Pictures of our boat - "Maja"

We live on a Bayfield40, a cutter-ketch sailboat (which means it has two masts, and the main mast is positioned near the center of the boat).  If you count the bow-sprit (the part that sticks out in front -- a good place to watch for shallow reefs, we're told), she's 45 feet overall (but since marinas charge by the foot, we keep our fingers crossed that no one will notice!).  She has a full keel with a 5ft draft (which is a good thing for shallow Bahamian waters), comfortably sleeps 6 people, has a separate shower stall in the head, and a new 15-horse motor on the dinghy (zoom-zoom -- another handy feature for exploring the Bahamas!).  BTY ... her name is "Maja" which we pronounce as "Maya".  We're told it's Spanish for "pretty" and pronounced "May-Hah", but I wanted a boat with an easy name to say over the radio, so we changed the pronunciation (don't get me started on the marinar folklore regarding the bad luck associated with changing a boat's name -- no risk in changing the way it's said, however!).

Bayfields have these wonderful "butterfly hatches" on the top of the boat that let in an amazing amount of light and ventilation into the cabin below.









Below is the dinette in the cabin (aka: living room).  There is an insert for the settee, so it converts to a comfortable sleeping area for two.  Yes, that's a flat-screen TV in the corner, complete with DVD player (and our new Sirius satilite radio -- a Christmas gift from our wonderful kids -- THANKS!).  The table in the middle folds out on 3 sides and has extra storage on the 4th side.

The galley is rather unique for a sailboat because it is located near the front of the boat (opposite the dinette) and is very open (most boats have a small U-shaped galley in the back, which is handy for cooking underway, but who does that anyway?!).  We like the layout b/c it allows one person to dig beer out of the refrigerator without disturbing the cook (the refrig/freezer is shown with one of 3 access panels open).  There is a 2-burner propane stove and oven. And a small sink in the corner where Dan does the dishes (!!).  And yes, there is a hot water heater .... a fabulous modern convenience!

Across from the galley, there is a pantry with 4 shelves.  It was big enough for our dishes and cookware and utensils and other necessities of a home kitchen ... but where in the hell does the food go?  It took me several attempts to figure out a balance that works ... and the only downside is that I had to move the the pots & pans from the bottom shelf to one of the lockers under the settee cushions. All those canned goods had to come someplace..... So dinner time always starts with moving the cushions and rummaging around in the dark locker.  Oh well ... at least the coffee pot is handy!

Next to the galley, and across from the dinette, is the nav station (our home office!).  It has both a VHS and a SingleSideBand radio, a slide-out desk that fits a full map and holds our computer.  It's the center of our electronic world, with the panel on the right controlling all the boat's systems. It has a very cool chair that flips to face either the nav station or the dinette area.

There are two berths for sleeping (in addition to the dinette area).  They are both located in the back of the boat (port and starboard). Each berth has it's own hanging locker and drawers ... small but it managed to fit everything we brought with us (plus the emergency flares and life jackets that I stuck in Dan's locker!).

The two berths are separated by the engine room (behind the companionway steps that lead to the cockpit). All of the windows (ports) and hatches on the boat have screens, and we are especially happy that the companionway hatch opens like an actual door (many boats are closed with slats, which makes it much harder to vent the boat as well as enter/exit). 

On to the bathroom (or "head" for those of you versed in boat lingo) ... We have one head, which is convenient when it comes to maintenance, but inconvenient when your one head is closed for maintenance (as we are learning now!).  It's located in the front of the boat, which is nice b/c it's away from the sleeping area (offering some small sense of privacy, which is rare on a small boat!) but it also offers a wild ride when the bow is bouncing around in the waves.  Oh well ... a boat is all about compromise.  The head has tons of storage (including a large locker next to the shower stall).  This is only place on the boat where we haven't had to roll dice to determine who gets the storage space!

And the head has a separate shower stall which is something I've always wanted (so much nicer than spraying the entire head with water just to take a shower).

Now, to the outside, where boaters spend most of their time ....

Starting from the front of the boat, Maja has a beautiful bow - including that 5 foot bow sprit that extends out over the water.

The cockpit is really the living area for sailors.  Maja has a very nice, enclosed cockpit.  There is a canvas dodger (blocks wind and spray from the front) and bimini (overhead coverage) as well as a full enclosure of both eisenglass and screens.  There is a propane grill that hangs on the back rail, as well as a swim ladder off the stern.  The dinghy hangs from davits off the stern.

