Hi all,
Not organized enough for a blog post yet but having a great time getting introduced to the boat. Really beautiful and more spacious than we envisioned. Every day from about 7:30 until 3:30 a crew from Circa Marine are on board tuning up the systems. First day we took the boat out on the water while they tried out the stabilizers…so had a nice ride to the mouth of the harbor and back. Yesterday we stayed tied to the dock all day.
Tonight after work we move the boat to Marsden Cove, a new marina complex, some 40 minutes drive from here, to be on formal display for the upcoming festivities.
Yesterday while the crew kept working Rod and I retrieved artwork from the storage shed and hung paintings, put out some decorative pillows on the sofas and a few knicknacks on the shelves to give the interior a bit more of an inviting look for the open house scheduled for tomorrow & the next day. The owners of hulls #3 & #4 (from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania & Sydney, Australia respectively) have already arrived and didn’t want to wait another minute for a first look so we ended up with an impromptu wine & cheese party in the “great room” aboard the boat. Amazingly (to us after Raven) we fit in 9 people with no crowding and could probably manage a few dozen more for a big party if we utilized the deck space and the flying bridge. A whole different experience from what we are used to.
My favorite spaces so far are the master bedroom which is absolutely beautiful and the kitchen which has a very comfortable feel to the working space. Right now, early a.m., I am sitting high up on the bridge enjoying a great view, comfortable lounging space, and successfully keeping out of everyone’s way as they work.
It is pretty clear that this boat will change our cruising experiences 3-dimensionally! Can’t wait to get started. Next weekend being Easter the yard closes down for a 4-day holiday and barring some critical malfunction they have implied that we can go out cruising Friday through Monday – so we are thinking of heading over to Great Barrier Island for our inaugural cruise. Actually that was our very first destination aboard Raven as well, so we are repeating history. Might even climb to the top of Mt. Hobson although Mike may mutiny as he remembers the steep climb to the top vividly!
More later and maybe some pictures.
Carol