Looking Back - Spring Prep: Ground Tackle Upgrade

Old chain - eek!

When we bought Zephyr we didn't fully inspect the chain, rope and anchor system as good as we should have. Last spring as we were prepping we pulled all the chain and rope out along the dock and our boat neighbor, a licensed captain, alerted us to some serious corrosion on the links of the chain - AKA NOT SAFE! We knew then that we'd have to upgrade the chain ($$$) and most likely the anchor as it was quite clearly undersized (35# for 43' boat). So this spring's big project was a full upgrade. First we bought new chain. Now, for a second, imagine logistics involved in buying and moving aboard 150 feet of 3/8ths inch chain...imagine...

Luckily, there's a fantastic place in Portsmouth for ALL THINGS steel, chain, shackle, chainplates and more - Fastener Warehouse. We wanted BBB 3/8ths chain, the good stuff, and we went with our little Jetta Wagon to go pick it up - laughable. Lucky for us and our struts they only had 100' and we wanted 150' so they had to order it and deliver it to the marina - the Jetta thanked us! I can only imagine loading and unloading 150' of chain! 

The half barrel of chain arrived unfortunately at low tide. 
Do the math - 300 lbs. of chain + a steep graded ramp = yea, not ideal. 
The delivery guy at first thought he could do it, looking at me and saying, "You game to anchor me down?" Response: "NO!" 
Delivery Guy: "What's the worst that could happen, it will just fly down and off the dock."
Me: "Ummmm...Yea, let's not lose $800 of chain to the bottom of the river. Let's wait 6 hours!" 



West Marine was our destination for the rope, called rode. We got 300 feet of 3 strand, high gauge nylon rope. Measuring it out was quite a show. 

So we had the chain and we had the rope, now we could do the next phase of the project- marking it all so when we deploy the anchor we know how much we're putting out. When anchoring there's a ratio that you use depending upon the depth of the water you're in - typically it's 7:1, then you add the freeboard or height of your boat from the surface of the water, the ground type, the winds, the forecasted winds, the tide differential and you get the amount of chain/rode to deploy to have the proper scope and angle on your anchor for it to dig in deep. The more chain you have the more weight you have along the bottom of the ocean and more secure you will be, hence the 150' of chain.

I did HOURS of research on the best way to mark your anchor chain and rode, HOURS. The advice and methods are innumerable - everyone's got a way, some super complicated, some super easy. I took to my ever reliable and fantastic womens' sailing Facebook group, Women Who Sail to ask. These ladies are the BOMB they are women all over the world living on boats, sailing across oceans, raising boat babies, generally rocking at life! The advice was awesome and so were the anecdotes - disagreements among husband and wife on the method, painted feet, highly technical methods that were forgotten and more. Over 30 responses! 

We finally decided upon a 2-tier approach - paint and zip ties. So once the paint wore off the zip ties were there and/or once the zip ties rip off the paint's there. We laid out all 450' of chain and rode along the dock. 

First we painted links and rope yellow. We used bright yellow rustoleum.

One Yellow Painted Link = 100's
2 Painted Links = 200's 
3 Painted Links = 300's 
4 Painted Links = 400's 

Had to be sure not to get the dock yellow - though we did leave a small mark on the concrete, Jill & Tim's mark at Badgers Island Marina for life! 





Then came the multi-colored zip ties. We used pink, orange, yellow, green, blue (in rainbow order). Here's the method we used:
- Pink Ties starting at 25-feet, then at 50 feet, then at 75. 
- Orange ties at 100, 125, 150, 175
- Yellow ties at 200, 225, 250, 275
- Green ties at 300, 325, 350, 375
- Blue ties at 400, 425, 450 

And at 10 feet we did an array of all colors so that we have a signal when the anchor has freed itself from the bottom and then we know as we're pulling it up that the boat is free. 

Our fantastic boat neighbor Captain Tim helped us splice the rode to the chain, this is a VERY important part of the system, weak splices = boats adrift! 

The weather for this project was less than desirable, we were FREEZING with cold, raw rain and a frigid Maine April seabreeze, it was one of those many times when we say, "this life aboard sure isn't all Jimmy Buffett songs & margaritas!"  


