Publish Date: Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Location: Harsens Island, Michigan
Coordinates: 42° 36.728,’ N -82 ° 33.384′ W
After almost two weeks of celebrating and visiting on Harsens Island, it was time to go. But wait, we couldn’t go anywhere, we hadn’t accomplished one thing on our to do list during our stay on the Island. We had planned this as a key stop along the way to get quite a few things done since we had access to a car and free dockage for awhile. We needed at least a week to get these things done. Thanks to John and Nancy’s hospitality we extended our stay and got busy. Dave outlined our major accomplishments in his blog, Refinements and Upgrades. As always, I just want to add my two cents in a couple of areas, and share a few pictures of the projects in progress.
Moving on to Three@Sea last August.
We moved on to Three@Sea last August 2nd having never lived on a boat before. We had 23 boxes shipped from Boulder to our new home, and had two days to stow the contents before we began extensive training on the boat. After a little over ten months a board, I wanted to take the entire boat apart and reevaluate what we had and how it was stowed. This would be an impossible task at anchor, and awkward at a marina, but Dave’s family home provided the perfect location for such an undertaking.
It took a solid three days of work, but was well worth it. The whole process equates to a giant spring
David cleaning AC strainers located under master state room bed.
cleaning. There is plenty of storage throughout the boat, the key is remembering where you stored everything. This time I created a detailed spreadsheet of where everything is stowed. Also, as I pulled everything out, I took the opportunity to open up all the floor covers and other hatches that are covered when things are stored. This provided an excellent opportunity for Dave and I to check a variety of systems which are hard to get too, and do a little necessary maintenance, like cleaning the air conditioning strainers, or tightening a few screws.
Provisions being stowed under couches in main salon.
My favorite new space saving item is the large bags you can put a comforter or blanket in, and then suck all the air out with a vacuum cleaner. You wouldn’t believe the space they save, not to mention they are waterproof and protect against odors. I feel like a TV infomerical, but they are great.
On the fourth day, we ran errands all day; and the fifth day was
Ayla sorting provisions into easy groupings for storage.
spent integrating and stowing the new purchases , along with a final clean-up before we began voyaging again. Several bags went to Goodwill, while many more bags ended up in the trash. It is amazing how even in a somewhat small space like a boat you can accumulate stuff. What a good feeling to have that project done!
David having fun using power tools on the screen project.
Lots of other projects occurred as well; and, we checked a large number of items off our list. Our heartfelt thanks go out to Nancy and John for their incredible hospitality and patience during our visit—between guests and projects, their home and dock were busier than Grand Central Station. Hopefully our next rendez-vous with them (maybe Mexico) will be more relaxed.
John and Nancy bidding Three@Sea farewell from their dock.
Ayla’s descriptions of the Harsens island and it’s smells have me looking at the island in a whole new way. Glad to hear you made it safely to Mackinac through that weather. Never heard the smell of Mackinac Island described in a better way. The best to all of you. Judy