Sunday, October 27, 2019

Back To The Beach



Each Beachwalk is unique...
We may walk this beach a thousand times...
But no two will be the same!

It's been a few days since we have had time to walk the beach, so this morning we made it a priority.  I took my turtle watching stuff, notebook, iPad with the coordinate marking app, and the orange nest marking tape.  There were no new nests last time we came out, and it hasn't been long enough for the babies to hatch, so we didn't really expect to find anything.  There had been quite a bit of heavy rain in the past two days, and the sand was all pounded flat with raindrop divots. We couldn't even see signs of tracks from the known nests!

So, we walked on and turned our attention to the search for sea glass. There are thousands of pale yellow butterflies, ironically called Great Southern White, migrating through the island.  They just flow around us on their way to wherever butterflies go...  One stopped for a moment on the sand and I snapped a photo just before the wave chased him away!

We walked and took breaks sitting in the shade on one of the many fallen palms.  The breeze was cool and fresh.  Clouds passed overhead, alternately dampening the brilliance of the Caribbean Sea, and then revealing the shades of blue and green of our earliest memories of the island.

A sunny patch!
Both of us were wearing shoes this time out, so we found a break in the palm tree line where vehicles have made an overgrown pathway.  A little apprehensive, I remembered a conversation with Gwen, a daughter of the family who owns our neighbourhood coconut farm, in which she invited us to walk in the forest any time.  Today was our first time to take her up on it.  The breeze immediately stopped and while it was very cool in the shade, the sunny patches reminded us that we will never feel the cold fingers of winter here.  We followed the bushy pathway for a distance, but turned back when it began to be swampy.  That's enough for today!  The sun was higher and the wind a bit stronger when we broke back out onto the beach from the palm grove.

The rest of our walk was much like so many others.  I searched the rock piles for sea glass, finding the coveted blue piece.  Ahh we can go home now.

Ram's Horn Shell


We are amazed at how busy we are, even though we are both retired.  Every time we go days between beach walks, we vow not to let so much time go before we get back... to the beach!

Today's Treasures!

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

1995 Catalina Morgan 45' Center Cockpit Sailboat For Sale

Visiting beautiful places... Caja de Muertos, Puerto Rico 2016
Sold~Sold~Sold

But wait... 12/27/20
I've had word that the boat was sold again. If you know who the new owner is, let me know! I would love to follow her continued journey!


Price REDUCED!  Hurricane season is done, time to get this boat sold! 
$119,500.00 USD
Email: DosLibrasInPR@yahoo.com

If you want to skip the narrative and go straight to the facts, scroll down.  But if you've got time to dream a little, start here!

Let me tell you what I look for in a sailboat... You will hear many people say that you need very little to be happy.  While that is true, it is nice to have some of the conveniences of home!  You have to know yourself, and know what you are, and what you are NOT willing to give up to experience the wonders of cruising.  The good news is, you don't HAVE to give up everything!

Chub Cay, Bahamas 2015
Warderick Wells, Bahamas, 2015
Oh the places she can take you!  Great Inagua, Bahamas outer islands, 2016
Oh the people you will meet!  Île-à-Vache, Haiti, 2016
Oh the experiences you will have! Île-à-Vache, Haiti, 2016
Maybe you've chartered in the BVI and wondered what it would be like to take your own boat there...
Salt Island 2017
The freedom takes you to places like Ile Fourchue, a tiny islet near St. Kitts. 2017
You can stay as long as you like in places like Fox's Bay, Montserrat, 2017
Be that boat that explores uncommon anchorages like Anse la Roche, Carriacou, 2017
See the sunrise from your cockpit!  Windward, Carriacou, 2017
Float like magic in the balmy Caribbean and be AT HOME! Tobago Cays, 2017
Cruising is many different things to many different people.  Cruising to us meant that we could take our comfortable home with us as we explored the US Coast, the Bahamas, and the islands of the Caribbean.  We never meant to cross any oceans, although the previous owner crossed the Atlantic in this boat.  We wanted a roomy boat that provided a comfortable ride.  We wanted a boat that would take us safely from island to island, with the occasional multi-day passage.  This boat has done just that.  She has been a safe haven and a source of pride, and she has served us well through all of our adventures.  She really has an unusual layout and is ready to begin her next life with the right buyer.

