Our PAYC Commodore Chris knew our departure and grabbed some fun footage of us taking off on our maiden voyage aboard Resa.  And yes, that stupid white bumper drives me crazy in this footage, it's the only white one and I didn't see it even though I knew it was there. Grrrr. :).  On the fun side, the folks on the big yacht on the fuel dock were trying to figure out why there was a drone buzzing around us during our departure, looking at us then the drone and back.  Probably wondering if we were somebody worthy of following.  Little did they know we just had an awesome Commodore who cared enough to come down at the crack of dawn to capture the footage.

This past week we took off on our first adventure on Resa. It's a culmination of a plan we've been working on for the last few years. First part was to move away from land locked Colorado so that our sailing options opened up, next we needed to sell the Spindrift 43 as she didn’t meet the needs of our family anymore, last we needed to buy a boat up here and start sailing this area that so many have touted as the best cruising grounds. We finally made it and I don’t know what positive karma we scored but somehow we ended up traveling during the most beautiful weather days we've had in six months. The weather was equal to what we see during the late summer. As we headed away from shore and looked back on the snowy peaks of the Olympics it reminded me how fortunate we were with our weather window.

We motored across about half way to Victoria and then the breeze filled in so Keith and I unfurled the sails and turned off the engine for our first offshore sail in the boat. The wind was blowing about 10-12 knots and the water was flat with little chop, Resa flew towards Victoria at a modest 7 knots. I was comfortable sitting on the rail and driving as she sliced through the waves effortlessly. The wind built to 18-20 and she continued to charge on without any more effort and continued to handle the challenge beautifully. Keith meanwhile was running around the deck, adjusting the stays, adjusting the running backstays, adjusting the hydraulic backstays….so many opportunities to tweak and tune…but me I was in sailing bliss. We were getting headed away from our lay line but we didn’t really care because the wind and the weather was just too pleasant to pass up.

Soon we got close enough to shore to see the skyscrapers of Victoria and determined we needed to tack over towards Discovery Island. The tack was smooth and we continued on until we reach Discovery Pass where we turned on the engine and tootled our way through the channel that spit us out into Haro Straight and the shipping lane that we needed to carefully cross to get to San Juan Island. We easily tucked in behind one tanker and then noticed another off to Starboard just coming around Discovery Island. Noticing it was bearing down on us at nearly 3 times our speed we opted for a direct line across the straight to get out of their path and then trudged our way up the West side of the island to Mosquito pass which was a fun little straight made up of day markers and channel markers. I understand that at times, if the tide is running against you it can be quite impossible to get through the channel. This time, we had a ½ knot current on our nose, not much to worry about. About halfway through Keith managed to drop his shoe in the water and amazingly they floated so we took the opportunity to go through a man overboard drill – with Loren spotting, me driving and Keith retrieving.

Soon we rounded the final bend and looked upon Roche Harbor where friends from the Port Angeles Yacht Club were standing by with a slip and many hands to help tie Resa off to her very first destination. Loren quickly got the kayak off the boat and was off exploring the marina and the nearby beach creating many shaved sticks which he planned to catch fish with. We took off to register and explore the area guided by Randy who showed us what a quiet Roche looked like and tried to help us envision the Disneyland type mayhem that summertime brings. Our evening wrapped up with a lovely gathering of friends from the yacht club for happy hour and a home cooked meal from Kurt and Donna….yum!
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The next day we walked over to the sculpture park which incorporated 19 acres of outdoor sculptures set in amongst grassy expanses, wooded pathways and a pond. It was peaceful and we enjoyed the meandering, the poetry and the amazing artwork. Loren spent a good deal of time in the kids area with Steve (his surrogate Grandpa for the trip) shaping his own artwork. On our way back through town we stopped off at the store and grabbed a few items we’d forgotten (like sunblock) before heading back to the boat to start packing for our next destination, Reid Harbor.
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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...

We managed to sell the Spindrift early in 2017 and it was a bit of a painful process.  We, had put so much blood, sweat (Keith's) and tears (mine) into the boat that it was a hard enough decision only to be made more difficult by a few different buyers who were jerks through the selling process.  I was literally at the point where I  just wanted to give the process the bird and ship her up here to Washington State.  Luckily a couple came in at the last minute and bought her and actually ended up shipping her to nearby Seattle.  I keep wondering if we are going to see Steadfast show up sometime through the marina here.  So currently we are a bit fancy free with no boat burdens, no slip rent, no maintenance costs....we are calling it our boat honeymoon which when you think about it is rather backwards.  People would normally think the honeymoon is right after purchase but honestly, each and every time we buy we always feel sick with nerves.  So for us, honeymoon comes with the sold sign.