We have been offered a sponsorship by Mantus Anchors  - a fantastic new anchor manufacturer, cruisers who developed this state of the art anchor that sets the first time, every time. So we'll be ordering a brand spanking new 65 lb. galvanized steel anchor to add to this sweet new ground tackle system we have now. We're going to have it in time for our Summer 2014 cruise to the Cape and Islands - hello gunkholing! 

The ground tackle system is SO important for any cruising sailboat, it means freedom and safety! In a couple years when we're anchored off a deserted island in the Bahamas we'll think of the cold, bitter Maine afternoon that we did our anchor chain marking project and laugh -and maybe we'll sip a margarita too! 

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

The ushering in of spring not only brings about changes in the natural world around us - like snow melting (thank goodness) and leaves popping, but for us it's also time to change from a floating, stationary, plastic wrapped condo to a cruising sailboat! There's a lot to do to get Zephyr ready for her sailing season but this year, there's even more to the story. 

Zephyr and her crew are moving! Not just out the river and around the bend to New Castle like last year but we're moving to Boston! Tim was offered an opportunity of a lifetime to join a fantastic construction management firm in Newton - it was an offer that just could not be turned down. We did A LOT of himming and hawing and chatting and sighing but after all the numbers were crunched and the pros and cons were laid out the decision was quite clear. The biggest challenge to the decision was -- "is this a means to the dream or a potential dead end to the dream?". 

The dream is to take off to the Bahamas and the Caribbean while we're young and able bodied - i.e. in the next 3-4 years - and live the cruising lifestyle for as long as our love of it and the fun persists. Like my mom's bumper sticker once said, "if it's not fun, why do it?" When we bought the boat in September 2012 we'd thought we could cast off in 2 years, Fall 2014 is what we'd always told ourselves. The inimitable Bob Bitchin (right) from Cruisers Outpost (previously Latitudes & Attitudes) the magazine for and by cruising sailors once wrote an editorial about setting the date. He wrote that if you have a dream to set off into the sunset aboard your boat you have to move from the "some day" mentality to the "I will" mentality. It's important to set the date, that date might change, it might stretch out but the key is to plan the date, to move from dreaming to planning. Just dreaming will never help you attain the lifestyle you seek. Listen to Bob talk about this shift in mentality on his podcast - check it out - it's quite inspiring! 

So, as we grappled with this decision to move to Boston, this move to a 'corporate job' with 'perks' and 'benefits' and the hustle and expense of big city living we questioned whether this was going to lead us to the dream or cloud our vision. Did we really want to push our departure off at least 2 more years, maybe more? Was this the next step to the dream or should we hang up our bowlines and move to land to focus on careers? Could Jill really survive 2 more winters aboard in New England, really? How do we balance the natural, societal inclination to embrace success of career advancement with the atypical desire to leave it all behind to follow dreams? Were we the type to live to work or work to live? 

The whole process has allowed for a great opportunity for self-assessment and moments of true clarity. It's quite easy to fall into the path of making good money, buying more things, needing more money, etc. etc. And we wanted to be sure we were self-aware enough to at least know that could be a pitfall. But what it's ended up doing is given us a great chance to recommit to our dream and more importantly, to actively make that shift from dreaming to planning. 

The thing is for the last year or so we'd been feeling that since we bought the boat not that much had changed. We haven't really felt like were making headway on our goals or plans, we were in the same city, with the same jobs and same friends, but instead of living in our old duplex we were now just living on a boat. We were comfortable and content, which we realize now was leading to complacency. We were not feeling like the trajectory we were on, especially with our current incomes were moving us along the plan to fix up, save up and cast off. So, enter this opportunity for Tim and the need to shake up pretty much everything. That's the thing about shaking things up - it's only then that you can really start to instill change in habits. It's when you're most uncomfortable that that you are really starting anew. 

So, that's what we're doing - shaking it all up, recommitting to the plan (this time with far better financial prospects), pushing the date out to Fall 2016 and putting pen to paper on real goals month-to-month, sacrifices to make, projects to do and overall refilling our tanks with dream gasoline. Please don't think this was all rainbows and butterflies as I've written - it's actually been pretty downright challenging and emotional, but I think that too is a sign of just how committed to our plan we really are. If the decision to accept the job, move our lives, give up our sweet little Seaside city was easy then we'd know where our hearts were at but we understand this is a means to an end. Not to mention, the job, it's FANTASTIC! A phenomenal opportunity for Tim - dude's got his own extension! The positives of this career move for Tim cannot be understated, he's a very, very happy camper. 

