From Hotel Rooms to Boat Yard Chaos
We started this chapter living out of a hotel room, driving back and forth to a dusty boat yard, and wondering—more than once—what we had gotten ourselves into. 😂
From day one, we knew our girl had stories to tell. She’d never reached her max RPMs and had a noticeable shake. The survey mentioned some shaft pitting… which turned into a completely new shaft.
And honestly? Thank goodness we pulled her. What started as a “might need some work” situation quickly became a full fix—and while we were at it, we converted to a dripless seal. One of those upgrades you don’t see, but absolutely feel better about every mile underway.
That kicked off bottom work with the absolutely amazing John Williams—and I cannot say this loudly enough—if you need someone to work on your trawler, this is your guy. He didn’t just fix things; he showed us exactly what was wrong, explained why it mattered, and earned our trust every step of the way.
Then came the engine work. Daryl stepped in and immediately started identifying issues—every original engine hose that had grown old, stiff, and questionable had to go. He handled all of that and the generator work, and we felt better with every system he touched.
My back is still filing formal complaints, but wow—Plot Twist looks so much better. Next project: figuring out how on earth to reach the top of the bow without inventing a new kind of gymnastics. 😅
Chris dove into the research side—solar panels ordered, installed (with my help), and coordinating with an electrician to get our watermaker in place. Teamwork in its truest form.
And because apparently this season needed one more plate spinning, somewhere in the middle of all the dust, refits, and boat-yard living, I also finished writing a book, completed a partial for my publisher, and launched my romantic suspense novel, Winter Harbor Secrets.
Sleep? Who needs that? 😅📚
Somewhere in the middle of all the dust, tools, and to-do lists, we took a break to attend a Kadey-Krogen event. It gave us the chance to step aboard boats that were newer, shinier, and undeniably impressive.
And yet… none of them spoke to us the way our girl does.
Walking through those boats only reinforced what we already knew—choosing our 2001 Kadey-Krogen Whaleback was the right decision. She has heart, character, and a presence that can’t be replicated. We didn’t just buy a boat—we chose her. And we love her all the more for it.
After ten days, we moved onto the boat, fully expecting to be splashed any minute. Spoiler: delays had other plans.
We stayed aboard for another week or so, waiting patiently while through-hulls were secured, bottom paint finished, and engine and generator work wrapped up.
Side note: crawling up and down an eight-foot ladder in the middle of the night just to use the facilities?
Not. My. Favorite. Part. 😬
And poor Chris—he even took a tumble.
(Despite what he says, I absolutely did not shake the ladder and make it fall.)
And then… the big day. She was hoisted into the air, carried across the yard, and gently lowered back into the water.
Engines? Perfect. Through-hulls? Dry as a bone.
And then… The kitchen sink erupted like a geyser. 🌊😳
Cue chaos.
I’m sprinting back and forth with a wet vac. Our sweet Kadey-Krogen neighbor—already helping with lines—jams a rag into the drain like a hero in an action movie. John Williams and Chris are tearing into the mystery, tracking down the cause while water threatens mutiny.
Because, of course, that would happen right then.
But here’s the thing—we wouldn’t trade any of it. The dust, the delays, the learning curve, the surprises… this is how you earn trust in your boat and confidence in each other.
And now? She’s ours in a whole new way. 💙⛵
Stay tuned to discover what the issue is. And all I can say is thank goodness John Williams was aboard!
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