Good News / Bad News

[Alexei]

Well as the title says, it's been a mixed bag the last couple days.

On Friday, I got a call from the detailer: the guy who assigns officers to jobs. It seems the XO of the Nuclear Power Training Unit in Saratoga Springs, NY is rolling to be an XO at sea (the job I want but may not get at this rate). They need someone to fill the job in NY in February or so, and I was the first guy on his list. Bright side: it's an XO job, which basically guarantees my being selected for promotion to Commander in a year and a half or so. That's a serious pay raise and a serious boost to retirement income when I'm done with this Navy bit. Down side: we have to leave Charleston and move to upstate New York.....in February! Brrrr..... Ok that's not THAT bad. The bad part, as far as this forum is concerned, is that I will have neither the time nor the $ to truck or sail Icefire up the East Coast and the Hudson to be anywhere near us. She's secure on the mooring here, but come next hurricane season, it could get dicey with us in NY and the boat here. I could haul her and store her on the hard, but again that's $ that I don't want to spend right now with a move, and our little man needing heart surgery in the next year or two.

Long story short: I love the boat, but think it's time to sell her. The Admiral really is feeling the need for more boat space anyway, and is leery of doing much sailing until the kiddies are a bit bigger. So it's not like I'd get a whole lot of use from her.

So if anyone's in the market for a great little cruiser, drop me a line. She's tough and pretty, though the paint job does need to be redone (part of her stripe got worn off over the summer in Annapolis as she rubbed against the dock....the fender slipped, and again since I wasn't there......). The Atomic 4 runs like a champ (just had the head gasket, thermostat, and all engine instruments replaced, courtesy of Chief Engineer). We did the ICW a couple months ago from Annapolis without a hitch, except for some bad fuel at the beginning (check out my blog at sailandstars.blogspot.com for the diary of the trip if you want proof).

Icefire equipment: Main and 150%, decent condition. Cruising chute with sock, good condition. Roller furling: needs repair/replacement (it seized during the run down the Chesapeake). Standard Horizon CP-170C chartplotter with up to date charts. Standard horizon VHF with command mike at helm. Navico WP-4000 autopilot (needs a new belt). Raytheon radar (works great, but the repeater isn't permanently mounted right now; I intended to mount it on a swing arm so it will be viewable from the helm, but haven't done it yet). Speed log and fathometer. New Lewmar hatch up forward last year. Lewmar 40ST winches. Rocna 10 anchor with 40 ft G-4 chain and 125 ft octoplait rode. Fortress FX-23 kedge/stern anchor with 6 ft chain and 200 ft 2-plait rode. 20 lb CQR backup with 6 ft chain and 100+ ft 2-plait rode. 2 Mustang survival hydrostatic-inflated harnesses with strobes and lanyards. Nylon jackline system. Handheld VHF. 20 gallons water. 18 gallons fuel. 20 gallon holding tank. Alcohol stove (works great). Good-sized ice box (I typically use 40 lbs of ice to start, then refill in 20 lb intervals). Starting and deep cycle house battery. Electric and manual built-in bilge pumps. Portable bilge pump. My plan was to haul her next summer to do a new bottom job (it's been a couple years) and fix the topside paint.

Dinghy: Walker Bay Watertender 9.4 hard dinghy with Johnson 2-stroke 4.5 hp outboard, 6 gallon fuel tank, and oars.

Mooring: helical mooring installed by professional diver in early 2009. High quality pickup buoy and pendant. Mooring is located at the corner of the Ashley River and Wapoo Creek in Charleston (ICW mile 471).

I'm looking to sell them all. I'm thinking 18.5k for the lot, but I'll take offers.

I'll be posting more info and pics on my blog and on craigslist charleston. PM or send an email if you're interested!

Have a great day!

-Alexei

[sandy daugherty]

Congrats on the XO billet. Save a little money for all that new gold crap on your hat!
Nice boat, seems like a reasonable price. Best wishes! But why post in the Multihulls section?

Retired Commander

[Alexei]

Originally Posted by sandy daugherty

Congrats on the XO billet. Save a little money for all that new gold crap on your hat!
Nice boat, seems like a reasonable price. Best wishes! But why post in the Multihulls section?

Retired Commander

Erm....yeah....


I actually posted it in the classified section, but Tao Jones moved it. Guess he put it in the wrong section.

Tao?

:P

[FrankZ]

Umm.. this is the monohull section.

[Pblais]

Usually when I move them they stay moved. Who knew you needed to go south to go north. It's not a destination it's an adventuer.

[SkiprJohn]

Aw, the Navy, I remember being told by my detailer that I should take a billet on a CGN because it was going back to San Diego after its yard period in Bremerton. It wasn't a month later the homeport was changed to Norfolk. That ended my first marriage.

Good luck in your career. Sounds like you are doing well.

regards,

[MarkJ]

Wait till you are a Captian. Use your own boat as target practice. Claim damages from the Navy and buy a new bigger boat. Quit the navy. Go cruising.


I normally charge for this sort of advice.

[Talbot]

The detailer in the Ryal Navy is known as the Appointer.

He is widely called the Dis-appointer.