Last of the Toronto Boat Shows? We certainly hope so!

Well, I might as well wipe my feet on something nautical.

I've spent the last two weekends (and Mrs. Alchemy eight of the last 10 days) working at the Toronto International Boat Show at the Genco Marine booth. The missus worked there when they had a harbourside store for a few years when our son was but a nipper instead of the hairy young man he is today, and she has come back to help (wo)man the till for the January event.

This year, I was asked to work weekends as a human filter for Mitch Kitz, who has an encyclopaedic knowledge of marine electronics and can be considered the Ken Jennings of Salty Jeopardy. Which doesn't exist, but if it did, rum would be involved.

I've been attending this boat show since 2000, right after we bought our first boat Valiente on August 31, 1999. Due to the possible fudging of press credentials, volunteer work at my boat club's booth, and now getting in as an "employee" of the most transitory type, I count with pride the fact that I have never paid to shop at the boat show.

All that pink fluid is plumber's antifreeze for the winterization of various water feeds. The strut is being removed and replaced with stronger models for that "ssssh" effect I enjoy.

I have, however, shopped. Search this blog for "boat show" and examples abound of engine and prop purchases, lights and tank bargains, and the inevitable "consumables" of boat hooks and fenders, of which the missus says we have too many and too much. And plenty of sarcasm about dodgy sailboat designs...I didn't even bother with the few examples of dock jewellery present this year. I did get a nice LED 10 watt-equivalent light, however, which is one of two now brightening the engine bay at a "cost" of just 0.0833 amps, times two.

Not the best, no, but I consider them sacrificial in the locks we will soon transit.

The boat show, alas, is not what it used to be, not that it ever was this far from the ocean. Most of the boats and most of the visitors, of whom I spoke with dozens and dozens in my "may I help you" role, are orientated toward power boats of various kinds and it was nice, if fleetingly so, to chat about sailboats. None of the sailboaters appeared to be below 50, a grim little factoid about the demographics of those who prefer wind to fuel.

There were several of these and they proved popular. Apparently, the PR disaster has passed.

But any boat requires an anchor, and so I was deemed "the anchor guy", despite a relative paucity of, you know, anchoring much yet on Alchemy, though we did drop the hook a fair bit on the previous boat. I was a little disturbed at the general poverty of knowledge of ground tackle and how to use it, but this is partially due to nearly half of the visitors to Genco's anchor corner stating "I just bought the boat and it's got a rusty Danforth and no windlass...let's talk." The generational transition proceeds apace and new people are learning that boats remain cheap: it's the fitting out with better gear that costs money.

Man, people love grilling on boats.

A lot of barbeques were sold, and I did get a little cross-eyed relating in excruciating detail the attributes of what is essentially a propane mantle in a steel box. But the focus around here is on the beer, the cottage and combining the two with meat on or beside a lake. The ocean is far away and probably cold.

Last seen in the "salmon mousse" scene.

Which is why I bought this otherwise impractical item. It's a Gul neoprene zip-up 'rigging jacket', thick and a little heavy, like a bondage blazer. It looks like I would have heat stroke in it in any other place than where we are going, which is the North Atlantic via the St. Lawrence in 10 or so weeks. Ice, snow, sleet and wind may be factors, and this I deem the watchstanding jacket to do it in. Besides, it's discontinued and was very cheap.

The biggest purchase was that of two Honda eu2200i portable gensets, which can be linked together to produce 4000-odd watts, or 30 amps, which is suitable for light welding or running our whole boat in most situations. Our existing 12-year-old Honda 2000, the predecessor model, will be pickled and stored in Trenton as it is not done yet by a long shot, but it can't be hooked together with a "companion" model like the newer, somewhat more powerful models as they weren't CSA-approved when I first bought it. The  new ones are. I saved about $300 and the sales guy will deliver them to Alchemy.

Bonus use: as bicycle helmets for retrieving supplies in port. We are bringing at least one bike to Halifax.

