What Do We Have To Do to Turn This Boat Into a Home? (MJ Sailing – Ep 173)

We’re out at the Viking to take a close look at all of the things we’ll need to complete before we can move aboard her as our temporary home.

In this week’s episode, we’re just about a week away from leaving Annapolis for the holidays, and are making one more trip out to ‘Couch Dream’ to asses a few of the things that will need to be finished before we can move aboard upon our return. We also start tearing apart the v-berth to get a better idea of the rot on the deck there, and take stock of everything that will need to be replaced.

Matt also takes a moment to talk about how we’re doing on the hunt for boat builders insurance, and spoiler alert – it’s still not looking good. By the way, if you need to get rid of your old boat, consider getting help from Boat removal/Disposal services.

We hope you enjoy this episode, and just like you, we’re eagerly awaiting the point where we can turn our attention to the catamaran as soon as the first container arrives!

We hope you enjoy!

Much love from Annapolis!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

NOTHING BUT ROT – This Deck Core Needs to Come Out! (MJ Sailing – Ep 172)

We get to work on the Viking, replacing the forward hatch – only to find it is full of rot and the deck will need to be removed to properly fix it.

In between working on the tent at Kentmorr, we also need to pay a little attention to the Viking 35, to start cleaning up some of the areas and get it ready for us to live in. Project #1 is to fix the leaking forward hatch so we don’t have more water coming through it.

Once we get it up though, we realize it needs more than just a re-bed – the balsa core surrounding the hatch is completely rotten and will need to come up and be replaced. But, that will probably be a project for spring.

When weather turns extremely windy over the weekend, Matt wants to find out how our friend Andy’s 55 ft catamaran handles the situation. A couple of the boys step on Avalon for a day on the Chesapeake with winds in the upper 30’s, just to see how it compares to rides on our monohulls.

We hope you enjoy!

Much love from Annapolis!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

The DRY FITTING of Container #1 …. But, Where Is It? (MJ Sailing)

It’s time to catch you up to why we haven’t started the build yet – but, in good news, we get to show you everything that comes in container #1!

It’s time to catch you up to why we haven’t started the build yet – but, in good news, we get to show you everything that comes in container #1! The last we commented on it, the first container was going to arrive in late December, and we’d be starting the build as soon as we got our hands on it.

But as we learned during the refit of Elements, you always have to expect the unexpected. There have been delays which is going to stall us getting the first container until February. Make sure to stay tuned for this weeks’ video for all the details on why! But the good news is, Max Cruise sent over a string of photos showing the dry fit of our boat, so you can see exactly what she’ll look like once we put those first pieces together!

Enjoy!

Much love from Annapolis!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

PATCHING A TENT – Wait!! … What Did YOU Think I Said?! (MJ Sailing – Ep 171)

Get your minds out of the gutter! It’s time for us to get to work on this build site and begin patching all the holes in our tent!

Now that the other fishing boat is out of the tent at Kentmorr Marina, we now have the open space to get to work on patching all the holes which have formed in it over the past 15 years. Matt gives a little rundown of the process, and we tackle some of the smaller holes as we put our newbie knowledge into action.

And, while the sun is still shining and there’s good light outside, we take another thorough look at the Viking sport fisher which will be our home in the marina for the duration of the build. While she has good bones, there’s still a number of things we need to tackle to eventually make her sale ready. Including a patch of delamination Matt found on the foredeck.

Tell us what you think of our projects so far! There’s still a little bit of time before our first container comes over from Vietnam, so the tent and the Viking are going to be our focus until then.

We hope you enjoy!

Much love from Annapolis!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Stalking DELOS as they Enter the Chesapeake (MJ Sailing – Ep 170)

It’s time for more friends to arrive in Annapolis, and when sv Delos enters these waters, we hop in a 17ft Boston Whaler to hunt them down.

After we make another quick run out to Kentmorr marina to inspect the tent and the Viking a little closer, it’s time to celebrate the weekend in style.

We get word that our good friends Will and Grace of s/v Calico Skies are making their way into Annapolis, ready to take some time off from their boat and join our little household on shore. But along with them on the ride in, is the well known Brian and Kazza of s/v Delos.

We take on the overcast skies and choppy seas to give them a nice welcome into town, and even have to lend a hand as Delos’ deep draft does not want to let them in the channel, and they keep running around as they try to work they’re way in.

We hope you enjoy!

Much love from Annapolis!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

That Time Bobby Gave Me A Bikini… (MJ Sailing – Ep 169)

Thanks for the bikini Bobby! I know it’s YOUR birthday, but funnily enough, I end up with the gift.

During our time in Annapolis, in mid- October, we decide to get on a few more boats. Being invited out by a few of our Patrons, we go inspect one of the Seawind 1160 Lites, in a mini show being held by Sail Away Catamarans. We have the chance to inspect the layout of one of these boats, and see what it’s like to have dual outboard engines instead of an inboard diesel. Plus, we have the opportunity to take it out for a test sail on the Chesapeake to see how she handles.

