Lots of funny quotes that poke fun at the fact that a sailboat is a money pit. Trust me, it is all true. You just have to plan for this reality when you decide to go cruising. Luckily, we knew this before we bought our boat. One pricey thing you need on a cruising sailboat…
New Name and Splash!
Lots happening on the Barrett Boat front the last few days. First, the new boat name was placed on the vessel, along with her hailing port. I had the sign company guy apply it. Now that I have watched their process, it is not at all hard to do. Next time, I will apply it…
Going With The Flow
The decision to go cruising comes with lots of changes. Things break, new items don’t fit, and you lose your dock space due to circumstances outside your control. In other words, stuff happens. The only thing you CAN control is your response to the event or crisis. We were to splash back into the water…
Changing Your Boat’s Name
When you purchase a new boat, you need to decide if you want to keep the boat’s name, or change it to something new. While we liked our sailboat’s former name, Fortune Cookie, we made the decision to change it to Mahi. What tipped the scales for us was the length of the previous…
Haul Out and Halloween!
This last week was a busy one for the Mahi crew. Work with our various contractors continue- the rigger (who is replacing our rigging), sailmaker (new sails), welder (building a custom radar/VHF/GPS pole mount), canvas/awning maker (making the full enclosure and sun awnings), and upholsterer (interior upholstery). 4 year-old Ethan had a busy week with…
Redesigning the Boat Interior
As part of the sailboat remodel for Mahi, I wanted to redo the interior space as well. The interior cushions and fabric were well past their prime, so it was time for a more modern look. First, let me show you what the older interior looks like now: The blue fabric is rather traditional, and…
Re-rigging the Boat
Since our boat had standing rigging that was 23 years old, we definitely needed to replace them before we could safely set off for the Bahamas. “Standing rigging” means all the stainless steelwires, lines or rods that ensure that the mast stays in place. It also includes the forestay, backstay, and side stays (aka “shrouds). …
Sailboat Refit Work
Now that the boat is in Ft. Lauderdale, it is time for work to begin. What changes and improvements are we making? Here is our list, so far: Sail Inventory– Our Taswell 43 needs a complete new sail inventory. In this case, since it is a cutter rig, it needs a new mainsail, staysail and…
Delivery Trip- Sarasota to Ft. Lauderdale
Last Friday, the delivery trip of Mahi from Sarasota to Ft. Lauderdale began. This is the first big sailing trip since we bought the sailboat. This first leg started out in Longboat Key, out to Sarasota Bay, ino the Gulf of Mexico, with the sailboat heading south towards the Florida Keys. Aboard for the delivery…
Moving the Boat
We need a haul out and work to be done on the boat in Fort Lauderdale, which means a delivery trip from the west coast of Florida, around to the east coast. Mahi leaves the marina tomorrow, where we had been renting a slip. Helping Joe with the delivery trip is our wonderful brother-in-law, Dave,…
SV Mahi 