The steering station has an autopilot, which was a new toy for us.  We could not understand the stories we had read about sailors who would sail offshore for weeks without ever touching the wheel because the autopilot did all the work, until our maiden voyage from Ft Lauderdale, FL to Brunswick, GA. Wow! What a cool invention.  Just plot your course, set the autopilot, sit back and relax. 

And not to be forgotten, the hull (the part below the water).  Maja has the unique honor of having a previous owner with an artistic flair.  The hull has been painted with an underwater reef scene, complete with mermaids, dolphins, sea turtles, sea horses, eels, etc.  We're told that this helps greatly with fishing!  Even the seasoned workers in the boatyard were impressed when the boat was hauled out for inspection.

We bought the boat in Ft Lauderdale, Florida in May 2009.  In June, we returned with our best buddy, Jim Garfunkel, to move to boat to Brunswick GA for storage thru hurricane season.  We stayed at the FLL Hilton and were thrilled to dock Maja at the hotel, where we could view it from our room!  Yah! 

Our cruising life aboard Maja officially started in January 2010, and that's a story current being written!

Baby...It's COLD outside!

Tuesday, February 9. The unpacking continues, both inside and outside the boat. There's always something to do (note to our co-workers back at Mayo Clinic:  "No, we are never bored!").  And each accomplishment is a celebration -- like when Dan got the propane tanks hooked up so we could make coffee in the morning!  Dan is always busy with something -- he's got 2 of our 3 sails rigged, reinstalled the canvas over the cockpit, hooked up the hot water heater, and finalized arrangements for the replacement holding tank to be built.  His best news has been that the holding tank should be fabricated in a week instead of the predicted 3 weeks, so we could be back in business by the end of the month (which is fabulous news since the bath house is a 1/4mile walk from our boat!).  Even though it's nice having an isolated dock to ourselves, our first trip is going to be to move from Dock 15 to Dock 12 -- we'll get WiFi on the boat from there, and we'll only be a short walk to the bath house and boaters lounge.  I keep busy carting boxes from the suburban and fretting where to put everything (so that we can find it again!).  We went shopping and got provisions for our first meals aboard. It’s raining off & on, but the temps are OK.

Wednesday February 10: 
Temps got down in the 20 degrees last nite, and despite the warmth from cooking our first meal indoors, we FROZE!  BRRR. Coming from Minnesota, we hate to complain about the weather, but seriously folks, we are living in a tupperware container here, with one space heater!  Thanks goodness we hauled our down comforter from MN with us, so at least the bed is warm ... but beware if you need to leave that cocoon!  The winds are HOWLING around 30-40 knots, so it is truly nasty out there, even though the sky is clear blue.  Makes one appreciate being securely tied to a dock (what would life be like at anchor??).  The weather will probably stay like this for another week…very high winds and cold temps. Every Wednesday, there is a Happy Hour at the boat house, so we braved the cold and wind to see who really showed up for these events.  What a nice surprise to see the place was packed!  It was good to hear that the other boaters were as surprised about the weather as we are (and not leaving their boats either), and it was very cool to hear about their sailing adventures.  One couple has been waiting for a 48hr weather window to head to Miami, and they figure that they'll be in Brunswick for a month before that happens. They say that after you have been in a marina for a week, you may as well stay for a month b/c the cost drops so much ($80/nite vs $440 a month).

We found another space heater on the boat, and we are definitely getting creative in ways to insulate the boat ... we draped blankets over the door from the cockpit to the cabin; crammed blankets into every locker; wrapped the hatches in plastic; slept in our long underwear and knit hats. It usually stays around 66 degrees inside unless we are cooking -- then it heats up to a balmy 72 degree!  Dan has put his experiences winter camping with the boy scouts to good use for us!  I apologize for the lack of photos.  It just too damn cold!

Thursday, February 11:
Our frustration with the boatyard continues, even though we daily practice our chant that "people move slooooooower in the south!"  Marty, the boatyard mechanic, told us on Monday that he'd be back in 24 hours to work on the loose motor mounts and show Dan how to make sure the engine and prop shaft were aligned.  After practicing patience for 2 days, Dan walked over to the boat yard today to talk with him...and now the story is "give me another week".  Major bummer b/c we want to make sure the motor is secure and aligned before we start any of our practice runs learning to dock this boat by ourselves .... not that we'd be leaving our current slip with temps in the 30s and the winds howling at 30-40 knots.  But, we'd really like to move the boat closer to the boat house (remember, we have no head on board!) and I literally run at full speed every time I have to leave for the boat. 

