lagoon 380

Lagoon 380 Helm Seat

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 12 Comments

As we continue to get Mattina ready for the upcoming season, I’ll share the improvements we make; such as, Mattina gets a new helm seat.

Who says sailing can’t be comfortable?

After searching through my photos I found this one of Matt and Farley at the helm station (I forgot to take the before picture I’m so fond of prior to installing the new seat.)

Can you see the shape of the back rest? That’s the original back rest that came outfitted on the boat. It’s circular and a roll in the back is not exactly comfortable. You also get a glimpse of our full enclosure for those rainy days. We must have been expecting rain that day or maybe the wind was cold and we were keeping warm.

Squrrel 2009 10 21

We had a new back rest designed and made for comfort.

Mattina New Helm Seat

Now we can sit together at the helm for long periods of time and feel comfortable.

Thanks for reading . . .

Mattina: Lagoon 380 Gets a New Trampoline

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 12 Comments

Sometimes preparing a cruising boat for the winter season is like Christmas, and this year’s present is a new trampoline.

As you know, I love the before and after photos.

So, here’s the before . . . Yuck.

Old Trampoline

And here’s the after . . . Awesome.

New Trampoline

Doesn’t Farley look happy on his new trampoline? We love to keep Mattina in mint condition, meaning  I think we should look like a Lagoon 380 S2 brochure.

Oh, and did you notice? Mattina is in the water 🙂

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: What’s A Dog To Do In A Boatyard?

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

I ask you, do I look bored?

Farley in Boatyard

My humans are getting their Lagoon 380 Catamaran ready for a winter of sailing, so for me it’s all hang around the boat yard and wait for them.

And what’s with the leash? I’m used to being free. How humiliating. What if one of my pals saw me?

Okay, so enough of the whining. What’s good about the boatyard?

There is a long dock I get to run on, and best of all, there are dolphins in the harbour.

“Hey,” I bark. “Come over here.”

The dolphins ignore me.

“Hey, I’m bored, Come play,” I bark.

Nothing. Dolphins just seem to swim and blow air out of their heads.

Then I get distracted by a man and a woman fishing. They guys casts the lure.

“Wait for me,” I bark. I run to their boat, but they are too far away for me to jump on board.

“Cast again,” I bark, and the guy does. Humans are so smart.

Kristina tells the guy she doesn’t know why I bark when someone casts a lure, like it’s not obvious. I wag may tail at her, encouraging her to figure it out.

No, luck. While I”m not paying attention she grabs my harness and I have to sit under our boat again.

One more week of this and we should be in the water! The boat I mean,  to me or my humans.

Woof Woof.

Lagoon 380s2 Window Covering

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 8 Comments

The fall season is here and it’s time to start blogging about cruising. During the winter months, I post every Wednesday about our cruising lifestyle, so here we go. . .

The time of year is upon us where we go through our commissioning list and launch Mattina, our Lagoon 380 S2. We usually spend about 8 days on the hard, working on areas that need to be done with the boat out of the water.

Then Mattina gets launched, and we proceed to part two of the commissioning process. I won’t rewrite what we did in the fall of 2012 for commissioning,  but here are the links if you are interested.

A Week on the Hard

A Week at the Dock

This year, I thought I’d write about some of the things we do that aren’t on our regular commissioning list but have to be one for us to keep Mattina in mint condition.

I love before and after photos. We decided Mattina needed new window coverings. The large windows on the cabins and showers provide ample light below decks and spectacular views. We all want to see out, but that doesn’t mean we want others seeing in. The winder covering on Mattina started to wear and so . . . new window coverings.

This might seem easy, but getting paint off windows is hard work and certainly takes time.

WIndow Before

WIndow After

 

But the result was worth the effort.

Now tell me the second photo doesn’t look better!

Thanks for reading . . .

Farley’s Friday: A Dog Dreams Of Sailing in the Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 4 Comments

Farley here.

I had a dream last night, and I thought you’d like to see what I look like in my dream.

Farley Dreaming

I dreamt about the Bahamas and sailing on my Lagoon 380 catamaran (with my humans of course).

Why am I dreaming? My papers arrived. Here’s how it works. Kristina sends $10 to the Bahamas with a form telling the lovely Bahamian people all about me. Then they decide whether I can enter the country, and I’m so wonderful I don’t see how they could refuse.

