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| WELCOME ABOARD |
The time is September, 2004 and I have just bought my third boat, a 1976 built Irwin Sloop rigged sailboat with a center cockpit. I have moved aboard to begin my newest adventure in Kemah, TX at the Boardwalk Marina.
WHERE I LIVE - KEMAH BOARDWALK MARINA - SLIP E-30
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| The Back Door |
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| The road home |
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| Wonderful sunrises |
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| My other boat - Smiles II Go 2 |
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| Tropical Express - where I worked part time for two years |
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| It's The Hood |
Life went along as usual with living aboard, fixing this, changing that, rearranging things and generally getting frustrated with the set up of the air conditioner - it was an old house style, as was the electrical system and lack of storage space. So much space was wasted; WE NEED SPACE WHEN LIVING ABOARD. Early 2005, Mike came to visit and I was expressing the 'urge' to sell the boat and buy an O'Day, or something similar to the boat I was living on when I was living in San Diego.
Mike told me I had an awesome boat, that I just needed to upgrade it. He convinced me by saying he would go in half with the expenses and do the work himself if I would keep it. He talked me into it. ;). Little did either of us know the events that would occur during this refit. The first three years, 2005 through 2007 went really well.
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| The first thing we did was take her out of the water |
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| In slip where she was when I bought her |
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| Docked at her new home, Boardwalk Marine - She needs help |
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| Mike taking a break at the ship yard |
Will begin with 2005, of course. We took her over to Ben Millers Place off NASA One and removed the old name (Redondo Peach - whatever that meant) and re-named her "Smiles II Go" - being the second smiles to go. Made some minor repairs to bottom and painted it. Took the rub rail off and just generally cleaned up the sides. Mike began with some 'basics'; electrical upgrades, which were expensive with buying new Blue Sea Systems (three of them installed as we progressed and put in more electrical equipment).
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| Old house style electric panel |
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| New Blue Seas System, from the back side |
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| Main Electric Panel between Galley and Companion Way over the cover for engine compartment |
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| 12 volt panel in companion way |
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| Newest panel went in with the galley refit |
One of the next projects involved new cabinets and cushions in the salon and aft cabin. New cabinets in the galley became three inches wider with dividers inside to keep things from slipping around. Removed the old stove/oven and refrigerator; installed new two burner, glass top stove, built drawer and cabinet underneath where the stove was and a convection oven/microwave and cabinets where the refrigerator was. Put up spice racks and paper towel holder.
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| The old stove and oven |
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The old refrigerator
The new glass top, two burner stove, with the drawer and cabinet beneath
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Well, I am back - mostly with some new pictures. The old stove place looks like a new stove, drawer and cabinet space below and the old refrigerator looks like a combination microwave/convection oven and some divided space for kitchen 'stuff'.
2012 and 2013
We have been working topside for quite some time now, as most of the work down below is done. There are a few small jobs left; but they a very minor compared to what has taken place and what we are doing topside.
The bow sprit it about 2 feet shorter now, and it's weakness has been repaired - which makes the boat look more modern and very nice. The stay sail was removed and the main sail, which was on the bow sprit was moved back onto the actual bow of the boat where the stay was, so now she is a sloop instead of a cutter. I like her much better this way.
The new furler is a Harken, as is the traveler. The boom is a little longer than the original and the traveler was moved aft about 8 inches to accommodate that change. All the standing rigging is new as are the stanchions, which are about two inches taller than the original ones. There are three gates on both the port and starboard sides - forward, middle and aft; so getting off during docking is easy, no matter which way you point her into the dock. All of the lines are new also
The new cap-rails have been formed and will be added during this spring/summer work time and the stern and aft rails will be put back on the boat. Both the main and jib sails are new as is the main cover. We will be taking her out of the water during this spring/summer work for a bottom job, new through hulls and some topside painting. She is a great looking 'old' boat.
Mike rebuilt the engines and all its wires, hoses, and other connecting parts
I have overhead LED lighting in the salon - matches the screen frames for the hatches
The new traveler all rigged and ready to go. Also note the new, taller stanchions
Starboard - new sail cover. The larger cover is a temporary shade cover until the new bimini gets built and installed.
Latest News
In October, I moved from the Boardwalk Marina to Portofino Dockaminium and Yacht Club, where I bought a 50 ft. slip for my 37 ft Irwin. Plenty of room. I love it here. I am located on the "outer harbor" for easy in and out and close to all the great amenities the marina has (laundry, bath/showers, club house, swimming pool and a great yard right on the channel to watch the boats go back and forth between Clear Lake and Galveston Bay. The boat parade viewing will be great. Even the bike riding, around the lake areas is great - with small amounts of traffic. So I am now, officially, a Trop Rocking, Parrot Head, Texan. I am still working part time at the Boardwalk Marina office, so keep in touch with my friends there. I already know some of my new neighbors as they were neighbors at the Boardwalk.
