We spent the weekend up at the boat in Anacortes. We left Portland late on Friday and got to the marina around 9pm, and then stayed up late (3am!) doing boat stuff. Fun! The wind was really whipping when we arrived and there were gale warnings and tons of rain over the weekend, so it wasn't a great boating weekend anyway. (Plus, the solar panels being installed on top of the pilot house are mid-install and just strapped to the roof with rope line at the moment.)
Stormy pretty view from the stern of Airship:
We brought a car load of stuff to the boat: bedding, pillows, kitchen cutting board, a new rug for the salon, a bunch of electronic things, cables, etc. We spent a lot of the weekend moving in and out of very tight places, tracing existing cabling so we could run a few new ones alongside (making sure to re-zip tie and label everything, just like the very neatly done existing wiring). More yoga will come in handy for these kinds of pretzely projects.
I cleaned out and organized the lazarette (the below deck storage area at the back of the boat, also very pretzely), which now holds two organized crates of fluids, parts, waxes, and cleaners, the two boat chairs that came with the boat, an extra fender, a foot pump for the dinghy, a deck brush, a little folding cocktail table, a second anchor in a bag, and a whole bunch of sandbags/ballast they moved from the engine room while they finish up installation of two additional AGM house batteries and an inverter.
I should have taken some photos, but I think it'll be hard to accurately depict the space without a wider lens (which I'll bring with me next time). Here are a few more photos of the interior as it's shaping up.
Galley, with new cutting board and shiny new oven:
Chilewich runner rug for galley:
Cupboard in galley:
Most of the acrylic glasses came with the boat (we added two small stemless wine glasses, and two larger water glasses). The blue Willow coffee cups are perfect for cappuccinos, and the saucers and small bowls are from that same set. I may move those to the cupboard below and add a few more tall water glasses.
Our boat came witha 22" television hidden in this sapele overhead locking cabinet:
Ta Da! And now, upgraded to a newer 24" version (including new HDMI cable routed through the far depths of the boat and back up to a switcher hidden in a closet near the stateroom, along with an Apple TV, a DVR/TV tuner, and a Blu-ray player).
We tested out said Blu-ray player with a $9.99 Best Buy purchase of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Well, half of it anyway. We fell asleep, perhaps because we stayed up until 3am the night before.
Settee/dinette accent pillows:
Chilewich "pebble" placemats:
The colors of the wood and the whiskey Ultraleather create such a warm environment, so we decided to go with graphic neutrals for the accents (plus, we knew from the Airstream interior, that we don't seem to tire of the neutrals like we do the bright colors). The walls and ceilings of the boat interior are white and the blinds are white, so together with the wood and neutrals, the interior feels really clean and inviting.
The new rechargeable indoor/outdoor LED lamp (Fatboy Edison the Petite, with its little striped cappie on), on the aft closet by the door, with the new Harmony universal remote/charger and a couple of key hooks (same Command/3M non damageable stuff we use in the Airstream):
Stateroom portlight, from bed:
Okay, so I bought a few more of those LED candles for the boat, like the ones we have in the Airstream. Only these candles are a bit different. They come with a tiny remote control that has options "light" and "candle" (to change from solid light to flickering light), a timer, and maybe three brightness settings. It's hilarious though, because when you click "on" all three candles spring to life simultaneously…"bling!!" They're cheesy as heck, but I like 'em.
And here's the bedding we went with for the stateroom:
I was originally gravitating toward the more traditional, nautical, blue and white striped stuff, but I found this set and decided to try it. I'm glad I did…I really like it! The neutrals work well with all the wood and I like the polka dot fabric on the reverse of the quilt — easy to show or not show, depending on how you make the bed.
We'll give an update on the electronics, solar, and internet stuff after the install is complete and we can give you a better assessment of how it's all working. (Early reports on the Moovbox internet solution though…SUPER fast!)