Back in the planning stages before we found our cruising boat, we looked at SO MANY boats.  We had a 36' aft cockpit racer/cruiser, and while Bruce wanted to just go with the boat we had, I knew that I could not be happy living with all of the changes that cruising brings, unless we had a boat that was also a home.  We aren't young and I knew that there were just things I wasn't willing to give up.  Our deal breakers were a mix of his and hers.  After sifting through literally thousands of boats online, and visiting dozens, we developed our lists and knew when we found the Catalina Morgan 45, that THIS was the ONE! And that has never changed!

Her Deal Breakers:

Seems far aft, but there's more boat in the back!
Center Cockpit - I felt that the ride in the center cockpit seemed more stable, and there is much less chance of getting wet! The best thing about the center cockpit is that it opens up more of the interior below for walk-space and headroom.  The aft cabin is open and airy instead of being a dark cave, and you won't bump your head on the ceiling like you can with many aft cockpit designs. Some say that forward visibility might be affected, but with cruising sails not typically being "deck sweepers", we did not experience a reduction in forward visibility...in fact it's the opposite.  All-around visibility provides a commanding view as you sit up higher on a center cockpit boat!

Settees and steps on both sides make it easy to get in and out of bed
Aft Centerline Queen Sized Bed : This is on many people's deal-breaker list.  If you're going to spend much time on a boat and you aren't alone, this is a marriage saver!  Not having to crawl over one another to get in and out of bed is HUGE!  While it might seem romantic in the beginning, it won't anymore when you reach the more southern latitudes where winter never comes! Anyone can live with the more common configuration of a v-berth for a while, but to make a home, having a normal bed is essential.  It is also more quiet in the aft cabin for sleeping than the v-berth, where the sounds from the anchor rode can be loud! And the bow pitches more than the stern, so sleeping aft is more comfortable.  The only trade-off here is that the v-berth cabin gets more breeze, but we have nice, his and hers fans to keep you cool!

Designated Shower - Having to use the sink faucet sprayer to take a shower was out of the question.  I didn't like having the entire head doused every day, and while many cruisers take "transom showers", that is, wash in the salt water off the back of the boat and then just rinse with fresh water... I knew that having a real "bathroom" where I could have my shower inside was a necessity.  When we found this boat had not only a designated shower with real shower doors, (not some nasty curtain) AND an actual bathtub, the CM45 rose quickly to the top of the list!  I will admit that I have not used the half-sized bathtub for bathing more than a few times, but it has come in very handy for cleaning things, doing laundry and for storage of some items when we go offshore.










Large refrigeration compartment opens top and front!
Front and top opening refrigeration :  This was one of the items that I didn't even know was an option before we began looking at boats.  Once I found out that you could actually have a semi-normal, front opening refrigerator, I was sold!  The "dumpster diving" method of fishing things out of the chest compartment type boat refrigerators was something I just thought we would have to live with...  But it is not!  The CM45 has a comfortably laid out, U-shaped galley with refrigerator doors that open both from the top, AND the front!  You can leave things that you will frequently access in the top to increase energy efficiency, while the items stored in the middle and bottom sections  are still within easy reach.  When we bought the boat, the refrigeration was not working.  We had the old unit removed and a brand new Seafrost unit installed in Rhode Island before bringing the boat home in 2012.


Large freezer locker compartment to starboard
Designated Freezer :  Many boats have only a small freezer section inside of their refrigerator compartment.  Our boat has an ample sized compartment adjacent to the fridge where we installed a Vitrifrigo freezer unit in 2012. If you don't need the freezer, you can simply run it at a higher temperature to extend refrigerator space, or turn it off and use the space as storage.