Lastly, in terms of notable purchases (aside from upping our total of Spinlock Deckvests to four) were the trio of Gul helmets suitable for sailing, kayaking, getting a glancing blow from a boom, surviving a short fall down the mast, or smacking a hard part of the boat falling over. They were also a good price, about half that of MEC, and I remain persuaded that a helmet in a good blow is a good idea.

The boat show, however, is but a shadow of its former self and I am having trouble reconciling words like "Australia is on fire" and "carbon tax" and "impeding doom" with the massive powercruisers, wave riders and pontoon boats with giant outboards I saw casting wicked spells on middle-aged men and bored-looking spouses. Nonetheless, working on the retail side was interesting and I have yet to manifest the 'flu. And Ben Gartside, the man from B.C.who sells me my Beta Marine spares, gave me that rather fetching door (deck?) mat at the top of the page. I will both treasure it and wear it out.

Lurch, launch and all before lunch

Amid frankly appalling (see wind-driven sleet in the tiny clip above) conditions and a case of skipper's jitters regarding the soundness of the standpipe thread sealing...

When access was straightforward, no problem...

...but with this much lead in front of it, a concern.

...thanks to the restoration of the house battery bank, seen above minus tie-downs and lids, we launched on April 27. Second boat in, in fact, in the East Yard, winter lodgings of the behemoths of the first row.

Always be cinch-belting!

There's often a touch of ambiguity about our sling marks, as the movement of internal ballast over the winter can be significant.

So we requested, and grudgingly (because launch waits for no one) received "a minute hanging in the slings" to check the integrity of our multiple valvings, tapings and pastings. Luck and, I certainly hope by this stage, skill prevailed and we had no ingress at the many threads in play. That meant I could leave the engine cooling water valve open, fire up the iron jenny (already tested in the cradle as being good to go, the harness and battery connections fully restored) and proceed to our dockline-festooned slip.

Back where she belongs...until July.

As I was on towboat duty, and, inexcusably in my view, a lot of boats this year needed tows (the ones with dead engines/no engine get a pass, of course), I couldn't linger and admire our handiwork, or tapework: Mrs. Alchemy and myself resumed "helping out at Launch".

Shot from mid-morning, this gives an idea of the scale of the cranes employed at launch. Ours is not, in fact, the heaviest boat in the club, an alarming stat for a steel boat owner.

The wind, at times gusting past 25 knots (borderline for crane operations and enough to make Alchemy "shiver" in the slings a few centimetres off her cradle), gave us in the club workboat Storm King plenty to consider. I lost count past 20 tows, but it was near-continuous and increasingly cranky duty. Why can't people ensure their motors work (and have batteries and tillers) on the day? It's not a surprise if you can work a calendar!

Alas, my logo was rejected in favour of cheaper Mac-Tac

After my shift concluded, I got a picture of the effect of Alchemy's winter on the substrate...

No wonder I felt pitched a little for'ard.

This subsidence was, perhaps, aided and abetted by the rising levels of the lake, which led to a group decision to get the mast in as soon as possible.

Two weeks ago. Today, the bricks are partially awash. The lake is 1.6 metres above chart datum.

I had to sort all the wires, cables, strings, stays, shrouds, halyards, etc. and bolt on the spreaders. I'm getting about as fast at this as I think I can. Kudos to the club members who helped with my notoriously massive mast.

It's only confusing if you think about it.

Some chafe-type repairs were needed and the usual "keeper wire" sorting, but it went well and the masting, while heavy work, went without blood sacrifice.

Looks good even boomless, we think.

So, for a multitude of reasons, launch came and went to our satisfaction, even though we needed every minute in the run-up to it and many minutes since.

Postcard-grade, really.

The boom is on, and the new lazyjacks can be seen. More to come shortly as the Drive to be Live in July continues.

I rigged the lazyjacks by copying a picture I saw online. Ah, modern sailing theory!

As a postscript, our former boat Valiente is now sporting a new, stainless steel rudder. We are vicariously anticipating great things of it for the new owner!

