While researching Coppercoat, one of the biggest criticisms we heard was: "It's so expensive!" (Sailing Soulianis Patrons get a discount!) Upon further investigation, this appears to be only partly true--and only for some people.
Of all the boat projects we’ve done so far, this is probably our biggest: a brand spankin’ new bottom job. New… literally allll the way down to the bottom...
Believe it or not, this ONE TINY little hose clamp is all that’s keeping our boat from potentially sinking to the bottom. It’s part of our centerboard operation, and unfortunately there’s not much we can do to improve it, except to ensure that the clamps and hoses are in good condition.
Most of you who have followed our journey for some time are familiar with our somewhat infamous centerboard issue, where we ran aground in the Illinois river in 8' of water when our boat should only draw 4'. We'd like to take this opportunity to talk a little bit about the pros and cons of the centerboard system and shed some light on how we've been using it with real life examples.
Our sailing off-season — driving around in Chip, hanging out in the Great Lakes, sailing, surfing & swimming — has been a fun diversion from the boat. Now it’s time to get back to Florida.
We’re slowly making our way in our van, Chip, around Lake Huron. After some upgrade projects to the van, we’re just about ready to return to Soulianis in Florida.
With Soulianis on the hard in Florida, we take our van up to The North Channel of Lake Huron and hop back on a sailboat! We meet up with two couples who are seasoned sailors (our “boat parents” from Episode 13) who take us on a tour of their favorite spots over five days.
It’s goodbye, but only for a while. We’re leaving Soulianis on the hard in Florida during hurricane season to return to the Midwest to visit our families.
It’s goodbye, but only for a while. We’re leaving Soulianis on the hard in Florida during hurricane season to return to the Midwest to visit our families.
With just a few days left before we haul the boat out for hurricane season, we sail as much as we can — even when the wind is so light we’re hardly moving at all — to savor our last moments on the water.
