Saying Goodbye to 2022 is complex. Last day of this year and Mike is paying bills while I'm reflecting on the status of land-loving family life. The kids are great! Each one enjoys work they love with people they enjoy and respect. Channing and Furey are still in Tucson and Tanner is still a digital nomad in transition. (We are all eager to see where he lands :: the outdoors will still be a determinant, no doubt.) Our sisters, brothers and moms are well too! Mike happily took a solo pre-holiday trip to Seattle and visited mom and family. Very glad he took that time and also indulged in hang-time with Pat and Christi. Due to the proximity of Tucson and access to a car, Mike and I have been tripping over the border with some regularity so I have had many marvelous visits with my mom. We go out to ice cream and bookstores, for walks around her community with Millie (photo/previous post) and look at photos of boat-work progress along with maps of the South Pacific. My mom crossed the Pacific with my dad and cruised Alaska and the Canadian and American San Juan Islands -- yep, she knows/ she's keen to ask questions ;-) So it's understandable there's just a tiny smidge of reluctance with the idea of splashing, only because this is IT!
And yet, boat work is winding down and we can see the end in sight. We have a splash date the end of January and a Pacific Launch window starting March 1. Dave and Kelli are making plane reservations for La Paz and we will GO WEST :: Now THAT'S worth a celebration with fireworks! We are so excited Kelli and Dave have decided to join us as friends and crew for this passage. They are sail boat owners, experienced outdoorsmen and laid back story-tellers. We adore them and are excited to share this initial journey to paradise in French Polynesia. Funny thing is they've been sailing on our boat BEFORE we did all this work you've heard about and seen. They certainly know the inglorious "before" :: no water maker, no fresh water out of the sinks in the heads, wires to no-where everywhere, no fans, threadbare mainsail (that ripped...twice), time-worn non-skid that was sketch (ie a tad too slippery when wet).... AND NOW... W O W
We think they will be pleased to travel aboard SV Calla Lily, long passage and all.
Wrapping up 2022 for boat work, we have finished the new top deck: sanded/faired (times 18), AlexSeal painted (times 3) and re-done with Kiwi-Grip anti-skid. We are now finishing the bottom seal/paint: sandblasted, sanded, epoxied, sanded, faired, sanded and barrier coat (times 3), sanded and coppercoat (times 3) then... you guessed it, SANDED! I'm now convinced I have never worked harder then since we retired. (Shout out to Monique/Pilates for preparing my body for 'core' demands!) Through the summer we had regular short days due to heat/humidity exhaustion. Through the winter we've had two-days-in-one because in the cold, we can work harder for longer. Honestly, that's the only way we could get this scope of work done in the time we've had.
It's been hard work and richly rewarding! Getting to know the DIY cruisers in Cabrales (what an amazing group), benefiting from their cumulative knowledge and tool sharing, being counted among those with experience and sharing meals together and learning about favorite destinations. What a great payoff for yard time! We know the big water is out there, just beyond the port of call. Soon, Calla Lily, we will be where we belong again.
