Christmas 2010

Atlanta, GA .... visiting family for Christmas. Violet loves running and playing in the leaves. It's cold here. I miss Southern California weather.

Home for the next year or so

Well, not much to see but the inside of a very large empty. So, here's where I'll spend the next year. I've been fitting in the new main under mast bulkhead. This will also be a water tight bulkhead. Remember, I was a submariner so my ship has to have water tight compartments.

WOW, Finally .... Moving Day

Just catching up with the blog

After 4 long years of looking, planning, dreaming, being disappointed I finally sold my house and was able to get my boat. It took 2 trucks and 3 days to move it but now it's here. Here's a picture of the first truck about to leave Fiddler's Cove Boat Yard.

Back to San Diego

Well .... back down to San Diego. Motorhome and all my stuff. Both deals on my house fell through so I'm back in my house getting it ready to sell .... again .... for the 3rd time. Maybe 3rd time will be a charm. My hard earned boat money is going for park rent. Well, atleast I'm where the boat is. I've go 7 stands for it and I've started taking the motor apart to be mounted on it's work stand.

Demolition Finished

I spent Aug 25-31 cleaning up the mess from tearing apart the 56 ft Monsoon and loaded it all into a 30 yard dumpster. What a job. I did well on the salvage of both the 9000 lb lead keel and 600 lbs of bronze fittings.
I also sold, finally, my house in San Diego. I should be able to bring the boat up by December or January. Currently looking for a place to work on the boat, and also have the motorhome near to live in.

The last two weeks I've been dismantling a 45 ft on deck, 80 year old racing schooner. Don't worry, the boat was floating firewood when I got it. A person would have literally had to disassemble the entire boat and replicate every piece to have something seaworthy. A real shame because if properly taken care of these old boats would last almost forever.

At the left is what I started with. I think it is 56 ft with the bowsprit and pushpit.





This is what's left. A very large pile of kindling wood, 10 ft of the backbone, which comes off Monday, and 9000 lbs of lead keel. I'm shipping the lead to a foundry in Seattle to be made into a keel for some one elses boat .... at a very good price for me. It was a lot of work and my hands are tired and raw, but now atleast I'll have the money to have my boat shipped here.
Ended up finding a local foundry where I got more per lb and only had to drive it about 5 miles. I had fun cutting it into 5 pieces with a chainsaw .... took me 2 days.

Chasing Summer

Today, with the help from my friend, I have finally named the boat. What does TANE' mean anyway?
"Chasing Summer"
After all, that is my retirement plan. Chase summer above and below the equator.

09/12/11: Finally researched the origin of Tane'  It's from New Zealand / Poynesian mythology.  Maori mythology is from New Zealand
A short form of the Maori word for man, this is the name of the Maori god of forests and light. According to the Maori creation myth Tanemahuta was responsible for pushing the sky and the earth, his parents, apart and giving man the world he now lives in.