Anode goes where? As she's on a mooring, not such a big deal...

Retiring natures and getting wiped

My primary clients since the mid-'90s were kind enough to throw me a lunch party. Very generous of them.

A couple of weeks ago, I attended a lunch in my honour, which was a pleasant surprise, as it was thrown for me by my clients for whom I've been a contractor since mid-1996 in the roles of graphic designer/layout guy and, latterly, editor of their many publications. The firm, when I started working for them, was just four people in an attic office; now, it's over 30 analysts and has been acquired by a U.S. firm, which was, a few months back, itself absorbed by an even larger U.S. firm. All through this time, I've beavered away as a freelancer, and the amount of work, while never large, was enough to live on when combined with rental income and the modest earnings of Mrs. Alchemy, who has worked for a wildlife rescue charity for about the same time.

But, as the meme has it, the cake is a lie: I am retiring from this day gig, much as I "retired" from full-time salaried employment in 1999 (and used the "shut up and go away" severance sack o' loot to buy our first sailboat instead of, you know, a minivan or a lump-sum mortgage payment...). But I do not rule out occasional work of a less-time-sensitive nature for this and other firms, as my skill sets are largely portable, save for those relatng to boat maintenance, repair and operation. That's hands-on, baby!

Besides, I have plans to write articles for the few sailing magazines still extant, and to change this blog for a new, "on passage" blog where the emphases will be less on boat repair and maintenance and more on where we go, how we get there, and what we think of the passage-making life. I will also (sorry!) have ads on that new blog and will be supplying content to a You Tube channel as this seems to be pretty common these days....but ours will have fewer bikinis, and you'll thank me for that later.

I have a background in film and television productions and friends who are already doing this sort of "sailing television" quite successfully, and we hope to bring a slightly different angle into play that we hope will be of interest...but more of that after we leave!

In the meantime, work progresses...so many projects... 

The rarely seen Admiral in her natural habitat: holding a screwdriver while I tighten a Nylok.

This object is an Ongaro wiper motor. It's positioned to take a short arm and a large wiper blade right in the eyeline of whatever person happens to be at the pilothouse helm seat. I'll hook it up before departure, but I wanted to get the wiring run up to the pilothouse roof in now. That's a skinny mounting block of UHMWPE to spread the load of the motor and all the bolts are sealed with 4200 as well as being quite protected by the pilothouse roof overhang in this location.

The depths I'll go to...

This is the Navico forward-looking sonar transducer fairing. It needed a good demucking, and while I'm unsure whether its functions were affected by the small amount of growth that had accumulated last season, it doesn't hurt to give it a once-over.

Every boat needs a big driver.

This is the screwdriver I dropped over the side when I demasted for the winter last October. I can't recall if it belonged to my late father, or if he had got it from my even later grandfather, but it's easily 50 years old and is of a great length to spin off a big-arsed turnbuckle, which is how it ended up in the drink. When it happened, I was right on the stern of Alchemy, and I noticed the location of the bollard on the sea wall next to us. So, when the water cleared to near-transparent last week on a near-calm air day, I saw the screwdriver on the bottom. I rigged a big magnet on a length of line, extended that line out with a boat hook, and snagged the tool on my first attempt. Some wirebrush work later, it's back aboard and will be getting a light lanyard through that handle soon!

Fame, spares and the Great River

Unless one is moving house, you can never have enough spares. OR CAN YOU?

The above assortment of Atomic 4 parts, surplus to my needs and to my garage as I no longer own a boat with an Atomic 4, and we've sold the house and the garage with it, recently left the premises in a mutually agreeable exchange. The buyer saw my ad in Kijiji and an identical notice in my club's buy-and-sell section got a few nibbles but this one actually showed up. I've sold Atomic 4 parts before, including a working rebuilt block and a good-condition oil pan..and there's still more to come...but the approaching move has underlined the fact that we have Too Much Stuff. A large percentage of this are Boat and Boat-related Odds and Ends.