Full Cockpit Enclosure:  When we bought this boat, the enclosure was a luxury we had never experienced for ourselves.  While you can cruise without one, and many people do... we felt that it added a lot to our cruising experience.  Having a relatively dry cockpit allows you expand your living space.  It is also very nice to have when you're on anchor watch during a stormy night.  If you cruise in colder areas, it is a lovely sunroom that can be warmer than your saloon!  We completely replaced the cockpit enclosure in the summer of 2018.  We had it made using the best materials, including lifetime thread, so you shouldn't have to worry about repairs any time soon.  We also had a complete  set of custom sunshades made to protect you from the intense Caribbean sun!

Access to the water at the stern: It didn't matter if it was a stairway or a sugar scoop, I wanted to be able to get to the water without having to go over the side.

His Deal Breakers:

No In-Mast Roller Furling Mainsail: While having the mainsail roll up inside the mast can be a nice feature for some, we felt that it can cause problems when trying to roll it up in adverse conditions.  We've sailed with friends who have in mast roller furling, and when things got rough, we couldn't get  the mainsail to furl.  The other reason we didn't want in-mast furling, was that with a racing background, we just couldn't give up that little extra bit of performance that a properly shaped mainsail will provide.  You can take the cruiser out of the race, but you can't take the racer out of the cruiser!

No Hydraulic Stearing: Many center cockpit boats of this size and larger, will come with hydraulic steering.  Again, while this can be a plus for some people, it was a negative for us.  Both of us like to be able to feel the rudder while sailing.  Admittedly, the feel is different since the steering cables have to travel much further to the rudder in a center cockpit boat,  but you can still feel what's going on without the disconnect that the hydraulic steering causes.

Opening Ports:  We knew that if we were going to live in the Caribbean on this boat, it needed to have lots of opening ports.  Some boats don't have ANY!  Dos Libras has 6 cabin-top opening hatches (all but one have covers) and 21 opening ports, most with screens, and 7 of them have port visors.  We got the visors in June, 2018 and LOVE them!  It rains almost every day in the Caribbean and it's always a scramble to shut the ports!  With the visors, you can leave the ports open and no rain gets in unless it's really blowing.  Then it is much less.  We even left the ports open when we were away from the boat unless we were expecting bad weather.

Relatively shallow draft:  We knew that we would be spending time in the Bahamas and our previous boat had a 6'3" draft.  Even that was sometimes a problem in many of the anchorages around our home cruising grounds.  This boat has the alternative option of a 5'7", winged keel.  Our previous boats had all been fin keeled, and while this one took a little getting used to, it was worth it for the shallower draft.  (What took some getting used to?  Well we noticed right away that with the winged keel, the boat tended to slide a little more, that it is didn't point quite as aggressively as our fin keeled boats did.  But, we were cruising instead of racing, so it didn't matter)

Cruising Essentials:

Solar Panels: We added solar panels during our first year of cruising.  We considered getting wind turbines as well, but after talking to other cruisers, we decided to go with just solar.  Our reasons:  We have the ability to charge the batteries with the engine and the generator.  Most of the time the wind turbines would be needed mainly at night when the solars weren't putting out, but in the places we would be sailing are known to have light or no wind at night.  And, if the turbines were working at night, the vibration would bother us while trying to sleep.  I can say from experience that wind turbines whirring at night are unpopular in most anchorages.

Generator: This could be considered a luxury, but after cruising for many months without one after our Fisher Panda died, we just gave up and got a new one.  We tried making due with a portable 2000 kW. Yamaha, but that was a LOT of work, and at our age, it was just more than we wanted to deal with.  So, we replaced the old Panda with a brand new NextGen 5.5kW.  This generator takes care of ALL of our power needs and more!  It will easily run the air conditioners at anchor for those rare afternoons when you're just sweltering and need a break!

Electric Windlass:  Younger cruisers might be able to handle anchoring without a windlass at all, but with a boat this size and the amount of chain we put down, having a windlass that will lift the anchor at the touch of a button was an essential.

Watermaker:  We cruised our first season without a water maker.  When we bought the boat, it had one "available but not installed".  We thought it would just need to be installed, but when we had the boat hauled out in St. Petersburg in 2014, the installer told us that it was old technology and not worth the cost of installing.  We were pretty upset about it, but decided to spend a season in the Bahamas before making the decision to spend the money for one.  We spent the whole time planning our moves around BOTH weather and WATER!  When we got back to Florida for the summer of 2015, we installed a  Spectra Cape Horn Extreme.

