Ahoy sailors - Ariel Vanupied Checks In

[emilygreen]

This is just a little post to introduce myself and my littler Ariel 'Vanupied.' I fell in love with Vanupied a week after I bought my first boat (a Bristol 24) last year, as she sat behind us in the yard. I befriended her owner and said, "If you ever sell her, call me." And that he did in December.

I sold the Bristol for a song and Vanupied became mine. I'm located in the North Country on Lake Champlain, since launch I've bought/sold several engines to have the right one for her, rebuilt the engine locker hatch into a yacht seat of sorts to accommodate a 4 stroke motor, I pulled her sketchy backstay bolts (which were the original bronze and crumbled in my hands...meanwhile when I had to sail her to my homeport before the repair, the entire time I just kept saying 'please don't break'). I tabbed in the backstay knee with three layers of glass and added a 1/4 in aluminum backing plate with stainless steel hardware...hmm let's see what else. Electric bilge pump, lots of rebedding, new cleats here and there, currently working on a storm jib from some old sails I was given.... Also need to add a third reef to her and a better solar set up to accommodate autopilot.

I have slight deck delamination but my decks were re-cored by the previous, previous owner, so I don't think all the balsa is shot. All her chainplates were replaced by previous owners as well. She's super strong. Stronger than me.

Oh yeah, why am I doing all this? I'm planning to take her off Lake Champlain, through the Champlain Canal and Hudson River, down the NJ coast to the entrance of the ICW. My EVENTUAL goal with my modest yacht is CUBA, but I'll settle for making it to the Chesapeake before winter.

Vanupied deserves the world and to be young forever. Rather than a total refit/restoration I'm doing what I can as I can. I've sailed/lived on boats in Tonga, NZ, San Juan Islands, British Columbia, and now Lake Champlain but I'm still a novice. I'm a 28-year-old freelance writer on a shoestring budget! Check out my blog if you care... www.dinghydreams.com

Cheers!