TO BED.I LOVE HOW WHEN I LAY IN THE BED I CAN LOOK UP AND SEE THE SKY AND THE STARS.
SATURDAY 12/11/99
WE WOKE AROUND 8:00 OCLOCK AND CHECKED THE BOAT OUT. THE TIDE HAD GONE OUT DURING THE NIGHT AND WE WERE BELOW THE DOCK. AFTER MORNING TEA WE WENT TO WORK ON SARAH MARIE. I WASHED DOWN THE DECKS AND CLEANED THE COCKPIT FIRST. THEN I WORKED IN THE ENGINE ROOM FOR MOST OF THE DAY. I CHANGED OUT ALL HOSES ON THE ENGINE, NEW HOSE CLAMPS, DRAINED THE FRESH WATER SIDE OF THE ENGINE AND REFILLED WITH ANTI FREEZE AND WATER. I SPENT A LOT OF TIME SCRAPING OFF RUST AND CORROSION FROM THE ENGINE. THE LAST OWNER LET ALL THE HOSE LEAKS, SO WE HAD RUST ON THE ENGINE. I SPRAYED THE ENGINE WITH WD40 TO TRY AND STOP THE RUST FROM COMING BACK. NEXT TRIP TO THE BOAT I WILL PAINT THE ENGINE. SHELLEY AND I FINISHED UP THE SHADE COVER FOR THE BOW OF THE BOAT. IT LOOKS GREAT AND ONLY COST $ 35.00. SHELLEY FINISHED PAINTING THE V BERTH AND LOCKERS. SHE BOUGHT HER SEWING MACHINE AND MADE TWO BAGS TO STORE THE EXTRA HOSES AND WIRE WE FOUND IN THE V BERTH LOCKER. SHE SPENT SOME TIME ON MAKING A CUSTOMS FITTED SHEET FOR OUR BED. ON SATURDAY NIGHT WE MEET SOME OF THE OTHER BOATERS FROM THE MARINA AND WE ALL WENT THE THE HEAD OF THE DOCK TO WATCH THE XMASS BOAT PARADE GO BY. THERE WERE ABOUT 15 SAIL BOATS AND ONE POWER BOAT ALL LIT UP. IT WAS FUN TO BE WITH ALL THE OTHER BOATERS. ALSO THE MARINA WAS A HOST TO A SHUCKER SAILBOAT GET TOGETHER. THERE WERE SIX BOATS AT THE DOCKS AND AROUND 40 PEOPLE CAME BY CAR. OUR MARINA WAS A BUSY PLACE. WE HAD FISH FOR DINNER, SAT AND READ FOR AWHILE THEN WENT TO BED.
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SUNDAY 12/12/99
WOKE AROUND 8:00. WORKED AROUND THE BOAT AND ENJOYED THE MORNING. TALKED WITH THE SHUCKER PEOPLE, LOOKED AT THERE BOATS AND SHOWED OURS TO THEM. GLADE WE HAVE SARAH MARIE. SHELLEY AND I CLEANED HER UP AND ENJOYED THE AFTERNOON. WE LEFT AND HEADED HOME AROUND 4:00 OCLOCK. TILL THE NEXT TIME
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