Working on the floor project

Well the floor project is coming along finally. Seems we got the wood and it sat for a couple weeks due to the fact I think we were worried about doing something wrong so we just didn't do anything. The guy we bought the wood from said to be careful as the teak veneer is very thin. So we decided before we made any cuts that we would put 2 coats of the varnish on first to protect it. We also did a small test spot to pick a varnish we liked. Originally the floors have the varnish with the UV inhibitor in it. We noticed that turned the wood very yellow. Also the floors being old, they darkened. We decided to use the clear varnish without the UV protector in it. Its makes for a nicer color. We realize this will not exactly match the other wood work but we think it will look nice. I don't really see the need for a UV protector down below, but then I may be wrong. Time will tell.

Overview of the floor

Close up of old flooring

New sheet of teak flooring

Dirk doing some tracing, note poor condition of backside of floor Dirk cutting flooring Old and new piece side by side

Heres to the good times

Seems since we purchased Tybee Time we have seen and spent more time with friends then in the recent past. This would be a good thing. We love having people aboard, and for the past three weekends we have had friends join us for days filled with sailing,snorkeling,fishing,and swimming. We also have had some nice sailing days. Sometimes the wind is 10 to 15 knots and blowing the perfect direction that once we put the sails up we cruise all the way down to Shell Island without having to tack. I'm still trying to get comfortable with heeling. 15 to 16 degrees is about my comfort level right now. I cant believe how peaceful it is though putting up the sails and shutting down the engine. Our sailing skills are improving every time we head out. Makes me want to make a u-turn, head out the pass and head southeast towards the keys. But alas, the weekends pass all to quickly and we must come back to the dock, clean up and head home back to reality. One day..... Seems we haven't done much work on the boat the last couple weeks, but that's okay. Its been too hot anyway for that, and its not like we are on a tight schedule to get it done. I'm waiting on a break in the heat before I even want to think about re varnishing the top side teak. This last trip down we brought home some of the floor so that we can start that project.


Yeah! sails up

Enjoying the sunset

Having sundowners at the dock

Playing around in the dingy

Catching a small jack

Who made it soooooo hot?

Another sundowner evening with friends

Maintenance weekend

This past weekend was maintenance weekend for us. At times I really wish we could save all this kind of stuff till fall and winter, but we really want to do this while we still have that urge to make things nicer. I like to piddle down below finding new ways to use odd spaces. Plus I would still like our boat to have a home like feel to it as we will be living aboard her one day. One thing we have done is to install a shower track in the head so we don't soak down everything when we shower. I was using the marina shower when we first got the boat but have found that I really don't mind taking a shower aboard. Our marina shower is such a long walk from the boat that you are completely soaked with sweat by the time you walk back. Anyway, like I said, we installed a shower track to keep from soaking everything. I then rigged up a little system so that I could have both hands free. I put two Velcro strips along the ceiling. When I want to shower I just attach the shower head to the ceiling.

In the galley I had Dirk make me a cutting board/food prep area for more counter top space. We had bought a piece of the marine lumber on sale one day. I believe that's what its called. It's the white plastic type of material that many people use as cutting boards. Dirk traced the outline of the raised stove edges and routed it so that it slips down on the edges and does not move. Its amazing how much extra room I feel I have in the galley now.Dirk spent the weekend experimenting with rubbing compounds, waxes, and cleaners on the boat. When we purchased the boat she had not had a really good cleaning in a while. The gel coat is fairly oxidized and makes our boat look like its "battleship grey" After alot of sweat Dirk thinks he has found a good combination. The only thing is though that the boat in the water is very hard to clean this way. He gets in the dingy and pulls himself along. We really don't want to have it pulled just for us to clean it as it cost an arm and a leg to do so. Perhaps this project will have to wait until it cools down a bit.
Another thing that Dirk installed was a Raymarine C-80 for the nav pod. This was actually installed very soon after we got the boat but we have been having problems with it. We kept losing our satellites. After trying this, trying that, talking with tech support, West Marine swapped out the antenna. Must have been a faulty antenna as it is working like a charm now. Oh geeze, did I just curse us?
Aside from the above we just had little issues here and there to deal with. We did however find time to have dinner with the couple that sold us the boat. They are still on the search for their new boat and miss being on the water. But it is nice seeing them, catching them up on our projects. Many of which they had planned on doing but had not gotten around to it yet. On the way home Sunday we picked up our new teak & holly flooring. Now it sits in the game room waiting for us to start working on it. This next weekend is play weekend.

