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De-Naming Ceremony

10/1/2013

Paula's Posts

October 1, 2013...
Today we performed our de-naming ceremony of Capella, may her name ever RIP. It is less than 3 weeks until our boat, Tabula Rasa, moves from on hard and into the water. Our home in Indiana looks like a midwestern tornado struck, as most of our moving supplies are filling the foyer and library! Destry and her fine team of designers are in the last stages of the cosmetic refit. I LOVE all the new colors, fabrics and design elements. I have only seen swatches of fabrics and sketches online, and I'm REALLY excited to see the finished product when I get to Stuart, FL. I have gathered all of our boat's "before" pictures and am anxiously awaiting my "after" pictures from Destry.
Scott is moving onboard Oct 28 (assuming no last minute tropical storms start brewing). Work obligations preclude me from traveling to FL until November. I am starting to get nervous about my training with Captain Ray, so like the obsessive, studious doctor I am, I have been reading and studying ad nauseam. Obsessing to be the best captain I can be is a very powerful motivator. In fact, I think I have studied as many hours as my medical students at IU...
More later as the moving date gets nearer...

Scott's Speaks

(Too busy to post...)

A Boat out of Water

7/17/2013

Paula's Posts

Well the refit has begun. Scott was in Stuart FL for a week and it must have been boring as he texted and called home often! The electronics upgrade in the pilot house is awesome, and we added music speakers for the cockpit and flybridge. Engine work has been completed (or almost). Destry sent more options for beautiful fabrics after her return from China and the big N120 launch to Hong Kong then North America. I can't post "before and after" pics until I have an AFTER, so please be patient. The last voyage of Capella occurred July 16, 2013. I don't really know the entire story, but I received a pic of her "stuck" at low tide!
In true peri-menopausal fashion, I cried and Scott said "Not to worry!"
Oooooooooh Noooooooo!
At the end of the day, No Harm-No Foul, and she is now being stored "on the hard" ready for her new launch in November as our beloved Tabula Rasa.

Tabula Rasa's new home until November

Scott's Speaks

Stuck in the mud

On July 12, 2013 the mechanical repairs were completed and most of the electronic upgrades were completed as well. This was the beginning of the transformation from Capella to Tabula Rasa. The transformation will continue through the end of October while the boat is on hard.
For the next four days it poured down rain. Come to think of it, it has rained every single day that I have been in Stuart so far. During that period I took a million measurements for Paula's Foo Foo Refit. I am still waiting to see what the so called "Soft Upgrade" is going to cost? Do you think they know and are just not telling me? Hmmm.

On July 16, 2013 we moved the boat to Hinckley. The rain stopped long enough for us to move the boat without getting wet. The team consulted with Hinckley and reviewed the tide timetable, the depth at Hinckely's lift, and did some new math for the appropriate time to reach Hinckely's. We arrived on time thanks to Nordhavn Ron's piloting skills. However, when we pulled into the lift we found an error in the modern math used and the actual depth at the lift. We basically were in the mud and the lift crew could not get the straps underneath the boat. Technically one might consider this a grounding. And since the common belief is everyone has one in their career I am taking credit for this one as the one of MY career. We had to wait for about 3 hours for the tide to rise to a level that the crew could get the straps under the boat. Mission accomplished and the boat is now "on hard" until the end of October.

The Refit Begins

6/26/2013

Paula's Posts

Oh My Gosh!!!!! Destry just sent me the most beautiful fabrics and colors for our boat! She is awesome! No wonder she is the designer for the New N120! Everything she sent me is just fabulous! My only hope is that it is "kitty-proof" as I love our kitty but she has long hair! Scott is worried about electronics and cost. I only hope our interior budget won't overtake our electronics budget! That would be a big "Whoops!!!"

Scott's Speaks

The term "Refit" of Tabula Rasa may be a little overstated in my opinion. Maybe we should call it a "Minifit". There were many small items identified during the general, mechanical,and electronics surveys. Some items were the owner's responsibilities and other items were recommendations for either improvements or precautionary replacements. John Hoffman from Nordhavn is presently working on the general survey items. Alex Graham from Marine Diesel Solutions will begin addressing the mechanical items starting July 8th with a hard stop on the 15th as the boat needs to go on hard at that point for the hurricane season. We will not be upgrading the present NavNet x.2 system to the new NavNet 3D. We will be adding Cell and Wifi boosters, TV in master, Iridium Satellite Phone, and additional speakers to fly bridge and cockpit as the major items under the electronics category. Now what could move this from a "Minifit" to a "Refit" is the so called soft upgrades. This is the reupholster of the settees, Stidd Chair, window treatments, bed coverings, towels, rugs, etc. Paula and Destry have been working on textures, blends, visuals, colors, impact, and feel. What does that mean? A language I do not understand. And from the best I can tell will not make the boat go faster, straighter, smoother, or enhance fuel economy. The fabric samples are in and Paula loves them. I keep asking how much? No answer yet.

