The weather was just right on Friday so Gary could take Austin out for his first sail.  I must say he looks handsome at the helm.  Waiting patiently for a weekend with no rain…………………..

Gary sailed Sereno to Benicia last weekend.  The previous owner was more than happy to crew with Gary so he could have one last sail on her.  We spent last weekend and this weekend getting her cleaned up.  Gary is still figuring out all the systems.  We are beginning to think that learning to sail her will be easier than figuring out the boat itself!  Lucky both the previous owners kept all the receipts, paperwork and manuals in binders so we have everything we need.  This is a tradition we need to keep up though I may have to put a sticky on Gary’s forehead to remind him not to throw receipts out 🙂  As luck would have it, the great weather we were experiencing in northern California gave out just when we got Sereno home.  So unfortunately we haven’t been able to take her out yet and next weekend more storms are forecast.  What a bummer.  I told Gary to go down to the boat on a clear day this week and I’m sure he will find someone willing to go sailing with him for a few hours 🙂

We are having fun picking out things we need for the boat.  The hardest so far is finding rugs to fit some of the areas.  The boat has a fiberglass floor, no wood, so a few area rugs are a must to keep it looking somewhat clean and a little warmer on the cold mornings.  There are two things the previous owner left on the boat that we decided have to stay.  You see he is a Reverend and he had two very small religious pictures hanging.  Since the boat surely must be blessed we decided there was no way we are going to remove the pictures and risk angering anyone.  So they will stay and we will just add our own personal touch to them.  

The survey yesterday went very well and we are now the owners of a Catalina 30.  I wasn’t able to be there but Gary walked through the entire boat with the surveyor.  This was a great experience because he was able to learn more about the boat and get some great tips.  While she is out of the water we are having the bottom painted and she should be done by Thursday.  So today we went to the Benicia Marina and picked out our slip.  We had to keep our 2-year-old Sheltie, Oakley in mind and I think we picked out a great location.  The marina seemed quiet for a Saturday.  We think this is a great location for us to get our sea legs and learn how to sail Sereno and are thinking that perhaps in a year we might move to a marina somewhere on the San Francisco Bay.  But we don’t want to get ahead of ourselves :).  We are still looking for someone to crew with Gary for the trip from Sausalito to Benicia.  The previous owner would like to help us out but he isn’t available this coming weekend.  I really think he wants to sail on her one more time.  So figuring out this week is the goal.  Till next time, fair winds.