Another summer, another adventure, this one on the water in Double Life.

The boat was out on the hard for the winter and we knew there was some work that had to be done on it before putting it in the water, but I don't think anyone realized just how much was needed.  The boat was our home at Avalon Marina for a week. The marina did have showers but the solar showers came in handy for other clean ups!

Projects other than general cleaning included resealing two windows that leaked )we knew about one, the other was a surprise).

The hulls had to be sanded and painted

There were seemingly endless hours of removing and reapplying caulk!

   A new anchor was installed and Tom disappeared most days in the engine compartments doing things only he could do.

  

A composting toilet now replaces one of the heads - sorry, no pictures of that but it works fine!

We worked most days from dawn to dusk, but did take time off on the 21st to go to Cape May to see town and celebrate my birthday.  Unfortunately rains came so we didn't get to walk around town much, but we did enjoy seeing many of the homes with wonderful classic seaside architecture. 

The long anticipated day finally arrived and on Saturday, May24, the boat was lifted onto slings, moved a few hundred yards and put into the water for launching, an exciting process to witness.

The captain was first aboard followed by the crew, the surveyor and the previous owner all of whom went out for the sea trial that lasted about an hour.   

All went well and Sunday morning at 7:30 we set off toward Baltimore. I'd say we set sail, but we'll actually be under motor power until Annapolis where the mast has to be taken down so to make life simpler, no sails till after that.  

So, the voyage has begun and captain and crew are all in high spirits!