Update 2012

We are at it again. Yes, another three months. Carrie Rose will depart the first week of June for parts North. We are contemplating leaving her up north this year so we can spend more time wandering and not just moving.

Yesterday I painted the bottom. It required a constant stream of expletives (I like to think of them as mantras) to keep me at it. This will be the last time I do this arduous task. I’d hate to destroy any more of my limited brain cells.

As usual there is an enormous list of things to complete before leaving. The most compelling one is to reinstall the front window—don’t ask! Next on the list is to reconnect the propane system. This time so it does not leak!! And to install the 110-watt solar panels that now reside in the spare bedroom generating power to nowhere.

The dinghy’s been refitted to swing up and sit bottom out on the transom. This will replace the davits it swung from last year. It looked great but was awfully involved, requiring twenty or so minutes to launch and twenty minutes to retrieve. Even though we have all the time in the world there was usually not enough time for this, so we were always rushing.

With the new injectors installed at great cost last summer, I hope to regain some of that loss in vastly improved fuel economy. I dream of moving and visualize Carrie Rose gliding past the red and green towers as she exits Montrose Harbor. Last year we were lucky enough to have a fellow boater snap pictures of us as we left. I doubt this will happen again.