Then, it’s time to go for a pleasure cruise with a few of our friends. The couple that is hosting us in town, Jeff and Cam, have a Catalina 36, which they’re preparing to take cruising soon. Using a beautiful weekend – as well as a friend’s birthday- we take these excuses as a reason to make the 25 mile sail down to the town of St. Michael’s.

Once we get there we reunite with our friend Bobby of s/v Sailing Doodles.
Check out Bobby’s channel here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCkDw…

Much love from Annapolis!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Did We Just Take On Another PROJECT BOAT??!! (MJ Sailing – Ep 168)

We came to Annapolis to visit friends….but we may have just gotten roped in to something much bigger.

Become a Patron, and get extras not available to ANYONE ELSE! https://www.patreon.com/mjsailing

Not only did our friend/host give us a WONDERFUL place to stay while we’re in town here, but after meeting up with us for drinks our first afternoon in, where we told him what we were looking for in a build site – he found us the perfect location THE NEXT DAY!!

(Thanks again Jeff, we’ll have to toast you again for this when we come over tonight, lol.)

But, that’s not all. While we were at Kentmorr Marina talking to the owner about the use of their paint tent for the build, he had another opportunity in store for us. Which came in the form of a place to live during the build.

If you’re curious to learn more – and want to see our shocked and dumbfounded faces for our entire visit there – make sure to tune in for this week’s episode.

Much love from Annapolis!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Moving Back With Mom & Dad – Flying Home to the U.S. – WITH A CAT!! (MJ Sailing – Ep 167)

It’s time to step foot in the U.S. for the first time in 2.5 years. And that also means moving in with my parents.
After having sailed Elements from Florida, through the Caribbean, up to the Azores, and then the Arctic Circle of Norway down to the UK…we left her behind in England, and now needed to take the next steps in our lives.
Flying out from our friend’s home in Twickenham, we head to London Heathrow to begin the long journey home…with our cat! She’ll be flying in cabin with us for this 24 hours of travel, so we’re very nervous on how it all could turn out.

Much love from Phoenix!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

Thank you SO MUCH to our Patrons. These amazing supporters help keep us on the boat, our camera equipment up to date, and the videos coming. Without our patrons, these videos would not be possible.

NEW Boat & NEW Partner – First Days After Our Sale! (MJ Sailing – Ep 166)

** Get behind the scenes footage of our upcoming catamaran build by becoming a Patron today! https://www.patreon.com/mjsailing **

We’ve just sold our aluminum cruiser, and now it’s time to change things up by getting on a new boat with a new sailing partner. Have you seen this job posting of Canada’s largest marina that is actively hiring marine mechanics? Follow the steps on their site.

After we become essentially homeless after selling our boat, we still have one week left in England before our flights back to the US. We use that time to visit a few friends along the way, and take in all the British charm we can.

In the town of Calstock, we walk the Cotehele Estate, which has been around since the mid 15th Century, and has one of the most untouched Tudor homes in all of England.

Soon though, it was time to head to London, where we’d be staying with our friends on SV Polaris, whom we’d meet while sailing the Isles of Scilly. They welcomed us into their home for the next few days, showing us the local sights, and even getting me on the water one more time.

Their son, Constantin, does weekly races on the River Thames, and it was decided that this week, I would join him. Having never sailed such a small boat before, I was terrified I would capsize us at some point in the race. But it turns out Constantin is a great teacher, and we even took fifth place! Not bad for a total newbie.

Check out videos from Sailing Polaris here: http://www.sailingpolaris.uk/

Much love from England!
Jessica, Matt & Georgie

WE FOUND A BUILD SITE!! – A Quickie Real Time Update – MJ Sailing

Somehow it happened without us even trying or searching – but we’ve stumbled upon a build site for the new catamaran! Support the build, and get bonus material and access to private content by becoming a Patron today. https://www.patreon.com/mjsailing We want to quickly bring you up to speed, so before we can catch our episodes up, here’s a real time update with what’s going on with us RIGHT NOW! After selling Elements and leaving England, we flew back to the US to spend a little time with family before we began the search for what will be our catamaran build site for the next two years. We hadn’t even begun the search yet, we were just in Annapolis visiting friends – but that friend found the perfect spot for us! Fast forward a few days, and we’re getting ourselves set up to build inside a paint tent in Kentmoor Marina on Kent Island. http://kentmorrmarina.net/ Funny how it all fell into place so quickly, but we could not be more happy about it! Make sure to stay tuned next week when we revert back in time to our weekly episodes, where we just sold Elements and have a little time to spend in England before flying home to the US. Much love from Maryland! Jessica, Matt & Georgie