Dan has been working on the canvas for the cockpit, and installing the plastic enclosures.  This lead to a realization that several of the zippers need to be replaced, so we had people come out and give us some estimates for that work to be done.  We have no sewing machine on the boat -- and we found out during our maiden voyage last June that it's very important for the zippers to work smoothly when you are trying to put up the enclosures during a major blow (remember those times, Jim?!!).  Salt air takes rapidly takes it toil; we've seen the canvas start to rip just from the high winds here at the dock.

Listening to the evening weather report on our VHS radio, we started laughing that we managed to leave MN winter for THIS!!  We also remembered that Craig (Michelle's ever-so-gracious boyfriend in Savannah) was travelling to Las Vegas for the long holiday weekend with his family, so we called and asked him if we could move back into his apt for the weekend.  He's a gem -- so we're taking advantage of still having a car with us, and we are heading back to Savannah in the morning.

Friday, February 12:
Cold. Rain. Snow in the forecast.  This is too much to believe!  Last fall, we had wondered how we would handle the "usual" Georgia winter temps of 40-60 degrees!  In a deluge of rain and 35degrees cold, we trudged back to the suburban for the hour drive back to Savannah.  In the spirit of Valentines Day, Dan managed to pack up our martini fixings, so we are indulging in our Friday nite tradition here at Craig's place; protected from the howling rain outside; getting ready to watch the opening cerermony for the Olympics on his 60" HDTV! Life is warm, and dry, and good!

February 8 -- Finally, The Big Launch

Monday was the perfect day to splash Maja back into the water after being in the boatyard since July '09. The engine started, and two guys from the boatyard came along to make sure that our first docking was uneventful!  The pictures tell the story best ...

At long last, we were able to open the bottle for Veuve Clicquot that we've been keeping in our cooler since we left Minnesota!  For the moment, Life Is Good!

Savannah - One of our favorite cities

Friday - Sunday, Februray 5-7:
This marks our 3rd weekend back in Savannah.  We no longer need GPS to get back to Craig's apt, and we've found a favorite place for breakfast (and even manage to get the same corner table for two by the window) -- both signs that we've been here too long!  Michelle is in town, so we'll be watching the Super Bowl with her & Craig.  As much as we love this city, we do hope this is our final weekend in this beautiful city....so we spent time taking pictures of our favorite places.

2/1-2/7: Still in the boatyard

Monday, February 1.

Wow, it’s so hard to believe it’s February already. On one hand, we are happy to be away from our first Minnesota winter, but on the other hand, we’ve stumbled in to the coldest winter the south has faced in 150 years. This morning, as we headed back to the boatyard, it was 40 degrees and I had to break out my stocking cap (still shivering in the car though b/c I refused to dig out my winter coat!). Brrr… I shiver more to think about how we’d be managing living on the boat in this weather, since that was our original plan.

Oh yes, our original plans …. (ha! What’s the saying – men plan, God laughs?)…. We left MN thinking that we’d be putting the boat in the water after a couple of days of prep work at Brunswick, heading towards our first destination of the year, the space shuttle launch on Feb 7 (one of the items on Dan’s bucket list). Now, I’m hoping that we’ll be about to make the 2nd destination on our 2010 list: Visiting Savannah over the week of St Patrick’s Day. For those not in the know, Savannah hold the 2nd largest St Patrick’s Day celebration (after NYC … yes, bigger than Chicago!) … it’s a week-long affair. Schools close. Businesses close. Parades and drinking green in the street prevail! Michelle will be here during her spring break, and we have a reservation at the Thunderbolt Marina.

