And we're off!

Sidney, B.C., Canada in the background, which is the town where SIRI was built and commissioned in 1993, where we bought her in 2022, and where she's been based out of since we bought her until today.

Well it finally happened: we slipped the lines for the last time this morning from Van Isle Marina where SIRI has been either on the hard or in the marina for the past 3 years! We're only about 6 weeks behind our original goal departure time that we had earmarked for early to mid March, but given the list of work we've accomplished on the boat this fall, winter and early spring, we can't be too terribly upset with ourselves.

Farewell, D515! Our slip was the spot behind the powerboat on the end next to the catamaran behind us in this picture I snapped through a wave of emotions as we were heading out the last time.

As we sat down to eat a quick dinner in the cockpit last night to take in the view from our slip in the marina one last time, (not at all because our settee table was covered in stuff still yet to be stowed away...), we took inventory all the things we tackled in the 6 to 9 months to get to this point - aside from moving aboard and parting ways with a ridiculous amount of stuff which is a project in itself and somehow is still ongoing:

• New anchor

• Rebuild/repair anchor windlass motor and gearbox (what pulls up the anchor so we don't have to do it all by hand)

• Brought up and hoisted the new headsail we bought about a year ago

• Mast track system and sail modifications to fit (helps the main sail go up and down smoother)

• Replaced over half the running rigging lines (ropes that we handle/manage sails with)

• Replaced the standing rigging (wires that hold up the mast)

• Replaced the lifelines (wires that go around the boat) and modified the stanchions for preventer lines (preventers are more ropes to manage sails)

• New sail cover and lazy jacks

• New cockpit canvas including dodger, bimini and enclosure (soon to be twice...)

• New dinghy, outboard, the system to get it on and off the deck of SIRI, and the cradle to hold it in place while it's on deck

• Replaced and re-plumbed the black water system

• Repaired and reinstalled the leaking hot water tank

• Removed old engine, replaced with a brand new one

• Repaired and repainted the bildge while old engine was out along

• New solar panels and upgrades on how our stainless steel arch is setup on the back of our boat

• Reinstalled the monitor windvane

• New galley (kitchen) sink and faucet

• Installed a hydronic heating system throughout the entire boat

• New mattresses on both beds

• Service and rebuilt dive compressor

• Updated the binnacle in the cockpit with new a new instrument panel

• Found and negotiated with numerous other boat gremlins, including the propane sensor that we found out last night at 2 am works quite well, even when our batteries are off gassing from not having their charge profiles correctly calibrated after the solar panel install...

Not to mention numerous other little bits and bobs and "things" that add up as a part of preparing for full time cruising for the next few years in sometimes remote, far flung places like we hope to set anchor in sooner rather than later. I think Ethan's dad asked the other day if there is anything left we haven't worked on, fixed, changed or modified on the boat since we've owned her. Ethan chuckled, and I realized that list is quite short by comparison. One thing is for sure, though, we intimately know the systems of the boat well, and she's pretty close to being ready to go for a long, long while.

Where to next? South to go North, of course!

Today, we had a calm 56 mile motor sail from Sidney to Port Ludlow, Washington on our way to Olympia, Washington where we'll hang out for a few days this week getting some warranty repair work completed on our new cockpit enclosure we had originally installed in October, courtesy of a bad batch of fabric.

Once we get all wrapped up with that and pick up the last of the mission critical things needed from the states, we'll head back north up Puget Sound, through the San Juan and Gulf Islands, stop over in Vancouver for a couple days, and then start making progress northbound for Northern Vancouver Island and into Southeast Alaska.

By golly, soon we might actually start writing and taking pretty photos and talking about sailing a fraction as much as we've talked about working on a boat!

The princess slept well in her cockpit spot all day.

Not sure how far we'll get into Alaska this summer, but we're hoping to be able to at least get into glacier territory. We're trying to not get too dead set on many places along the way lest we fall short of reaching them and feel like we've failed to meet a goal; we'll see how it goes. We both have contract work going on right now, and this is a bit of our shakedown period while we test the boat and our own systems to get into the rhythm of life on the hook.

Come August, we will be back in the Victoria/Sidney, B.C. area once again to do final prep on the boat including fresh coat of bottom paint, replace thru-hulls, and any other things we want to change, add, repair, or quibble with before heading out and South in September down the west coast of the states bound for Mexico.

It's hard for me to wrap my mind around that we're finally at this point, and honestly it's probably going to take sometime for it to sink in. But for now, I'm off for a slumber in this quiet, calm anchorage. Knock on wood that the sea gods take pity on us tonight and we get a full, restful night's sleep.

____