Well my Jay-Oh-Bee has kept us from doing too much on Sanctuary other than ensuring she stays afloat. The initial bilge water accumulation was at a frightening rate, given that the boat seller had given us little notice of this possibility. We voiced our intense displeasure and for a week insisted that they resell the boat. But, in the interim we rigged up a 110-volt sump-pump to keep the bilge level reasonably low until my job slows down in October, only to be assaulted with the foul smell of whatever was accumulating in the bilge.

A month later, our adrenaline level has dropped and Sanctuary remains happily bobbing on her lines. We have since accumulated all the parts, switches, hoses and wiring to install a proper marine 12-volt pump. In another day or so the demands of the job will lessen markedly and we can take the time to install the pump, along with a permanent battery charger.

The fact is, in the interlude we've grown to have a soft spot for the boat all over again - we have things to fix (like the leak and the port-lights), things to revamp (like the galley and nav-station area) and myriad other things to play with. Although the odor is still noticeable, the leakage seems to have lessened over the month, and although we won't be content until we know the actual source and can affect some sort of a renovation or repair, we're already begun thinking ahead to some casual local cruising and (perhaps - dare we think it...) eventually retiring and doing some sort of semi-extended cruising. In the meantime, Deanna has been the main person to go to the boat, and Jeremiah (our four-year-old great-grandson - who isn't sure whether he likes boats yet), calls it grandma's boat - and so it is...