A couple up grades

Every time we are at the boat I find a new area that I could get a better use out of. Of course what I find one weekend I like, the next weekend may not actually be something that we really need. Our goal is to move aboard in about two years and travel down the west coast of Florida, then up and around the east coast of the US. Then return trip to the jump off point to the Bahamas. From there, who knows. So this next two years will be a time for us to learn and get comfortable with the boat. Figure out what it is we will need and cant live without. And also time to do some cosmetic and electronic up grades. The first thing that was purchased for the boat was a new flat panel television. I know what some are thinking, a TV? Well as much as my husband and I love sitting on the back of our boat enjoying our evening Gin & Tonics, listening to music and talking, we are hooked on a few shows. Of course we can only watch when we are in the marina, but for the weekends where it is a work on the boat weekend rather then an enjoy the boat weekend, it's great. We mounted it on a swing arm attached to the bulkhead. When we are under sail we just stow it flat against the wall. Another thing we wanted to install was a tank monitor.Water and holding. We have two 50ish gallon water tanks installed in the salon. One under each of the settees and difficult to get to. The holding is located under the front vee berth and also can be a pain to get to. So now with a touch of a button we can see how full the holding is,or how low the water is. The first mate is happy with this addition. I have also acquainted myself with a sewing machine and re-sewn the front and back berth cushions. I also added extra foam for a little more comfort. I have to say, For my first sewing project I didn't do half bad. This weekend we are picking up our new sheets of teak and holly flooring to replace what we believe to be the original floor. So I will keep you posted on how this project is going.

Maiden voyage (Shell Island)

Well Memorial weekend was the first time we moved the boat out of the slip. Its been a couple weeks now since we purchased the boat. We felt more comfortable having more than just Dirk and I on board to get her in and out of the marina. Even one more set of hands made us feel more at ease. We were to head out to Shell Island for the weekend. Mind you, we have never anchored up for an over nighter. We motored over to the Island, yes I said motored. We were saving our first sailing lesson for another day. We set the anchor on the first try. "Wait, that was too easy" Actually we did set the anchor on the first try. The boating gods were smiling upon us. What a wonderful day we had. There must have been 40 or so boats in our location. We boarded the dingy and headed to shore. We spent most of the day visiting friends and waist deep in water digging our toes in the sand looking for shells. That evening was spent grilling on the deck and enjoying a beautiful sunset. After dark it was so cool seeing all the boats that decided to stay lit up like a small city. Mind you, Dirk and I did not sleep very soundly that evening as we were up checking our position constantly. Just making sure we were not dragging anchor. Better safe then sorry. I can gladly report that we stayed put. Unfortunately all weekends must come to an end and so we headed back to the marina. It was again "too easy" to get home and dock without any events. But hey, I'm not complaining.

Tybee Time

We named our new sailboat Tybee Time as Tybee Island, GA is where my husband and I met. Tybee Time just seemed appropriate as when we are aboard her we are on the island time. No hurries, no worries, no stress. She is a 1988 40 foot O'day sailboat. When I first boarded her I was surprised at the amount of space she offered. The last boat we owned was a 2001 30 foot Chapparel. Lets just say there is a huge difference. From the amount of seating in the salon, to the size of the galley, to a stateroom I can actually change clothes in and close a door. Aaaahhh, the little things in life. Shown below is a few pics showing our girl before any of the many up-grades we want to do.

Taking possession of the boat

I have to admit that it all happened so quickly that it was a bit scary. Dirk and I had been looking at sailboats for quite some time. We even made a few trips to Florida looking in person. It was so hard getting the idea of size and storage when looking on the internet. While in a marina at an appointment to see a boat. We were talking to friends who knew someone selling their boat to up-size. We knew these people, but we felt that their boat might be a little large and a little older then we were originally looking at purchasing. We took a look at it and before we knew what hit us we had the surveyor on board and we were making an offer. A week later she was ours. As I said before, it was a bit scary as we had never sailed a larger boat on our own before. We guessed it was time to learn.

This is a pic of the boat during haul-out for the survey