Our new home for the next two years will be Boston Harbor. So on/around May 1st we'll cast off lines and head south to Boston. This summer we'll be living at the Boston Harbor Shipyard and Marina in East Boston. The view of downtown Boston cannot be beat! Plus Andrew (Dupree), Tim's brother and a few other friends live around the corner. Jill's closer to her family on the South Shore. The water taxi stops at the marina and can bring us to the entire waterfront! The T is only 6 minutes away and the marina itself is a wonderful space with good people and lots of areas to soak up the view. Who's interested in watching the 4th of July fireworks over the Boston skyline from the cockpit of Zephyr?! 

Pier leading out into Boston Harbor, slips are off on the left

Zephyr will be on the right hand side of this dock

The view of the Boston skyline! 

So we've got 8 more weeks to enjoy this wonderful little city of Portsmouth that we've called home for the last 7 years. It's going to be very hard to leave this place and the people we've come to love but we don't doubt that they understand this is for us to follow our dreams and we hope they'll still be around to hang with even if we are an hour south! The vacillations of mood that inevitably accompany big changes in life will no doubt continue for us but we'll try and remember...

Reliving our Summer Cruise: Part 2

As winter rolls on we did get a small glimpse of spring this past weekend which just whet our appetite for warmer days and sailing! We cranked up Mr. Perkins (our diesel engine) and he started right up! After months of dormancy, he was a total rock star and cranked up and purred like a lion (not as quiet as a kitten, let's be honest, it's an old diesel). Just the smell of the diesel and the grumbling of the engine in our home reminded us that this isn't just a floating apartment, but it's a vehicle to freedom and following our dreams. It feels so good to have had even the littlest promise of warmer weather and open waters. Not going to lie - this winter has been a tough one. 

So, in keeping with our escapism, we thought we'd write the second part of our summer cruise in Casco Bay. Last we wrote, we were moored in Cape Porpoise Harbor and were about to celebrate Tim's 34th birthday. We set off heading north with Chebeague Island as our destination. 

We cast off the mooring, the sun was shining, sky was blue, fog had lifted and it was a perfect breeze to unfurl ALL THREE sails. Though we don't have a lot of experience sailing ketch rigged boats we started very quickly realizing how great it is. There's a lot more options for sail configurations dependent upon the wind direction and strength. The mizzen sail is aft of the cockpit and that allows for a lot more stability on the back side of the sailboat giving the boat a better ability to hold a line. 

A very happy 34 year old skipper -great way to celebrate his birthday! 

 Sailing is very peaceful and there's also A LOT of time to sit and relax, enjoy and talk. 

One fun thing we did to pass the time was to read all about the travels of Captain Cook. This book is a modern day reliving of Cook's voyage with fantastic glimpses into Cook's original logs and travels. Juxtapose to our travels through Casco Bay this was a cool way to have your mind engaged while we sailed. Highly recommend this book! 

Sailing through the rocky coast islands of Casco Bay on our approach to Great Chebeague Island

We reserved a mooring off the Chebeague Island Inn, a classic 1920's hotel with grand porch up on the bluff overlooking Casco Bay. It was perfection AND the mooring was free for Inn dinner guests! 

Before dinner we took a swim, diving off the boat and had some birthday cake that I baked while underway - my first underway baking experience!

It supposed to say "Tim" in strawberries...good try! 

The mooring field and all the islands of Casco Bay off in the distance - absolutely gorgeous. 

The golf course leading up to the Inn, the mooring field basked in the pink sunset

We got all "dolled up" -- as best we can from a boat -- and made our way up to celebrate Tim's birthday dinner. 

A very happy birthday boy & the grand Inn in the background

Classically Maine 1920's lobby with the deck beyond

View from the porch - you can see Zephyr just beyond the house on the right

Dinner of lobsters, mussels, steak and wine finished with some birthday cake in the cockpit! Quite a perfect 34th birthday for Tim, and to think his 33rd birthday was celebrated aboard a training sailboat outside Newport - think we might be on the right track! 

