My heart stops for a few minutes..

The most terrifying thing to happened today. I have done a ton of cleaning and clearing away of crap on the boat, but ultimately there is still a whole lot of grime left. Before I got too far with my maniacal efforts, I decided to tackle the worst parts--the bilge.

Under schlocky rust and about 2 inches of water lay my keel bolts, which hold on the 2700lb keel that keeps this top-heavy beast upright. They looked lumpy and misshapen, possibly due to corrosion or the half inch of accumulated crud...

I cleared away the crud to discover a thick coating of epoxy resin globbed on everywhere. That accounted for the indistinct shapes at least, but I still had no idea what condition my bolts were in--the wrap of epoxy could hide anything. I kept cleaning.

Then I saw the most terrifying thing...cracks in the epoxy...and water seeping up thru the cracks. I had a moment of panicky hyperventilation.

Well, the cracked epoxy was not doing it's job, obviously, and also wasn't strong enough to be holding back the sea. So, with fear and trembling,  I took a screwdriver and hammer to it and began chipping it away. I told myself sternly that it was better to know what I was dealing with sooner than later. I might have said a few special words...

The most beautiful thing on the boat.

I was incredibly lucky. It turned out the water was rainwater that had seeped behind the cracked epoxy from above, not seawater coming up from below. The fiberglass is rock solid, and the bolts are gorgeous. I have never been so relieved in my life.

New Adventures

So...Tah-Dah!! My next crazy act. I bought a run down little Catalina 27. It is rougher than I would like, for such a ubiquitously available model, but I fell in love with the layout, the only one with a dinette, forward galley, and 2 quarter berths that I could find for sale.

This will make possibly the best cruising/liveaboard layout I can imagine, and with the simple sail plan even I should be able to manage single-handing it by the end of the summer.

It will be a great hobby, with many projects planned already for the coming year. I paid very little for it and bought it without a survey. I probably should have had it checked out, but I instead relied on climbing all over it, kicking all the tires so to speak. The one thing I couldn't check was the keel attachment--a known problem with this model. I am sweating a little but decided at this price I could afford the gamble.

Also, just due to taking the plunge, I have already connected with a vibrant sailing community, full of amazing and kind people who have been very welcoming. That, in and of itself, was worth the price of admission.