Spring is in the air here at Pirates Cove -- or is it just rain?
Perhaps a little of both wafts in to us under the tarps shielding Moontide, as we huddle and cuddle and listen to the droning wetness pouring down on us.
The dry winter is trying to make up for lost time in the Northwest with squall after squall of blustery rainstorms sweeping over the boats in our little marina.
Time for indoor projects... maybe catching up on a little reading.
With plastic covering most of the boat, we have been able to complete a few outstanding deck projects:

We rebuilt the sliding hatch for the main companionway, replacing the original teak striped lid for a sealed acrylic top.
Gabrielle spent most of the Winter rebuilding the original 'turtle' or 'garage' for the sliding lid (see above), but we both agreed that the labor/time vs result on the lid itself made it worth updating our options. An added benefit is the light the acrylic lid gives to the galley.
Now I just gotta do something about those doors!!!

Another outside project finished, thanks to the tarps, are the sealed lids over the propane tanks (or saddlebags, as we call them) by the steering box. The propane canisters can be latched or locked into place with a vent exiting out the transom. It is aesthetically more pleasing to the eye, and considerably more comfortable to the bottom than sitting on top of the tanks!
Those of you kind enough to ride with us on Moontide last Fall know exactly what we mean!

An indoor project that we've been meaning to do, and finally completed this month, is the repositioning of the saloon table to allow seating on all sides. Special thanks to Kim Winkler at Columbia Marine Exchange for locating the table parts that now allow us to slide the table in and out for more comfortable and accessible seating.

Boat life and Marina Life is a microcosm of our larger world -- people move in or move on, relationships are fostered, or lost to conflict. Owners legislate. Rebels isolate. The rest of us try to mediate. Illness comes and goes.
Puppies are born. Friends die.
We take a moment to Remember Roger Wenzel, a neighbor, friend, and boat builder, who succumbed to cancer this month after years of battling with it. Our hearts go out to all the folks who cared for him. He is missed.

That's about all we have new to share from the Wobegone branch of Multnomah Channel for now. 

Be Well, 
Fair Winds,
M&G

Here in the Northwest part of the country, we have had an amazingly mild Winter. To many Oregonians, this portents an ill Summer -- drought, disease, famine -- but for us, we're grateful just to have had such amazing weather for doing boat work!

The last couple months we've been helping neighbors with their boat projects, interspersed with some Moontide tasks that we're still working on.  These include: lids for the propane tanks in the aft cockpit, repair of the main hatch (nasty leaks), a new pedestal for the dining table in the saloon, and insulated ceilings in the main cabin.

Gabrielle is certain we have gremlins on the boat-- happy gremlins, it seems -- because projects seem to be working out just the way we plan them.  We're determined not to let it go to our heads... but we want to get lots of projects done while the luck lasts!
Oh, yes. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy New Year to everyone! 
2014 was a tough year for many of us, with both painful losses (Family deaths and illnesses) and some hard-won gains (sealed decks and stepped masts) and, frankly, we are glad to be shed of it with the hope and goal of a great 2015!
Many folks we know (landsmen, mostly) wonder at how one deals with the sundry challenges of getting by on a boat with living space of less-than 500 square feet.
Fortunately, Gabrielle and I rather like each other, so that helps! It can be 'intimate' at times, especially during winter months when our effective living space is cut in half  (the upper deck is not too livable in ice and wind and rain ) and dampness seeps into everything.

Even though we live in a space too small for a Christmas tree, we manage by making the whole saloon a Christmas tree. This year we hung garlands of cedar from the ceiling, and decorated it with our old tree ornaments. It was very festive!

One learns to work with what's available. Like a little space around the book case!

No Christmas ornaments are complete without mermaids!
From the Moontide Crew, we hope that the New Year may be kind and Generous to all of you!