They mail back my visa along with a receipt for the $10, that’s US dollars by they way.

Right before we sail to the Bahamas from Florida I have to go to a vet. I don’t really like this part, but I have to have a health certificate. That doesn’t seem fair because my humans don’t need one.

Then we set sail across the Gulf Stream. I don’t like sailing overnight. I just can’t go to bed until Kristina does and she likes the midnight to 4 am shift. I try to convince my humans to only sail to Bimini. We can get there before dark and I get a good night sleep.

Once we arrive, my humans visit customs with my papers and then I’m set for the season. It’s a great deal – $10  for an entire year.

Now all I have to do is wait until November and we can get going.

Woof Woof.

 

Decommissioning a Lagoon 380 Catamaran.

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 6 Comments

Emotions are crazy and have a life of their own. I’m sad to be decommissioning my sailboat for the summer, but extremely happy to be going home to my family for a few months. Happy – Sad – Happy – Sad . . .

I just can’t have everything I want at the same time 🙂

We prepare the boat as if we are expecting a hurricane and have a two step process for Mattina. Part of the work is done in the water and part on land. Luckily we do most of it in the water and only a few hours on land. Too hot up on the hard.

In the water . . .

  • take down, clean and store main sail and genoa
  • wash all salon and cockpit cushions
  • remove all safety gear and store
  • maintain dingy engine
  • empty and clean all storage areas (what’s left of our food sits on the counter until we leave)
  • defrost and clean fridge and freezer
  • remove all batteries for anything that has batteries.
  • and on and on it goes.

THEN, Mattina gets hauled.

Mattina stripped and ready for hurricane season.
Mattina stripped and ready for hurricane season.

On the hard. I’ve listed a few items so you get the idea of what needs to be done. Our actual is list is 3 pages long.

  • maintain diesel engines
  • install dehumidifier
  • seal all hatches and put on hatch covers
  • close and plug thru-hulls
  • check deck drains clear
  • turn off fuel supply
  • disconnect batteries
  • disconnect solar panels
  • disconnect all radios and wifi
  • lock up . . .

Matt has a detailed decommissioning list that we seem to add to every season. I keep asking Matt why the list doesn’t get shorter and he just smiles and assigns another item to me.

Our dog gets the best deal. He plays on the dock and greets anyone who walks by. He also lets us know if dolphins or manatee swim by and we get to take a break and watch.

Farley waiting for someone to pet him. Anyone who walks by will do.
Farley waiting for someone to pet him. Anyone who walks by will do.

Thanks for reading . . .

Travelling the Exumas, Bahamas

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 7 Comments

Sailing on the Exumas banks in fifteen knots from the east, flat water and clear skies is our favourite. Our plan had been to sail north each day and make our way to Florida within five days.

We didn’t quite stick to the plan, or as we call it, Plan No Plan.

Mattina Sailing Exumas

Highbourne Cay marina has a new restaurant that we had to try out.

HIghbourne Cay Marina

The spotted eagle ray gave us a lovely show at Cambridge Cay.

Cambridge Cay Spotted Eagle Ray

After that it was off to Rose Island, Chubb Cay, South Bimini and then – and I feel like I should play music here – Florida.

Time to work on the Mattina, go through our decommissioning checklist and put her on the hard for the summer. Boo Hoo.

 

Swimming with Sharks

~ Kristina Stanley ~ 2 Comments

Living the cruising lifestyle presents some exciting opportunities. It only takes a little courage to take advantage.

Compass Cay Marina in the Exuma island chain, Bahamas has a school of Nurse sharks that frequent the marina.

The sharks are used to human interaction, although the marina staff does recommend not putting your hand in a shark’s mouth – duh 🙂

My niece had the guts, I had the camera and off we went. She made me go in the water first. “Just in case,” she said. “It’s your duty as my aunt to sacrifice yourself.”

How could I argue? So I went first, nothing ate me and she came in after.

Here’s the proof we swam with sharks – okay I know they’re Nurse sharks and are harmless, but tell that to the adrenaline rushing through my body.

My brave niece and her new friends.
My brave niece and her new friends.