Added Bonus:

Air conditioning: While living at the dock prior to cruising, we couldn't imagine living without the ACs.  It's different when you're at anchor and the boat faces into the breeze, but if you're going to spend any time in a marina, the air conditioning units are a nice luxury.

Bullet Wifi Booster: The antenna is mounted on the davits and gets great reception.  We bought a new Bullet in Grenada (2018) and have it attached to a router so that we can use multiple devices throughout the boat.

Full Specs

Boat Name: Dos Libras
Builder: Catalina
Designer: Morgan Yachts
Dimensions

  • LOA: 45 ft 3 in
  • Beam: 13 ft 9 in
  • Draft:  5 ft 7 in
  • Gross Tonnage: 29,000 lbs
  • Net Tonnage: 26,000 lbs
  • Ballast: 8200 lbs
  • Bridge Clearance: 62 ft 6 in (the original standard rig was completely replaced with a tall-rig configuration in 2008)
Engine

  • Total Power: 50 HP
  • Engine 1:
  • Engine Brand: Yanmar
  • Engine Model: 4JH2E 
  • Engine Type: Inboard
  • Engine/Fuel Type: Diesel
  • Engine Hours: 4,893
  • Engine Power: 50 HP
Tanks
Fresh Water Tanks: 4 (124 Gallons)
  • 50 gal forward beneath the v-berth
  • 24 gal port/main saloon beneath the settee
  • 19 gal beneath the cabinetry in the galley
  • 31 gal to port of the galley beneath the cabin sole


Fuel Tanks: 1 (77 Gallons)
Holding Tanks: 2 (30 Gallons each)
Accommodations
  • Forward V-Berth sleeps 2
  • Dinette sleeps 1
  • Settee sleeps 1
  • Aft stateroom queen bed sleeps 2
  • Forward head with sink sprayer shower
  • Aft stateroom has head with tub/shower
Galley
  • Corian counter top
  • Double Stainless steel galley sinks
  • Seafrost Tradewinds 12v refrigeration system(new 2012) with remote panel. Refrigerator compartment opens at top and front.
  • Vitrifrigo Freezer system (new 2013) top opening in separate compartment adjacent to the refrigerator.
  • Seaward Princess 2 burner propane stove model 2175 (new 2014)
  • Kuuma 6 gal water heater (new 2016)
  • 2 – aluminum propane bottles (10 gal each) - hoses and regulator new in 2017 located in a locker on the aft starboard deck
  • Storage: cabinet space beneath the sink; cabinet space beneath the galley counter; three drawers for towels and utensils; two lockers beneath the cabin sole; kitchen cabinets over the counter; space for either a microwave (not included) or additional storage bins behind the sink.
  •  Magnetic knife strip
  • Fire Blanket (new in 2018)
Electronics 
  • Mast mount windex and Autohelm wind speed/direction 
  • Autohelm Speed log and fathometer
  • GPS Raymarine mounted on aft stern rail
  • Radar Raymarine RL70C 48 mile range with mast mount radome
  • Autohelm ST7000 Autopilot with below deck hydraulic ram
  • Standard Horizon VHF radio mounted at the helm (new 2013) New owner will have to address registration.
  • VHF masthead antenna
  • Icom M802 SSB with antenna tuner (older technology)
  • KISS SSB bilge counterpoise
  • Lighted Ritchie binnacle mount compass on cockpit pedestal
Electrical
  • 2 – Kyocera KD140GX 140 watt solar panels for a total capacity of 280 watts(new March 2014)
  • 1 – Blue Sky Solar Boost 2512i HV networked solar charge controller with with IPN remote display (new March 2014)
  • 3 – 4D Lifeline AGM house batteries (installed new in Dec. 2017)
  • Aqua signal masthead Anchor light (new 2018)
  • LED Running lights
  • Deck light
  • LED lighting throughout
  • 5 –  12v cabin fans
  • Stern mounted omni directional WiFi antenna
  • AM/FM/CD/Bluetooth radio in the main saloon.  Speakers in main cabin, aft cabin and cockpit
  • 2- 50′ 30amp dock power cords and 1 pigtail splitter
Mechanical
  • Yammer 4JH2E 50HP  4,893 hours
  • Balmar Max Charge MC-614 Multi-stage voltage regulator (new 2018)
  • Racor 500 turbine fuel/water separator main fuel filter
  • Shaft seal - conventional type (overhauled 2018)
  • 3 Blade Maxprop feathering prop (serviced in 2015)
  • Additional Spare Fixed Prop
  • Shurflo pressure freshwater pump(new 2018)
  • Multi tank level monitor (Water and fuel)
  • 2 Manual pump Marine seawater heads (1 new in 2015 and recently serviced the other recently rebuilt) (misc. spare parts)
  • New head hoses and macerator pump (2017)
  • Marlon thru hulls
  • Rule bilge pumps (2 - 500gph/1500gph)
  • Engine room exhaust fan
3 Bladed feathering MaxProp with cutters installed and new zincs (photo May 28, 2019)
That's the rudder that looks like it extends past the keel, but that's just the viewing angle.  It's about the same draft as the keel
Deck
  • Assorted Docklines
  • New lifelines (2018)
  • Primary Anchor - 44lb Delta galvanised steel anchor with 200 ft. 10mm galvanised chain (new in 2017) and 180 ft. of nylon rode
  • Secondary Anchor also on the bow roller - 44 lb Delta Galvanised steel anchor with 100 ft. of 10mm galvanised chain and 100 ft of nylon rode
  • Maxwell vertical windless(serviced and new motor 2018)
  • Kato Dinghy Davits with solar panel mounts
  • Nissan NS9.8B 9.8hp two stroke outboard(New in 2015)
  • AB 8VS FRP hulled inflatable dinghy  8'6" 2015 model (purchased new in 2016)
  • 2 – Leeboards
  • 4 – Fenders
  • 7 – PortVisor sun shields on ports
  • Screens for most ports and sunshade/screens for large hatches
  • Boat hook (2)
  • Bottom job with Seahawk ablative paint (End of May, 2019)
  • Stern folding swim ladder with hot/cold shower
  • Port aft locker with third anchor - fortress
Going back into the water at Ponce Yacht Club May 28, 2019
I didn't get many photos because we almost missed the SPLASH! This one shows well the wing keel


