Ardent Splash Date
I finally had the courage to get a domain and launch this site. The thinking along these lines has been going on for almost two years.
There is a lot to unpack since last summer and those posts can come later. For now, those that don’t know, Ardent was pulled out of the San Juan Sailing fleet in November in preparation for us to cruise to Alaska. We hauled the boat out Jan 2, 2024 and have been working on her non-stop for the trip. The work has included:
Major work, upgrades, new skills include:
Selling just about everything I own, i.e., bikes (5 of them), ping pong paddles, trains I’ve stored for 50 years, clothes, racks, coolers, racquetball rackets….everything but what will fit on the boat.an 800-1000 watt solar bank and water maker. The ebay revenue Jan-Mar totals $14K.
Shipping Stuff
Hauling the boat
Learning how to splice line, make soft shackles, and all kinds of new knots.
Boat a Sailrite LSZ Sewing Machine for canvas work — first up was making mods to the bimini for flexible solar panels.
Rebed all the the window hatches.
Our original splash date was April 1 and now that has been pushed back to April 2. We have temporary moorage in Squalicum Harbor (Bellingham) until April 15 so that should give us a couple weeks to shake things down.
Preparing for this voyage and cruising full time has been epic, hard, super fun and exhausting.
Lots more to come.
Nick and Laura
Dyneema soft shackle with a quick release
The new Sailrite LSZ sewing machine.
Putting the solar arch together upside down in the living room.