Purchase Agreement is Signed

6/5/2013

We received lots of pictures and information from our survey. It looks like the N55 Capella will be ours! I am soooo excited I can't stand it!!! What a fabulous adventure ahead of us just learning about her systems, maintenance and boat handling of such a large oceangoing vessel. This has got to be such an exciting and wonderful experience for Scott. He is retiring and can spend as much time as he needs to get over the "learning curve." I am still working full-time so I have much fewer hours to read , study and practice. We currently enjoy summers in Chicago, but this one will be our last.

Downtown Chicago Skyline

We have 11 pages of needed repairs and sugested items to address. The good news is that everything is very minor. The results of the surveys were very solid. We had an electronics, mechanical, and overall systems survey. Survey included a short haul and sea trial. Alex Graham of Marine Diesel performed the mechanical survey. Brian of Celtic Marine performed the electronics survey. Jon Howe of Nautical Services Group performed the general systems survey. In addition, John Hoffman with Nordhavn Service assisted in the evaluation and short haul. I am extremely impressed by their professionalism and thoroughness. My thanks for their support.

Paula has decided to change the soft goods on the boat. She wants a different style and to put her personal touch on the boat. Oh no!!! This includes changing the two settees, Stidd chair, curtains, bed coverings, floor rugs, and who knows what else. Destry from Destry Darr Design is helping her. This cannot be cheap???? God knows how much money this will cost! I hope there is enough money left to upgrade "minor" things like electronics, mechanical, , zincs, bottom paint, anchor, etc. :)

OK, so I'll miss Chicago...But our new travel experiences will definitely be worth it!

Boat Survey

5/31/2013

Capella in Stuart, FL

Flew to Stuart Fl to meet Destry of Destry Darr Designs, meet all the surveyors and see the potential beautiful boat, Capella! I'm so excited I am about to explode! I know there will be a lot to learn, but I think that is another wonderful part of the adventure. The boat is gorgeous and I'm soo jealous I can't experience the sea trial with Scott..

Why does Scott look so stressed out?!?!

I turn 61 tomorrow. I am graduating from corporate America on June 14th....and I'm spending Stupid Money!!! This is a poor financial decision and a bad business decision and yet may be the best decision of my life. What price do you put on adventure?

On the other hand, I could have just retired and enjoyed beer on the beach all day! Whiskey-Tango-Foxtrot??????

May 2013

5/10/2013

Woo Hoo! We might have found our Boat! I'm excited!!!! I'm doing the Happy Dance! We are one step closer to The Great Escape!

A new 55 came on the market by the name of Capella. Ted Robie called me right away and said I needed to see this 55 immediately. Thanks Ted. It has extremely low hours which is a concern and will require an excellent engine surveyor to evaluate. On the other side this 55 is brand new throughout. The water maker was never turned on and obviously needs to be closely evaluated as well. Best of all this 55 is located in St. Pete, FL.

Princess, please don't get so excited. We still have engine inspection, mechanical inspection, overall inspection AND a sea trial...Lots to do and very little time...

Seattle Trip

4/13/2013

Moxie...Still gone
Enterprise...gone
Riptide... not our style (while walls throughout!)
Waited for Dix-Sept...a Ladder, not stairs...
Lazy Duck...not us, not sold by Nordhavn...
Lilipad...perfectly lovely...but she lives in Seattle

I am losing my mind trying to find the perfect boat for us.
I love Nordhavn, but as they are custom boats and we are buying from a brokerage...every one is different, and different than we would choose!!!

It's cold and rainy and my flight to Seattle was very late and I have had no sleep. What am I supposed to ask the Nordhavn Broker again???

Toured Lilipad and Lazy Duck both 55's. Don Kohlmann was extremely knowledgeable and taught me a lot during my time with him. I really liked Lilipad. The issue is its location in Seattle 3,000 miles away.

...and don't worry, Princess, there will always be another one for sale...

March 2013

3/29/2013

N55 Moxie...SOLD
N55 Enterprise...SOLD
N55 Riptide...SOLD

Don't worry. There will always be another one...

February 2013

2/15/2013

Happy Valentine's Day!!!
Scott and and I met in Miami for a short, rainy weekend to check out the N47 Miro, a brokerage boat by the Nordhavn folks. We realized after spending time on it, as well as other trawlers, that a Nordhavn would definitely be our boat and the N55 was an excellent fit for us! YAY!

Cold and rainy weather in Miami. The N47 is TOO small! The N55 is TOO expensive!.Now what?

January 2013

1/28/2013

Scott attended TrawlerFest in Ft Lauderdale, taking classes on radar, navigation and other "captain-like" topics. I was "on call" that weekend in Indiana. BooHoo! He had the opportunity to meet many people and tour many trawlers, including Moxie N55. He was very pleased with his experiences, and assured me this cold beer was NOT his!!!

Lots of Blah Blah but I did learn. There are a lot of people out there with little experience that just "Do It"! Impressive.

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