Whoo-BOY have there been some changes in Kestrel-land! We've rented a small studio apartment, bought an Isuzu Trooper, and have moved all our stuff ashore. The good news is that without all our gear aboard, Kestrel is riding about 5" higher in the water, we have a refrigerator which works all the time without using up the batteries, and we can shower ANY TIME WE WANT!!! The bad news is that we were $500 over budget last month, part of which was due to the $120 we spent on gas ... yikes!
Why the big change? We have some major projects to perform on Kestrel, and these are best accomplished while not living aboard. The work includes:
Suzi the Wonder Diesel is in need of an overhaul;
More bulkheads need to refiberglassed the hull;
The forward hatch needs to be repaired or replaced;
The windlass needs to be fixed;
... and 47 other smaller projects.
This is not an unusual amount of work; in the last 2 years, Kestrel has probably seen more use (and abuse) than most boats see in a lifetime. We just need to spend some time taking care of our little boat.
Our plan is to work on Kestrel for the next 3 months or so, taking breaks to tour the country by car. Speaking of touring: if you are thinking about coming to visit us (and Costa Rica), please let us know ASAP so we can make sure there aren't any scheduling conflicts. Don't be shy, because Costa Rica is a "must see," and there won't be a cheaper way to see it. You can stay with us; since we now have 2 homes, there are plenty of beds to share. The only fee will be helping us with boat projects. (You DO know how to work on diesels, don't you? ;-)
The other news is that we now have our webpage with our logs up and running, again ... but with a new address:
www.oocities.org/svkestrel
Since this is a free site, there is an annoying little window which pops up and tries to get you to buy lots of wonderful things ... yuck. Sorry about that. Click twice in the upper left-hand corner, and it will go away.
That's all for now; I was going to get expansive and poetic and tell you all about our experiences in Costa Rica, but I think I'd rather go experience it some more rather than talk about it.
Write to us! Now that we are land-based, e-mail is a lot easier and cheaper.
Wishing you trouble-free projects and low, low gas mileage,
Jay & Leslie