Well, in a way, the 2013 season started today...it was a Good Friday.  I ventured over to the storage facility in Ludington and put the final coat of paste wax of the hull sides and installed a block on the transom to mount the transducer.  This will allow some transducer adjustment, if necessary, while the boat is in the water (provided the water is warm enough for a swim). 

I drove down to the marina and walked out to the slip.  The marina isn't quite ready to accept boats yet but the day is coming.  The marina opens for the season in 2 weeks.

Just a skim of ice left in my slip.

The marina entrance and fairway is ice free.

There's a little more thawing that needs to occur, but it's definately beginning to look like spring.

4 weeks to launch.

It's still cold. There's still snow on the ground.  The slip is ice covered.

I did download the Caribbean cruise slide show onto youtube.
Find it here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqX7A-BPeLc

Launch in 7 weeks.

March is here.  Snow is falling, as are the temperatures.  Ugh!!!

That's my slip, under the snow and ice at the end of the dock.

8 weeks to 2013 launch.

Well, we did do a loop in the Caribbean last week.  Traveled about 2500 miles Ft. Lauderdale to Aruba and return with stop at the Bahama's and Curacao.  That's a real nice part of the globe this time of year for us pale northern folks. 

A few shots from the warm side of the earth.

The resort coast of Aruba.

Sailing north :-(

No fishing this trip, but I did look at a few.

Half a foot of snow fell yesterday and the snowblower is broken.  I'm ready for Spring.

11 weeks to launch.

Here we are approaching February in what I call "the bowels of winter".  There was a bit of a cold snap in the Great Lakes, so we packed up the minivan and headed south.  In two days, went from 2 degrees to 72 degrees air temperature.  Actually the trip was planned.

Here is one of our southern "projects".  We purchased a little place to weather the cold months in retirement...complete with palm tree.

The other task at hand is to board a cruise ship and try to forget the cold, snowy north for a few days. 

Bon Voyage.

13 weeks to boat launch 2013. 

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Plans for 2013 are just beginning to take shape.  Another trip to Ludington for off season maintenance and a little cabin fever relief (very little) is in the cards.  Before the snow melts, we'll be taking a cruise to Aruba (on a slightly larger boat) and requests from friends for summer visits have already surfaced (we love the company).  We plan to stick close to Ludington this year with no big excursion on the calendar.  A weekend trip to Manistee will certainly be enjoyed again and possibly even an outing to a southern port this year as well. 

16 weeks to launch day 2013. 

Stay tuned.

After drying overnight, I gave the tables a final light sanding with 400 grit paper to dull the finish for the final finish application.

The final coat of urethane complete.  Nothing to do now but wait for the paint to dry.

So here it is a day later, Christmas Eve day.  Time for final assembly.
First task is to drill a hole in the drawer front for the pull. A backup block is clamped to the inside of the drawer front to prevent chip-out of the wood where the bit exits.

Install the pull knob.

Locate, mark, and drill pilot holes for the top attachment clips.

Attach the top with clips.  These allow the top to move as the wood swells and contracts with the seasons.

And, ta-da!  Finished.  Plenty of time to attach a bow for Christmas morning.

"His" and "Hers"

So the winter project is complete.  Launch day 2013 for the boat is a mere 17 weeks away.