It was always our intention to get another boat, one perhaps a little smaller that doesn't need all the space the Spindrift did because, honestly, our kids are getting older and some don't have any interest in hanging out with us right now...especially aboard.  So we have been on the hunt for the next boat and that is a bit where our adventure begins because trying to align my wish list with Keith's wish list has become a challenge.

​If we had a limitless budget there would be no conflict,  but as we live in reality versus la la land this is a key factor and, as with all things impacting two people, it's a process of compromise where both parties give and get..  One of our agreed upon goals is to downsize to something nearer to 36 ft. but where we differ is in regards to down below and the amenities.  I still want my creature comforts and a nice galley.  For the Pacific Northwest and the exploring we plan to do here, I require a heater.  Keith on the other hand would like things simpler because he is done trying to contort himself into crazy spaces to work on boat repairs.  In his mind an Express 37 with all glass interior and all everything showing and easily accessible is perfect.  So you see we obviously have to come to some sort of middle ground.  This seems to be the story of our life, always compromising on what we each want.

​Winter has come again and we are believing this may be the best time to buy as people start to get anxious about sitting on a boat through another winter.  We've done some traveling up to Vancouver Island, over to Bellingham and round to Seattle checking out potential ideas and trying to find a boat we both can agree on.  As of yet...the hunt continues.

This past weekend we decided to head out to Santa Cruz Island, we'd been watching the weather all week and were a bit concerned about the hurricane brewing off the coast of Mexico.  The local weather stations were making all kinds of dramatic predictions about surf conditions and flash floods and Keith and I were a little worried about having to deal with too much weather.  At the marina where we keep the boat, they were hosting their annual rendezvous and many folks had declared they weren't going due to the weather.  Keith and I kept monitoring daily and decided to go for it, our biggest concern being sick kiddos since the wind prediction was near zero.  We had Mason's buddy Tyler on board and all six of us, along with Molly, headed out early on Saturday morning expecting to motor sail a good portion of the way.  The wind didn't show up at all and we pulled into Prisoners Harbor well before noon.  The anchorage was pretty full, with many boats already packed into the "prime" spots for traditional NW weather.  Fortunately we were dealing with nothing close to normal, the hurricane and swell pushing in from the south meant that almost anyplace was a good spot to anchor.  We settled in about 40 feet of water between two other boats of comparable size and kicked back on deck.

With the teens still asleep below we debated heading on shore but decided to just chill on anchor a bit.  Loren and Elliot were busting to get off the boat and explore so we suited them up in wetsuits and dropped them off at the beach to snorkel on their own.  The weather was moist and sticky and eventually Mason and Tyler woke and were ready to get off the boat themselves.  They set off to check out the beach - in the opposite direction from the younger ones!  Eventually the little guys got bored with the beach and waved to come back on the boat so we scooped them up and they had fun for awhile jumping off the side of the boat, playing catch in the water with the football and just hang'n out.  After a bit we collected the teens and watched the clouds form as folks who had gone to shore for the rendezvous potluck started streaming back to their boats a little earlier then the planned finish time of 4pm.  Both Keith and I looked at the clock and shrugged it off then decided to head to shore and explore on our own, chatting briefly with a local Navy guy who was wondering if we were going to weigh anchor and head out too.  Keith and I debated heading back, wondering what weather we might be missing  but opted to keep heading down the beach just as a crack of thunder was heard overhead.  I looked out on the water and saw rain heading our way so we quickly headed back to the boat to shut all the wide open hatches and listen to the weather on the radio.  The weather station said there was a lot of activity expected on the mainland but nothing too much where we were at and we decided that sailing INTO a storm didn't hold much appeal.  The sky continued it's deluge, with intermittent cracks of thunder off in the distance as we hunkered down on board and ate an early dinner.

Soon enough the sky overhead cleared as it moved inland and we headed off for a hike up the hill to the Nature Conservancy permit only side of the island where we got some great photos overlooking the cove and the kids all got to see the Island Fox.  That night we played games before packing it in early for another early wake up to head further up the coast to check out The Painted Cave.

