The End of our Knotical Adventure

It is with deep sorrow to retire this blog as we have sold Red October, and she was a real trooper in keeping us comfortable and out of harm's way with high winds and storms in the last two years. 

Because we were moving to Anchorage, Alaska, we had to put her on the market.  After two months, we received an offer a week prior to leaving CT.  In our absence, the survey was a success with the help of our good friends at the marina who assisted with taking the boat to the lift and answering questions for the surveyor and buyer. 

The closing on RO went smooth and was finalized within two days before Superstorm Sandy arrived to the NY/CT area.  It is my belief that the timing of the entire process couldn't have been so close, which validates its fate to our plan of moving from CT to AK.  We hope the new owners will be happy with Red October as much as we have enjoyed her.  She will be missed greatly and the good memories will stay with us forever.  Goodbye Red October...may the ruler of the sea and ocean keep her vessel worthy and grant safe passage throughout the rest of her journeys. 

Last Project for the Wet Bar

Red October is starting to show her age when I found a small crack on the countertop or could it be from all those impromptu parties of wild drinkin and snackin'?  To show my artistic side, I decided to cover it up with some glass mosaic tiles.  Why not play it up with some wave design?  Had a vision of what I wanted and hoped that it will turn out as well as the picture in my head! 

 Before

 Slight crack

 Design

 Mosaic tiles picked out-blue for water and white for beach

 Hard at work!

 After

Red or White Wine....

Summer means more improntu boat parties.  Happy Hour can make people happy.  It's that simple.  So here we are having a grand time conversing and eating...it is literally an effort to keep the party on the sundeck, not the FOREdeck.  It seems that I fail every time, but am glad that everyone has a GREAT time on Red October.  Red wine or white wine?  So what usually happens is that everyone goes everywhere.  I think I know how to make it work next time....the food will have to stay on the sundeck or perhaps have the party on the foredeck while it rains?  LOL

Good bye to the infamous door....and see you next year!

Our work in progress.....

And.....it's OFF!

After several attempts planning this special day, we finally removed the shrink wrap!  It was showing much of its wear and tear from the weather.  We took great pleasure in removing the wood door frame at the end!  Getting the door open with a strong west wind was always a challenge because it pushed the boat up against the finger and our steps with a hand rail was in the way.  We were able to get off the boat with a door partially open, but it became annoying.  After we got the shrink wrap off, we had to add the bimini top back on immediately to beat the rain showers.  It was not an easy chore getting the pieces back together.  We told ourselves that we would never get them off again.  :)  Our perseverance led us back to the views we missed all winter long! 

Livin' under the Shrink Wrap

Since the first week of November, we put Red October under the "wraps" to block off any ice and snow for the winter.  After it was completed, we told ourselves that it possibly could be a mild winter because we were better prepared this time around.  In fact, it was a mild winter and the wrap ended up serving one purpose instead.  It helped trap most of the heat generated from inside and we were very comfortable.  It also let us enjoy the sundeck, an extra room we didn't use last winter without the shrink wrap.  Because of the extra layer of insulation on top of the sundeck's enclosures, it turned it into a "greenhouse".  It became our favorite room to hang out all winter. That's the positive side of the story, but we had to give up something.  Sadly, we lost the views of the harbor.  It was a smart trade, and we would do it again next winter.