This is a photo just down-river from where we are located. We sure admire the traditional sailing vessels!!

The rigging is finished. Well, at least for this year. We replaced all of our wire and switched to Sea Rig swageless terminals. This was the big project for this year. New wire will be a good peace of mind. We had no records from the previous owners concerning the standing rigging so we assumed that it was original wire, a scary thought since the boat is 23 years old! We were unable to replace it until now, but it was worth having it done in New Zealand.

Our new anchor also arrived. We decided not to sell the other two anchors. We really do need to have a variety to chose from, and also the fact that we can confidently lay out multiple large anchors when the need arises. We had been looking for a new anchor without success since leaving the states. With this in mind, if we lose an anchor, we will have a back-up plan. With rocks, coral heads, or unknown wrecks, there is a real possibility that there will come a time when we may not be able to retrieve an anchor.

I put in another new zipper in the mainsail cover. I hope this isn't going to become an annual event! We thought about replacing the cover this year, but when I looked into an estimate at the canvas shop out of shear curiosity, it was clear that we will be making it ourselves! I am saving our sewing projects for later in the year. Right now we are doing things that require lots of fresh water, being tied to a dock, or projects that we need help on.

Other things that we have done is the Hooka. It is now fixed and ready for action. I can't wait to go diving with it! We are also doing the annual scrubbing and cleaning out of every locker and every inch of the boat. It really is amazing how much stuff we have packed away in lockers. We will go everything. If we no longer need it, it will go away to make room for other things. I don't know if we will ever be successful at getting the boat back to it's waterline, but we do keep trying, however futile it appears!

Varnishing? That ongoing chore that seems to never make it off the to-do list. We did turn the boat around so the sanding has begun on the port side. People often question my sanity for keeping varnish on the boat in the tropics. I do too! But, it looks so beautiful, and I just can't bring myself to leaving it plain. That day will come, but not yet. I think of the woodwork like a homeowner views her garden. The house will be fine without flowers, but with pretty flowers and landscaping, it is beautiful. Sure, the boat will be fine without varnish, but she is so beautiful with it, so for now, I will keep at it!