The "Dark Side" is where aging sailors go when they want to continue cruising but realize that on their last outings, whether it be coastal cruising or crossing the Gulf Stream or the Bahama Banks, the wind is NEVER out of the direction you want and you have run the diesel auxiliary engine roughly 80% of the time to get to your destination. There continues to be no substitute for the thrill of a day under sail on those rare occasions when the wind is right (like our perfect "10" day on the run from the Little Shark River in the Everglades down to Marathon in the Florida Keys in March of 2011) but they are indeed rare. It's a different thing when you're just going out on the Bay for a day sail and you can go in any direction that the wind will allow--as opposed to having a destination ahead of you and a limited amount of time to get there--which is much of what cruising is all about. (A sailboat can only sail to within about 30 degrees on either side of the direction from which the wind is blowing, and it almost always seems that the wind is blowing out of the direction you want to go--thus, you fire up the "Iron Genny" to get there.) This was certainly our experience in 2010 thru 2012.
Thus, our anticipated move to the "Dark Side".
Having sold Assisted Living in October of 2013 we have been boatless for over a year and way too long. Thanks to our friends in the sailing community here in Houston we've been able to satisfy our lust for being on the water on several occasions over that period of time, including my crewing onboard Gene and Marylou's 44 foot Catalina, "Fresh Aire" in the Harvest Moon Regatta (Galveston to Port Aransas) in October. But, we were sitting around having a "sundowner' one evening several months ago when we both lamented having sold A L and realized that we really badly missed the cruising life and all that it had offered to us. After discussing what we wanted to do if we got another boat we decided that a Trawler was the way to go. One of the things that I had hoped to do on A L after I had gotten the Bahamas out of my system (does one ever??) was to cruise up the intracoastal waterway of the east coast and visit all the storied maritime towns and sites along the way, eventually getting as far as the Chesapeake and up the Potomac to D.C. where we could live on the boat for a couple of weeks and really take the time to see the sights and museums of that city. After a great deal of thought and discussion we decided that a power boat, specifically, a trawler, was the right kind of boat for this trip. A trawler is a power boat that we used to describe as a "cabin cruiser". It's not a go-fast boat and actually cruises "economically" at a pace not much faster than most sailboats--around 8 or 10 knots. It doesn't have a mast sticking up 50 or 60 feet in the air so you don't have to worry about the many bridges along the way. It is generally more spacious and comfortable and allows for guests to visit in comfort as well.
Soooooo---we have entered into a contract to buy the boat pictured above--"The Silver Foxes". We will have it surveyed in early December and, if every thing goes as hoped, we will take possession around the middle of December. She is a Mainship 40, 40 feet long with about a 14 foot beam and draws less than four feet of depth. She is powered by twin diesel engines that will push her along at an easy 8 to 10 knots and faster, up to about 15 should we need the extra speed. There are 2 nice sized staterooms, one head, a full galley and seating for 5 or 6 people comfortably in the main salon. It has a double sized hide-a-bed in the salon as well. We liked this particular make of boat because, in addition to the large fly-bridge with lots of comfortable seating it also has a large outdoor cockpit on the rear (which is where we like to hang out). This opens through double doors into the main salon. This boat presents a huge learning curve for us but we're excited and ready to jump into it. WE'll move it back to Burnt Store Marina in Punta Gorda (where we kept A L) after we take possession and probably spend the month of January in that area as we learn how to operate and drive her. At least we'll be in very familiar waters as we become familiar with the boat.
So--wish us luck. We have our fingers crossed that the survey will go well and we'll be back on the water in a month or so. We plan to "reactivate" this blog as we move on, learn and start our new adventures and hope you'll find it interesting. WE will reactivate the "SPOT" (see above) also as we begin to head out.
