A Sailboat’s Perspective on New Owners

Life Aboard: A Sailboat’s Perspective on New Owners

Today was the first day of the rest of our lives. OK, that is cliche, but it was the first day of our major sail. We have sailed before on a few overnights, and my humans had spent a week living aboard a Monohull in La Paz, Mexico, at a sailing school, but, for us–it was our first. 

Me, in my newly outfitted gear and equipment with all the bells and whistles. My humans pulled out all the stops, replacing my rods with wire, changing dusty old Lead batteries for sparkling lithium, and reclothing me with dazzling sails. And they did not miss the little details: replacing dim lights with bright ones, sewing curtains patterned with blue anchors and putting them on tracks so they perfectly matched my uniquely shaped windows, decking me out with an ACR EPIRB–so I would always be found-if ever lost, adding a new water heater and cleaning all my nooks and crannies that had gathered dust for the past twenty or so years.

And the electronics! They are top-of-the-line! Garmin autopilot, depth sounder, chart plotter, radar, VHS, AIS, and many other acronyms. My humans lovingly sanded my top and painted my bottom. They also added a Highfield dinghy, the Cadillac of dinghies, although they call him Enzo. I haven’t felt this good in years.

My mast was replaced, and the original silver dollar that had been put there when I was born was once again inserted, with the addition of a silver ingot. It is beautiful, given to my humans by a friend in Alaska, and saved for this occasion.

My humans stood together at the hole in my floor, where the new mast would be dropped, and flipped the coin. On one side was an Indian Head with the word Liberty stamped across its front; the other had an image of a buffalo. The toss was made, and Liberty won, which was fitting for my humans; because Liberty–as we all know, is that state of being free. Both coins were replaced, and later–my mast was, as they say, “stepped.” 

My humans are proud. They invite friends over to see my facelift, and everyone is impressed. I am one sexy Sceptre.

After a couple of more luxurious pamperings–adding a solar arch and  two solar panels; which generate over 800 watts of power and a dinghy davit; we were ready to sail. But, the first stop was to ‘pump the head’–which doesn’t sound sexy at all. So, I prefer to say I was answering nature’s call.

My humans are a bit inexperienced; but, they are smart and will soon learn the sheets and lines.    We have spent a lot of time together at the dock, and will take care of each other on the open waters.

We left La Conner Marina bound for the San Juan Islands; precise destination to be determined by the wind and the tide. Our adventure had begun!

Approximately 20 minutes later, our adventure came to a standstill; quite literally, as we ran aground. Once my male human maneuvered us off the sand bar, we spent the next three hours motoring in circles, which kept getting smaller and smaller by the moment. 

People in oversized power boats would pass us by, wondering why we were making circles under the bridge. Was the mast caught? Were we stuck? It was a little embarrassing.

There were many reasons for the standstill; low tide, negative tide, misjudging times, over-excitement to start the adventure, digital charts hadn’t updated–and so on; but, the fact was, that motoring was not the way we planned to spend our first day sailing. My humans are still learning.

My male human is pragmatic, logical, overthinking to a fault.

“I should have known better. This was a stupid mistake. We’re just burning diesel. People think we are stuck under the bridge. I’m going to call Mike and see what I should do. I can’t believe I made this mistake.”  

My female human is Ms. Sunshine, always looking at the bright side, cheerleading, being positive to a fault. “Well, it is what it is. It’s just a small delay. No-one is hurt. There is no damage. It could be worse. We’ll go when we go and that will be the perfect time to go. Hey, I have a Kindle!  Let’s read a book.”

But, they never raised their voices, no insults, put-downs, scorn, or cross words in the wind. They are good partners who were not made to fight with each other but to support one another.  We are going to be a great family.

Eventually, the tide came in, and we were on our way again. 

As we passed Anacortes, Washington, we could hoist our Genoa Sail. That is my furling sail that sits in the front or bow. It has two Reef Lines marked in her white dacron. A Reef Line shows where to reduce the amount of sail–to catch less wind and move a bit slower–which is a good thing, as we soared over 6 knots with just that Genoa in a slight breeze. 

I can’t wait to get our new mainsail up and catch the wind. Ullman Sails made our mainsail, and they have been great collaborators in my new life–even gifting a coveted bottle of wine to my female human; who has spent a lot of time working in and drinking wine. She is a bit of a zealot when it comes to that grape juice. The wine, a Pinot Noir, comes from an Okanagan winery called See Ya Later, which seems like a good luck omen.

The mainsail won’t be hoisted until next week, as my humans still have to put the battens in it. Battens are fiberglass pieces that keep the sail in perfect form, making it easier to handle. My humans are not racers or high-end sailors, so simplifying the process is a good choice.

We sailed to Cypress Island, which has been called the ‘crown jewel’ of the San Juans. There we grabbed a mooring ball under the stars and enjoyed our first night of liberty.

Until next time…

If you like this post, check out The Story of Our Sceptre 41.

Fair Winds and Following Seas 

Your Friends Gypsea Explorer and Her Humans: Heather & Chris!

Songs Inspired By Sailing With My New Humans!

“Come Sail Away”  Styx

 “Brandi”  Lookingglass

“Flowers on the Wall”  Statler Brothers

“Rock the Boat”  Hughes Corporation

“Free” Donavan Frankenreiter

And, if this tickles your propellor, grab 5 Months of Amazon Prime Music Here–FREE!

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