No posts for a while, since I’ve been spending full days at the yard, and trying to get my “day job” done too. A quick post, now that the boat is in the water, with the mast in. Amazing what one day can bring.
I got so much done. The KKMI guys were great, letting me do most of the work myself, but being there (and being experts) when I started to get in the weeds. My dad came down for a week and installed two bilge pumps, an emergency rudder system, and a backup freshwater system. We also got the bottom painted, shaft bearing replaced, the keel/hull joint faired, the SSB installed, and all new standing rigging and lifelines. And he dealt with me in full pre-race frenzy with his usual calm.
When a sailboat is on the hard, it’s just a cramped mobile home. When it’s in the water without a mast, it’s just a slow motorboat. When the rig goes in and the shrouds tuned and the lines run, it absolutely transforms into a something that dreams are made of. I literally teared up with joy when I saw Shanti back in the water, crammed in between a brand new 40′ Beneteau, a brand-new 45′ catamaran, and a 60′ powerboat. She looked ready to levitate up, hoist the chute on her own, and start reeling off the ocean miles. I wouldn’t have traded her for any other boat in the yard.
Still wouldn’t.