September 11, 2009.

Today is one of those days that you’ll always remember exactly where you were and what you were doing back in 2001.

It’s been a while so let me start by saying that things are good here. Works been keeping me busy and we’ve been working on our boat on the weekends as well.

We got all the Alpenglows installed and are really happy with them. The next project was replacing the ceiling in the aft head. It was some type of finished plywood that had been painted white. It didn’t really look too bad but over the years we’ve replaced the light fixture a few times and some of the old screw holes just couldn’t be covered. It was part of our Shabby Chic but just a little too far towards the shabby side for Christy’s taste.

So I removed all the molding in the head and pulled down the old ceiling. We bought a full sheet of a marbled style paneling to replace it with. I traced the old ceiling onto the new paneling and soon had our new ceiling in place. This is how I screwed up……

The new ceiling looks so much better that Christy wants me to use the extra material to replace 2 sections of headliner over the bookcases in the aft cabin. We’ll try to knock those sections out this weekend. Taking down those 2 sections will also give us an opportunity to access the bolts that keep the radar arch in place. We’ve never really seen the underside of those bolts. We’ve got a pretty decent amount of weight back on that arch and I’d like to see just how staunch the arrangement is.

It’s not all work here though. I usually spend a bit of time reading the blogs of several other boaters. Some are cruisers, some are racers and others are people getting their boats and affairs ready to take the plunge and go cruising. It’s funny to read about others facing the same issues that we’ve faced in the past. What to keep, what to get rid of, what to bring, what to leave behind and where is the time going? One of the blogs I follow is written by a couple that enjoys riding sportbikes much like my beloved, long ago sold, Hayabusa. Once in a while they’ll post some bike related stuff and it really brings back old memories.

I’ve also been spending a bit of time backing up our computer files and found some pictures of Christy and the original Veranda.
It’s funny how a simple boat with no fridge or hot water paved the way for such a lifestyle change.

Last night we attended a birthday party for our friend Bill from Alibi 2. It was hosted by our friends Ann and Marcel in their lovely home. There were about 15 people, mostly cruisers, in attendance and a good time was had by all. Happy Birthday Bill.