Integrity Cruise

Fitting Out and Making Ready

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We had decided to rename the boat "Integrity," and had to have the documentation done to reflect that. The name on the stern and nameboards (and dinghy bottom) had to be changed:

THEN THE MAJOR WORK BEGAN. We decided to use the services of Hinckley Yacht Services in Thunderbolt, Georgia to do the heavy yard work:

They were needed to do things we just wanted (bigger electrical capacity, for example) and the things that Tom Eve found on the survey (like fix the leaking keel). Dustin Hartley, Service Manager for Hinckley, was put in charge of the job:

The yard was scheduled to repair the keel, add a bank of four large batteries and house current inverter, install a larger alternator on the main engine, overhaul the sanitation plumbing, add a sea-water washdown system on the bow, install shaft spurs, install dual Racor fuel filters and a dozen other items. This would take until around mid-January - about seven weeks.

Bill's list of "to dos" was much longer. We needed to upgrade the electronic navigation suite, install a flat panel TV (for weather and to watch DVD and VCR movies), put the new name on the boat, install a macerator cleaning system, add drain hoses in forward lockers, fit up a second anchor and rode, have the bimini top extended and add side curtains, buy bicycles, microwave, and much more.

One of the most important items was to obtain navigation charts, chartbooks, and cruising guides for the 6,000-plus miles of cruising. Bill kept an eye on various newsletters, websites, bulletin boards, etc. and bought a fairly complete set of what was needed from another "Looper" in Texas who had just completed cruising the Great Loop. The complete set weighed 110 pounds! Extensive:

Another important item was finding a home marina. We toured the surrounding area of Savannah and came up liking Isle of Hope Marina best. This was to be Integrity's home while we finished fitting out. It's a very pretty, newly upgraded marina run by two very nice fellows, and has all the amenities, including WiFi.

Unfortunately, so many things kept coming up to be done by the Hinckley yard that we never got the boat moved to Isle of Hope. However, we will plan to berth there when we finish the "Loop."

March 22-24, 2005

We finally got the trailer and Jeep loaded with all our belongings. The monsoon decided to follow us all the way to Savannah:

"Isn't the water supposed to be UNDER us instead of falling ON us?"

Once at the boat, we discover Robbie and Mark from Sea Stitch working on the bimini extension and enclosure. These guys are really experts!

Ruth went right to work and got everything(?) stowed:

Yep! Got everything stowed!

This space is under the master stateroom bed. You lift up the mattress and move a little trap door sort of panel and there it is. To the right of the storage space is the 120 gallon water tank.

Oops! Robbie and Mark didn't get quite finished before they left! Ah, well, "Island time, Mon!"

At least Ruth and Bill got the bikes loaded and secured. It's beginning to look like a true cruiser's boat. Or maybe the Beverly Hillbillies'..

Looks like Jeff from ASAP Signs managed to get the old name off. The new name - well, that's "Soon come, Mon!"

Whoa! The Robbie/Mark team is back and working! Good men!

Bill finally finished a top priority project - making and installing a fold-down counter extension. This is the extension in the folded position:

…and in the "up" position. Good friend and geocaching hero, Erik Van Dyck, helped a lot with making the various components for the shelf. Thanks, ~erik~!

Next step was final fitting up, packing and stowing for the trip. Back in Atlanta we loaded the last of the "stuff" in Froggy-the-Jeep:

Bill was worried where all this stuff was going, but Ruth was reassuring… Daughter Lisa came over to load the overflow in her car since she had planned to spend the night of April 1, 2005 on the boat with us, and just wanted to see what the boat was like (Yes, it is already April 1st!):

Daughter Lisa, Bill and Admiral Ruth ready to leave Atlanta. The rain has just stopped.

But the rain followed us all the way to Savannah - and lasted through the night:

but the next day dawned bright and sunny. At last:

Since we were moored less than two miles from Bonaventure Cemetery, made famous in the book (and movie), "Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil," we decided to go visit. Fascinating place!

Well, the name has (finally) been changed..

…and the bimini extension and enclosure is complete…

…and everything is stowed (well, "shoved") into the V-bunks!

So Bill fills the water tank (Nope, not full yet…!)

…and checks out the dinghy and motor for the first time.

Bill does some cleaning on deck,

.. and Ruth scrubs the hull (gotta love that girl!)!!

The washer/dryer gets its first checkout and works very well (good thing it wasn't made in France).

Ruth, who normally tends a very large garden at home, had to have a garden. This one is 30" x 6". It is her sacrifice and Bill's concession.

Meanwhile, a real character boat, "Freddy, Freddy" cruises by. A really remarkable design!

Bill is proud of his success at mounting the deck box, in spite of the top slamming shut accidentally on his thumb and breaking it!

Thursday, April 7, 2005

We finally got all the major jobs done that had to be done before departure. Good friends Pete Butler and Chaz Cone came down from Atlanta to bid us farewell and to take Froggy-the-Jeep back home for us.

Webmaster note: Let me (Chaz) jump in at this point. Actually, neither Pete nor I believed they were really going....

Once we learned that the departure date had slipped from Monday, April 4th, we chose to drive down to Savannah (from Atlanta) on Thursday, April 7th to see them off on Friday. As I said, we had no real evidence that they were EVER going to sail.

As we reached the boatyard at about 5:30pm on Thursday, we saw: