Sailing, sailing, over the....lake?

YES! This last weekend was great! Working backwards from yesterday (Sunday), Aimee and I completed our Open Water Driver Certification course through Seattle Scuba after two freezing (47-degree) dives near the Duwamish waterway (yuck), we had a afternoon sail on Rafiki in which we flew the spinnaker for the first time, broke the boat's water-speed record (now at 4.6 screaming knots), and I observed Lake Union from aloft for the first time. On Friday I worked like a mad-man on my 4Runner and got a working stereo going (although not the final turbo version) and did other maintenance work on my long-term beast of a SUV... In other news, I'm not going down to Mexico until mid to late April, which was a bummer at first, but then I realized how much time I'd have to enjoy life at home - and now I'm quite stoked for my additional time off! : )

But back to the boat. I've started gutting the interior, and so far I've removed all the V-birth insulation and framework, removed half of the integrated (EVIL) floorboards, sold the old Sabb diesel engine, removed the poorly-designed dodger, thrown away the nasty (and trickster) toilet/head (it tried to sink Rafiki, but failed), pulled out the entire overhead (I'm planning on making a pilothouse addition this summer/fall), and removed just about everything that isn't essential for: A). Floating, and B). Going. With emphasis on the last one. My friend Christian is a firm believer in "Go" and loaned me an electric outboard motor, which is the only reason I'm able to take my dear boat out sailing on a whim; granted, a whim with only 40lbs of thrust. But a little push is all it takes, and without the wonder that is Minn-Kota, I'd have yet another potentially daunting and depressing project clawing at my soul. But such is not the case! I'm on the prowl for 25-30hp 3-cylinder inboard diesel engines with low hours and optimally with a V-drive transmission, but if late fall rolls around and I find myself wanting, I'll deflate my summer savings and do my part to stimulate the economy via Yanmar or Beta Diesel. I also fixed one of my FOUR! self-tailing winches that the boat came equipped with (in fact, those are all the winches I have!) that had been seized by salt-intrusion and corrosion (although not fatal). My plans for this boat occupy most of my free thoughts and many hours googling, CLing, and scouting local shops for all the tid-bits that will bring this beast of a boat to a happy state. I have a "Boater's Swap Meet List" that is nearly a page (typed) long, and I'm already making pre-swap stratagies in my head. I'm obsessed. And I'm living o-so-well.

Anywho, enough gushing - it's time to get crackin'!

Cheers,

Danny