Every year about this time, when you think the cabin fever is at it's highest comes.... Boat Show Season. Yes, Boat Show Season, that short four week period after New Years Day but before February's break in the weather. Boat Show Season in the Pacific Northwest is when the Portland Boat Show (appetizer) and the Seattle Boat Show (main course) happen within a week or two of each other.
Of course the captain and crew of the CarolMarie attended the Portland Boat Show. The Portland Boat Show is like watching the same B-movie over and over again. Each time you hopes it's going to get better, or perhaps the ending will change, but it never does. Just like watching that B movie once more you see details you didn't see the last time, as well as familiar characters you see every time. Mike from Passion Yachts showed off a new 2014 Oceanis 41. The gray hull shined throughout hall B in the Expo center and Mike beamed at the line of people ready to see it. But that was about all that was new.
Next weekend begins the Seattle Boat Show, and of course we already have tickets in hand for the event. Of course like every year there is some last minute decisions about which weekend to go. The better classes always seem to be at the end of the show, whilst the best picken's for free stuff are always at the beginning of the show.
SIYC Membership is Official
The CarolMarie is now flying the burgee of the Sauvie Island Yacht Club (www.siyc.com). In the January SIYC meeting we were finally invited in. SIYC is mostly a cruising yacht club with many of her members having gone around the globe, or are in the mist of doing it now. With their wealth of knowledge, it seemed appropriate to join and learn as much as possible from their experience. We have been hanging out with them for the last 5 months, so I guess they figured they might as well let us in. Also excluding the CarolMarie there are four other Hans Christian's in the club. Three of those Hans are 38's.
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| Crew of CarolMarie with Commodore of the SIYC accepting burgee |
Boat Projects
There is always something to do on the boat. The list of projects is longer than I have time to keep up with them. Over the winter thus far, we've scrubbed the hull and decks clean twice in freezing weather. Routed new lines, cleaned sails, cleaned sail covers and replace the dock lines.
The starter battery died too when the big freeze came a month ago. Once more into the breach of pulling all the batteries out to replace one. Now they are all new and under warranty; we should be good on power for a while.
Back in October we went to the Halloween Cruise with the SIYC. We met Ray and Alicia, fellow cruisers and recruits for the SIYC (http://www.sailblogs.com/member/rowena/?xjMsgID=292267) I showed Ray our bulkhead mounted 12 TV, and spoke about the low cost of getting one from a local retailer that wasn't a costly marine grade. Thinking it was a good idea, he did the same. He went to the store and found a 12V TV with integrated DVD to install on his 41' Formosa Yankee Clipper. At the next SIYC after he installed he thanked me for the advice and told me about it. As a technologist I couldn't be outdone, so I have been waiting for the post Christmas sales to update ours with an integrated DVD player as well. Yesterday I finally got it installed, and she came out nicely.
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| New TV mounted |
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