Orchid Lady

We purchased our sailboat on June 5, 2015 in Ventura, California: a 1994 45 ft. Catalina Morgan. The boat is slightly smaller and weighs less than Orchid Lady, our previous boat, but it will be a comfortable cruising boat for us. It will need some work, and equipment. Our first order of business: rename the boat from "Black Opal" to "Cosmos". We had initial work done in Ventura: new sailcovers, cockpit cushions, reupholstered interior cushions, fabrication of sail cradle and work on the genoa. We had the boat delivered Hotel Coral and Marina in Ensenada, Baja California. We'll get the boat ready before taking her south. Some of the work we had done: engine checked and oil replaced; canvas work, steel fabrication work for mounting 7 solar panels and a hauling mechanism for the dinghy motor, exterior wood varnishing, teak wood repair, replacing the ports and hatches with polycarbonate ones, paint the interior, paint the deck, cushion fabrication, etc. We plan to have the kitchen cabinets sanded and varnished and also remove a sink in the aft bathroom, (a sink already exists in the aft cabin) and replace it with a storage cabinet. Pat is working on installing a watermaker, solar panels, new electronics and repairing various issues we have found on the boat. The boat is coming together, and we hope most of the work will be completed by the end of May 2016. Our goal is to head south in October 2016.