Summer So Far

Where is the summer going? It has been a beautiful summer and we have been enjoying time on our boat with our family and friends. It is a blessing to have our boat so much closer - we have are coming to terms with power boaters and jet skiis on the Lake and enjoying evening sails into Kirkland, etc. Getting ready for a 10 journey in the San Juans in a few weeks.

Happy Summer!

About "Contentment"

It didn't seem right to not post the details of "Contentment" early on as we will be talking about her regularly. Out of respect for her, the details are as follows:

Contentment is a 1981 Pearson 365 Ketch (two masts, main and mizzen). At this point we don't know her full history, but do have the previous owners contact information to start with. We are hoping to learn where she has traveled in her time on this "big round ball". She was a coast guard documented vessel, so it shouldn't be to difficult to trace back to all previous owners (although it does involve dealing with our government so my expectations aren't very high)..... Pearson is known as making very solid, well built boats, and this particular boat is a Bill Shaw classic design. Bill past away this year (thanks for making this world a more beautiful place Bill!), and during his time he designed some high quality, well known boats. As you will see in the literature below, he designed the 365 for himself and his particular sailing style. Several of these boats have made it around the globe, and currently there are several out cruising today(SV Third Day link on this site is and example one). Time to dive into the details now.

You are probably wondering why we haven't show you more photos of our boat? Well nothing to hide, and much to be proud of, so here you go.



















These photos were taking prior to our purchase and reflect the condition she is in (including some tacky gear from the previous owner). Since her arrival to WA (more specifically Harbour Village Marina in Kenmore), Jamie has been adding her wonderful decorating touches.

We hope you have enjoyed the photos and we look forward to introducing you to her this year!

Cheers,

The Captain

Boys Night Out 2/22/09

Having the boat in Kenmore is turning out to offer some real advantages. "When Mommy has girls night out plans we go to the boat with Daddy"!! Its amazing how enjoyable of an evening we can have with just a 10 minute drive to the Marina. Sunday we packed up our dinner, dvd's and headed to the boat. Conditions were a bit rainy so the first 1/2 hr was spent in the cabin with the dvd player on, appetizers out (I mean out and flying around the cabin..) and kabobs on the barbeque. We then decided to try out the fold down table mounted to the wheel housing, supported by the mizzen mast in the cockpit and the bimini to keep the rain off (all hands on deck please). The kabobs were delicious and enjoyed by all (especially Jackson)!

We then moved on to testing the turnbuckle covers which consisted of Jackson slamming them back and forth, up and down simulating a gale force wind apparently. After disrupting our neighbors in the Marina we decided they passed the test and that we should move onto cleaning up from the evening mess created. That task took all of about 1hr..

The evening ended with us packing an abandoned dock cart (half full of water) up the ramp to a covered overhang, flipping it up against the wall to get the rain out and being encountered by a local patron who complained that we didn't place the cart inside the storage shed (go figure). To avoid conflict we followed his direction and placed the cart inside as requested and discovered a hidden treasure inside the shed.... A commercial sized ice machine with free ice!!! Yes, it made my mouth water thinking about the Pina Coladas that will be flowing this year (with fresh ice of course)!! After the discovery the local patron then began to complain about how boaters forget to return the ice buckets after using. We decided he must have had a bad day (and a bit to much rum) and surely was referring to "power boaters" and not "sail boaters":>> He is now known as the "grumpy old man that lives on 200 dock".

The result was an amazing evening for the captain and his crew!

A To-Do-List from the Captain (and his kid!)

As everyone I'm sure has heard "boats require maintenance". Purchase a new boat and added to the list is time to become familiar with what you just purchased. With that said I decided to post my to-do-list to track my progress. These days I'm spending 6-10 hrs per week tinkering with the boat. Fortunately the majority of this doesn't cost $$ just time. Usually I have 1 good crew member and lately it has been a he and he is almost 2 years old. Any guesses who that might be? He is actually good help and constantly reminds me that it is important to remember that there is more to life than a boat to love and be responsible for. As long as I'm not using any power tools, holding a line or fender he is not holding onto, he is happy to be along. Also it is a requirement that he is involved with everything I do. The list of tasks is below and I'm sure to forget a few:

1. Clean bilges
2. Electrical connect and troubleshoot
3. Mizzen shroud remove and repair
4. Water system fill, check
5. Propane system update and test
6. Propane leak detection system check
7. Depth sounder troubleshoot
   
8. Fire extinguisher add
9. Change engine oil
10. Head sail install and rig
11. Electric windless test
12. Auto pilot test
13. Bilge pump system clean and test
14. Fuel gauge level gauge test
15. Fuel gauge light install
16. Engine instrument panel cover plate replace
17. Re-bed all stanchions and deck fittings
18. Wax starboard side
19. Bright work remove and re-finish
20. Change fuel filters
21. Seal vents
22. Install new tabs and WIN numbers
23. Remove city info on name from stern
24. Touch-up name on stern
25. Touch-up paint stripe at waterline
26. Install Craigs new GPS unit
27. Check dingy davit system
28. Mount outboard dingy engine to stern rail
29. Battery water level check
30. Test radar system
31. Check/adjust packing gland
32. Check all thru-hull valves
33. Test Mizzen sail and rigging
34. Grease all propane fittings
35. Refrigeration system check/repair
36. New teak trim for mirror in head build
37. Check man overboard system

Believe it or not the boat is a weekend short of being able to sail away. Wanted to give a little insight to the life of sailboat ownership.. It truly is exceptional!!

Cheers!

The Story of Contentment

We wanted to start a blog to share our experience and journey with our sailboat. We have had many journeys and are sure to have many more - so what a better time to begin writing our happenings.

To begin - we decided that the water and sailing is our personal serenity and we want to raise our boys on the water. Maybe this was our justification when we decided to purchase Troy's dream boat - a 36.5 Pearson Ketch. One small glitch, this particular boat is not readily found on the Westcoast. No problem - just buy a boat on the eastcoast and have it shipped for a small price. So that is what we did.

Through a long journey - Contentment arrived after her LONG journey through snow storms, road closures, holidays and more on January 4th.


Although many say it is bad luck to change to the name of a sailboat - it can be done. You must have the proper ceremony including champagne of course. It was narrowed down to either "One Particular Harbor" or "First Look". The San Juan Islands run in our blood and there is one particular harbor that is "particularly" special to us. Furthermore, for those Jimmy Buffet fans - I need not say more. However, on a recent trip to Mexico (just Troy and I!) we decided that Contentment is the best name afterall. With the current state of the economy and the ups of and downs of life, doesn't everyone just strive for contentment? We do and we hope that our sailboat will be a constant reminder of what life is all about.

We are content.