Brand New Sails!!!

Location: Key West, Fl 

Weather: Rainy and windy with Tornado warnings to boot.  yuck. 

Update: This week Ben Sperry of Sperry Sails in Marion, Mass came down to install a brand new complete set of sails for When And If.  They are 9oz. cream fabric with maximum UV protection. And they look amazing!!! Please check out our photos from Tuesday's sail. I posted an entire album on Facebook.  Check it out and tell us what you think.

We invited crew from the schooner Adirondak II and Appledore to come help us try them out. It was a fun, successful day, We are VERY psyched about our new sails. Sperry did a great job and the boss is happy. (We're comin' for you, Juno) 

   

Key Wierd...

  Location: Key West, Fl

  Weather: It's been mostly sunny and in the 80's since we arrived. Very nice.

     A few thunderstorms here and there.

  Update: Our first week in Key West has been interesting. Key West is a colorful community. This tropical US oasis is full of vibrance, not to mention thousands of tourists, flamboyant gays, and crazy street vendors. Some would go as far to say "this is where crazies go to go pro." and "The US was stood on it's side and shaken, and all of the loose nuts and bolts fell to Key West."

But, mostly it is a pleasant, accepting community.  There is a large boating community, liveaboards, fishermen, and several Schooners.  There is an entire wharf dedicated to Schooners. Upon arrival, we were greeted on the dock by other schooner bums wanting to lend a hand, locals offering knowledge on anchoring, shopping, and places to eat, and just plain admirers come to look. Over-all, (if you ignore the occasional drunk encounter) Key West is a very friendly, fun place to be. 

   We are currently out on the hook (anchored) in a very pleasant location. There is quite a tidal rip through the harbor, but it seems no matter what the wind/current direction, it stays fairly calm out here, which is great news! 

   We have made a few friends and because we are on a boat, a schooner no less, (which is the cool thing to be around here) we have immediately been accepted as locals.  A  rare feeling for our lifestyle. We have tried to explore some of what being a local Key Weirder means, but mostly we are just sitting out in the anchorage working on When And If.

  This week we have managed to sand and prep almost every bit of above deck varnish. (minus the spars)  We have applied one coat of Epiphanes high gloss so far with hopes of applying a second coat today.  Just a few hatch trims left to prep and maybe next week we can tackle the spars. The boat is looking mighty shiny with her new paint and fresh varnish. "The best looking boat in the harbor" once again. ;)

   Well, speaking of work, it's about that time. 

  Thanks for reading.

  Cheers!