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Lots of Maintenance and Upgrades

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Been pet-sitting for my friends, Bill and Linda, in Fort Myers while she has surgery. (Good news—surgery was a success, and they should be headed back home in a day or two!) FellowShip II is only a half hour north up Interstate 75 in Punta Gorda, so I’ve been doing boat maintenance in the mornings when it isn’t too hot. I gave it a good cleaning above and below deck and sorted through lots of stuff in the lockers. I found a bag full of spare parts for the Yanmar diesel and also a nice tiller autopilot. I took the cushion covers to a laundromat and put them in two big front loading washing machines. Following Sunbrella’s cleaning instructions, I added bleach to the laundry detergent, and they came out looking brand new. I stretched them out on the dock in the sun to dry. I have learned the hard way to never dry them in a dryer to avoid shrinkage. There was some nice wood-slatted decking in the cockpit, but it was in one-foot interlocking squares that just wouldn’t interlo...
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Long Ordeal Over, Finally!

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New name for an old sailboat! Has it only been a month since Skibbereen was loaded on a trailer in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and headed south on Interstate 95 to Punta Gorda, Florida? I must say I badly underestimated the cost and time required to un-step the mast, load the boat onto and then off the trailer, re-step the mast and finally launch again. While on the hard at Punta Gorda Marina with the mast down, I asked Anthony (On Board Rigging, LLC) to rewire the VHF antenna, anchor light and steaming light and replace the standing rigging. I had a brief scare when he mentioned the "awkward" news that the roller furling was poorly prepped for shipping and was damaged. He was able to find a replacement for the broken part and save the cost of a new furler. My long-time friend, Bill, helped move "Skibbereen", now renamed "FellowShip II", from Punta Gorda Marina to the new slip at Fishermen's Village Marina just down the Peace River a few mile...
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FellowShip II Sea Trial

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It was a long day driving from Vero Beach, FL, to Hilton Head Island, SC, to inspect Skibbereen (soon to be named FellowShip II). The sea trial went well. There were no hull blisters or any costly repairs needed as far as I could see. The day had blustery winds making maneuvering difficult, but the crew at Skull Creek Marina moved the boat onto the lift and safely brought her ashore. We signed the paperwork transferring ownership, and a few hours later the shipper loaded her up on his trailer, and FellowShip II was on her way to Punta Gorda, FL. This will be another busy day. I leave for Punta Gorda from Vero Beach in a few moments to meet the shipper there as FellowShip II is offloaded at Punta Gorda Marina.
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Best Day of a Boater's Life...

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I sold my Ranger Tug 21ec, "Lil' Green Tug", and then my Rosborough RF246, "Blue Heron", several years ago and have been boat-less since then. But that will soon change. The purchase agreement is signed for this 1979 Cape Dory 28, and she goes to sea trial in a week. The plan is to ship it from Hilton Head, NC, to Punta Gorda, FL. I'll have it hauled, the mast un-stepped and then have it loaded on the shipper's transport only to repeat the process in reverse in Florida. So many details to nail down with buying a boat! Picking a name was easy--she will be named after one of my first sailboats, a Hunter 33, owned in partnership with my good friend, Bill. Bill and wife, Linda, have a home a short 30-minute drive from Punta Gorda in Ft. Myers. The boat name will be "FellowShip II". My friends and family are excited about the prospects for sailing on beautiful Charlotte Harbor.  I pointed out to my sister, Jan, and her husband, Neil, that Pu...
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