The next day we decided to explore the island a bit on foot, we needed to provision and get some ice so we set off with Toby across the island. What a FANTASTIC island. The roads are narrow, forested and no joke, EVERY SINGLE person in a car waved at us. Apparently that's 'the thing' on Chebeague, the locals wave to everyone. What a fantastic feeling! We passed this funny little roadside bar called the Slow Bell Cafe, and the sign out front said - BAND BEYOND DESCRIPTION, yup, that's right, that night was going to be a Grateful Dead cover band - how perfect. We did consider sticking around on the mooring so we could go to the show but the nature of cruising and sailing is that you get itchy to move onto to the next adventure...Next up...we head further north to Potts Harbor and onto to Sebasco Harbor Resort in Harpswell. 

Stay tuned...

Kicking off Summer Right!

Well, Summer 2013 certainly has been a BUSY time for the crew of the Zephyr, hence the total lack of blogging! So we figured we'd try and get caught up slowly but surely.We'll start with the highlight to our summer so far, the first day of summer, June 21st, overnight raft up at the Isle of Shoals. I've always loved the solstice, my mom would always remark that it's the longest day of the year and for me being someone who LOVES sunsets and twilight it's just about perfect. The Isle of Shoals is 6 miles off the coast of Portsmouth and it has a long and fascinating history which is definitely worth checking out if you're interested. We made the plan to meet up with our great friends Justin and Kim and raft up on their yacht club's mooring for the night. 

First, we needed to provision...by the way, this is the best beer in the world.

We provisioned, prepared, did our check lists and cast off at about 4pm. Winds were around 5-10 knots and the seas were relatively flat for the Gulf of Maine. We had a fantastic sail and we got to use Autopilot for the first time! What a fantastic little device that is! To be able to leave the helm and go forward or grab a drink or just lay back and enjoy the peace of lapping waves - WOW! We cruised at around 4.5 knots and soaked up the sweetness of our new life - feeling very, very grateful. We had the stereo up and the beers were cold. This was our first overnight trip since we brought the boat south from Portland in September. It was quite awesome not to worry about what to pack or if we had all that we needed - our boat is our house so we had it all! Quite an incredible feeling of freedom to know that all you need in this world - dog, husband, 'stuff' is all aboard and you're setting sail out on the water...the opportunities are endless, that feeling was like a drug for me and I can't wait to feel it again! 

It was such a thrill to finally be approaching the Shoals this clump of land that we see all the time from the marina. There's this fantastic old grand hotel out on Star Island called the Oceanic Hotel, now part of the Star Island Corporation which is owned by the UU church. They host lots of retreats and camps throughout the summer out there and Gosport Harbor where the moorings are located overlooks this grand hotel. 

Approaching White Island lighthouse 

We arrived around 7pm, rafted up alongside LIB and the happiest of hours ensued aboard Zephyr with Kim and Justin. Toby got to have his first dinghy ride to take care of 'business' ashore. Toby was nervous but in the end he really liked taking an adventure with his papa. 

LIB and Zephyr rafted up in the waning light of day

Toby & his Papa dinghying into shore

Gorgeous Kim & her fantastic Bag 'O Wine

A very happy bunch of sailors & Toby ringing in the first day of summer! 

The sunset was nothing short of phenomenal...the stuff of watercolor paintings. There was a gorgeous gaff-rigged, wooden sparred, schooner moored off our starboard side and once the sun began to sink behind her rig I was pinching myself that this was our life getting to witness this kind of beauty. 

As the day turned into night we were 'boarded' by Pelicans. No, not the birds, but rather a few of the staff from the Star Island Hotel. They're called Pelicans because they work out on the island all summer and barely ever visit the mainland for 5-6 months. They are fantastically interesting people who were a pleasure to have aboard. The first Pelican, Keith, came aboard via row boat and came bearing gifts - a pitcher of Raspberry Lime Rickey from the Cafeteria & a bottle of Rum, our kind of boat guest! Then more Pelicans came via a little blue dory sailboat. Still more arrived in another row boat, at the height of the night our little raft up had 5 assorted boats tied to it.

