"Wanderer" Has A New Home . . .

N

Noo Yawk

New member
For those 'Old Brats' who have followed George and Penny's year's of cruises on both coasts . . . (see http://www.2Wander.com) . . . this "Elderly Brat" (11/2003) is happy to report that . . .

. . . the 2004 22' Cruiser "Wanderer" has been renamed "Kittiwake" and is now in Truro, MA. The boat was in pretty good shape when I bought it in August, 2014. After a survey, I had rehab and modifications done over the winter (it was inside the shop during the 6 foot winter of endless snow we had out here) to the hitch, trailer, boat, engines, and electronics, and it is now more than good to go. I got a laugh when I heard the guy checking out the chart plotter say (loudly), "JEEZ - willa look at this! This boats been ALL OVER the place!" I am happy to say that despite 800 hours on the Honda 90, there's a dance or two in the Old Girl yet.

It was hard to let my 2004 16 Cruiser "Otter" go . . .
 
Noo Yawk, Enjoy that "Kittiwake" and the music, for the dancing there must be music, whether on the speaker or in your heart, keep the tunes and follow the lead, and most of all, enjoy.

Harvey
SleepyC :moon

JC_Lately_SleepyC_Flat_Blue_070.thumb.jpg
 
Wanderer accompanied Halcyon and Rana Verde on a cruise up the inside Passage years ago. She performed well, and glad to hear she's on the water with caring owners.

Enjoy your fine boat. Cheers - El and Bill
 
Thank you to all of you who responded to my post.

Larry Patrick - after I bought Wanderer, and considering that the boat was 11 years old, I took it to a yard where they know boats and said, "Whatever needs attention - either fix it or replace it." They did. It was a happy collaboration because they appreciated working on a Real Boat. I now know that everything is shipshape.

Harvey - yes, truly - follow the music. This is personal. I was a developmental psychologist (not a shrink) in the Early Intervention System (birth - 3 years). I worked with families of infants and toddlers with disabilities/at risk throughout Westchester County, NY. I often found myself in Peekskill in mornings waiting for an appointment (early morning was best for families). I'd buy some coffee and go down to the harbor. Peekskill Harbor has a wide panoramic view of the Hudson Highlands. The Hudson makes a fjord there. I was sitting one morning looking at a Canadian sailboat anchored for the night. As the sun rose through the mist, a woman appeared topside with a mug of tea, just awake, and sat on the gunwale looking over the place where they had anchored. Then a man - they just sat there mesmerized by the exquisite morning light and stillness all around them. I said to myself, "I WANT THAT!". Now - I finally have it. We will be using Kittiwake for cruising around Cape Cod and Islands, and river cruising in Maine, Connecticut, and of course the Hudson (at first). It's been a long time to make this dream come true. I intend to get every last ounce out of it. So let The Music begin.

El and Bill. For years I kept seeing you guys popping up all around the C-Brats site. Halcyon days indeed - and so many, many of them. Truly looking like you had a corner on Life Worth Living. I bought a 16' Cruiser in 2003 with plans for some travel on a modest scale. I bought it so I could tow it with a (at that time) VW Westphalia camper. In retrospect, that was a mistake, because the boat was (in my experience) too small to do much of anything in. If I'd bought a 22 from the get-go, I'd have had a few "halcyon days" of my own by now. I'll be starting out with Cuddyhunk and Block Island. Who knows from that point on. Onward!
 
Noo Yawk,

You have a vessel that has been from here-to-there, and back. It's well tested, and awaiting your new Adventures.

Fortunately, for me, I was along for the 2006 trip to Alaska that Bill mentioned previously. It was a grand time indeed. For part of the trip we leap-frogged sixteen Grand Banks yachts that were on an organized high-end cruise to Ak. When not in a marina we would anchor-out rafted together (after Sundowner's [aka: Happy Hour] then break the raft to secure our separate anchors.

On other occasions we'd have our folding chairs on a dock somewhere and amaze locals that such-small-vessels could ably manage BC and the Inside Passage to Alaska.

Then there were the daily things: (1) Bill and El constantly looking for new restaurants (tour de l'gastronomique!), and George's endless search for the Perfect picture.

That is a brief example of what you have in-store. Life is to be Lived - and you now have your magic carpet. 'good on Ya!