Decommissioning possessions, however, is tricky. We are moving in stages: we will attempt to rent an apartment or condo locally so our son can finish school and I can continue unimpeded (save by my own levels of competency) to make Alchemy livable. I am loth to sell off or reallocate tools, but the facts are stark: I have a lot of duplication between the boat and the garage, because I haven't been keen, for instance, on lugging entire socket sets back and forth. Ever dropped a socket set while descending a boat ladder...in winter? I have. Two hundred bucks to avoid it by buying a second set for the mancave seems cheap.

Now, the process of selling boat gear is complex due to the valuation. A 40-year-old carb for an engine that hasn't been made since Pierre Trudeau was last prime minister is either junk or gold, depending on who needs it. But Lake Ontario still has a few thousand of these engines in equally venerable, freshwater-only boats: it would be stupid to repower most of them with modern diesels when the gas inboard is still reliable. So the trick is to put out the word and to be flexible on price. My fellow boaters are resigned to certain levels of expense involving the word "marine" (as, alas, am I), but everyone likes a bargain. Price to move unless you want to carry it to the next shack. I have a friend who does vintage car parts for a living and is basically in "continuous auction mode" for the very limited number of people on Earth who need the obscure things he sells. He says I should sell and keep selling. I think he's got a point.

Boats are finite in carrying capacity, although we have, with a steel full keeler, more stowage than most. Every kilo carried, however, slows the vessel down if only by a tiny fraction; every metal object on board is a potential projectile if not secured and a locus of rust if not protected. Unless one sails in a TARDIS, one must choose wisely which spares and tools to bring. Equally true is that most boaters should review what they've hoarded, or scavenged, or bought and never used, or used once and never again, and critically think if it would be better in the hands of others than on a blockaded shelf in the garage. Or in a sail bag hooked to the ceiling. Rum's not getting cheaper, after all, nor are boat interiors getting bigger.

Speaking of which, this genuine CQR is for sale.

As is this 27 lbs. "Kingston" CQR knock-off. Drop me a line.

So, the garage mining proceeds. Interestingly, the buyer of the first lot has a number of boat restoration and fixing projects on the go, and already knew of me as a long-time reader of the blog. He knew I was moving, for instance. While this isn't the first time I've met in real life blog followers, and with the number of "hits" approaching one-quarter million, odds are good I'll continue to do so, it's still a touch disconcerting. When we actually depart, I will rejig the blog and add a great deal more visual content as we start going to interesting places; perhaps by that point, I will be more accustomed to having strangers know things about me because I've posted them online...I am more surprised than I should be, I suppose.

And by way of the rather obscure post title, my family is watching 20-year-old episodes of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine on DVD. Our son, who is 16, hasn't seen them and is enjoying them; we've half-forgotten many episodes and are equally entertained. The one we saw last night was this one, and "the great material continuum" referred to a mercantilist philosophy of having discrepancies between having and wanting, i.e., the basis of commerce. Besides, as a person who went to his first Star Trek convention as a teenager in the 1970s, any excuse to wed Trek and sailing will do.

Navy cut in half

Somewhat misleading, as she will be on a nearby mooring.

Well, this has been a loooong time coming, and yet I am well-pleased.

Valiente has been sold.

I got a price for her that was not completely insulting, even though it was a fraction of what I paid 17 years ago, a time when she lacked backing plates, new standing and running rigging, a rebuilt Atomic 4, a new fuel tank and system from fill port to exhaust port, repaired tabbing, repaired coring, mid-ship cleats, improved ground tackle deck gear, a Gori folding prop and a nice, custom SS bow roller.

Such, however, has been the nature of the market and I was not offended. I agreed (as I predicted I would) with the buyer's first offer, and I did so perhaps more rapidly than he had anticipated. Nonetheless, I believe we are both pleased with the outcome. An added bonus is the six or seven sailbags no longer hanging from my garage's joists, and I will prefer the space to the presence of the tarp frame. Further good fortune is that I have sold the boat to a friend within the club who will keep her on a mooring. Despite the fact that this suggests I will be a nearby resource for free advice, I actually like the symmetry of Valiente returning to the club from which she sailed for 25 years before I bought her and will enjoy seeing her comings and goings under new management.