Assorted boats tied off to our little floating party 

Pitcher of Lime Rickey, Rum & Heady Topper - what a great spread!

PELICANS BELOW DECK! 

The stars over the grand hotel, the cool summer breeze, the Super Moon, the sound of the waves crashing over the breakwater...absolutely awesome! To be able to experience all this a mere 3 hours from our slip at the Wentworth, even more incredible, and to to think, this is just the beginning for us and our adventures aboard Zephyr! 

In fact, next weekend we depart for a two-week cruise up to Maine and Casco Bay. We are in the planning, charting, provisioning list making phase but we'll be sure to share our plans as they come together. Our first stop on Sunday, July 28th - The Isle of Shoals! Since sailing is inextricably linked to weather we're keeping our plans loose all we know is that we're going to shove off the dock and not return for two whole weeks! We can't wait! 

Our Summer Vacation exploring the many islands of Casco Bay!

One Year Later

Well, we've been on this blogging adventure for exactly one year! Our first post was on April 9, 2012 and about a week later we had our first post about our boat search. BOY have we come a long way in a year! To think about how much we didn't really know when we first looked at 'High Hopes' to what we know now with 'Zephyr'...it's incredible and definitely something to be quite proud of. 

As we mentioned in our first post, this dream of boat living didn't just spring up last year, no, we'd been dreaming about this life long before that. Our first boat we ever even looked at was called 'Abode', a 1980, immaculate, 41' Morgan Out-Island. All of Jill's family, Jill & Tim all trucked up to Cummaquid on Cape Cod on Labor Day weekend 2010, 10 days short of Tim & Jill's wedding, to take a cruise and check out 'Abode'. 

We look like naturals even in 2010! 

The day was truly glorious! Jill's Dad and the owner, Steve, an old Tug Captain and all around pirate-esque type of guy, got along famously, talking boats, teak work & the Navy. Since we were 10 days from getting married our heads were somewhere else, not to mention Jill was still in grad school and our life wasn't at a place to be buying a boat...but as you can see from the five-mile smiles on our faces - we were enamored, the dream was sparked. 

And now, here we are a little more than 2 years later, boat owners, full-time liveaboards, on the cusp of our first New England summer. We've dissected A LOT of our boat, learned so, so much, have so, so much still to learn but we also realize that if we hadn't just made this leap we'd never have known. Sometimes you just have take a leap of faith and trust that though it may at times (like when it's 3 degrees in Maine on a boat) seem like you made a mistake it's all part of the journey. It's all stories you can tell. 

Happy Family Aboard Our Very Own Boat Zephyr

Life surprises me sometimes at how fast it really does move. I can tend to live in a day-by-day mentality, focusing on the short-term and never realize just how far we've truly come. It's important to reflect back on the accomplishments, screw ups, missteps and successes and celebrate them all because that is the beauty of being alive. As trite as it sounds, life is short, real short, and I think we need to celebrate every second we can and continue to evolve, challenge ourselves and the status quo, soak up what makes us truly happy, revel in simplicity, constantly learn new things and yes, sail uncharted waters (with a chartplotter, of course)! 

"The best way to feel the ocean is dive right into the waves..."
I found this video recently and couldn't think of something more fitting for our life's path...

"I don't want to say, 'I wish, I want to say, DAMN, that was awesome!'"

Who is Zephyr?

Tim and I have an affection for modes of transport that are older than us. 

OJ in the Cape Cod sunset 

OJ the orange VW bus was born on July 4th, 1975. We only know a small portion of her story that we learned when we bought her from the hippie in Maine. He bought her in California, drove her cross country, lived out of her in downtown Boston, drove her up to Rockland, Maine where he was a lobsterman.  The day he sold her  to us we bought him a Greyhound ticket south since he'd sold his home and was moving on to the next adventure. We love to think about all the adventures she's been on through her years. The families who camped in her in California in the 70's. The concerts she went to - did she get to see The Dead? The roads she traveled, the memories she made for people. We love building our memories upon the ones she already has. She shows her age sometimes, especially if we try and push her above 55 MPH. But we love her and we always 'pet' her dashboard when she gets us to our destination safely and without major incident. 