Sails
  • New standing rigging (new 2018) You're good to 2029!!!
  • Whisker pole
  • Roller furling Genoa(very good condition, serviced 2018)
  • Dacron Mainsail with two reef points (new in 2015)
  • Hank-on storm jib for the baby stay.
Canvas

  • Full Bimini/Dodger/Enclosure (custom made new in 2018)
  • Sunshade covers for all enclosure eisenglass (custom made new in 2018)
  • Covers for all (but one) deck hatches
  • Covers for helm and wheel
  • Custom Mainsail Stackpack with lazyjacks (new in 2015)
  • Custom Dinghy Chaps (new August 2018)
Safety Equipment
  • New Lifesling (2017)
  • 1 ACR PLB (New 2018 registration and service current)
  • 4 fire extinguishers (3 new in 2018)
  • Orion safety flare kit with handheld and aerial flares
  • 2 – USCG approved offshore life jackets - adult
  • 2 - USCG approved automatic/manual inflatable safety harnesses (new 2018) with tethers
  • Jack Lines
  • Ditch bag - you'll want to update it to suit your needs
Additional
  • Spectra Cape Horn Extreme Watermaker.  (New in 2015)
  • Edson Folding wheel
  • Cutters on the prop shaft to slice through much of what can wrap around your prop.
  • Miscellaneous US coastal, Bahamas, and Caribbean cruising guides and chart books
  • HyperVent condensation prevention liner beneath v-berth and aft cabin mattresses
  • Bosun's chair
  • Miscellaneous spares
  • Insurance Survey available (May 2018 ~ Valuation and insured for $140,000)
More Photos:


Aft Cabin and head

Window at the stern allows for a cooling breeze and has a visor so it can be left open in the rain!
Starboard side settee and storage cabinet just aft of the head.
Storage locker aft of the head - good for linens, shoes, medical supplies
Port side hanging locker and drawer storage


