It is official.  We put the name on the transom Saturday morning and gave Poseidon, God of the Sea, some champagne and toasted Sereno.  Some say we were supposed to do the ceremony naked, but we decided to skip that since we were in a marina.  Had we been out on the hook, well maybe 🙂  We celebrated with a sunset sail and cocktails.

Gary and I love to eat out and usually sit at the bar so we can meet interesting people.  Last night we met Jeff.  He was our age (more on that later) and very drunk when we got there.  He told us straight out that he was drunk.  What do you expect when you are drinking cosmopolitan’s (really!?).  Divorced 3 times, twice to the same lady.  A power boat guy telling me about his ideas for a romantic evening on his boat (we did take mental notes for later).  About his age.  Looked about 58 and kept switching his year of birth.  Well whatever.  Entertained we were.

We had a very productive weekend on Sereno.  Two great sails, work accomplished and beautiful weather.  I worked the sails a little and my muscles are sore but all is good.

Oakley went on her first sail on Friday with Gary and Austin.  They both reported that she loved the boat and had no problems while under sail.  By the picture she seemed very bold.  I’m thinking we need nets around the cockpit if she insists on standing on the seats!

Saturday the winds were calm so we ended up motoring up to and under the Carquinez Bridge and sailed slowwwwwly back.  And twice we didn’t have enough speed and a power boat spun us around.  A helpless feeling when your boat is going one way and you are turning the wheel the other way.  But no harm done. It was a hot day in Benicia but as the sun was going down we had our first dinner, Pasta Fagioli, on the boat.  A very peaceful and relaxing day and evening.

On Sunday we finally got the old name off the boat.  What an ordeal trying to get the adhesive off.  Goo Off, 409, paint thinner, comet and good old fashioned elbow grease.  But now she is ready for her new name.  That will come with the challenge of backing the boat into the slip 🙂  Have I mentioned that Gary gets migraines.  My biggest fear has been that he will get one while we are out.  Well, that monkey is off my back now.  Yup during 15-20 knot winds today he got one.  So I just kept tacking back and forth for 20 minutes waiting for the lights to stop flashing in his eyes.  I guess you could say I was single handing.  Yikes!  We missed wind today but I know there will be other good sailing days in the bay.

We went to the Oakland boat show over the weekend.  It was a good thing we purchased Sereno before we went to the show or we would probably still be looking with unrealistic expectations.  We saw many awesome new and newer boats.  We really liked the 40 and 42 foot Sabre boats (42 is pictured).  Very well-built with a traditional feel in the cabin.  If we ever do liveaboard, we determined it would have to be at least 40 – 42 feet.  A 38 still doesn’t have the conveniences we would want for a liveaboard.   Just for fun we also went on a 50 foot sailboat, a 46 foot catamaran and a 63 foot powerboat.  Luxury to the max!

We made our first trip under the Benicia/Martinez bridge.  It is actually three spans.  Even though we knew the mast would fit based on our charts, we both still looked up as we were passing under LOL.  Our first encounter with traffic getting back into our slip was a 14 foot sunfish being sailed by a couple clearly on their first outing in the boat.  I know because I remember our first outing 25 years ago.  There was a lot of current at the time so there was no way we could stop with yachts on either side of us.  I imagine we looked like the big tankers we encounter out in the channel so they gladly got out of our way when I signaled that we needed to turn to starboard.  Collision averted.

The weather was gorgeous and we were able to sail both Saturday and Sunday.   The winds were on the calm side so I was able to learn more about wind direction and the reaction to the sails and didn’t scare myself once.  I’m learning about the different lines from Gary, but I really need to hit the weights if I’m going to ever be able to raise the main sail!  Each weekend we learn new things about Sereno like where the emergency tiller goes should the steering go out (very important!).  We have our routine down for tying the boat back up and are learning how Sereno steers which helps for making a graceful exit from and entrance to the slip.

The new cushions look great and brighten up the cabin.  The last task for the inside right now is finding some rugs.  Now on to the outside.  Buffing the stainless steel and removing any rust stains that I guess are common on boats is our next project (or should I say ongoing project).

We read that this is a very physical life.  It certainly is, but it is fun.  We look forward to Martini Time in the cockpit after a great day of sailing.  We can sit back and admire our accomplishments for the day both out on the water and on the boat.  I’m still amazed that Sereno is actually ours.

Finally the weather gods cooperated and I was able to sail on Sereno for the first time since we bought her three weeks ago.  It was great fun.  Yesterday we had rain and high winds.  Today was clear and the winds died down some but we still hit gusts up to 20 knots with choppy conditions.  Not the most ideal conditions for my first time at the helm.  I scared myself a few times but for the most part everything went well.  Gary did a great job with the sails.  At one point we had a motor boat pass us and their wake turned us 180 degrees.  The current was so strong I just had to roll with it.  Lucky I didn’t care at the time which direction I was going 🙂

The weather is looking good for next weekend.  We will have our new cushions back by then and looking foward to spending the weekend enjoying the boat after putting so much time in working on her.  Gary’s new glass rack is finished and looks great.  We are hoping for a good day of sailing on Saturday and then back for martini time.

I just have one question.  We have been home a few hours now and I’m wondering when the house will stop rocking 🙂