How times flies. . .

Oh my goodness had 2016 gone by fast.   We did very little boating and we missed it terribly.   However we did a lot of boat repair, renovation and modification.   There were a couple of trips to Washington, NC, Oriental NC and a few trips to the Boat Works for repairs.

We fished on the small deck boat and made a number of runs in and around the local community enjoying the sun.   We even took it to Persimmons (a local lunch venue) for an Anniversary celebration.    It was nice to sit out on the deck even though it was October.

Our Christmas gift to each other is a series of cabinets with drawers or cubbies to be installed in Gilraker.    Then she will be ready for a long trip!   FINALLY. . . .  So we are going to do whatever it takes to prepare ourselves to just pick up and go!    I am so excited I can’t wait.   Of course, there would be a need to figure out prescriptions, mail delivery and packing up what goodies we need to have aboard to enjoy life aboard.

Oh and taxes, have to take care of taxes. . .Uncle Sam will always get his . ..   Once that is done and sent in, we can go.

Stay tuned and we will take an adventure together!     Bye for now . . .

 

 

 

This Could Be The Year

Happy New Year!   Oh yes. . .. I pray that this will be the year we do it.   We are talking about our ‘big’ cruise from NC to Buffalo, NY.

With all the work we’ve done on Gilraker, there are only a few minor things left to make her just right (in my opinion).   She is comfortable and runs well.   The boat has lights, a place to cook, refrigeration, a head and sleeping quarters for two.  There is also a television and XM radio.   BUT, I would love to have more storage for cooking utencils and comfort items.

There are storage cabinets underneath the operator and navigator seats.   But to get to whatever is in there one must plunge oneself  past ones shoulders to get anything out of them.   We are looking at a couple of options.   One is option is to use plastic boxes with sealable lids.    The other is a sliding storage ‘drawer’ system that we could get at one of the home improvement stores.    One would allow us to hold more and the other still requires one to get in up to ones shoulders under the seat.    I’m not sure that I like either option, but I’d take the one which doesn’t require me to get on my knees to do what I need to do.

Since we are also preparing the farm to rent out, we may only have April to make that fix to Gilraker.    Meanwhile, here are a few more pictures for you to enjoy!

HAPPY 2016!

view to the stern under way

She is Home!

Gilraker has had quite an adventure without being on the water.     From the gun’les up she has had hardware removed, holes patched, a new propane tank installed with a new vent, a water tank removed and lots and lots of sanding, before being repainted with Awlgrip.  She is very shiny now. . .  apparently this paint will not require any waxing.   That will be a money AND a time saver.

Pulling her out for a paint job

checking the paint in the sun

Troy and I are very very happy with the job that was done by those working at Bridgeton Boatworks. … .  Mike and Ginny and all the guys who work there are fun, professional and make your repairs as if they were working on their own boat.   They offer alternatives if you have a concern about $$ and they will allow you to work on our boat as much as you are able to offset cost.     For a small cost you can also ask to have a specific contractor do some work on your boat.    We recommend them and will use them again if we need to haul and or work on our boat out of the water.

So she no longer has the storage boxes on her roof.    Her lines are more sleek.   The cockpit is bigger since the unneeded water tank has been removed.    She is very very close to being ready for an overnight trip.

I would like to have a few more spaces to store food.   We have been looking at a couple of sliding drawer sets that we might be able to install. . ..we shall see. .. . ..

Until then I’ll leave you with a few pictures of her . . . .

River Dunes Marina, Oriental, NC

The week after memorial Day we traveled with our friends Bob and Mona, they aboard WaterDawg 6 and we aboard Gilraker to River Dunes Marina. It was a very nice day as we pulled out of New Bern. Sun and a slight breeze.
The run up the Neuse river was wonderful. Gilraker has had plenty of work done and we were overjoyed that she operated so well. Our buddy Thomas was visiting my favorite bed and biscuit, so we had the boat to ourselves. The 4 and a half hour trip was smooth and pleasant.   When we arrived we were greeted by the staff and docked at a very nice floating dock.  There was power and water available that was easy to hook up and we were quickly settled in.

Clubhouse

Mona and I walked up to the office to check in and the guys wandered about to see what the marina offered.  What they found included a great shower and bath house, a beautiful pool and a gorgeous club house.    We couldn’t wait to get in the pool so that was our first stop.   There were great cabanas, but no Cabana Boys!   What’s that all about?

Where are the Cabana Boys?

We loved the pool; gee why can’t I can’t I have one at my house?  

It was a shame that the restaurant was not opened during the week.  So we borrowed the courtesy car and drove into Oriental for dinner.   It was fun and our meal was pretty good. . .. . .There are so many places to choose from we’ll have to try another the next time.   After dinner we took the time to drive around River Dunes and see all the beautiful homes built there.  If you’d like to live in a bit of paradise and don’t mind being away from it all, this may be the place for you!

It was such a nice place I didn’t want to leave. . . . .  But hey employment gets in the way of life sometimes doesn’t it?   Well I suppose it does make earning money a bit easier!   Sorry we had to get back to real life!   Perhaps we will return another day.  Thank River Dunes for such a nice place we can visit!