Six thirty in the morning and we weighed anchor on an ocean smoother then many lakes I've sailed on.  We made good time heading the additional 10+ miles up the coast to see the famous Painted Cave.  As we got within a few minutes we again woke the teens and they waited while Keith took Loren and Elliot into the cave in the dinghy - they weren't gone very long and it wasn't until I went into the cave myself that I realized why.  Dark, stinky and spooky sounds are the stuff of nightmares.  Even Molly, who went with Keith and I, tried to bury under Keith's jacket to hide from all the spookiness!  Everyone seemed to enjoy and yet be a little freaked out by the cave, overall a fun stop over before heading back to the mainland.

The trip back was uneventful.  Zero wind and flat water saw us motoring at near 8 knots to get into the harbor in the early afternoon.

So I guess it's pretty obvious by now that we love sailing.  In particular Keith and I enjoy sailing together, without kids, as we did for so many years before the kids came into our life.  We had planned on spending our Sunday doing just that but there's one thing that makes sailing even better and that is sharing our love with others. 

On a whim today Keith called our neighbor Markus to see if he wanted to go sailing on our little red boat.  Markus is one of many people who have expressed interest in going out with us but it seems we never get around to planning it.  Keith decided to see if he was free last minute and we were glad to hear that Markus was available to hit the water with us.  The winds were expected to be 10-15 with gusts to 20...perfect for dinghy sailing.

As we headed towards Longmont the wind was blowing a steady 10-15 and we were pretty anxious to get on the water.  So anxious in fact that we forgot sunblock!  Our past trips on Union Reservoir have been met with puffs of breeze in between light 5-8 knots but today we were looking forward to a little more fun on the rails and we were not disappointed.  Fortunately for us Markus also has a need for speed and we spent a few hours tacking back and forth riding the rail and pushing the envelope a little bit.  We also did a bit of bird watching, with Keith onboard you don't really get an option and when he shares his passion he just lights up making the day that much more enjoyable.

After a few hours of solid wind it turned off and we drifted back towards the launch ramp to pack her up for the day.  Just as we were leaving four other sailboats/sailors showed up and asked how the wind was.  All of them looked a little bummed that the wind had turned off - one guy even said "I think you got the good stuff".  I totally agree!

Ever since we got back to Colorado Keith has been watching Craigslist for a new boat.  Not because we don't have one here, we have a Laser and a few El Toros, but mainly it's something fun for him to do.  He would point out a boat to me and I would nod my head and say "That's Nice" while in my head thinking "we have more then enough boats!".  Then he pointed out this cute little red boat to me and I was finally intrigued, what can I say...I'm a sucker for red!  Turns out the boat was a Daysailor, which we have owned in the past and loved for a family lake boat because it has a large comfortable cockpit.  Keith and I drove down the same day to check it out and became the proud owners of boat number six (if you count dinghies and all).

Immediately Keith started to work on fixing up issues with the boat, it was built in the 60's and though it was originally race rigged and kept in pristine condition, it seems it fell into disuse these past few years.  We put together our list of items we needed, new blocks, new shackles, new line and started to clean up what we could with the spare parts we already have around the house (scary how much that is!).  Keith and I decided to step the mast and rig the boat to make sure she had all the parts needed to hit the lake - vs finding out once already there.  First time trying to step the mast and the mast step breaks due to corrosion, luckily the mast is pretty light and nobody gets hurt....so off Keith goes online to order a replacement.  The one thing I love about small boats is the price for replacement parts.  For Steadfast, a broken item means a thousand dollars or more....for the Daysailor it's less then the price of a family meal! After a few weeks of dinking we were ready to take her out for her maiden voyage.

We dropped the boat in the water and amazingly it didn't take on water or have any other hidden nightmares that old boats can have.  She was dry and her centerboard easily dropped into place.  With sails up and kids on board we were off and going within just a few minutes.

One thing this boat came with that our previous DS did not have was a nice spinnaker, red of course.  The majority of my small boat sailing has been aboard a Hobie and we didn't really need the spinnaker for speed, especially on the ocean where we'd be more likely to stuff the back of a wave, so I have not had much experience.   Keith has been having fun teaching me how to use it and fortunately the wind has been very light so I've had some time to get acclimated to all the additional lines, blocks and rigging required for it.

