March 16, 2017 Islamorada, FL

We considered and visited many trawlers (a type of cruising boat) for our journey and decided on this Double Cabin Mainship 40 since it had the most “must haves” of all the trawlers and motor yachts we looked at. It has a large master cabin,  galley with natural light,  diesel engines in good condition and includes a sundeck as well as a flybridge. We actually were tracking about 25 different criteria, very logical, and it came down to what felt best in the end! Currently we are having some issues addressed that were identified during the inspection (called a survey).

There were cosmetic issues on the fly bridge requiring new cushions and backrests and replacing rotting wood below the upper helm.  And then mechanical problems requiring a repairs to the windlass motor, new water pump, fixes to the vacuum pump toilets, replacing an alternator, and some work on the engines and generator. Nothing major, but it will all add up.

We are taking about a month to prepare to begin our Great Loop adventure while traveling back and forth from here, to our home in Stow, Ma to Lantana, Fl where my daughter Sarah, son-in-law Chris and wonderful grandson Arden live. The relatively small and wonderful marina has a number of manatee visitors. One was lying on its back for a while, drinking from the boat’s air conditioning outlet while we were flushing in out.