I'm not sure if the new owner will change her name; new decals are required in any event!

Now, I can tell you, dear readers, however, that unless you are very old or stricken with a crippling malady, you might as well keep sailing your Good Old Boats. Unless you've put $100K into yours to make it as current as a new Hunter, you'll fail to get what you think it's worth. Your thoughts (and receipts) on the subject are absolutely irrelevent in a market saturated with far newer and far more tricked-out small or even "mid-sized" sailboats chasing a very limited number of people interested in owning any boat at any price. 

Speaking of which, I see sub-30 footers in sail-away (if often damp and dirty) condition being offered for free every week. I had over 40 visitors in the last 18 months to my boat, many of who were very well-aware of the Viking 33's strengths and weaknesses. New rigging and a fresh A4 rebuild could not, however, trump the tatty upholstery or the narrow cabin or the tiller steering which, despite some obvious advantages in "helm feel" and mechanical simplicity, is apparently the goose quill pen of sailboat steering: everyone wants to be at the wheel, irrespective of the ergonomic shortcomings of this choice for boats with tight cockpits.

For my own part, I was looking for someone, ideally not too tall, who didn't mind the lack of modern conveniences and appreciated the sailing qualities and my robust and primarily structural improvements. Someone who therefore would be pleased to find a tough, fast boat with many years left in her.

It will be very nice indeed to launch her again. Part of the deal was in helping the new owner recommission in April.

Until last week, that was no one. How a boat actually sails seems to be way down the list of why people (a very few people) are buying them. So now you know. If you want to get out of owning a Viking 33, or an old if vigorous similar vessel, teach a family member how to sail it, and then give them the boat. It's a lot less worry and delay in the long run.

An unexpected bottom job

I still like the boat, despite the push to dispose of her.

Behold Valiente, the Viking 33 I've been attempting to sell for some time now. Behold her freshly semi-scoured waterline (there's only so much I can do without a Multi-master and a power washer) and her freshly VC-17'd bottom. I had hoped this job, a springtime ritual for which I have little love, would have fallen to another, i.e. "the next owner", but this has yet to happen, despite the incentivization of dropped price.

Phones and I have a complex relationship akin to that of 50 Shades of Grey

Speaking of dropped, guess what exited a pocket straight into the tray while I was crouched anti-fouling the keel? Every mishap involving a phone has happened to me either under, coming on or coming off a boat. It's a sign of something.

That largish hatch has provided many a sleep-positive zephyr.

Having been informed, among other things, that sail bags in the V-berth were detracting from the presentation, after replacing a leaky scupper hose I'd found, I chucked Jibs 1 to 3 into the quarterberth. The main stands alone, but one can see it's a full-sized berth now. I have to say, however, if you're looking for palatial sleeping, this isn't the place. If you're looking for a fast, lively ride, it is.

The ruddy rudder, freshly Brazilianed

I burnished and serviced the prop on the basis that shiny objects attract magpies, or something. The rudder got a sanding on its leading edge. I'm sure it'll add a knot. 

Ready to launch, but nowhere to go. She's got some nicks, but she's still pretty.

There's a prospect coming this weekend, says my broker, hence this flurry of prettification and prep. We'll see how it goes. Two random guys in the yard took a tour while I was cleaning up. One of them had just bought a CS27 for $5,500.  This officially makes classic plastic boats cheaper than yacht club memberships, meaning the boat is barely significant in the sailing equation. The real question is: Can you afford to keep any boat? Particular boats matter hardly at all. Next week or so, I'll probably have to start paying for land storage. I could launch immediately. The batteries are charged and the motor has been dewinterized. Make me an offer.

The winter of some content

Ready, aye, ready. Yes, only 5.5 hours on the meter. It is a sailboat, after all.

