"The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in
its net of wonder forever."—Jacques Cousteau

Nov. 19 – Building a Boat

From my experience a man can never have too many tools or BOATS! We have a large shop full of every tool imaginable...at least from my point of view. Stan enjoys woodworking and can make just about anything out of wood. In fact he can figure out how to make or fix anything, he even built our home almost 30 years ago. Now with Google and YouTube it's even easier.

Stan has always wanted to build a boat, he's had plans for a Jon Boat for years...probably decades. Our shop is full of scrap wood and almost everything else needed to build a boat, plus he needs a project to keep him busy while we're not cruising. Stan also loves to fish and enjoys going in his Hobie kayak, but when the weather gets cold it's not as enjoyable. It's hard not to get a little wet in a kayak…this boat will give him another option.

Here are a few pictures of the project so far. He plans to use the outboard we have on the sailboat, which has a long shaft. So Stan had to make a few modifications to the transom so it can accommodate the motor. The only supplies he needed to buy were a few sheets of marine plywood, Glidden Polyurethane paint and extra screws. I'll post more photos when the project is complete.

Nov. 2 - Lavaca Bay

Lavaca Bay and the smaller bays and bayous around Port Lavaca are where our love for boating began. For Stan it was small fishing boats in the beginning...anything to get him out on the water by his home. As a grade schooler he would set trotlines before going to school. As Stan grew up, his love for the water and fishing grew. I’ve always enjoyed skiing and sailing...my love of the water actually includes being in the water, not just on it. Through the years we've owned countless numbers of fishing boats, a Sunfish, a floundering boat, a Hobie Cat, and several larger sailboats. At the moment besides our wonderful "Pearl", we own two kayaks and a 25' trailerable Venture sailboat, Wild Wind. Sailing, in fact, is where our love for each other began; we met sailing at our local beach and spent every free moment we had sailing the first summer. It's been years since we've taken the sailboat out, but today we came back to our roots and enjoyed a perfect day on the water sailing. The Wild Wind will keep us entertained and on the water this winter until we return to The Pearl.

Stan making sure all the rigging was in working condition before we went sailing
A perfect day on the water
Captain Stan
Wild Wind at anchor
Some of the treasures we found today...no arrowheads today.