If we miss that milestone, then we MUST make our 3rd big event of the year: our son, James, is coming to see the boat for the first time, and we plan to meet him in Jacksonville, FL, to pick up him & his good friend, Ryan Bruns, for his maiden sail on our new home. The plan is to sail with them from Jacksonville to Brunswick where he will pick up our Suburban and take it back to MN. Yes, he is a wonderful son! He has, without complaint, been our biggest supporter in breaking roots in Minnesota and launching this new dream of ours. He transported two U-Haul trucks of our furniture to his new home; he’s storing our favorite possessions in his basement; he braved the sub-zero weather in MN to help Dan load the Rocket Box onto the GMC, as well as the bike rack and our two bicycles before we left town; he’s handling our mail….. And now he’s coming to Georgia to retrieve the car that got us here (along with all the stuff we don’t have room for on Maja). Yes, all you parents out there, you have good reason to envy us!!

The start of a new month has forced us to reassess our original plans. We won’t be seeing the shuttle launch b/c Maja will still be in the boatyard! (Remember the John Lennon song: Life is what happens while we’re busy making other plans …”. We paid for another month at the Brunswick Marina, and to lift our spirits, we starting moving some of our stuff aboard Maja. We started with the galley, which is currently the most intact part of the boat. After Dan hauled 6 boxes from the Suburban, up the ladder, over the lifelines, through the cockpit and down into the cabin, I was frantic – What the hell were we thinking? This stuff will never fit. After moving from a 4000 sq foot home, into a 2-bedroom apt, I thought we had already downsized enough to fit on a 40ft sailboat. Not even close, as I had to tearfully repack non-essential cookware and sentimental knick-knacks. Ok – so maybe it was crazy to think I’d find a place to store martini glasses or pottery bowls that my kids made in high school, but still … how do you make a boat feel like home when tools and solvents take priority over stemware?

Tuesday, February 2.
Dan is my hero!. He was determined not to have his first mate unhappy after the first move-in day, so he miraculously found space in lockers that had once been brimming with boat hardware. (for those of you who don’t know Captain Dan, he has this indomitable spirit that always manages to find a way to make things work out -- and today was no different!). So, even though 3 boxes have been repacked to go back to MN, I did find safe storage for martini glasses! And the boat is beginning to feel like home. Maja has a huge bathroom/head with tons of storage, so moving things into that space was much easier. Our last unpacking issue will be all the books we brought! Even though sailors always talk about the amount of reading they do on a boat, you’d think that sailboats come designed with better storage space for books …..

Another chilly day in the boatyard … and we’ve started to notice that nobody but us works when the temp drops below 60! Fingers are still crossed that we’ll get the boat in the water by Friday.

Dan’s work on the replacing the holding tank is moving right along … he built a sample tank out of cardboard to check the measurements and vent placement, and he’s started the process of working out the final specs with the plastics company that will custom-make the tank. It will take approx. 4 weeks for the tank to arrive, so we are checking out marine supply stores for a small tank to use in the meantime.

Wednesday - Thursday, February 3 and 4.

We are still hopeful for a Friday launch so all work has been focused on the repairs happening below the water line. The 6 stainless steel bolts that we ordered finally arrived. We picked them up at the Fastenal Store …. Which MN folk should recognize as based in Winona. We had a great visit as they noticed our MN license plates!

Replacing the 6 bolts (on the bobstay – the thing that sticks out in front of the boat, and secures the front sail to the boat) took Dan most of the day, but they look FABULOUS (we celebrate everything these days!). At least this is something we’ll never have to replace again as they’ll outlast our ownership of Maja. The finishing touches on the keel are done – the prop is back in place and the running gear was painted with a special paint that will help repel barnacle growth. The cushions and bedding are back on the boat. The dinghy is inflated and back in the davits.

Dan added the finishing touches to our identity: Lake City, MN (our home port) was added to the back end; this is required by the US Coast Guard since we decided to document our boat with them (vs. registering the boat in a specific state). USCG documentation will fit our nomadic lifestyle better as you can pass thru state waters w/o charge as long as you don’t overstay their residence requirements. We splurged and paid to have the hull buffed and waxed in the boatyard so our lady looks absolutely beautiful!!  So there is nothing on the “to do” list that should prevent a launch on Friday. Unless it rains – these guys don’t work in the rain. Go figure! So naturally, our fingers are crossed for decent weather so we at least get to touch water again – and then we’ll start worrying about the next list of things (e.g. will the diesel motor start?).

Friday, February 5.

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Today was supposed to be launch day, but alas, the boatyard stops work when the wind hits 20 knots, and today it topped 23 knots, plus lots of pouring rain. 

Now our hopes are pinned on Monday.