 A brief update to prove I haven't been lost in a blizzard or in a salesman's spiel at the almost miserable Toronto International Boat Show. Almost because I attended some interesting lectures conducted by the Shards, Andy Schell and Mia Karlsson, and Lee Chesneau, the 500 mb Guy. I didn't bother to even board the scanty collection of production boats available to see and complain about this year. Usually, I'm up for that, but as I've been watching the build of Robert Perry's latest carbon fibre classic done (in my opinion) correctly on Facebook, I really don't have the time for what an accountant considers fit for purpose and/or seaworthy beyond a sheltered dock.

I did speak to tank fabricators, electronics sellers,  and guys who could make me a companionway door to my design for $2,000-$3,000. So I think I'll try it myself for about a tenth of that. McMaster-Carr, here I come. They also make the nylon bushings I want to reattach my pilothouse roof without dissimilar metal contact. I've also decided on batteries. My goodness, I think I've sussed why I haven't posted much...too busy!

A welcome sight in winter's icy clutches: a fully charged starter battery

Anyway, after yet more excitable, if fruitless, boat showings, I've listed Valiente with a broker. Expect a higher priced listing to emerge shortly, as I've completed the requested paperwork. Is it possible to be distressed emotionally and bored at the same time? So it has proven in this wretched process of selling a beloved first boat.

I've had to take a series of measurements (and I just learned I forgot to take "internal round sail track diameter"....argh...) for the Tides Marine sailtrack project. No pictures; it was too cold and fiddly trying to measure things on a mast rack, but I'm nearly there. The gear will be trans-shipped to Triton Sails in the hopes I can hoist a new, ocean-grade main right after launch.

It turns out that when contemplating Canada's current currency woes, the best thing I could have done in the past was to bank a small pile of U.S. dollars when the Canadian dollar was last worth more. That U.S. dollar Visa will shortly get a workout. Most things to do with boats cost a lot, but a 30% depreciation would sting overmuch. More to come shortly.

The (hard) sell

PLEASE NOTE: THE VIKING 33 VALIENTE IS NOW BEING SOLD THROUGH BRIDGE YACHTS, A YACHT BROKERAGE. 

PLEASE EXPECT THE NEW PRICE TO REFLECT THIS.

Beautiful, fast and sea-kindly, even in freshwater seas. Photo (c) 2011 Jeff Cooper

This is an unusual post, because it's an edited repeat of my first and apparently ineffectual attempt to sell Valiente, my 1973 Ontario Yachts Viking 33, and is linked to my ongoing Kijiji sales ad, which may not be giving the fullest picture of the boat's qualities and therefore I'm going to repost the Kijiji ad for a few more days until I fling this at a broker at a higher price. So act now and get sailing in the spring! I will help launch the buyer in the spring and will give basic instruction in how to sail her, because she's a very good boat that I wish to see go to a good home, or dock.

Photo (C) 2006 Matt Phillips.

It's been a good run, but it's time to simplify our situation regarding the "one boat surplus".

Centrally located slip, as well. Talk to me, people.

1973 VIKING 33 Hull #32 FOR SALE

1973 Viking 33 in middle blue. I have owned her since 1999.

Atomic 4 engine rebuilt in 2006. Some 150 hours run time since then.

Stock 35 amp alternator. Coil replaced in 2012. A4 crank included.
Fuel system replaced in 2006. Water-fuel separator and raw basket filter.

Vetus waterlock with 2007 exhaust hose.

10 U.S. gallon Tempo fuel tank with 5/8” vent line, new in 2007.

Whale Gusher manual bilge pump with handle.

Whale Sub 650 electric bilge pump…needs servicing.

Guest 10 amp battery charger; 30 amp shore power circuit.

Traditional stuffing box, repacked 2013.

All original gate valve seacocks replaced with ballcock valves.

30 Imperial gallon holding tank.

And excellent light-air performance.

Custom-built anchor roller adds about 15 inches to length overall (LOA).

A very useful addition.

Slip at Marina Quay West, Toronto is potentially available with the boat. 

2015 cost: About $3,100 for the season.