Zephyr's specs & history is contained in these binders

When we bought Zephyr we thought, "Well, she's younger than OJ!". Sure, it's only by 3 years and yes, it's still older than both of us but in the same way we love life moments in OJ, we felt we would love life moments in Zephyr. We know a lot more about Zephyr's past due to some very loving and meticulous past captains who kept copious notes and records. When we bought Zephyr we were gifted with 4 MASSIVE binders of maintenance notes, users manuals, ship's logs, past records, hand drawings of chain plates, detailed instructions of rigging - you name it, it's in there somewhere. 

A hand drawing of the refrigerator compressor

My favorite has been reading the past owners' cruising logs (green spiral book). Detailing where they sailed, who joined them, secret little general store where they ate breakfast, games they played aboard in the rain, swimming holes along the coast of Maine. It's both bittersweet and completely exciting knowing that we will get to do all that soon enough too! There's also great things to learn about Zephyr contained in those pages. What wind conditions she's her best at, what ground types her anchor holds the best in, anchorages she's the best suited for. We feel very grateful to have these records to learn from, it's like all her past captains knew that two young, new cruisers would one day have her and would desperately need these resources! Thanks to all who loved and owned Zephyr in the past! 

So here's what we know about Zephyr's life:

• Designed by V.S. Lazzara; Berthed August 1, 1978 in Tampa Bay, FL (for more details on the history of Lazzara and the Gulfstar Yacht Company check this out).
• First owner named her Testa Rosa and she sailed the waters of Florida Bay
• At some point she was sold and renamed Dulcinea and hailed from Cape Coral, FL somehow she made her up to New England to Warwick, Rhode Island
• April, 2000 - Capt. Jim & Judith Reed bought her 



This is the survey Capt. Reed had done on her in 2000 when he purchased her

• Capt. Reed & his wife renamed her to Summer Time she was moored in Hyannisport, Cape Cod and sailed her extensively all around the Cape, Islands, Narragansett Bay and even in the annual Figawai Race from Hyannis to Nantucket. 

The entry of our boat on the Gulfstar Owner's Website.

.

In July, 2008 Burleigh and Deb Loveitt bought her in Newburyport, sailed her north to South Portland, renamed her Zephyr and enjoyed many wonderful years cruising all along the Maine coast. 

A very Grateful crew!

And as you can read in past postings of this blog we found her in May of 2012 and purchased her in August of 2012. We are still deciding if we'll change her name or not, she's been very good to us as Zephyr and we know there are some serious things one must do in order to change a boat's name (think virgin & bow peeing). But the one name we keep coming back to is Grateful because that's the feeling we continuously find ourselves feeling. Grateful for the experience, grateful to the boat for being so stout and sound, grateful to past owners of our boat, grateful to the weather for not (YET) causing us any serious damage, grateful to Mother Ocean for her kindness thus far, grateful to our parents, family and friends for their support, grateful to our bodies and minds to be able to take on this huge life shift, grateful to be able to live in a society that allows us to follow our dreams...the thanks are endless. Oh, and we're also giant Grateful Dead fans! :)

So Zephyr's story continues with us and it's up to us to keep good records, logs and provide the fodder for many more stories. This is why buying something older is the best - your stories with that car, boat, house only serve to build upon the growing narrative of the story that was begun long ago by others. Boats especially have a soul to them and we're so grateful to share Zephyr's soul. 

Ol' Joe's got a Boston whaler
he bought in Key Biscayne
He swears since the day he's got her
she's been nothing but a pain
when the sun's at his back
and the winds in his face
it's just him and the wheel
he wouldn’t take a million for the
way it makes him feel

boats
vessels of freedom
harbors of heeling
boats

Newport is where John hung his hat
til he lost his wife Jo
now forty feet of sail and teak
is where Ol' John calls home
he watched his life pass before his eyes
in the middle of a hurricane
came out alive on the other side
that’s where "the other side" got its name

Boats
vessels of freedom
harbors of heeling
boats

twenty years of a landlocked job
was all that Tom could take
sitting at his desk
all alone and depressed
says this just cant be my fate
went home that night and told his wife
you can tell all of your friends
it's been real but it ain't been fun
gonna get us one of them

boats
vessels of freedom
harbors of heeling
boats

vessels of freedom
boats

-Kenny Chesney "Boats" off Lucky Old Sun