Hull I.D. # possibly FOUND! and down the ICW.

[Richard]

Well I'm back after being away from this board for 5 or 6 months. As some of you may remember, I left Buffalo and joined my Ariel in Edgewater, MD. I spent August, September, and October getting "Althea" ready to take south (I was also working on other boats at the time to make some cash). In early November my wife and I left Maryland and spent just over a month getting to our current location, Cocoa, Florida. Now that I have over a thousand miles of sailing and motoring Althea, I have a very different perspective than I had before leaving.

Also...I believe I have finally discovered the long-forgotten Hull ID Number that I was looking for. When I was installing the strongback reinforcement plates that I bought from Tony G (thanks again!), I removed the laminate over the doorway into the V-berth. Under the laminate was written two times the number "387." I took several photos of the number; my wife thought I was nuts! Since my Ariel is a 1966 model, I think this number would be accurate. So... Bill, please check the registry for Hull# 387 - that may be my place.

I have tons of pictures of all the modifications I am in the process of finishing. I basically have rebuilt everything from the companionway steps around to the port side galley, creating more usable galley space and storage space under the steps and cockpit sole. It is still definitely a work in progress...we had to get out of Maryland - as the weather was starting to get cold. I also have a lot of information to share about what I've learned so far ... but that will have to wait until I have more time on a computer (rather than using one of these library computers for such a limited time).

I hope the holidays find you all well and in good spirits.

Richard (no longer living in Buffalo...)