Gori two-bladed folding prop 11.5 x 8.

I gained about a 1/2 knot when I installed this.

ICOM M-45 VHF radio.

Seafarer III depthfinder (from the '70s, but quite functional!)

Most deck gear backed with custom-installed, quarter-inch aluminum plates.

Custom teak-mounted amidship cleats.

New wiring to batteries, new main battery switch and terminal blocks (2013).

2011 Garhauer triple-block mainsheet, newish 7/16^th inch jib sheets and traveller control lines.

Teak and holly floor, and, alas, original upholstery...sorry, "vintage".

Double berth and all of my stuff is out of there now.

Bright, airy V-berth and hanging locker.

The engine is under this companionway....easy access.

Full navigation station and chart storage area.

Full set of dock lines, plus “away” dock lines.

Danforth 22 lb. anchor and chain and rope rode (approx. 13 feet of chain and 150 feet of line). Hawsepipe opening with SS hinged lid. Barlow 26 primaries and Barlow 20 secondaries, well maintained.

Elbow grease brings back the gelcoat in spring.

 New house batteries 2013. Engine and battery rewiring and main switch upgrade, 2012

I like labels.

New folding boarding ladder 2013.

Run for the boarder.

Electro Systems propane/gas sniffer.

Legal complement of flares and extinguishers.

Two lifesaving rings.

Heaving rope, elderly LifeSling.

Standing rigging (1/4 inch 7 x 19 SS wire) fully replaced in 2013 via Genco Marine, Toronto.

Yes, she's fast.

Extensive sailing and engine spares inventory.

Boat dimensionals available here: http://sailboatdata.com/viewrecord.asp?class_id=1668

Many spares available. Thorough maintenance logs available.

Force 10 rail barbeque.

Custom light blue fitted cockpit cushions.

Six-pad Marine Cradle Shop cradle. Custom-made Quinte Canvas tarp frame...needs replacement tarp.

Rudder repair, 2012:

 

 Prop shaft cutlass bearing repair, 2010:

This needed a touch of fairing forward of the strut. There was no structural issue or misalignment.

There is a saloon table aboard and a new table support base, but as we don’t use the table, I haven't installed it.

Sails: the main is relatively new Dacron and there are a wide variety of "less old" sails that will come with it. Quite frankly, I've got a lot of sails "in reserve" hanging in my garage. I have things like lightly used Mylar No. 1 and 2s in the garage off a C&C 34 (Aristo out of NYC) that can be converted to hank-on for about $150/sail. I've done this with the Kevlar/Mylar No. 1 and a previous main, but the current composite No. 1 is getting a bit tatty. We carry a No. 1, 2 and 3.

Keel fairing repair, 2010:

Items not included in the sale: Triton asymmetrical chute, foredeck whisker pole, Fortress FX-23 anchor and rode, 10 foot Portabote, and the sailing repair box, the “crash box”, the camp stove and all tools and personal effects. The customary big bag of "make us legal" keyhole foam life vests remain. They make good headrests.

I would also throw in some Atomic 4 spares as I wouldn't be needing them anymore, including extensive documentation, some gaskets, various pumps and belts, the stock alternator and so on.

If the interested party is in Toronto, it may be possible to "inherit" my 30-foot slip at Marina Quay West, which I would think is a big incentive, unless they really want to be in a yacht club.

Price: Deal with the broker or make me a decent offer. "Decent" is probably less than you think.

Ooh, shiny.

The main downsides are the original upholstery, which looks worn and is plaid, and the fact that Valiente needs a redo of the ITT Brydon head, because we essentially just day sail her. So while there's not a lot in the way of amenities...she just sails really well.

Frankly, if I could bag this boat and retrieve it when we return, I would, because I believe it's a really good, fast, strong and capable boat for sailing around the Great Lakes.

Interested parties are welcome to search my blog www.alchemy2009.blogspot.com for posts on "Valiente"; there are records of the many fixes I've made in the last few years, because I've done them on Valiente first before doing them on Alchemy.