April 2013

Well well. . … with all the new toys we got each other at Christmas the Gilraker is getting very close to being ready for us to enjoy. She has a great stereo system and now has a wonderful set of screens all around the cockpit. It will be our nice ‘porch’ for every evening as we sit before and after dinner over a lovely glass of wine and soft music in the background. It’s a nice thought, but my guess is that it will probably be a NASCAR race! Or if I have my way we’ll have the Classic Radio Channel on playing some 1930’s mystery series like Johnny Dollar or even Gun Smoke with William Conrad at Matt Dillon!

We have discovered that the auto-pilot has some challenges and we hope that it is a quick fix.   And there was an issue with the transmission that created a real problem the last time we attempted to dock.   But our mechanic has done some work on it and we think that will be alright too.   But isn’t that the fun of having a boat?   Bring On Another Thousand. .. . as they say!

I look forward to a trip somewhere in the near future.   The weather has just gotten super for it, so I am hoping we get out and can really enjoy Gilraker very soon!!!!   More pictures in the next post. . . . .

Weekend Trip

One of our favorite weekends on the water is Columbus Day Weekend. Isn’t it appropriate to be on a boat to celebrate the founding of the Western Hemisphere’s “America” by Europeans?

We had a serious electrical problem as we were just about to leave the dock.  No 12 volt electricity!  Not good.  It’s a good thing I saw our mechanic and electrical wizard, Chuck, in the marina before we left.  I called him and he made it to us in record time.  Unfortunately it wasn’t as easy to fix as it was for him to arrive.  Two hours later and probably a few bruises from crawling in and out of the bilge and we were finally ready to go.  I always feel badly for those who climb in and out of bilges.  It’s wet, dark and nasty smelling.  But that is a post for another day!  On to Oriental. .. .

It was a wonderful, sunny day when we departed the marina and headed North (or is it East?).  I didn’t look at the compass so my sense of direction tells me it’s a bit North East so perhaps we did both!

The Nuese River can be a mean lady when the weather is bad.  She is relatively shallow and along with the wind and changes in tides, she can be rough to travel on.   But we picked a perfect weekend for our trip!

It took us about 3 hours to run up the river to Oriental.  The day was so bright that the markers were easy to see from a distance.  The only reason I need to use the chart, was to refresh my skills in navigating.  And I am so rusty I’m glad I did.

We arrived in Oriental in time to wander about shortly and settled on dinner in the restaurant at the marina.  It was very good!   And in the morning, of course, there was a bagel from The Bean.   Although I could have spent lots of $$ I did pick up a magnet and a plate for the front of my car.   I love souvenirs!

Our return trip was just as nice and uneventful as the trip across.  I was so happy that Bob and Mona had a positive adventure for their first time out aboard their boat.  It may have chased them away from boating. . .and I didn’t want that to happen.

Our nautical tribute to the discovery of America was fun.  I still love boating as much as I did years ago when we first started out.  Perhaps I’ll tell the story of that some day. .. . what do you think?

Making Gilraker ready for comfort

I dont’ know about you, but I like my comfort. Maybe it’s because I’ve worked for nearly 30 years or maybe I’m just blessed to have lived in this wonderful country. . . We are able to have accommodations and sustenance which make our lives more comfortable.

Recently we have been buying, making or having made things to add to Gilraker which will make it more comfortable or easier to live in while we have her.  As you can see there is new carpet and a nice nautical rug.  We’ve had the settee cushion replaced and a dark fabric covering for it.  WE found colorful pillows for the settee also.  We like the bright colors!  What do you think?

Bright Colors add Flair

 We have purchased some nice dishes, pots and acrylic glassware for the galley too.  Then we had mattresses made.  They look great.  I anticipate a really good night sleep aboard on those!  And we purchased sheets and a cover for them too.  We hope to modify them to make for easy making of the beds in the mornings.  I’ll get photos of those another day.  Oh and she now has a new cover for her front windows too.  It should keep her cooler while we are docked or anchored out.  And will keep her a bit more private at night too!

new “Shades” for GilrakerSo as you see we are slowly making her ours as we can afford to. . . paying as we go is the way to be these days!  Thanks for reading. . . . Fair winds and following seas. . . .

Gilrraker in 2011

This is Gilraker as we purchased her. . . .

Gilraker’s Starboard Side

Welcome to Another Side of My Life!

I first stepped aboard a boat with my husband when we took a sailing class at Aberdeen Proving Ground in Maryland in the summer of 1991. We were to be married in the fall and were considering a sail boat as our gift to each other. . . It was a nice 22 foot Catalina sail boat with a bunk and small galley. Please don’t ask me for more details of THAT adventure. . . needless to say we no longer sail . . . but have moved to power boating.

We’ve had a few power boats from bass boats to trawlers. . . and then we “bought the farm” except in this case it wasn’t figurative, it is literal. . . we bought a 10 acre piece of America and love it!!!  So our 34 ft Mainship Trawler had to go to someone else.  We didn’t have time for her. . . and I wore a black armband in mourning for almost three years. . . . Well now THAT is figurative. . .but if you ask husband he would say it was also literal!

We purchased Gilraker last summer and have enjoyed a few good weekends on her.  She’s a 30-foot Evans fishing boat which has been turned into a nice small cruiser.  And we intend to do some real cruising aboard her!!!  So stay tuned to this blog and we’ll share some adventures with you. . . Perhaps you can join us on occasion. . . We may not leave right away, but even short trips will be shared. . .

Thanks for reading . . . Fair Winds and Following Seas to you. . . .

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