Having a mirror onboard is a luxury!  This vanity is too!
Enclosed shower/tub with fold-down bench seat
Medicine cabinet and storage with a towel rack
Sink for brushing your teeth


V-Berth and Forward Head

Sunny and Breezy V-Berth
Plenty of headroom
Shelving runs along both sides. Storage for fishing poles mounted on the port side. Access to forward head from v-berth
Settee, door to the head and standing room - Port side
Starboard side v-berth - shelving, supercool fan, air conditioner vent, settee and a storage locker 
Starboard v-berth settee, locker and drawers
Starboard v-berth looking aft
Center v-berth looking aft with center door to main saloon and door to port side leading to the forward head
Forward head viewed from saloon access
Forward head toilet and sink. The access door tilts forward with mounted paper holder and plumbing


Main Saloon and Galley

Looking forward from the port side at the dining area
Looking forward from the Galley at the dining area
Looking aft at the galley and dining area port side
Roomy U-shaped galley with centreline sinks
So much counter space!
Storage cabinets below the counter to starboard
Under sink storage, drawer and pull out trash can compartment.  Two storage cubbies in the floor provide extra space!
Real "kitchen" drawers!
Freezer far right (to starboard), refrigerator center, then open storage or space for a microwave, two stainless sinks
Sinks are deep for washing dishes on a moving boat!
Storage shelf, refrigerator remote panel, magnetic knife strip and spice rack
Seaward Princess two burner stove with oven installed new in 2014
The primary pumps for the water maker are conveniently mounted in the end cap.  SO EASY to use!
Watermakers gauges and accumulation tank beneath the starboard side settee cushions
The Clarkes pump is 40 inches long and it is mounted on the starboard side settee base beneath the cushions. Extra product hose allows us to put water into the three additional tanks.  The primary tank is plumbed directly to the water maker.
Port Side Settee can be used as a sleeper.  Water tank and shallow storage beneath
Cubbies behind settee back cushions on both sides for additional storage
Port side looking aft.  Entrance centreline then hallway leading aft past the engine room and storage, to the aft cabin
Navigation Station/Passage to aft cabin/Engine room access/Storage/and Power Panel

Nav Station
Engine room access and power panel centreline port side leading to aft cabin
Control center for boat power
More controls , new fire extinguisher, solar panel output status, and Generator remote panel



Cockpit photos


Barn door style companionway doors are a nice extra!
Eisenglass panels on three sides, all have sun covers
Full enclosure from outside. Screens provide nice privacy but you can still see out with them on.
Foldaway teak cockpit table with cupholder.  Both need new varnish

Doesn't look so bad where the sun has not damaged the varnish.  
Leather wrapped Edson FOLDING wheel
Super nice! When folded you can easily get by.
Engine status instruments below.  
VHF, Compass and Vesper Marine AIS Transponder/Receiver


As mentioned before, older electronics but still working... mostly!
We had the old closed-cell foam cockpit cushions recovered in Dominica.  Added years to their life!
The cockpit is in great condition, a few dings here and there, but nice and clean!
Covers for the wheel and binnacle


Mechanics

The bilge beneath the saloon floor.  Emergency pump, thruhulls, etc.
Just forward of the bilge, storage and one battery.  The others are in the engine room
Deck photos

Bow Pulpit with roller furling and anchor rollers that hold two anchors
Hank-on storm jib on the baby stay.  The stay is detachable and can be stored alongside the shrouds when not in use
Skylights on the deck make the saloon feel open, airy and full of light!
Nice roomy deck.  Lifelines were replaced in 2018
We use a car-top carrier as a portable storage garage for docklines, electric cords, water hose, etc. 
Mast with radar. Tall Rig was added in 2008 by PO. 62.5 ft clearance
Rigid boom vang
Port side hoists storm jib and furling headsail
Starboard side hoists mainsail, whisker pole, and lazy jacks
Starboard side shrouds with fishing net and boat hook - Running Backstay is stored like this on both sides. Baby stay would also attach here when not in use.
Starboard deck with genoa car track
Aft Deck storage locker where we keep the dinghy fuel tank and other things

Deck storage has room for two 10lb propane tanks.  Gauges and hoses new in 2017




During our 14 months in Grenada, we spent almost $30,000 USD on maintenance, upgrades, cosmetic work and preventative measures.  We were making the boat ready to take us to the Western Caribbean with the Suzie Too Rally.  We had joined the OCC and paid our entry fee, we were ready!  We wanted to do everything we could to make sure that the boat was as ready too!  But when the time came to begin heading to the staging area for the rally, Bruce admitted to me that he didn't want to go to the Western Caribbean.

