Vessel Name: | Tardis |
Vessel Make/Model: | Not yet purchaced |
Hailing Port: | New Bern, NC |
Crew: | John Mayton and his daughter Marina |
About: | |
Extra: | We are on a 2 and a half year plan to get a sailboat and go cruising. If you want crew for day sails or an overnight we would be willing to share expenses and laughter if you are moored in NC. Email me at jmayton@coastalnet.com |
Saturday morning, 4/16/11, we headed east to Oriental, NC to spend the day at the boat show. Weather was not promising, but we figured if we got there early then we could beat the gust front. It is a small show and our interests are limited to a certain sized sailboat so we figured we could make it. A two hour drive after breakfast at a local I-Hop put us on board the first boat by 10:00 AM. Marina had brought along her boyfriend, Justin, who had never been aboard a boat before. At any rate it was fun explaining everything to him as we went from boat to boat. We even went aboard a large MV to visit with Mike Wood, our broker. By noon the wind had piped up to near gale force and the tornado warning were getting more frequent so we said good-bye to Mike and headed ashore to get some lunch and drive back home. Once home we discovered that the power was out. I waited an hour and then rigged up the emergency generator to power up the house. However, sadly the internet was to remain off line until the power was restored the following afternoon.
We are making a bit of progress towards getting a sailboat to go cruising in. Since making the commitment to do this thing I’ve put $10,000 away in savings. Now if the tax man leaves me some of this after April 15th we will be at least a good bit closer towards the goal. Rented out a room in the house to save a bit more and I got a longevity bonus (10 years with the state) and that went right into the boat fund. By the way, we are gratefully accepting donations to the project. We are, of course, not a nonprofit organization, so there would not be any tax advantage, only the satisfaction of helping a young girl and her dad get underway.
We continue to save money toward buying a boat in two years. Reading blogs of those who have already made the transition has become one of my favorite pastimes. It is odd, sometimes to read how other sailors manage their cruising experience. I find myself commiserating with some of the challenges [...]
For Christmas, or Winter's Solstice, as my anti convention daughter prefers to celebrate, I got a couple of nice books; one on anchoring and another one on diesel engines. I must admit that I'm pretty comfortable with anchoring, however, I believe that enhancing my knowledge on all things nautical is [...]