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Mañana Sees the Light of Day

The Proud Parents!

July 1, 2002: This is it -- ready or not, we are moving out of our rented cottage and onto the boat. Dunato's moves Mañana out of the shed at 1530. Jim, Jerry and DC move onto the boat at 1600, just before she is put into the slings and placed in the water. I head off to Colleen's, since I'm still working.

Move Aboard Day - Not Pretty!

July 3, 2002: After work, I move onto the boat. We have no working systems on board and we are sleeping on an air mattress in sleeping bags. I survive one day and tell Jim on July 5th (my last day of work) that I'm not coming back until the head works. He calls me at 1500, all excited. "Listen!" he says. I hear a loud noise which he explains is the sound of the head flushing. "Ok," I say. "It's time for my new life to begin."

July 10-17, 2002: We board the cats while we fly east to visit family and say goodbye. It is during this time that Jim and I decide that the boat will not be ready by Sept. We decide to postpone our trip by one year and will winter over on Orcas Island while Jim finishes the boat with Peter's help. The plan is for me to get a job up there.

July 26, 2002: I receive a call saying dad isn't well. He is given 48 hours to live.

July 28, 2002: Dad died. Jim and I continue with our boat parts shopping and we go to Colleen's so I can shower and borrow a dark suit for the funeral. We still have no systems, but I found the sheets.

July 29 - Aug. 8, 2002: I'm in New Hampshire for dad's funeral and general helping. While gone, Jim installs a new galley (sink, faucet, formica counter, stove, sea rails and hot water) and a new toilet and floor in the head. The propane is 99% complete. This is all a real surprise to me. All he promised was running water and propane. I surprised him by returning as a red head.

Aug. 9, 2002: We complete the propane system. I am a very happy camper!

Aug. 10, 2002: Jim's birthday. Colleen comes over to celebrate and asks about the BBQ. Jim installs it while she and I shop for a birthday dinner of T-bone steak for the grill.

Mid-to-late August, 2002: Jim has hooked up several DC lights. We can see at night. Also ordered the new mattress and helm chair and continued working on the exterior while the weather is good.

Aug. 28, 2002: Talked to the folks at Prism about our name. It will be ready next week. Jim buys mahogany, which Spike mills for us.

Aug. 31 - Sept. 2, 2002: Labor Day weekend. No rest for the weary. We are determined to attend the DeFever rendezvous next weekend by boat!

First week of Sept., 2002: We both work feverishly. We plan to cruise South Sound next week. I take 4 hours off on Sept. 4 for my spa treatment that Jim and Colleen gave to me for Mother's Day. It feels SOOOO GOOOD, but the polished nails will never last!

Name Boards - We're Official

Sept. 6, 2002: Spike installs the nameboards. They look great. We are no longer anonymous gypsies. Spike says we're now millionaire transients -- yeah, right! Neighbors are rooting for us. At 2100 Jim gets the engine going for the first time in over a year. We are, literally, dancing and whooping it up on the galley floor. We run outside to check for smoke, etc. and Bill and Natalie tell us to keep the noise down, then invite us to their boat and surprise us with champagne!

Sept. 7, 2002: Jim's up at 0500 and hooks up shore power so we can live with fewer extension cords. We stow what we can to look less like a gypsy boat and at 0930, we are off to Gig Harbor under our own power. We've made it!! Jim says transmission feels sluggish and engine is running warmer than he remembers. We lose the transmission in the Fremont Cut but are able to turn around and limp to Berg's. Jeff (Vessel Assist) comes to tow us home, after only 1-1/2 hours. We attend the DeFever rendezvous, once again, in our Toyota.

Sept. 8, 2002: We spent the night in Port Orchard and decided to play. Yesterday was such an emotional let down. Went to the Locks, lunch and then a movie before returning to the boat. It's been raining and we've found yet another leak.

Sept. 14, 2002: Jim worked scraping the nonskid off the aft deck while I ground the seam between the covering board and foredeck. Both of us have found new muscles. Jeff & Tom help us bring our new mattress on board. It weighs a ton and we will discover that sleeping on a new mattress wasn't the smartest move.

Sept. 20, 2002: The yard spent the entire day reinstalling our rebuilt transmission. Can't wait to see the yard bill. Our next goal is to try for Gig Harbor again next weekend to be with the yacht club.

Sept. 23, 2002: Jim ordered antennas but neither they nor the furnace will be in until Oct. 1. We'll have to hang around and wait for them. I'm busy sanding and painting the foredeck having a pity party. I have fine dust all over me and I'm contorted in a very uncomfortable position. My nails are splitting and I'm missing the TV. I used to be a lady!

Home Sweet Home

Sept. 26, 2002: We've been pushing ourselves all week and keep saying "we just need one more day." We decide we'll always need just one more day with this boat. At 2000 we go to the locker and return with the main saloon cushions and then I go food shopping. Jim works wonders while I'm gone. When I return at 2230, voila, he's made us a home!

Sept. 27, 2002: We back (carefully) out of Dunato's at 0800 and thank Chris for our nice new transmission. She feels good. Jim solved the engine problem when he discovered we were sold incompatible gauges - no engine problems at all! We pass the Fremont Cut...so far so good...and onto the Locks. No one else is about. As we enter the Locks, I tell the workers we are rusty and they give us a hand. Hooray! We're back in salt water. Jim sees movement on Abyssinia, so we stop by to say hi to Kim & Eric. They don't recognize us! We shove off at 1100 after a short visit and enjoy a beautiful cruise south, arriving at 1430. Yacht club members are surprised to see us. We celebrate Mañana's maiden cruise with champagne for all.

Mañana gets christened, and the gods of the sea get their libation

Sept. 28, 2002: More boats arrive. In mid-afternoon, friends ask if we ever christened Mañana. We say no and they insist we do so right then. Craig put on some Jimmy Buffet music and we quickly search for the christening protocol. Someone brings a bottle of champagne. Amoungst friends, Jim reads the blessing and I offer champagne to the boat and the sea gods. We are official!

Mañana's Blessing
May the gods of the sea bless this boat and all that sail within her.
May her voyages bring peace and contentment to her owners, friends and passengers.

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