Just like all boats there is always more work to be done, but it's fun work.   There are some repairs to the glass - ie fixing the patches that have been done previously and we need to add the foot straps back.  Someone took them out but with just Keith and I sailing we need the extra leverage....and it's so much fun hanging off the side!  All told I'm pretty happy about this new addition to the family.  Now we just need to come up with a name for her....

After this last jaunt up the California Coast, Keith and I got to talking and decided that we were ready for a change.  Not sure what that change will be exactly but what we concluded is that it won't include our Spindrift 43 for now so we are putting her up for sale.  It's a hard thing to do after putting so much heart and soul into her, not to mention blood, sweat and yes, even tears.  We spent the last few days of our trip cleaning out our personal belongings and getting her cleaned up to sell. We've detailed out all the upgrades & additions that we've completed over the past four + years.

Steadfast Photos and Steadfast Specs 


I've got very mixed feelings but the primary one is excitement.  Excited to see where we go next, bigger? smaller? East Coast?  Only time will tell!  What I DO know is that we will continue to sail steadfast....even if it isn't on 'Steadfast'.

We were hoping to be able to stay on through the 4th of July in Avalon as it is well known to be quite a show of people and fireworks but on July 3rd we received notice that we were losing our mooring and had to be out by 9am.  The harbor offered us a spot in Descanso Bay but Keith and I decided just to pull the plug on Avalon and began stowing for the trip.  We headed out of Avalon right after 9am and saw hoards of large power boats heading in.  We decided to head up the coast of the island and check out Two Harbors, we noodled on the idea of seeing if they had a free mooring but decided to just continue on towards Channel Islands Marina where we have been before and which we knew had a fabulous pool and hot tub.  We motor sailed up the coast of the island and then put the jib up for awhile as we headed back to the coast of California, unfortunately it wasn't quite enough wind to get us there in decent time (the difference between arriving around 7pm and almost 10pm, so after a short time of sailing we furled the jib and continued to motor sail.  The weather cooperated for most of the way until the last few hours where the wind picked up on our nose and it was a wet ride.  All of the boys hunkered down below in our bunk or near the dodger to keep dry while Keith and I took turns exposed to the spray and wind.  It's times like these that I think a full dodger plus full cockpit canvas setup would be quite nice.  All four boys were troopers though and after pulling into our designated slip at Anacapa Isle Marina we promptly sent them all off to the pool while Keith and I proceeded to rinse down boat and gear.

Turns out we had just pulled into one of the hot spots to be for the July 4th, with a front row seat of the fireworks set off by the military.  Keith and I walked down to the store to stock up on traditional fare in preparation for a fun filled evening.  Loren was in total BBQ food heaven - he is the meat eater in the family.  Keith took the little guys out for a dinghy ride on the basin during the big show and was able to grab some fantastic shots of the fireworks.

We spent the next few days enjoying the weather and the beautiful marina amenities: steam room, gym, hot tub, pool and cabana's pool side (no cabana boys with umbrella drinks though...bummer.) 

I think Avalon will always hold a special place in my heart because as a very young couple Keith and I spent quite a bit of time on the island while Keith worked at CIMI.  It's a bit different now visting without being dirt poor and we had a great time sharing the area with the kids.  We went back to Jack's restaurant for brunch and everyone enjoyed filling up on pancakes, crepes and eggs which was good fuel for the guys as we packed them all into the dinghy and tossed em overboard for some snorkeling in Lover's Cove.  Keith guided the teens all along the coast where they saw all kinds of sea life, Mason even spotted an eel.  They were pretty jazzed when they got out an hour later.  The little guys had a blast just floating and checking things out.

There is a lot more to do in the area now as they have built up the whole Descanso Bay Resort area and it looks like additional construction is happening along the beach front there.  The older boys took an adventure on the Eco Tour Zip-Line Adventure which was 2 hours of zipping down from the top of the island.  After eating sandwiches from the boat the group then headed to the historic Casino to catch a movie.  The little guys were excited to hear it was Transformers, Keith and I groaned but agreed to go along with the crowd for the experience.  (Note: The movie was as horrible as we had anticipated. Even the teenagers spent the majority of the time counting how many ads they could spot.)

I was glad that we had packed as much into the day as possible because we lost our mooring the next day and rather then take one at Descanso we opted to head north towards the Channel Islands Harbor, taking the scenic route along the coast of the Island before heading off on a straight shot towards Oxnard.