Whew!!!

So we bought a new engine.  Diesel engines cost an obscene mount of money.  We waited and waited for it to arrive, and stuffed it into the engine room.



It is an optical illusion--it really fits fine

 

  There is this little voice gnawing at the back of your mind.  What if you get it all ready, and it won't start/doesn't work out/blows up.  What if you put it in forward and it goes backward because you misunderstood something.  Etc. Etc.  Worry, Worry.  Today, no worries.  Varuna will be joining our sailing buddies again next week.  We did our sea trials today.  The boat is quieter, smoother, and better behaved than it has ever been.

Terms and conditions

Definitions:
Blog (v) to imagine that one's life and thoughts are interesting enough to warrant sharing them with the world (see Narcissus).   (n)  the place on the Internet that plays the role of pool (see Narcissus).

We are starting this blog by popular demand.  If it is found to be self-absorbed--well--you asked for it. 

Varuna (Vedic God)  Varuna was one of the earliest of the Vedic Gods, lately displaced by Shiva as top dog, but still God of the Sea and protector of the West (isn't that just too double-entendre).   (Boat)  Varuna is a Pearson 36 Cutter (367 to some), built in Rhode Island in 1982. Our Varuna is 36 feet long, Cutter rigged (that means two sails on the pointy end, for non-sailors, 11.5 feet wide, and currently our permanent home.  Varuna carries 150 gallons of water, 50 of fuel, and just enough stuff to fill every available space.  Think 18 foot travel trailer with a much improved social status. 

We have begun an adventure that is expected to take us from Portland Oregon to "Greece"--or somewhere beyond.  We really don't plan to sail all the way around, but we'll have to see what happens.  We do hope to see the Med.  For now. we're just getting stated.  This blog is being created as we sit in La Paz, Mexico, awaiting deliver of a new engine.  Future posts here will delve into the past--mostly because we took 4 months too long to get this going (or maybe we finally ruined a good record--you decide).  We left Portland on August 18, 2010.  We sailed to San Deigo and participated in the Baja Haha-a rally of about 200 boats all headed to Mexico.  Just after we arrived in Cabo, our engine expired, and we got to learn first hand that "cruising" really is just boat maintenance in exotic places.  While we wait, we'll have to share slome stories of the trip so far.  If you've already read about htem in e-mail, sorry-we only have so much material. 

Anne and I will both be posting here.  We will generally appear to have been of a different boat in a different place.  This is not the case. 

Here is Anne, putting portland behind her.  Since we both hate cameras, she'll have to post the pictures of me.