Long story short, Bruce's age had finally caught up to us and if we were being honest, it wouldn't be right to participate in the rally unless we were both sure that we were up to the challenge.  We couldn't put ourselves in a position that we might end up being a burden to the other rally participants.  And with Bruce's increasing age-related symptoms, we had to make the hard choice.

Our cruising days were numbered.

So we changed our course knowing that time was not on our side.  In January of 2019, Bruce and I, along with a good friend from Texas, brought this boat from Grenada, across the Carribbean Sea, to her current home in Puerto Patillas, on the southeast coast of Puerto Rico.

At that time, our plan was to get settled in our new place in Puerto Rico and keep the boat for two or three more years to give us time to cruise the places we loved in the Virgin Islands.  We figured it would be safe enough to cruise locally, and it would give us time to get some use out of the upgrades we just paid for...

But as we settled into our condo, it became more and more clear to us that even cruising the boat around our new island home was more than the two of us could handle confidently.  Bruce's 77th birthday is coming this fall and while I've taken up as many of the duties as I can, we admit that it would be irresponsible for us to continue.  It has taken us months to finally decide that it is time to sell our Cruising home.

We are happy with our decision.  We have found a place where we can continue to live in the Caribbean and where the new owner of our boat can begin at the gateway to the island chain.  If you're coming from the US, most of the easting has been done for you.  Puerto Rico is a wonderful place to provision and to get parts and supplies as you make the boat YOUR home.

When we bought her, she was LOADED down with crap useful stuff... The previous owner just walked away after cruising her in Europe and shipping her back to the US.  But we won't do that the the next owner.  We have cleaned and cleared out all of the storage areas in preparation for your stuff!

So you've seen the good stuff... what about the bad stuff?  It is a boat, after all!  Had we kept the boat as originally intended, we were planning to replace the electronics.  The ones on the boat were there when we bought her.  We've replaced parts as they have died, and mostly used the iPad for navigation, with the chart plotter as backup.  We have updated map chips for the places we've cruised and it works well enough, but it is old technology.  We were going to get the new touch-screen and maybe wireless instruments. That we will now leave to the new owners if you so desire, but she's ready to cruise as-is.

Another thing we just never got to was the wood.  There are some spots that had leaks which (we think) we have addressed with last years work in Grenada.  These were there when we bought the boat and we had a difficult time finding the source.  Also, the teak cockpit table/cup holder and the companionway teak need to be re-varnished.  We always meant to do it but somehow, never found the time.  Now it is really more than I can do without Bruce's help, and we just aren't up to the task.

A foot pump in the galley that was installed by the previous owner began to siphon our water tanks a couple of years ago.  We disconnected it, bought a new one, and removed the old pump, but never installed the new one.  It is available for installation if you want to, but we got used to living without it.  It's really only needed when you've got the pressurised water turned off, and we just left it on most of the time... so that project sunk to the bottom of the boat-project-quicksand.

A new issue showed up about a week after we arrived here in Puerto Rico.  It IS a boat...  The Xantrex Freedom 20 charger/inverter is working, but the remote panel has ceased.  We are working on getting it going again, but to be honest, it is over my head and we may not get it done.  The solars and generator charge the batteries just fine, I think it's an inverter problem, hoping just corrosion. A guy is coming out to look at it on Tuesday...

We are still working on getting her ready to show, so all of the photos aren't yet on the blog.  If you would like to see something specific or if you've got questions, please contact us by email: DosLibrasInPR@yahoo.com or you can call us at 361-389-1762.

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