Introducing Resa

As many realize by now, we have purchased our next adventure.  Her name is Resa and she is a Sweden 41, boy are we excited about adding her to the family!  She is very different then the Spindrift 43 we sold at the start of 2017  but not dissimilar to a boat we had nearly two decades ago, a Cheoy Lee Pedrick 36.   I absolutely loved to sail Kaishi so for me it's a little like coming back to my comfort zone. Unfortunately it is not exactly what Keith had in mind, which would have been a boat with a bit more pep and a lot less wood but she is quite comfortable below and I think exactly what we need to explore this beautiful area more fully. 

​Buying a boat in the middle of winter in the Pacific Northwest is probably not the smartest thing but it does have it's advantages, the first being the ability to negotiate.  We went into boat shopping with eyes wide open and a willingness to not set our heart on any one boat.  This would be true in home shopping or boat shopping both, you have to negotiate with your head not your heart and be willing to walk away.  On this particular boat, we knew it had some issues (some came up in the survey and some Keith found on his own) and knew we needed to get in at a certain price point or we wouldn't be able to make it work. So we submitted our offer and when they didn't accept originally we had to make the choice to walk away.  Fortunately for us, the sellers had a change of heart and came back a month later with an acceptance.  Next came getting the boat to PA.

​Keith was able to get the boat through the locks at Seattle's Lake Union, to Kingston and then Port Townsend and finally to Port Angeles just before the weather turned.  Winter definitely has some unique challenges, not the least of which was the cold weather and chance of storms, but also the shorter days.  With the sun not coming out till 8:30 or so and then going down around 4PM it makes for a short window of opportunity and while you can travel at night, the temperature drops pretty drastically and navigation lights was one item on the "must fix" list.  Luckily the weather was perfect, blowing easterly, and with three sons to help on each leg he managed to the make the hops to town just before the weather turned nasty cold.

​So while the ice is forming on the water in the harbor and the snow starts to fall, we are taking apart the inside and working on a game plan that will have her back on her feet and ready to sail sometime this summer.  The project list prioritization has begun. 

​The first thing we took a look at, even before leaving Seattle was the Sail Drive.  This is a different type of engine then we've had before and doesn't have a shaft and packing gland but sits through a hole in the bottom of the boat with a bladder.  It's a bit unique and comes with a learning curve but the good news is that the previous owner appeared to take good care of her and used it very little.  What we aren't 100% confident about is the zincs since she was essentially moved from fresh water to salt water for the first time in 18 years so we've attached a "fish" zinc to the engine to help with the electrolysis until we can haul her out and attach new zincs and paint to the underside that are appropriate for area.  That will be are first priority. 

​The second item on our list was the rigging, and in particular we had noticed a strange bulge at the back of the transom and we knew the backstay had a hydraulic adjuster that had failed.   We had a notable rigger come take a look at everything and they have suggested that we first have the glass inspected on the transom to ensure it is dry.  If it's solid then we'll need to build out a more solid backing plate to carry the load, plus either replace or redesign the backstay.  Lastly, the other area we took a look at was the inline chain plates for the side stays.  It turns out they are actually I-Beams built into the decking structure, easy to get to and inspect and easy to see the corrosion that has occurred.  The rigger didn't seem too daunted but it looks awfully ugly to me. 

​The good news is that the boat has a really excellent pedigree.  Once we've tackled these key safety items we will feel confident in her ability to adventure for many years to come.  It's just a matter of ensuring these are taken care of first.  So now the fun begins and I actually do mean fun.  Working on the boat with Keith is something I enjoy and something I think we do well together.  Living just a few minutes away from her is fantastic and much better situation then the 3 states away that we had from Steadfast.  So now we are peeling back the layers in the boat and strategizing our funding and our projects.  More to come...