s/v Field Trip

Merry Christmas.  Happy Hanukkah.  Happy New Year. A lot has happened since our last blog.  We've been working non-stop since our boat splashed.  Things have happened that you just can't make up....in summary, we're having a blast. Currently, we're completely moved aboard.  We did this miracle in about 9 hours - once our items arrived from storage.  Our stuff is stowed, but needs to be organized.  That is a continual process as many of you already know... The biggest challenge - getting our stuff from storage to the boat.  On the surface this should be relatively easy.  Show up.  Load up.  Drive.  Unload.  Unpack. Our stuff in storage No so fast.  I left the boat at 7am to get to storage and load our items.  A large bus was arranged to pick me up at 9am.  I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  I called.  And called.  And called.  Nothing for almost 1 1/2 hours. ...

Today was her day.  People stopped and stared.  A way was made.   Shyly, yet proudly, she inched down the roads of San Fernando, and men flocked around her to lend a helping hand.  Trees were cut down, power lines lifted, cars pulled aside.  Nothing could stop her.  She felt a little vulnerable, quite naked,  really, without the adornments of lines and a powerful mast that would proclaim her a sailing vessel.  Yet, she inched forward, ready to dip her keels in that water and finally float. What could we do, but just follow along and watch - in awe of the reality, the dream, the being that has become a personified part of our family story.  As she made her way to the water, the kids found their own entertainment... petting neighborhood dogs, dropping rocks in sewers, sword fighting with the fallen branches - it seems she had not seduced them, yet.  Mark and I just kept exchanging glances, not believing she was here. now. with us. ...

Fun.  Painful.  Busy.  Slow.  We're almost there!  There are soooo many details on getting ready for the boat.  It's the busiest we've been since moving to Argentina almost four months ago. Field Trip is officially set to splash on Monday.  Our schedule is getting tight with the holidays approaching.  We've been running around like crazy getting logistics figured out for our move to San Fernando next week. In addition, I've been making regular trips to Field Trip during the week.  Santiago and Memo now cringe when I walk into the boatyard (not really...but close).  Everyone is working hard to get the boat ready.  It's a beehive of activity with lots of intricate details all coming together at a rapid pace.  I've been truly amazed to see the boat morph into this beautiful work of art - combining modern materials with detailed, handmade woodworking. We're excited.  We're anxious.  We're exhausted.  We're read...

Last week, Mark and I enjoyed a special night out with our friends, Brian and Christina, at the famous Teatro Colón . We bought tickets to see La Viuda Alegre ( The Merry Widow ), a German Operetta.  Seeing a show in this famous opera house was one of the last things on our "bucket list", and as I sat mesmerized by the sound of the orchestra filling the beautiful space, I couldn't help but feel the eminence of our departure.  The Proverbial Fat Lady was singing (in German with Spanish subtitles - nonetheless). It is hard to imagine that our time in this wonderful South American city is coming to an end.  I remember when we arrived - how captivated we were at the French and Italian architecture, the vast parks filled with maté drinkers, the hustle and bustle of subways and city buses, the colorful graffiti, the dulce de leche ice-cream, the empanadas, and the robust malbec wine. Everything was such an adventure! Now, as the summer heat has settled in for the holi...

I've spent years avoiding Facebook.  I would poke fun at Sarah as she fiddled with friends online. So why post about Facebook on our blog?  This is supposed to be about sailing and traveling right?  Yep.  Exactly. I credit/blame Neil (Antares 4436) for my recent plunge.  Over the past 3 weeks I've warmed up to Facebook - and have enjoyed getting connected to people I've not seen or heard from in a very long time. In addition to getting connected with friends, I've found this to be a very good tool for keeping our sailing friends and blog followers up to date on our progress - on a regular basis.  Instead of waiting for the next blog entry - which can take days or weeks to post - we'll be supplementing the blog with Facebook to provide the following: Daily position updates via Spot Connect during passages Quick picture posts of sailing and travel Forum for better two-way communication/interaction with blog followers From a sailing perspe...

This will be a short post. I wanted to get out a quick video showing the progress of the boat as of this week. We have less than two weeks before splashing. While it looks like a lot of work on the boat - and it is - the final pieces come together rather quickly. If I hadn't seen hull number 4436 at this stage and splash, I wouldn't believe our boat would make the date. :-) HD Video Link