Best,
Casey&Mary
...currently on the Erie Canal at Canajoharie, NY
 
Thanks for your post, Casey. Guess I'm the absent-minded professor -- yes, so many fond memories of that voyage north together.
And now Wanderer continues voyaging. Block Island is a favorite of ours -- spent many summers at Weekapaug RI, and our family just returned from Narragansett -- you are in great cruising country.
Consider a cruise down the St Lawrence, up the Hudson and the Connecticut Rivers, out on Champlain, ... Oh my, so many fine places for you to cruise on your fine boat. Cheers - El and Bill
 
Hello Jason,

So nice to know there are MassBrats still out there. We came down from Truro to do a sea trial for a new Honda 100 we bought at Atlantic Boats to replace the 2004 90. Ahhh - fuel injection/no carburetor/less weight - hit the throttle and no delay while building up speed. Like holding a match under a squirrel's tail. I really like Atlantic Boats - they know and appreciate C-Dorys and service is the best I've encountered. Only people who'd take a trade for a '04 with 890 hours. Genuinely friendly too.

For those of you who might read this post who knew the boat: I had it surveyed and there's a dance or two in the old girl yet. Pulled and resealed every bolt and screw. Transom solid with no water. Rewired "Jackson Pollok" nest under helm and battery switch glitch to solve drawdown headache. Stripped and repainted bottom green to match trim. Electric windshield wipers. Solar panels on top to maintain batteries on mooring. Third battery under sink - all with independent analog gauges. Air horns for when you really need to make your point. Finally came up with an effective anti-seagull rig (gill net + bird spiders) that doesn't shade solar panels.

New Wallis. Teak cabinets. Finally found folding deck chairs that stow away about the size of a rolled up bath towel. Helinox - pricey but small footprint, comfortable, and fit beautifully in the corners of the aft deck space.

Re: Wallis. I was advised by Wallis diesel fuel is the key to reliability. I have the old Wallis a previous owner had overhauled. Told me it was "balky" - fuel probably the problem. I will be selling it here for a really modest price - doing me no good just sitting here and I'd like to see it reincarnated. Also autopilot, Honda props.

So far we've been staying in home waters, but now I have an engine I can rely on, we are planning some cruising. Lake George, Hudson, Connecticut, Kennebec Rivers.
 
El and Bill":3cgcanx2 said:
Wanderer accompanied Halcyon and Rana Verde on a cruise up the inside Passage years ago. She performed well, and glad to hear she's on the water with caring owners.

Enjoy your fine boat. Cheers - El and Bill
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Congrats on your new to you boat, Noo Yawk! Great user name!

Wanderer also cruised the Chesapeake in 2005 with Halcyon and Otter, the CD22 we borrowed from Tom Callahan. Great cruise, but phooey on Penny's beloved blue crabs unless somebody else shells them!
 
Hello Spun Copper.

No - "Kittiwake" was a name that took some thought. My previous Dory was a 16' cruiser. I named it "Otter" and that name fit the boat perfectly. I knew that the '22 I bought was aptly named. As I was having it surveyed, and it came time to check out the chart plotter, I heard something to the effect of "Holy Sh*t"! This boat's been all over the place!" So I thought I should come up with something to honor that pedigree. I liked "Shearwater" but somehow an animal that repeatedly dives under the water didn't seem like a good idea. A Kittiwake is a gull-like bird that spends its life skimming over the ocean and only comes to land to breed. Kind of like when my wife and I take an extended trip. We see them here from August to October but only when we venture out to the "back side sea" east of Cape Cod. I love to go out there because you get that unmistakable abysmal feel on the ocean swells. So "Kittiwake" came to my mind as a fitting successor to "Wanderer". I also think it falls nicely on the ear.
 
Hello Pat,

I don't think I'll ever get to do the Inside Passage. But I often like to think of where the boat has been, the people who sailed in it, and the people who shared in those journeys - when I'm sitting outside sipping ethanol waiting for sleep. I once was a theology student (until they closed the department my junior year), and I recall a theologian named Paul Tillich who asserted that objects that have been special to you could form a reciprocal attachment. That's why I took special care about the renaming ceremony. "Wanderer" wasn't just another boat. It had an unusual and intense history. I'm happy to report we are now merrily skimming over the water like two birds of a feather - so to speak. And being mindful of its history is part of that. As far as shelling blue crabs goes, it helps to not be hungry. And wine definitely enhances the experience.
 
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