The Adventure Begins

Here we are (far left) after the conclusion of a mostly satisfactory survey, final negotiations and a handshake with the PO (far right)! Circe is an extremely clean, solid, 'not messed around with too badly' example of the Freeport marque. She is suffering from what is best described as benign neglect. Like all boats of her vintage she needs a bit of help here and there and she's also a bit light on extras and electronics, all of which helped with the negotiations! More importantly it means we have an excellent foundation to begin setting her up the way we want. 

Some important big ticket work had already been done by the PO with many new items fitted within the last few years. They included; Doyle sails (130 Genny and partial batten Main with stack pack), all standing rigging, a full set of topsides canvas including dodger and bimini, an epoxy barrier coat on the bottom, a Lofrans windlass and a Garhauer rigid vang. There is also a brand new Achilles dinghy and 8hp Nissan o/b. The jury is still out on the inflatable tender as I've always been more of a rigid dinghy guy, but it is brand new and has a hard floor so we'll give it a fair shake before making a keep/replace decision.

The Doyle Stack Pack is also 'on probation' as it seems to add quite a bit more high level windage than a flaked and tied Main lying under a sail cover. It certainly makes dropping and stowing the Main a snap but, when added to the inherent prop walk issues and high free-board of the Freeport, along with the dodger and bimini canvas, it increases the stress quotient when maneuvering in or out of a slip in a 20+ knots crosswind! A further concern is that there doesn't seem to be any clean, easy way of getting a decent sail shape when the Main is reefed....particularly if the second reef is tucked in. When reefed the Main doesn't flake down neatly like it does when you fully drop it and you end up with a huge wad of sail cloth in the stack pack which can't easily be tidied up. Like the dinghy we'll give it a fair trial before making any final decisions.

Dinette

Head (Boat-speak for Bathroom)

Storage Closets & Drawers

Settee and Propane Heater

Dinette and Trawler Lamp

Galley (Boat-speak for Kitchen)

Master Berth

Next stop is the boatyard for fresh anti-fouling paint on the bottom and a few fixes that we want to get done up front. She should be back in the water with plenty of time to see how the three of us work together in those blustery, late summer afternoons on SF Bay!